Glory Bell's Band

about

The Swedish scene in the early-to-mid 80’s (called NWOSHM by some) was quite active, and sported many great bands. As a whole, it was undeniably influenced in large part by NWOBHM; of course, so was almost all heavy metal from that time period. However, there was a distinct flavor to the scene that made it subtly but significantly different from the other scenes of the time. Rather than continue the occult and satanic feel of Angel Witch and their ilk, as the French did, many Swedish bands (and most of the best, in my opinion) focused on more epic and triumphant themes. In this respect it was similar to the US heavy metal of the 80’s, but genealogically as well as geographically, Sweden was much closer to NWOBHM. For one, the dual guitar harmony passages are still in full force in many bands, only slightly more developed than they were in their NWOBHM predecessors; for another, the dirty hard rock influence is often much more obvious. The riff construction in Glory Bell’s Band, for example, sounds a lot more like Saxon than Omen, though thematically they were often closer to the latter. That sound tended to diminish in Sweden as the 80’s wore on, however; on Saigon’s 1985 masterpiece One Must Die, for example, most of that had been left behind. With that progression in mind, I tend to think of the Swedish sound of the time as halfway between NWOBHM and US heavy metal. It may be oversimplification, but when thinking of the many, many various styles and sub-styles that made up

top songs

albums

Dressed In Black

century rendezvous

Dressed in Black / Century Rendezvous

▥

Live at Glädjehuset, Stockholm 1984

▥

Century Rendezvous (1996 Reissue)

▥

ADressed in Black / Century Rendezvous

▥

Compilation

▥

Dressed IN Black / Century Rendzvous

Glory Bells - Dressed In Black/Century Rendezvous

▥

Dressed in Black - 1985 Century Rendezvous [Reissue 2004]

▥

Disaster Catalyst

▥

(1982) Dressed In Black

similar artists