A quick view of my recent purchase history, where Bloody Hammers, Blood of the Sun, and other bands that pay tribute to a retro rock sound shows I’m in a real old time vibe right now. That, and a just cracked bottle of wine puts me in pretty much perfect mood to review Shadow Kingdom’s reissue of Bolder Damn’s 1971 album ‘Mourning’. So, as an album only a couple of years younger then this aged scribe, can it appeal to the buyer now? Damn right.
The late sixties and early seventies was the period that that spawned so much of what is beloved and cherished by rock and metal fans now. The MC5 were blasting out the anger that in a few years became punk; Led Zep and Deep Purple were bringing a new level of virtuosity to playing that would lay down the technical expertise that would influence generations of players; The Alice Cooper Band were bringing the presence and showmanship that to this day inspires so many of the bands that fill the stage with theatrical mayhem; hell, Steppenwolf coined the phrase Heavy Metal in ‘Born to be Wild’. So, where does Bolder Damn fit in? Sadly, in many ways, they are one of the great “almost” bands of the era, and now, four decades later, they might get the recognition they deserve.
Founded in Florida at the end of the era of ‘The British Invasion’, Bolder Damn takes a healthy dash of psychedelia and mixes it with the more stripped back sounds of The Stooges. The album has only 7 tracks, most of them a radio friendly 3-4 minutes, but each has its merits. Opener ‘BTRCD’ has a simple kicking beat, but with a nice distorted guitar solo that arguably equals Jimmy Page’s effort in ‘Dazed and Confused’, in intensity, if not in self indulgent length. ‘Got That Feeling’ follows up with some nice dirty blues riffs, whilst ‘Monday Mourning’ has an almost pop feel, by which I mean a pop chart where The Stones and The Who would dominate, not “insert latest reality star/fad pseudo RnB creation here” would get played.
Where the album truly surpasses expectation is with closer, the 15 minute plus ‘Dead Meat’. Opening with an excellent guitar howl, even at the length of many EPs, it never outstays its welcome. There can be little doubt the likes of Pentagram heard this track and built on it; the lyrics are a tale of death and misery, played against a guitar where each note is dragged to its distorted end, at the point of feedback before being dragged to a new tone. The bass and drums break down mid song into a hedonistic flurry before being reined in by tighter and angrier riffs that match any of the early creations of Tony Iommi. Halfway through the song sounds as if it has died, only to drag itself back from the depths with an LSD and THC soaked echoing, before once again the guitars blast in. Truly, this is an album that invokes lava lamps, light shows, and drifting clouds of herbal smoke.
Why the likes of The Doors and Pink Floyd flourished, and Bolder Damn failed, I cannot say. What I can say is this a classic retro gem well worth the purchase.
(8/10 Spenny Bullen)
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