• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5

Ah, this takes me back, back to a time when energy and desire were at least as important as talent. The Netherland's Jackal is yet another band from the 80s who missed the brass ring the first time on the Merry-Go-Round and has decided to give it another shot now that the musical landscape is once again favorable to Heavy Metal.

Jackal released only one "album" (a six-song EP, really), Cry of the Jackal, back in 1989, along with a couple of demos before calling it quits. Their timing wasn't great as by 1989 the type of loose, D.I.Y. Traditional Heavy Metal they were cranking out was certainly on its way out of vogue, replaced by a much smoother, yet generic sound. Well, 2013 couldn't be much better time for Pure Underground to re-release that album, along with several of Jackal's demo tracks, on a Metal public eager for a trip down memory lane.

As I said, Jackal play with a lot of energy and their performances remind me of those early NWOBHM imports I bought back in the early 80s. The production is weak and muddy, especially on the demo tracks, which is only natural but, at the same time, possesses an authenticity that cannot be completely recreated today. The riffs are mad flurries of heavily distorted buzzing, the bass gallops out of the Steve Harris school and the vocal are a high-pitched warble not unlike Ron Keel's. There aren't as many memorable songs as one would hope, though the "Dinosaur Invasion" is a notable exception with its excellent riff and quirky chorus. The songwriting is not fantastic but is more than good enough to make Cry of the Jackal pretty damn solid from start to finish.

If you enjoy 80s-style Traditional Heavy Metal in the vein of Raven, Tokyo Blade, Steeler (the Ron Keel/Yngwie Malmsteen version), Cities and the like, you'll want to give Cry of the Jackal a listen.