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October 31 is yet another band that has been around for a while, garnering positive press, that I've been too damn lazy to check out. My mistake. Any band that covers songs like Saxon's "Power and the Glory" and Lizzy Borden's "Give 'Em the Axe" is one I shouldn't be ignoring.

I can't speak for their prior catalog but their new 7" EP, Gone to the Devil, is a solid little slab of old school, NWOBHM-flavored Heavy fucking Metal. "Gone to the Devil," on the A-side, is from the early Venom mold and features singer King Fowley growling and shouting about turning the cross upside down as the rest of the band torments their instruments with evil abandon. The B-side features another cover, this time "Too Scared to Run" from the underappreciated Uriah Heep. I don't know much about the original, but after hearing October 31's rendition of this song, it is easy to understand why so many bands in the early 80s cited Uriah Heep, along with Motörhead and Deep Purple, as major influences. There's nothing flashy or complicated in October 31's output on these two songs but they will remind you of why you got in to Heavy Metal in the first place. Their music is raw, energetic and unconcerned with fashion.

This song has got me eager for October 31's next album and digging into their past releases. Until the new one is out, find your denim jacket, sew on an October 31 patch, next to Venom and Iron Maiden, put it on and throw your fist in the air.