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If you aren't familiar with Black Death, you haven't been doing your heavy metal homework. The band was revived in recent years under the very appropriate name Black Death Resurrected, with a lineup that features veterans Siki Spacek and Vincent Lindsay. The Return of the Iron Messiah is their first full-length album under this name. For me, expectations were very high with this release because I'm a huge fan of the classic Black Death recordings.

As soon as the album starts to play, it's very obvious that the classic Black Death sound is still alive. The title track immediately calls to mind old songs such as "Taken by Force" and "The Scream of the Iron Messiah" while still sounding fresh and vital. These Clevelanders haven't lost a step. The guitar work is just what you would expect from these veteran players, sounding straight out of the 1980s. Siki Spacek is in fine form vocally, and he may have even improved over the years. There is a lot of variety between the individual songs on the album. "No Deceit No Defeat" sounds like a tribute to Motörhead, albeit with a twist of Black Death, and sees Spacek adopting a gruff vocal style not unlike Lemmy himself. An ominous heavy metal dirge that is about as evil as it gets, "The Mandrake" may be the highlight of the album. "Live by the Sword Die by the Sword" even sees them trying their hand at something in the vein of epic heavy metal. Despite the eclectic tendencies on display, it never becomes too much to keep the album from being cohesive.

The 2017 CD reissue also includes bonus material in the form of three new rehearsal songs recorded by the 2017 lineup of the band. I hope that these songs are a teaser of things to come for Black Death Resurrected. Even over three decades after the release of Black Death in 1984, Siki Spacek proves that he is just as alive and full of heavy metal spirit as ever. Did I mention that the band photo on the back cover features his guitar wearing a purple thong? Don't miss out on this album if you're a true headbanger. Buy or die!