Lost in Time: Holocaust – Covenant

Style: progressive heavy metal (clean vocals)
Review by: Sam
Country: Scotland
Release year: 1997

Hey, this isn’t Tim! Indeed, it is I, Sam, profound bullshitter and blog owner, who has taken up the duties for this little column this time. Tim is reviewing a recent release this time, so I picked up Lost in Time duties this time. Unlike Tim, I don’t listen to prog rock much at all, so this will be of a very different flavor from the previous albums in the series. This is a progressive traditional heavy metal album from 1997, a rare genre in itself. In the early days of progressive metal, before Dream Theater forever shaped the landscape, the genre largely consisted of metal bands enhancing their sound with 70s prog-inspired song structures and enhanced technicality. Acts like (early) Fates Warning, Psychotic Waltz, or the more obscure Slauter Xstroyes produced some killer albums that riffed hard, but also had a progressive quality to them that was almost mystical in its melodicism. This particular “style” of progressive metal (as far as you can call it that) never caught on much (sadly) beyond a handful of very obscure groups, and Holocaust is one of them.

Holocaust is a band that was originally part of the NWOBHM movement. They had a quick burst of fame with their debut single “Heavy Metal Mania”, but after that they quickly fell into obscurity, to the point that they even disbanded in 1984 after their second album No Man’s Land. When they reformed in 1988 as a progressive metal band, no one batted an eye. Roughly ten years later, they released what is in my eyes the pinnacle of their career, and also the topic of this review, Covenant.

And indeed that mystical quality of the aforementioned bands is also present in here. It’s hard to put into words. This band is flawed in a lot of ways, but at the same time it’s precisely those flaws which add to the charm. It sounds very dry and dated, but simultaneously it creates a magical atmosphere. The dryness gives the riffs a great weight, and while the vocals may not be great from a technical standpoint, they’re very charming in their delivery. They lack in range and power, but the sincerity of the delivery and quality of the lyricism makes up for it. They’re not particularly catchy, but they resonate plenty emotionally to make up for it.

The album begins off thrashing with a very aggressive opener. It immediately slaps some of the heaviest riffs the album has to offer in your face, and maintains a high tempo throughout, making for a very effective, catchy opener. The next track “Salt Heart” showcases the melodic side of the band more, and it’s also where they start justifying the “progressive” tag in its looser structure. This band is not one to do any time signature wizardry, but rather in how they make sprawling songs with a higher emphasis on melody and include frequent acoustic play to support the melodies. Heck, I doubt the album even breaks 4/4, but it doesn’t need to. “Return to Dust” is an even more melodic track, with some beautiful lead play. It precisely showcases that mystical feeling this band evokes. They don’t shred, but instead linger on each note for longer, and make sure that the solo gets that maximum emotional payoff. Also the frequent acoustic support for the electric leads and melodic bass lines gives them a really nice extra melodic depth.

The next real track “The Battle of Soaring Woodhelven” is the centerpiece of the album, clocking in at 16 minutes. Its primary draw lies in its incredible main riff, but it has a lot of twists and turns keeping it interesting. Sadly it doesn’t become more than the sum of its parts, but it’s a great listen nonetheless. None of the other tracks suffer from that issue either. The second half continues with the more progressive writing. “Mount Thunder” and “Alexander” in particular are highlights, the former for its excellent buildup, and the latter for basically doing everything this band is good at in one song. It’s an alltimer for me for sure.

Before I wrap this up I wanted to mention the excellent pacing and flow of the album. I’m not sure whether it’s a concept album as the lyrics for the centerpiece “The Battle (…)” are missing online, but musically it really tells a story of highs and lows. They know when to turn up the intensity and when to drop it, making the album dynamic enough to sustain its length 64 minute runtime. From what I can tell, there are a lot of biblical references in the lyrics. I’m not really sure what they’re about since I suck at poetry, but they seem well written.

So there you have it. All in all Covenant is, despite all its flaws, an absolute classic. I’m happy I finally got to write about this one as I’ve been listening to it for years already. I put up some specific bands in the FFO, but I think any fan of more melodic 80s metal would enjoy this one. This album is very very special, and you should listen to it.

Recommended tracks: Return to Dust, The Battle of Soaring Woodhelven, Mount Thunder, Alexander
Recommended for fans of: Fates Warning, Crimson Glory, Psychotic Waltz, Arch/Matheos, Sluater Xstroyes, Iron Maiden, Metallica
Final verdict: 9/10

Related links: Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Metal-Archives page

Label: Neat Metal (now closed, so no links)

Holocaust is:
– John Mortimer (vocals, guitars)
– David Rosie (bass)
– Steve Cowen (drums)