They had nothing left to prove so they said fuck it, cranked their music up to 11, and decided to adapt to the style the youth were into, and I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t just as good. They don’t do anything to stand out.Īll-in-all, this is one hell of a way for the band to go out.
Darren Wharton played keys on it honestly, I forget they're even there. He is a great drummer, but they don’t grab me outside the opening track's explosive introduction. Phil’s bass work is phenomenal, and his vocals show why I consider him the best vocalist/lyricist in rock history. Gorham and Sykes give an example of why twin guitar harmonies are such an iconic part of heavy metal and, while it's not quite as good as the stuff the band put out with either Brian Robertson or Gary Moore, it certainly holds its own and Sykes’s more metallic leanings add a grit that I felt their prior two albums were lack. When it comes to the instrumentation Thin Lizzy deliver as they always do. Lynott even turns on his legendary charm for deep-cut Bad Habits and turns in a performance that would have been hokey in the hands of literally anyone other than him “Boys will be boys, girls will be trouble, and I’m a man of bad habits” is goddamn ridiculous and I fucking love it. Songs like The Holy War and The Sun Goes Down are far slower with an atmosphere that covers you like a heatwave while your house’s AC isn't working.
Thin lizzy the holy war full#
That's not to say the album is full speed ahead the whole time. I was not being hyperbolic when I compared Sykes to adrenaline either, as exemplified by the barn-burning title track that opens the album or thrash metal cover standard Cold Sweat. Thin Lizzy decided to respond in kind and proceeded to write the heaviest album of their career. Not wanting to be shown up by all the fresh face youngsters, Phil tapped newly emerged guitar hero Jon Sykes (formerly of Tygers of Pan Tang and later Whitesnake) to replace outgoing guitarist Snowy White in the process giving the band a much-needed shot of adrenaline in an era where bands were only getting faster and louder. Not only were they coming off of back-to-back albums that, by all accounts, failed to match up to their legendary run from Fighting to Black Rose, but also the rapid changes brought on by the explosion of NWOBHM brought on by a litany of bands that all cited them as a key influence. When Thin Lizzy entered the studio in 1982 they had a lot to prove. That’s right my reviews are all their fault I accept no responsibility. At the time of writing this album turned 40 only a few days ago, and as such, I felt compelled to write a bit about it if for no other reason than the simple fact that without it I doubt I’d be here writing this review. There are few bands more influential in music history than Irish hard rock pioneers Thin Lizzy taking the twin lead guitar stylings of Wishbone Ash and cranking up the pace, they carved a unique place in rock history, and to this day are cited as an influence by bands all over the spectrum, but you already know that.
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