Great Metal Albums of 1985: Grim Reaper- Fear No Evil

Keeping with my promise from my last post where I brought you heaven compliments of Stryper, this post I’m bringing you hell in the form of English heavy metal band, Grim Reaper and their second album, “Fear No Evil.” To be honest there is nothing really Satanic about any of the songs on the album. However, the band’s name along with their 1984 debut album, “See You in Hell” was enough for religious fanatics and the PMRC to brand them as such.

The closest to Satanism is the title track which proves to be a good way to open the album. Apart from that, there are no lyrics to make me sacrifice chickens, goats and teenage virgins to the Dark Lord. Take track two for example, “Never Coming Back” is a break up song and I think this particular break up is final because Steve Grimmett constantly sings he’s never coming back and leaving here for sure. In the case of other songs, “Rock and Roll Tonight” would be a logical choice for the band to use to open a live set. If I had ever seen them live, this track would have had me on my feet. The lyrics are rather cliche about rock and rolling all night but it is done to a strong metal vibe. I’m not sure about the lyrics of “Matter of Time” but it does feature a cool guitar solo. “Fight for the Last” seems to be an anti- war song and “Thunder Road” is definitely not Satanic though it is a great straight forward metal jam. Then, there’s the hidden gem, “Lay It On the Line.” It starts with some great power chords and then comes the clunking bass line and right in line with it, more power chords and Grimmett’s vocals. Top it off with another cool guitar solo from Nick Bowcott and you do get a great song.

There are some possible exceptions to the above. “Lord of Darkness” could be seen as a possible Satanic song and then the closer, “Final Scream.” This begins with a spoken segment about an apparent stubborn child refusing to go to bed but we quickly learn from the voice of the father that the child, Michael (not me), is actually 26 years old and has a child’s intellectual capacity. It does sound a bit spooky when you listen to it so the PMRC might have had a problem with it.

Track Listing:

1. Fear No Evil
2. Never Coming Back
3. Lord of Darkness (Your Living Hell)
4. Matter of Time
5. Rock and Roll Tonight
6. Thunder Road
7. Lay It On the Line
8. Fight For the Last
9. Final Scream

Grim Reaper

Steve Grimmett- vocals

Nick Bowcot- guitar

Dave Wanklin- bass

Marc Simon- drums

Question for the day: Was Grim Reaper the British version of Anvil? They played in the same circles as the likes of Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Saxon and Venom but for some reason, never really made it like the others in the metal world. Their debut album alone showed their potential and while “Fear No Evil” isn’t quite as good as that one, it’s still a very enjoyable metal album.

Next post: Manowar- Sign of the Hammer

To buy Rock and Roll Children, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1609763556?pf_rd_p=330fbd82-d4fe-42e5-9c16-d4b886747c64&pf_rd_r=78HDW1H7RRS7BR2ZJZH4