Turn To Stone

I never knew about or heard of the band Pentagram until I saw an advertisement in a Relapse Records catalog. It was for their recently released, "First Daze Here: The Vintage Collection"; a compilation album that includes remastered tracks from many of their 1970's era recordings. For anyone not familiar with Pentagram, they can best be described as doom metal ala Black Sabbath. In fact, these guys have been around almost as long as Black Sabbath. The guitarist Victor Griffin is an obvious disciple of Tony Iommi's fretwork, and the eerie similarity between singer Bobby Liebling's and Ozzy's vocal styles simply must to be heard to be believed. "Turn To Stone" is another compilation that concentrates on material from the band's mid 80's to 90's Peaceville releases; songs which span three albums: 1985's "Relentless", of which six tracks are taken, 1987's "Day of Reckoning", of which five tracks are taken and 1995's "Be Forewarned", of which six tracks are taken. The songs aren't in chronological order, but that doesn't really matter because there is a consistency in the sound that gives the disc a natural flow. If you weren't familiar with Pentagram or their songs you would think that this is one complete album from the same recording session. The material on this release is not over-produced nor does it sound dated. Pentagram's "Turn To Stone" is a great starting place for anyone that is a fan of doom metal bands like early Black Sabbath, Trouble, Candlemass, Cathedral or Saint Vitus. Just only after listening to the first two songs did I instantly take an interest to this this highly unoticed and underated band. Now I want to search out their earlier full length releases.