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Amon Ra: In the Company of the Gods (Reissue)

Melodic/Heavy/Power Metal

4.0/5.0

Website (Label)
Pure Underground Records
by Craig Hartranft,  01.23.2013

While reissues are not generally reviewed on Dangerdog Music Reviews, Amon Ra's In the Company of the Gods, another interesting find from our friends at Pure Underground Records, deserves mention, and for several good reasons.

Amon Ra:: from 1992.

Not the least of which, at the start, is that In the Company of the Gods is an interesting slice of traditional American heavy metal from a period of upheaval in the music business. Amon Ra's sound was essentially on the way out, going back to the underground from whence it came, thanks to the rise of grunge. A second interesting note is that Pure Underground is not reissuing this on CD, but rather on vinyl, remastered, in a gatefold package with new artwork and only in a limited quantity of 333 copies.

Finally, for late period traditional heavy metal, Amon Ra's style was not always that straight forward. Songs like Graveyard of the Dragon and Garden of Eden have the essence of early American power metal, heavier and somewhat faster. Then there's a song like Middleground that has some metal edge, but the melody and arrangement with synths makes it seem more like basic melodic hard rock. Mostly, Amon Ra's sound reminds of a cross between NWOBHM and its American counterpart, much like Iron Maiden meets Manilla Road, not but not as bombastic as the former, or sometimes dark as the latter. You hear some of this on Cloak and Dagger, As the Mirror Cracks, and Long Overdue.

Fundamentally, Amon Ra's In the Company of the Gods is a fascinating and entertaining listen for fans of classic American melodic heavy metal. If you do enjoy this, you may want to scoop one of the 333 before they're gone. Hopefully, Pure Underground will make this available on CD or digital download in the future. Recommended.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Fundamentally, Amon Ra's In the Company of the Gods is a fascinating and entertaining listen for classic American melodic heavy metal from a period when it was being pushed back underground.

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