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PENTAGRAM ‘Be Forewarned’ Peaceville (1994)
US doom mongers Pentagram are well-known or, should I say, notorious for their ability to produce excellent post-Sabbathean doom metal, but at the same time remain solidly lodged in the underground scene, due to various unfortunate circumstances, singer Bobby Liebling’s addictions being one of them. Regardless of this, however, it is always good to remember that Pentagram’s music has been extremely influential not only in doom circles, but also on the wider Metal scene, due to their universal appeal.
So, what role does ‘Be Forewarned’ play in the band’s legacy? Following such strong and memorable releases, as ‘Relentless’ and ‘Day of Reckoning’, ‘Be Forewarned’ does not quite live up to the mark, in my opinion. This is probably down to the fact that the album in question was not released until much later after the two abovementioned albums, and, by that stage, both the music scene and the band had changed.
In its own right, ‘Be Forewarned’ displays a greater variety of influences than its predecessors; however, it is this decision to move away from the reliable Pentagram ‘machine’ that produced instantly recognisable and quality, I might add, riffs, that might let it down in some peoples’ opinion. ‘Bride of Evil’ and ‘The World will love again’, as well as ‘A Timeless Heart’, are examples of such experimentations, even though the latter is quite an enjoyable instrumental track. More ‘classic’ songs are ‘Too Late’, ‘Vampyre Love’ and ‘Wolf's Blood’, which will satisfy most Pentagram purists. The final track, ‘Be Forewarned’, is one of those ‘lost’ Pentagram offerings, which saw the light of day on this full-length release over a decade after its first inception.
My feelings about this album shift – on the one hand, it is good to see a band experimenting with their existing sound, but, somehow, Pentagram seem to have lost their ‘kick’ on half this album as a result of this.
Definitely not the album to introduce new listeners to the band, but it is one you will probably grow to like if you are more acquainted with Pentagram’s previous efforts and don’t mind a bit of experimentation.
***½
Review by Emily Dgebuadze
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