A Legend Retold

I think my blood just turned into liquid metal. Somehow I was expecting this to be a little on the mellow side - it could be the band's name or the cover art, I don't know. Was I ever in for a surprise. Sleepy Hollow is heavy metal to the bone. This is the kind of sound that defines heavy metal. Think NWOBHM with a harder edge to it, a little bit Maiden-esque with high-pitched vocals like only Bob Mitchell (ex-Attacker, now with Vyndykator) can sing them.

The 4 songs presented here are pretty much mid-paced with some occasional "speed-ups" (I really need to find the correct term for this :)). There is quite a bit of passages without any vocals where the guitars melodies and solos are just outstanding - very heavy and catchy stuff. Headbang to the harder moments, lose yourself into the wicked guitar solos. Very powerful playing and excellent songwriting. This stuff is highly addictive, as I just can't stop playing it over and over (things got worse after I copied the vinyl to CD-R :)). I keep wondering how Bob Mitchell can sustain those high-pitched vocals.

Negative points? Of course there's one: This should be a LP, a MLP is not long enough! :) This release is not only recommended, it's mandatory. Simple as that.

Old Metal Records did a great job with this re-issue (this was originally released in 1989), with the lyrics printed on the back of the sleeve and including a sheet with a short bio and credits. This MLP may be a bit hard to find, but Sleepy Hollow's stuff will be re-issued this Fall, so keep an eye out for it.