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Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews

Prowler

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Review by Gary Hill

Prowler is a band that originally came to prominence as part of the NWOBHM. Their sound is definitely tied to that era. They have a real rock and roll edge to their metal. This is solid set of songs from various points in the history of the band.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2022  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2022.

Track by Track Review
Gotta Get Back To You (1980)
There is a killer hard rock and roll meets NWOBHM sound at play here. I'm reminded of early Iron Maiden to a large degree, but with a little more straight rock edge. This driving tune really rocks. The instrumental section includes some klesmer music amidst the guitar soloing.
Bad Child Running (1980)
I love the driving metal sound of this rocker. They put a mellower instrumental movement into the middle of this song. That part is packed full of drama. It's a nice touch and includes some melodic guitar soloing. That section eventually intensifies, and the guitar soloing gets some neo-classical elements before it's over.
Lost Without Your Love (1980)
Here we get another solid rocker. It's clearly got plenty of metal in the mix, but it's more of a hard rocker at its core. The guitar soloing on this is so strong. There is a definite early Maiden vibe on this in some ways. The guitar solo later in the piece features more neo-classical elements.
Prisoner (1980)
While there is a metal edge here, this is more of a hard rock song. It reminds me of Spinal Tap with a little Molly Hatchet in the mix. While this is solid, it's not up to the level of some the rest of the stuff here.
Rocksong Part II / Heavy (Live 1980)
The riff that brings this in is solid and classy. This is another that makes me think of Molly Hatchet just a little. The second part of this twofer gets into more standard metal zones.
Gotta Get Back To You (30th Anniversary Version 2010)
I think this take of the album's opener is a bit of an improvement on the studio version. That said, it's not a big change. It's more about the intensity.
Heavy Metal Hero (40th Anniversary Version 2020)
I really like this a lot. It has plenty of pure metal along with anthemic hard rock.
Under Attack (1981)
Retro metal is the order of business here, and it's done with style. There's a movement later in the song that is based on just the rhythm section.
Samurai (Live 1981)
The start of this brings some serious Sabbath elements to bear. The cut eventually makes its way to the song proper, a straight-ahead metal rocker. There is some powerhouse guitar soloing on this beast. The closing riff is classic, too.

 

 
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