Search - Saint Vitus :: Heavier Than Thou

A good retrospective of Vitus' early albums

08/24/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This "greatest hits" album includes cuts from my two favorite Vitus albums, the first "Saint Vitus" and and the EP "Born Too Late". While some moan that it sounds like a cheap Sabbath cover band, these people are simply lame and probably think Rainbow is real heavy metal. These are the people who are responsible for "concept art rock" like Yes. They should be forced to live on a desert island with Barney records. St. Vitus has the trademark bass (powered by classic Orange amps for that old school sound) complemented by excellent heavy guitar work. Psychedelic at times, the guitar provides a classic thick, sludgy, meat tenderizing heavy metal sound. This is music for gearheads and burnouts, think Motorhead. Bludgeoning, heavy music meant to be played extremely loud. Few people realize this, but St. Vitus started on the hardcore/punk label SST and played with legendary punk bands like The MinuteMen, Black Flag, Husker Du and others. While their sound is definately metal, they have the raw energy and mindset of classic hardcore punk. Standout tracks on this release are "Born Too Late" (featuring a wicked psychedelic guitar solo), "Clear Windowpane" (more psychedelia), and "Saint Vitus" (propelled by a tribal drum beat and the heaviest riffage you'll ever hear). If you've got the first couple of albums, this one isn't really necessary, but it will replace that old comp tape you made yourself. If you like Vitus, check out a band called "Sleep". One word, heavy, man."