PAUL CHAIN - Ash (ristampa)

The reissue of “Ash” (set for November 13, 2015, alongside the masterpiece “Violet Art Of Improvisation“) closes out the series of reissues, planned for this year, of Paul Chain's historic catalog. “Ash” is an album particularly beloved by fans of the guitarist from Pesaro, since it's one of his records closest to heavy metal, alongside “Life And Death” (Minotauro, 1989) and, above all, “Alkahest” (Godhead/Flying, 1995), recorded together with Lee Dorrian (a great admirer of his, and member of Death SS) in the purest doom style.

Originally released as a 12″ in 1988 on Minotauro, “Ash” acted as a watershed between the transitional album “Opera 4th” (Minotauro, 1987) and “Life and Death”. In short, this mini-LP brings together markedly rock-oriented stylings alongside more experimental ones, blended seamlessly, which makes the record cohesive rather than scattered.

“Eternal Flame” and “Electroshock” are prime examples of Paul Chain's idea of speed metal, showing how Slayer might have sounded had they converted to gothic rock.

The psychotic “Electroshock”, in particular, is fairly original in how it unfolds, with its almost experimental coda. “Image Down” and, especially, “I Remember a Black Mass” (his personal take on Black Sabbath's “Lord Of This World”, complete with funeral bells at the close) once again showcase his solid doom roots, the genre the guitarist hails from.

Fortunately, Paul Chain doesn't forget that he is above all an imaginative composer (unlike many of his fellow “metalheads”), and he pours his best creative qualities into the instrumental “Abyss”, where, alongside gothic music, a wide range of disparate influences converge, from Ligeti's continuum pieces (the organ's sound layers) to the sacred music of Arvo Part (in the pseudo-choral passages), all the way to the military marches of Laibach.

This Minotauro reissue also includes two bonus tracks. The first, “Moment Of Rage”, was originally released on a 1991 “split single” shared with Kina and Eversor. The second, “Undead”, is essentially a disguised cover of “Ace Of Spades” by Motorhead.

While certainly not a masterpiece, “Ash” will be remembered above all for two tracks: “Abyss” and “Electroshock”, which remain two absolute high points of Paul Chain's entire body of work.

One last note for collectors: Minotauro has also reissued this album, "In The Darkness" (1986) and "Life And Death" in the old-fashioned cassette format (which seems to be oddly back in vogue these days), but without bonus tracks.

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10/11/2015