Pentagram
Pentagram (Relentless)

THE REVIEW

It's 1985 when Pentagram by the Pentagram emerges, one of the most important doom bands alongside Cathedral and Candlemass. They originated in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971 thanks to singer Bobby Liebling and, after some singles, disbanded in 1976 only to reform in 1980 under the name Death Row. They resumed the name Pentagram in 1985 with the release of their first album infused with 60's psychedelia (Blue Cheer and early Pink Floyd) and Sabbathian atmospheres. Now, let's talk about this extremely important album, as significant as EPICUS DOOMICUS METALLICUS by CANDLEMASS and very underrated.

The first song, "Death Row", dedicated also to the band from which Pentagram reformed, welcomes us with a funereal riff joined by Liebling's voice, with slow and desperate drumming; the solo strongly reminds us of Black Sabbath from Paranoid, from which Pentagram, and all of doom in general, drew more than just inspiration. "All Your Sins" opens with splendid mid-tempo drumming joined by beautifully slow and tragic riffs. In "Sign Of the Wolf (Pentagram)", the song starts with relatively fast riffs, like a candle in a cemetery at night... casting a bit of light amid so much darkness. "The Ghoul" heralds the return of the deep darkness of the night, always marked by spectral riffs and a voice reminiscent of Ozzy in "Iron Man"; the final solo sadly escorts us to the end of the track. In "Relentless", the piece most akin to classic heavy metal, reminiscent almost of Black Sabbath from "Sabotage" with Liebling approaching Ozzy's voice, "Run My Course" leans towards the earliest Black Sabbath, with slight blues influences. In "Sinister", everything is slow, dark, tragic, and funereal, but this song is particularly evil with beautifully crafted drumming, arguably the best on the album. The next track, "The Deist", I’d say, is a bit faster doom, getting closer to Motorhead’s heavy metal. "You’re Lost I’m Free" is a heavy metal song in a doom album. Then there are the last two tracks: "Dying World" is a song with nice drumming that flows very swiftly, leading us to the last song "20 Buck Spin", which wraps up the album with guitar breaks and a lovely solo ending this essential record.

Tracklist:

1. Death Row 4:16
2. All Your Sins 4:40
3. Sign of the Wolf (Pentagram) 3:12
4. The Ghoul 5:16
5. Relentless 3:51
6. Run My Course 2:48
7. Sinister 3:35
8. The Deist 3:50
9. You’re Lost I’m Free 2:19
10. Dying World 4:02
11. 20 Buck Spin 4:19