Samson
Head On

THE REVIEW

The first band Bruce Dickinson was part of: that's often how Samson is remembered today. But the band put together by guitarist Paul Samson (R.I.P. 2002) back in 1977 was much more than that: they were a group that delivered moments of great, genuine, and convincing hard Rock. The other members, let's not forget, were bassist Chris Aylmer (R.I.P. 2007) and the legendary drummer Thunderstick (real name Barry Purkis), known mostly for wearing a black sadomasochistic mask on stage and playing locked inside a cage!

After a promising debut with "Survivors," they released in 1980 this "Head On," an album that features a harder sound heading towards NWOBHM, without dismissing various nods to more Hard Rock sounds. It starts with "Hard Times," a good track essentially in line with the best '70s HR, and it's only with the second track, "Take It Like A Man," that the sound becomes faster and more powerful, hard and incisive. The next stunning, dreamy "Vice Versa" returns towards Hard Rock shores, even with a hint of Blues, but the performance by the four members is truly excellent, particularly that of 'good old' Thunderstick. Following is "Manwatcher," hard and engaging, with a nice solo from Paul Samson, while "Too Close To Rock," after a powerful albeit somewhat cadenced start, in classic Rock'n'Roll style, surprises the listener with a ferocious final gallop, where a wild and high-speed Bruce Bruce (as he was known back then) unleashes incredible high notes (confirming his youthful nickname, Air Raid Siren!).

But the real surprise is the next track, "Thunderburst": have you tried listening to it? What does it remind you of? Of course: it's identical to the legendary "The Ides Of March" by Iron Maiden! In fact, the unyielding Steve Harris is also credited on the track; but how is this possible, you might ask? Well, simply because Thunderstick, before joining Samson in 1979, was the drummer for Iron, where ideas for the legendary intro to "Killers" were already floating around! And consider that the obscure drummer replaced none other than the departing Clive Burr in Samson, who instead would later take a spot in the Iron Maiden lineup! The following "Hammerhead" is another fine NWOBHM piece, still brimming with faint echoes of Maiden, while "Hunted" takes us back to a Hard Rock sound, then negated by the super-fast "Take Me To Your Leader," where Paul Samson's superb guitar work is appreciable. "Walking Out On You," with its Black Sabbath-like reminiscences, appropriately closes a great disk of hard Rock, sincere and direct, without unnecessary frills and truly exhilarating.

The 2001 CD reissue (which I obviously own!!) also includes two bonus tracks: the brief and incisive "Angel With A Machine Gun" and the long and psychedelic "Kingsway Jam".

In conclusion, it is a well-made album, full of compelling tracks that can offer the listener truly intense moments as only Rock played with heart can do, and you'll notice it yourself listening to songs like "Vice Versa", "Walking Out On You", "Thunderburst", "Manwatcher", "Hammerhead", or "Take Me To Your Leader," just to name the ones that impressed me the most. Recommended to all lovers of sincere, raw hard Rock and somewhat raw Metal, as well as all the nostalgics of those fabulous years, if they haven't heard it yet!