Incubus. Yet another “lost” New Wave of British Heavy Metal era band have their old stuff from back then out on one of those limited production runs of just 500 CDs.
As I type this review there are still copies available from No Remorse Records. Link at the end of the post.
Incubus formed at Exeter University in 1980. They worked hard gigging around the area without breaking out – though when you hear how good they were you’ll wonder why they didn’t get bigger.
Yet another talented band from the old NWOBHM days who had the ability yet not the breaks before they split in the mid-1980s.
What we have on this CD are a three track demo, a four track session which was engineered by former Yes guitarist Peter Banks and a storming live set from a gig at Exeter University from 1985.
The 1982 demo lead off is Lost Soul. A proper cracker with some quirky drumming. Lots to like here. Indeed, it was liked at the time too flying high in the good old Sounds heavy metal chart. The Ballad of Clint Pantella is an excellent broody/heavy affair with some excellent guitar and Way of the World rounds out a fine trio of songs.
The Banks session ramps it up further not least the excellent Battlecries. A haunting/spooky intro with the gentle military-style snare drum builds in to a really excellent seven minutes of driving riffs, changes of pace and more of that excellent guitar. A really well arranged effort. Give it a listen:
After the Banks session comes that superb live performance at the university. Some highlights. The live versions of Lost Soul and Losing Hold rip along. Broken Promises has a nice melodic feel I think. Battlecries is properly epic in a live setting powerfully delivered.
Tell Me Who, So Long and Waiting for Love all superb stuff. Plenty of feel amongst the power and the guitar breaks remind me somewhat of a Wishbone Ash/Andy Powell style.
The only thing which doesn’t work for me here is the cover of Free’s Wishing Well. Incubus keep it close to the original though you can’t get anywhere close to Paul Roger’s vocals or Paul Kossoff’s guitar.
Other than that blip, there’s more than enough evidence here that Incubus had the ability to get noticed and go on to better things. However – given the competition at the time, unfortunately, they were one of many NWOBHM-era bands falling in to that category.
If you can get your hands on a copy of Lost Souls it is certainly a recommended addition to your collection.
I bagged mine as usual from Sonic Age Records though I can’t find it listed there so I guess their allocation of the 500 has gone. As at the start of this post – as I type this it is showing as available on No Remorse Records. Here’s the link:
https://www.noremorse.gr/products/incubus-lost-souls-ltd-500-cd
Get one if you can!
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