Detailed Reviews [ Slaves To Fashion - 2021 - "The History of Heavy Metal"]

Prolusion. Norwegian band SLAVES TO FASHION, previously known as Pedestrians of Blue, have been around in one shape or another for at almost 20 years, with one album to their name under their first name and a second album under their new name. Until 2021 that is, when the second album to be released under the Slaves to Fashion moniker appeared. This new album is called "The History of Heavy Metal", and was released through the band's own label Fishfarm Records.

Analysis. To get this under the way first: "The History of Heavy Metal" is in truth a compilation album, and the material was released as singles throughout the calendar year of 2020. The singles as well as this album, celebrate the fact that 2020 was, in the eyes of many people at least, the year where we could celebrate that heavy metal as a musical genre had been around for 50 years. And instead of merely celebrating the roots and foundations of the genre, Slaves to fashion, alongside an array of guests, decided to honor and celebrate the scope and variety of the genre throughout the year. The different songs focus on certain aspects and eras of the metal genre, ranging from the originators via NWOBHM to thrash, extreme metal, progressive metal and beyond. Even including an ode to Nu metal, a subset of metal that is somewhat contested by many regular metal fans. With a liberal array of guests helping out on vocals and instrument performances the band manages to pull off this celebration in a good manner too. While fans of some types of metal might desire for something more and in some cases also closer to home, avid fans of the different variations of metal explored will find plenty of references to enjoy. As a matter of fact, Slaves to Fashion may have gone a bit above and beyond in some cases too, with the grand totality of 'Thrash of the Titans' as a good example of just that: Thrash metal fans reading the lyrics here will get a good laugh, and will most certainly respect the band's apparent knowledge of the genre in this case. It is this aspect of the album that is most impressive too, the at times astounding number of references they have managed to insert into the songs on this album. There are direct and indirect references in the lyrics, and obviously the overall sound explored will contain plenty of references too. They may choose to mix matters up a bit too, blending styles from several artists into one arrangement, and unless I'm much mistaken there are also a number of more subtle points of reference hidden beneath the surface. Trademark instrument sounds or details is the name of the game here, from bass lines and drum styles to more careful, subtle supportive instrument maneuvers that reference back to specific bands or specific musicians. Long time fans of metal, especially those with a wide and including taste, will have a field day identifying everything that is referenced throughout. For my sake this album is also a production that documents that while you may be a jack of all trades, you cannot be a master of all trades as well. The shortfall of this album is that as a standalone creation it isn't all that engaging. Certain styles, approaches and individual reference points are masterfully inserted and collected, but at the cost of managing to craft material that is truly impressive also in it's own right outside of it's main intended context. That being said, this is an impressive album of it's kind, and to my knowledge it is also something of a novelty: I cannot recall anyone making an album of this type before, or at least not one with the massive scope and breadth this album covers.

Conclusion. If you are an avid fan of metal in general, and have a strong affection for most varieties of metal out there, "The History of Heavy Metal" is an album that will give you a lot of pleasure. Just listening through the different songs, picking out references as they appear, will be rewarding in itself. And whenever you stumble upon references you cannot place, trying to hone in on what this refers to will for many be a joyful experience too. I can also safely state that this is a most charming production to run on your car stereo, and a charming production in general. Impressive inside it's context, pleasant and charming when regarded without taking the context into account. My verdict is due to me always focusing on this latter aspect: My impression of an album is based on it's qualities as a standalone product in it's own right. Many avid fans of metal will most likely rate this production much higher than I do, due to the intent of this production and it's specific context.

Progmessor: April 2021
The Rating Room