Origin of the species: First
off, let's make one thing perfectly clear. No, I'm not Richard Nixon and
I'm not about to try to launch into a detailed biography of PAUL CHAIN here.
It would take far too many pages (way more than the editor would allow)
to delve into a comprehensive examination of this Italian doom/metal/space/electronic/prog
guru's career. Yet, I can give you something pretty good to start on. PAUL
CHAIN (who's actual Italian name is Paola Catena) was a youth musical prodigy
who originally formed a band called DEATH SS (there is NO Nazi connection)
with vocalist Steve Sylvester in 1977. They went on to produce a handful of 7" EPs peppered with dark, Sabbath-inflected doom
metal and worked up a stage show that would possibly
have made luminaries like Alice Cooper take pause. Several years later,
CHAIN's spiritual beliefs caused him to leave DEATH SS (who have continued
on even today in a good but more modern, White Zombie-styled mold). With
this career move, PAUL set the groundwork for a career that has produced
not only some of the most dark, emotional metal this scribe has heard but
also explorations into genres as seemingly far afield as electronic, hard
rock improvisation, psych, etc. To say that this guy is a relatively unknown
genius would be the understatement of the year. Now you can read where to
go to get started on your PC (and I don't mean "politically correct"!) journey.
First buy: "Life And Death" (Minotauro,
1989) - Not only is this my favorite PAUL CHAIN record and his
most complete, in my opinion, but it is also one of the greatest metal albums
of all-time. From the ominous eerie intro of "Steel Breath," it's obvious
somethin's a goin' on here and it then smashes you to the wall in the opener
"Antichrist." For the rest of the record, this is way, way beyond any kind
of Sabbath clone. Rather, CHAIN and his band glean the best aspects of things
like, yes, the early Sab-4 but also Budgie, early Priest, and concoct songs
that are as varied as they are great. Listen to the sludge-like crush of
"Kill Me," the light-to-heavy ballad "My Hills," and then
be simply flattened by Side 2. Show me a more devastating
3-in-a-row punch than "Allelujah Song" (you'd swear Tony Bourge was sitting
in!), "Spirits" and "Cemetery" and I'll eat my proverbial hat. Add to that
the fact that CHAIN supplies lead guitar work to rival vintage Michael Schenker
throughout and you've got a 5-star classic.
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Then buy: "In The Darkness" (Minotauro,
1986) - The first full-length album by PAUL CHAIN's early solo
band, Violet Theatre, "In The Darkness" is a great indicator of the kind
of versatility PAUL would show as not only a musician but a songwriter in
the years to come. From the opening, understated "Welcome To My Hell" (a
bit reminiscent of "Moving Pictures"-era Rush) to the electronic head-expanders
of "Meat" & "Murder" to the blasting post-Vitus doom-rock of "Mortuary Hearse," this is as dark & powerful an album as one could dare ask for. As an aside,
take a close listen to the main riff in the title cut and then pull out
Sabbath's "Eternal Idol," released a year later.
Hmmm....Think Iommi is
a closet PAUL CHAIN fan?
Then buy: "Alkahest" (Flying/Godhead, 1995)
- To move in another direction, take all of CHAIN'S experimentation put
it in a box for a minute & then ask me what is his flat-out heaviest record
and "Alkahest" wins hands-down. During a period that PC befriended Cathedral's
Lee Dorian, this came out in spades on this true Goddamn Mack truck of a
disc. There may be riffs as heavy as the one in "Sand Glass" (well, maybe
3 or 4 in the history of music!) and cuts as doom-laden as the massive "Sepulchral
Voice" (with Dorian contributing vocals) but none any more so. And that's
a fact, Jack.
Then buy: "Whited Sepulchres" (Minotauro, 1994)
- One thing I've come to mention in recent years, when sitting around chewing
the fat about guitar players is that as good as some new players are, they
just can't seem to jam like the old guys did...guys like Leslie West, Mark
Farner, Duane Allman, etc. who could make a 15 minute solo not only tolerable
but damn riveting. For an example of how PAUL CHAIN fits into this elite
category, look no further than the side-long title cut from "Whited Sepulchres."
Randy Holden, you listening to this one? Am I right or what? To complete
things, Side 2 features a hand full of numbers like "The Fox In The Park"
& "Are You Ready?" that are a wonderful
snapshot of CHAIN's experimental/prog
side. A very nice mixture.
Then buy: "Park Of Reason" (Day/Masterpiece,
2003) - For anyone who ever though PAUL CHAIN lost his heavy touch
in later years, get ready to be pulverized by this monster from just a few
years ago. As with "Life & Death," "Park..." sees PAUL alternating bizarre
spacey landscapes like "8 String Sweep" with mammoth metallic crushers "Solitude
Man" & the mauling "Sanctuary Heve." Especially interesting is the concluding
15-minute psych explosion of "Logical Slow Evolution / ....In Time." In
this one, 2 completely different tracks are recorded in the left & right
channels. They can be listened to either isolated in mono or blended together
with the balance in the middle for a truly
other-worldly experience. Wildly,
the insert booklet actually explains this, including a drawing of a balance
control for the listener's convenience!
Live pick: "In Concert" (The Labyrinth,
1993) - Over the years, PAUL CHAIN has released several live recordings
of varying styles/sound quality but this one is my favorite. It may not
have the greatest production in the world, but then again, I don't think
PAUL was trying to be "Unleashed In The Studio" here, he was presenting
his wares LIVE and good for him! Focusing again on his brilliant lead guitar
work in an improvisational setting, this is heaven for anyone who used to
listen to albums like "Filmore East," "Grand Funk Live" & "Mahogany Rush
Live." Let's face it, a cover of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" begins things and
it doesn't end until nearly 19 minutes later. And, so it goes for the rest
of the
record, with Paul, his
bassist & drummer all getting jumping on the jam train & just playing in
sheer organic joy. Killer stuff.
Avoid? This is an almost impossible
section for me to complete, as PAUL CHAIN is one of the only artists whom
I can say has done nearly nothing wrong, in my opinion. After wracking my
brain, I have to say that there is nothing in his output that I would clearly
say is to be avoided. The only thing I would mention in this section is
that, for those readers who are especially lashed to the genre of metal/hard
rock & don't want to stray beyond that, you may want to pause before you
investigate records like "Opera Decima: The World Of The End," "Dies Irae,"
"The Violet Art Of Improvisation" or "Sign From Space." These are all quite experimental, delving way into electronics, drone, psych, etc.
and take a real open mind & ears to get into. But, I still recommend them to wide-open music fans.
CLOSING TIDBITS: I always pull
back on the reigns a bit when getting ready to call any musician, singer
or songwriter a genius. It's not necessarily a word to be thrown around
and yet, in the case of PAUL CHAIN, I don't have any misgivings about using
it full-on. Over the course of almost 30 years, this guy has taken on a
wide range of musical genres and not only dabbled in them, or even done
well but has made them his own. In truth, any record that bears his name
is worth owning, all the albums, CD's & singles you can find and even those
of all the other artists he's collaborated with or assisted (e.g. Boohoos,
Semefo, Sabotage, Steve Sylvester..with whom he's worked again from the
'90's on), etc. The latest reports are that PAUL
CHAIN has been working under the name PAUL CAT and I'm expecting to receive
a disc by him under that moniker that has been called as good as much of
his earlier work. Can't wait!
OFFICIAL SITE: http://web.tiscali.it/paulchain/
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