When I found out another Canadian metal band was reforming and releasing new material, it was like being a kid in the Candy store. I just had to have this new release in my hands, so after contacting the band through Facebook, I had “Once Denied” within a blink of an eye. I’m glad I contacted Shock though, since this band debuted in the mid 80’s and I grew up in that decade, so this was a thrill to get a classic sounding metal band like Shock going through my iPod.
Shock hail from Ottawa and released a handful of demos before calling it a day at the start of the 1990’s when they failed to secure a recording contract. That’s quite a shame when a band as talented as Shock had to move on, when you consider they opened for bands like Anthrax, Megadeth, Saxon, Motorhead and Metal Church. Luckily that sad moment has been rectified with the reformation of the band in 2012 when they opened for Helix.
Since then the band decided to record some classic songs like “Fighting Chance”, “I’m Dangerous” and “Paths of Glory” with a fresh production and package it all into an album called Once Denied. The band is really excited to make these songs available to their fans and it shows here on driving numbers like “Full Speed Ahead”, “Flaming Towards Earth” and the catchy “Slashing to Live”. The amazing thing about Shock’s resuscitation is how good they sound playing these songs again and how fresh every song sounds.
At times I hear the galloping stomp of early Iron Maiden, the driving intensity of classic era Judas Priest and the thrash influence from bands like Metal Church and Anthrax. That’s quite a pedigree of influential bands to make up your core sound, but Shock is more than the sum of its parts. There is a thriving energy coursing through the riffs and engaging lyrics that don’t seem dated or stale. The music elicits a slab of great power/traditional metal and I am hopeful fans all across North America get the opportunity to hear some great Canadian music.
Kenneth Gallant, Editor HMS
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