Scavenger – Beyond The Bells

Finally! I think that is the word that must have gone through the minds of the Scavenger members when the 11-song Beyond The Bells hit shop shelves this month. And that is the right word, because it has become a project of years. I do occasionally chat with singer Tine Lucifera so I had heard about the plans many times, thwarted by corona, problems with LP pressings and so on. On the other hand, it provided the band with some extra time to fine-tune.

But now Beyond The Bells is here. Nine new songs, plus (on the CD-version) a remastered version of the two songs of the 2020 Backslider single. With that, you already know two-thirds of the Scavenger biography. Because even though the band is exactly 40 years old this year, only one album (Battlefields) had been released before (in 1985), on the then illustrious Mausoleum Records. A classic in the melodic speed metal genre, although it remained somewhat underground. Topped with the misfortune that Mausoleum Records disappeared shortly afterwards, dragging Scavenger, among others, into the abyss.

And yet … Scavenger never died. In that short time, the band had nevertheless built up quite a reputation. And in 2018, they splashed back to the surface with the energy of an erupting Icelandic volcano. Not much remained of the original line-up, but the new one was backed by the remaining ex-members. Evidently, it’s quite a U-turn for a band to continue with a female singer instead of a male vocalist. But Tine stands her ground and is backed by experienced rockers who combine quality and pleasure in playing.

That the new album was going to be very solid, I had already noticed at the end of December last year when they presented their new songs at JH Asgaard in Gentbrugge. One song that immediately caught my attention was Black Witchery. And yes, that turns out to be the first single and at the same time the real opener of the album (I leave aside the short, Judas Priest alluding intro number The Warning Bell ). Black Witchery is a sample for the rest of the album: fierce but melodic heavy metal that flirts with NWOBHM as well as speed metal, with understandable vocals, guitar solos galore and the necessary quirks in intros and composition to give it extra cachet. The whole thing sounds contemporary but also refers without blinking an eye to that same genre in the 1980s, and figureheads like Belgian Acid and Warlock. That the band photos are analogue may also say something about the fondness for those years.

The fact of mentioning Acid should come as no surprise. Scavenger used to include an Acid cover in its live set quite often, and besides, Tine from Scavenger and Kate from Acid (now Kate’s Acid) are friends. Tine’s vocal style also frequently refers to Kate’s. The overall sound is not massive and thunderous but rather compact and high as is often the case in this genre. For me, it could just sound a bit more massive and bass-tuned, but that’s personal taste.

What certainly stands out throughout the album is the polyphony, as if there were several singers at once. But that is not the case, Tine assures me when I inquire. She has sung every different note herself, every scream, every layer to – as she puts it herself – get the most out of it vocally. Live, of course, it will sound a lot rawer. Fast and snappy, then, and that is a framework that suits the band like a glove. Watchout combines that with a very sing-along chorus. Sometimes the heavy genre takes the upper hand (Defiler and the rousing Nosferatu, for instance), on Streetfighter and Crystal Light you get plenty of room for the melodic, as well as in Hellfire, which is by far the slowest and quietest song on the album, with even some synth support in the far background. Slave To The Master starts acoustically like the better Scorpions ballad but puts a hefty layer on top after minute one. A very recognisable song but I think that’s because the stanza refers very strongly to Judas Priest‘s Night Crawler in terms of vocal rhythm.

I already knew the two bonus tracks Backslider and Red Hot as I had bought the aforementioned Backslider single in 2020. If I compare the new songs with these, Scavenger still made a lot of progression since then, or the guys behind the controls had very good ideas for Beyond The Bells. Only possible conclusion: the long wait was worth it, and with Beyond The Bells, Scavenger delivers an album that deserves a place in the annual lists in its genre. Great work by Tine and her men. Though I still keep wondering how such a little hyper-friendly girl like her can put on such a raging throat. High time Scavenger gets another spot on the stages of Graspop or Alcatraz!

Pictures: Serge Vermeersch (JH Asgaard – December 2023)

Score:

85/100

Label:

No Remorse Records, 2024

Tracklisting:

1. The Warning Bell
2. Black Witchery
3. Watchout!
4. Streetfighter
5. Defiler
6. Hellfire
7. Slave to the Master
8. Nosferatu
9. Crystal Light
10. Backslider *
11. Red Hot *

* CD-only remastered bonus tracks from the “Backslider” single

Line-up:

• Tine Lucifera – Vocalen
• Tim N. – Gitaar, vocalen
• Kevin D. – Gitaar
• Vincent DL. – Bas
• Gabriel DS. – Drums

Links:

• Scavenger Facebook
• No Remorse Records
• No Remorse Records Facebook