GOTHAM CITY - THE UNKNOWN (Fingerprint Records,1984) Heavy Load, Mindless Sinner

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It’s obvious these boys from Sweden have listened to their fair share of NWOBHM; but somehow, they managed to catch the Wave before it had actually subsided or had even gotten terribly stale. 1984 was the same year Cloven Hoof put out their first album, and the year before Angel Witch put out their second…certainly not a year for pioneering, but it was still in time to make this solid statement in the style. I shall focus on the classic "The Unknown", though we must also mention the "Black Writs" (EP) & the early "Gotham City" 7" single with a much lesser singer then Anders.

If you heard the Black Writs EP from 1983 (who am I kidding, most likely no one has), the first thing you’ll say is "HOLY SHIT THEY GOT RID OF THAT AWFUL SINGER." Yes, the bland, bored-sounding Ola Ohlsson was out on his ass, as far as I know never to sing again. Sure he hit the notes, but with about as much enthusiasm as a eunuch shows a snatch. For those of you who haven’t had the misfortune of hearing the wet-paper-bag that is Ohlsson, he completely ruins Black Writs, which otherwise might have been much better. In his place, we have Anders Zackrisson, who is very competent and even manages to sound like he wants to be there. He has a voice that’s on the higher end of mid-range, and hits some pretty high notes, without ever straying into falsetto territory. He’s forceful as well, and makes effective use of multi-tracking. Anders is both skillful and passionate, and that’s more than one can reasonably expect from an unknown band like this. He actually reminds me a bit of a higher-pitched, cleaned-up Paul Di’Anno, except with more ability. The guitars on these songs are pretty damn awesome; the riffs gallop, they trot, they do the dual-guitar harmony sections, and they pretty much do the NWOBHM thing but with that Swedish flair. The guitar playing manages to be very catchy, and at certain points manage to be quite moving. Special mention must be given to the solos, however, for being interesting, catchy, and never outstaying their welcome. The bass is more present than in most bands, some neat bass licks here and there, and that cool opening bass riff on "Ravage In Town". The production is excellent for its time, you can hear the instruments just fine, and the mix is good; the vocals don’t bury the guitars here in the least. Better than a lot of NWOBHM, and nothing to complain about.

The Unknown opens up with a roaring number, "Swords And Chains", with its great catchy riff. They do this neat thing where they harmonize it, but the harmony riff jumps around the main one on each repetition instead of just playing the same thing every time, which keeps it interesting. Then Zackrisson comes in, and the verse melody is good, as is the riff underneath it. The multi-tracked vocals on the chorus are really effective, too (or they could even be backing vocals from another band member, as they don’t sound exactly alike) "Riding to catch the sun!" I wish I had the lyrics, since there are certainly some cool bits like that. Definitely epic material. The tempo slows down for the after-chorus, and then right before it swings into the dual guitar harmony section, there’s this great bit where the guitars hold a final note and it’s just the singer with an "oohhhh" and the bass; it’s very moody and even atmospheric. The subsequent dual guitar harmony section is good and immediately thereafter, there’s a great reprise of the main riff, but they put this neat variation on it, and the tedium is forgotten. Afterwards they go into a cool march section (Cloven Hoof was fond of those as well), before exploding into a nice catchy solo, which is short but effective. A final reprieve of the chorus and the main riff, and that’s it.

The next song, "The Beast Will Burn", is strong as well, and has this neat section where they modulate through keys, after which comes the reprise of the ominous main riff, and another of those catchy "short but effective" solos.

Third up is "See How It Flies", this one is more moody and urgent, with some cool sci-fi lyrics about a UFO, I think (I’m only guessing based on what I can understand). "It was right there, out there somewhere in the atmosphere!" The problem is, after being grabbed right away by the previous tracks, this one just tended to go right over my head; it galloped along and left my attention wandering. After many subsequent close listens for the purposes of writing this review, however, my opinion has gone up by leaps and bounds, and this track is now one of my favorites. Its subtlety is a welcome relief after the simplicity of its predecessors. The noodly descending guitar lead at the beginning is interesting and unusually complex for this band; the soaring chorus is great, with the slight echo added that gives Zackrisson’s voice just a bit of an ethereal touch. "Flying in space, a long way from Mars!" When it slows down right in the middle ("so lonely in the night, it’s like the Mars flight"), it’s really moving. The strength of the track is its variation: the urgency of the verses, the lighter, soaring quality of the chorus, and the moodiness of the middle section all serve to forge a strong, interesting song.

Well, now we have "Ravage In Town", the beginning and ending are really rock-driven, but they’re catchy and fast enough that it doesn’t matter much. The opening bass riff is nice, then this weird slow middle section comes in, it’s actually really good, with its neat harmonized moody minor-key riff that doesn’t sound like it even belongs in the same song as the verse or the chorus; and the cool stop-start part that comes next continues in the same mood. Then BAM the solo comes in and we’re back to the hard rock riff, but with a minor-key solo, which turns that riff into something much more metal sounding.

Now that we’ve got that nonsense out of the way without too much pain, here comes "Going Insane", and we’re back to NWOBHM with almost five minutes of galloping greatness.

At last we have the mighty "Battle Blade", which if you couldn’t guess from the title is an epic number; it plods moodily along, proclaiming all sorts of cool clichés about fighting to the last man and riding to victory. "IN TIME YOU’LL SEE YOU WILL BOW TO ME!" Yes, this certainly is epic, and probably the best track on here. The chorus has this neat multi-tracked part that’s almost a round, with different parts singing in different but complementary time with one another. It’s always nice to see a band using multi-tracked vocals to do more than just simple harmony. There’s a typical dual-guitar-harmony section, but unlike most of its kind, this one doesn’t outstay its welcome at all. Another chorus, and then it speeds up, and there’s an awesome harmonized solo, holy crap, we’re charging into battle after the long ride to the battlefield! We’re in a major key now, something about Vikings coming over to conquer and slay (how I wish I had the lyrics), "black wind, red sky, praise today, FOR TOMORROW YOU DIE!" Hot shit on a cold day this rules, it sounds like something early Manowar would’ve written if they hadn’t been pretentious or cheesy at all (in other words, not Manowar). Somehow this track packs an epic amount of epic into itself, while still managing to be the shortest on the album (excepting the outro). This is definitely a good thing, since not one part of it gets old. I think I listened to it at least four times while writing that last paragraph, and I’m still ready for more.

"Learn From Your Leaders". This is the closest thing to a ballad we have on here, and since luckily we already took care of the hard rock single, it’s about fighting, killing, and soldiers’ loyalty and camaraderie rather than love clichés (don’t ask, don’t tell). This is the longest track on the album, clocking in at just over seven minutes, and it contrasts the softer sections with the heavy bludgeoning sections very well. Every heavy metal band and their brother have written a song similar to this, with the slow buildup to the crushing main riff. I’m not going to dissect this song as it’s quite long and goes through quite a few sections, but I’d like to point out a few highlights at least. It’s interesting how it starts out, unlike most of these types of songs, with a heavy instrumental section, and only then slows down into a soft section for the verse. It picks up after "we’re standing together right beside you," with the one guitar going "BUMBUMBUMBUM" and the other one comes in with a "BA-NAH!" Simple, but it really works (don’t worry, I won’t syllabalize guitar parts again). Special mention also must be given to the solo during one of the soft sections; somehow Gotham City managed a delicate, touching solo in the midst of epic, crushing heavy metal. Right after it comes a new riff, that just slays with heavy plodding grandeur, making me want to thrust my fists into the air in time with each chord. By this point you may have realized that this song doesn’t really sound much like NWOBHM anymore, again more like something Manowar might’ve written. Overall one of the strongest tracks on the album.

"Borderline". This track is pretty much like "Going Insane". Fast and catchy it gallops right along, reminding me of something Stormwitch might’ve written. There is another neat harmonized guitar solo like on that song, though, which is nice.

Well, all in all, The Unknown is a fine effort. It hints at the epic heavy metal direction that a lot of NWOBHM bands would take in the later years, like Cloven Hoof did. The cover art even displays a Nordic barbarian in the finest epic heavy metal tradition. Unfortunately I guess this album was "unknown" in its day (har har), as to me the name "Gotham City" might sound cool, but I doubt Marvel Comics would’ve seen its copyright infringement the same way. The band reminds me of Mindless Sinner ... great music, great talent but unfortunately not enough people had the chance to get their hands of these hard to find Scandinavian classics.

~ Sweden has been a large contributor to the underground heavy metal scene during the 80s, providing fans with some of the most amazing heavy metal ever heard. Hailing from the very important city of Umea, where many bands would soon emerge, Gotham City has easily become my most cherished band of the Swedish underground heavy metal scene. Reigning along with Heavy Load as one of the most creative, unique and versatile bands in this scene, Gotham City's "The Unknown" gives us a mouthful of pure melodic steel. In short, this record is comprised of complex and harmonious riffs that will get you headbanging in no time, all while the enchanting vocals will compel you to raise that fist and chant along. I mean we're talking about Anders Zackrisson here, the man who will later be featured on Nocturnal Rites' first three releases! (which you guys have got to check out as well). Songs about wars, leaders and even spaceships (these dudes must've been high as hell) couldn't help but mesmerize me along with their excessive use of symbolism throughout their lyrics. Every song sets its own mood that is propelled by the band's melancholic yet melodic style of playing. It is certainly not surprising if you start getting goosebumps after listening to some of my personal favorites: "See How It Flies" and "Borderline". These two tracks alone have greatly impacted my life...it's almost impossible to find any song that is as compelling as these two. Gotham City's short term within the heavy metal world sadly ended in 1987, and no information has been posted whether they would reunite ever again; but holy hell did their legacy ever live on. Fortunately, a lot more people are beginning to discover many of these amazing bands, thanks to the widespread metal community that share these records. "The Unknown" is simply another gem unearthed from the dust of the heavy metal world, and should never be overlooked!

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