Saint Vitus - Born Too Late (1986)

Its sort of interesting the way music has always had that tendency to be retro, even albums from the 80's like, 'Born Too Late.' Saint Vitus was utterly different for their time. I mean when you look back to '86 images and sounds of thrash and classic heavy metal come to mind, as well death and black metal were making their first tiny baby steps, but these guys were turning the clock back years, to the early 70's to be precise and were drawing influence from vintage Black Sabbath recordings. In a way its a total middle finger in the face of everything else that was going on at the time, because it had no commercial appeal whatsoever, especially in their home town of Los Angeles where cock rock was running amuck. Even the simple cover of this record was the opposite of all other bands out there.

Kicking off with, 'Born Too Late,' this ultra slow heavy doom anthem moves at a painfully slow pace for its entire duration, but has a clever solo, which honestly sounds odd amongst the crawling bass guitar and drums, whilst 'Clear Windowpane' turns up the tempo a bit to a sound somewhat reminiscent of Black Sabbath's, 'Master of Reality' or 'Volume 4,' while 'Dying Inside' is another sluggish number, a bit longer though quite similar to the opener that has lyrics about alcoholism and trying to quit the habit.

Flipping the LP over (I've been on a vinyl kick lately... if you haven't noticed) we come to, 'H.A.A.G.,' which is another faster one again similar to classic Sabbath with superb lyrics, good energy and flow and a infectious main riff that's sure to stay in your mind after listening. 'The Lost Feeling' and the last song, 'The War Starter' again return to the gloomier slow territory.

Sluggishness and pain drive this record, retro for its time, a rebellion of sorts and a brilliant record to boot. Saint Vitus could have certainly completely ripped off those early Sabbath records, but they just took the basics and slowed them down even more. The solos, although impressive, sound bizarre and out of place amongst the already mentioned lethargic music, but it works in a way that makes it sound atmospheric and different. Wino's voice is full of ache and gruffness, but it matches up perfectly with the music and lyrics about being an outcast, drugs, alcoholism, sorrow and war are also brilliantly wrote.

'Born Too Late' is traditional doom in its purest form, not much speed and not a whole lot of groove, but waves of slowness and words of wisdom. Definitely one of Saint Vitus' finest statements and surely a classic of the genre too.