Atomic Rooster - 1989 - The Devil Hits Back

(50:23; Gonzo [2017 Edition] )






















Track list:
1. Devil's Answer 4:03
2. When Do I Start to Live? 2:56
3. Play It Again 3:11
4. Control of You 4:48
5. Lost in Space 5:52
6. Looking for You 3:05
7. Watch Out 4:06
8. Tomorrow Night 4:49
9. Living Underground 3:36
10. The End of the Day 3:27
11. Loose Your Mind 3:35
12. Hiding in the Shadows 6:55

Line-up:
Not stated


Prolusion.
UK band Atomic Rooster is one of those bands that appear to always be restricted to a bit of a niche and underground knowledge and popularity. With ties to the progressive rock universe in terms of some of the people involved as well as some of the albums they released over the years, they have their fair share of fans in progressive rock circles, but with a penchant for the creation of dark and eerie moods and atmospheres they have just as many fans among hard rock enthusiasts. But they are a band that more people have heard about than actually listened to. The album "The Devil Hits Back" dates back to 1989, and has seen a number of reissues over the years. Among those reissues is this 2017 edition released by UK label Gonzo Multimedia.

Analysis.
While Atomic Rooster have been subject to a number of so-called Greatest Hits type of compilations over the years, often with a bit of a dubious quality to the material selected, this album isn't among them. For starters, this isn't and was never meant to be a Greatest Hits type of compilation. Instead this is a collection of odds and ends from the latter part of the band's history, released following main member Vincent Crane's passing in 1989. With some of the tracks being released as singles in the first half of the 1980s, while others are songs that were previously unreleased. I see that some regard this album as a strict compilation album, while other sources list this as a studio album of sorts. In a case of an album that is neither fish nor fowl I guess. For my sake I do regard this as a compilation album though, as I suspect that it would never have been released as a studio production by the band themselves.

The majority of the songs we get to enjoy on this compilation are songs that have more of a straight forward nature. Where quite a few even lack the more expressive organ and keyboard details that makes the older albums by the band such a treat to listen to. As a matter of fact, quite a few of the songs here are songs that wouldn't have been out of place on a Deep Purple album in terms of general sound and style, although in this case I'd say that quite a few of these songs are rather more straight forward in nature than what Deep Purple had a tendency to create. But there are similarities in sound and expression.

We also get songs that ebb and flow between atmospheric laden organ and keyboard moments and explosive and borderline primal hard rock antics. As well as some selections of songs of the kind that many people will associate with Atomic Rooster: Dark, eerie and subtly unnerving creations where the organ is used to create and maintain nerve and tension in subtle as well as more overt manners. 

The impression I'm left with is that this compilation showcase the more commercial aspect of the latter day exploits of the band more than anything else, and does so by compiling numerous non-album tracks from the latter period of the band's existence. With a few inclusions that look a bit more back in time to the more expressive legacy from the earlier days of the band.

Conclusion.
Even if this compilation doesn't cover all that much from the more expressive part of the Atomic Rooster legacy, it is still an enjoyable experience. Even if there are a few songs of the dime a dozen variety at hand here, there are plenty of small nuggets to enjoy here too. And while this isn't the best place to start to get a picture of the progressive rock legacy of Atomic Rooster, those with a deeper interest in their later days more straight forward hard rock excursions should find this compilation to be an enjoyable production.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, September 2025

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/AtomicRooster16/
https://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tonnen von Hall - 2025 - Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen

Image
(61:45; Iapetus [Unsung Records] ) Track list: 1. Erdmantel 4:05 2. Vorhalle 0:40 3. Antlitz 4:12 4. Stahlhalle 1:01 5. Kraken 5:02 6. Mitralsaal 0:55 7. Kanister 5:56 8. Sockelwald 0:49 9. Kaiserlicht 5:46 10. Schacht 0:43 11. Zivilisationsfolie 4:27 12. Nebelgarten 0:58 13. Donnermesser 6:41 14. Blutrille 1:01 15. Rauschmitte 5:22 16. Klingensaal 0:50 17. Endgegner 3:39 18. Ätzung 0:41 19. Thronfolge 3:09 20. Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen 4:55 21. Herzkammer 0:53 Line-up: Markus Reuter - guitars, loops, sounds Alexander Paul Dowerk - guitars Asaf Sirkis - drums, percussion, vocals Prolusion. Germany based band Tonnen Von Hall was established back in 2022 or thereabouts, and the threesome consisting of Marks Reuter, Alexander Paul Dowerk and Asaf Sirkis has been developing the style and sound of this new formation ever since. The results of that process first came to light on an EP released towards the end of 2024. A few months later the band have now released their debut album ...
Read more

Thirteen of Everything - 2023 - Time and Other Delusions

Image
(68:22; Basement Avatar Records) Track list: 1. Timeline 8:57 2. Alternate Life 12:02 3. Where the Time Goes 5:32 4. The Penultimate Flight of Armando the Pigeon 7:11 5. The King of Istanbul 10:35 6. Warmth and Darkness 7:32 7. Count All the Days 16.33 Line-up: Brett Cosby - guitars Mick Peters - Chapman stick, bass, pedals, vocals Ted Thomas - drums, percussion, vocals Bob Villwock - keyboards with: Thad Miller - keyboards Prolusion. US band Thirteen of Everything has been a going concern for a bit over 20 years, releasing their initial demo back in 2002 with official albums following in 2005 and 2019 respectively. Following what has been a brief pause between albums for this band they are now preparing to launch their third studio album "Time and Other Delusions", which will be released on US label Basement Avatar Records. Analysis. In terms of the different variations one can find in the progressive rock universe, Thirteen of Everything resides safely inside the symphonic ...
Read more

Deaton Lemay Project - 2022 - The Fifth Element

Image
(63:04; Deaton Lemay Project) Track list: 1. The Great Awakening 5:32 2. A Different Place in Time 7:24 3. Dragonfly 3:35 4. The Nightmare 4:28 5. Exordium 6:24 - Elements of Life Suite 6. Overture 4:43 7. Fire 6:10 8. Water 6:11 9. Air 4:19 10. Earth 6:53 11. Music 7:25 Line-up: Roby Deaton - keyboards, guitars, vocals Craig LeMay - drums, percussion with: Hadi Kiani - vocals Ehsan Imani - guitars Josh Mark Raj - guitars John Haddad - bass Charles Berthoud - bass Liza Evans - violin Prolusion. US band DEATON LEMAY PROJECT started out officially back in 2018, following a 25 year long period of gestation. They released their debut album "Day After Yesterday" in 2019, and following what I suspect has been a rather busy planning and recording period during the years of the pandemic the creative twosome of Deaton and Lemay are back with their second album "The Fifth Element" at the start of 2022. Analysis. While the fifth element apparently used to be defined as aether ...
Read more