Blitzkrieg: Complete Recordings Vol. 1 – 1980-1998, 5CD Box Set Review

26th September 2022 0 By Jon Deaux

Are you a fan of NWOBHM, Metallica, Raven, Iron Maiden etc, then Blitzkrieg must be on your radar as well.

Their 1st five albums plus a megabonus of extra tracks from the 1980-1988 period are also in superabundance throughout this immense box.

CD1 which is their 1985 debut A Time Of Changes is stupidly raucous and raw. but not as raw as the 2nd CD which features an immense cover of the Deep Purple classic Highway Star played at a fast and furious pace.

The following 3CDs are more produced. Which is no real surprise as it’s been 10 years since their debut. Unholy Trinity is possibly my 2nd favorite album by Blitzkrieg as it doesn’t take itself overly serious despite a more polished sound.

The 1996 album Ten brings back some sensibilities of their debut with a glorious re-recording of Blitzkrieg. which not only shows how far the musicianship had grown to this point but also how that debut album would’ve sounded with a little bit more polish.

With the 1998 album The Mists Of Avalon is where Blitzkrieg decided to take themselves a little more seriously.

This box is a testament to how the NWOBHM used to be. Post punk, raw, fun and a shed load of hungry determination. Something that is missing from this current generation (The New Wave Of Classic/Traditional bleh).

Grab a slice of Blitzkrieg with this box and revel in it’s majesty (along with a blistering version of Venoms Countess Bathory).

Score 7/10

Tracklisting:

DISC ONE
A TIME OF CHANGES (1985)
1 Ragnarok (Instrumental Inferno)
2 Inferno
3 Blitzkrieg
4 Pull The Trigger
5 Armageddon
6 Take A Look Around
7 Hell To Pay
8 Vikings
9 A Time Of Changes
10 Saviour
BONUS TRACKS
11 Blitzkrieg (Demo Tape 1980)
12 Inferno (Demo Tape 1980)
13 Armageddon (Demo Tape 1980)
14 Buried Alive (Buried Alive Single 1980)
15 Blitzkrieg (Buried Alive Single 1980)
16 Inferno (Lead Weight Neat Sampler 1981)

DISC TWO
BLITZED ALIVE CASSETTE (1980)
1 Intro
2 Inferno
3 Take A Look Around
4 Armageddon
5 Blitzkrieg
6 Highway Star
7 Saviour
UNELEASED TRACKS (1980)
8 Calming The Savage Beast
9 Santa
10 Buried Alive
11 Vikings
12 Too Wild To Tame
13 Hell To Pay
14 A Time Of Changes
15 Tocatta
16 Sweeney / Rock & Roll

DISC THREE
UNHOLY TRINITY (1995)
1 Hair Trigger (Pull The Trigger Part 2)
2 Struck By Lightning
3 Taking Care Of Business
4 Field Of Dreams
5 Take A Look Around
6 After Dark
7 Crazy For You
8 Zip
9 Unholy Trinity
10 Calming The Savage Beast
11 The Wraith
12 Easy Way Out
13 All Hallows Eve
14 Countess Bathory
15 Jealous Love
16 House Of Pleasure
17 Return Of The Zip

DISC FOUR
TEN (1996)
1 Cavo D’Oro
2 Fighting All The Way To The Top
3 Buried Alive
4 The Sentinel
5 The Power Of The King
6 Night Howl
7 I’m Not Insane
8 Court In The Act
9 Blitzkrieg ’96
10 Nocturnal Vision

DISC 5
THE MISTS OF AVALON (1998)
1 The Legend
I. Crimson Dawn (3:12)
II. Nations Divided (4:47)
III. Camelot (4:47)
IV. Stryngs (0:51)
V. Arthur the Once and Future King (6:01)
2 Tranquil State
3 I Am The Doctor (Who Are You?)
4 Deceiver
5 Princess For The World
6 The Mighty
“A” (Instrumental)
7 Smell Of Roses
8 Love’s Too Late
9 Anasazi (Instrumental)
10 Yesterdays (Hope For The Future)
11 Another Interview?
12 Vicious Rumors
13 I Was Having A Great Time And Stayed Longer Than I Should, So When I Got To The Railway Station, The Last Train Had Gone!
Label – HNE Recordings
Release – 30th September