Also available on vinyl!

One of the benefits of the recent Saint Vitus reunion tour with the Wino-fronted lineup of the band was SST finally repressing a big chunk of the

legendary doom metal band's 1980s catalog on both vinyl and cd, much of which had been out of print or otherwise unavailable for ages. I know that I'm sotked

to be able to finally get my hands on some of these releases, especially their 12"s which have been particularly rare. Saint Vitus were responsible for some

of the finest doom metal to ever come out of the American underground, and along with The Obsessed, Trouble and Pentagram, pioneered the sound of Sabbath-

influenced doom in the 1980s. The Vitus sound was also a gritty one, playing slower and heavier and bleaker than any of their peers, taking additional subtle

influence from the hardcore scene and injecting a level of streetwise attitude, rebellion and ferocity to their gloomy, ponderous heaviness that most other

post-Sab outfits during this time were lacking, which had much to do with them being signed to the legendary hardcore punk label SST label and touring with

Black Flag. No self-respecting doom metal fan should be without Born Too Late in their collection, widely considered to be Vitus's best album, but

their other full-lengths are just as crucial listening for anyone into doom metal and classic 80's metal. Along with Born Too Late and their

previous album Hallow's Victim, we've also been able to get the 12" Eps Thirsty And Miserable and Walking Dead, the killer 1988

album Mournful Cries (on both cd and lp), and the career-spanning crash course in all thing Vitus, Heavier Than Thou (and how!).

Saint Vitus's 1986 album Born Too Late heralded the arrival of new vocalist Scott "Wino" Weinrich, formerly of Maryland doom rockers The

Obsessed, and it's widely considered to be their best album. It's one of the defining doom metal Lps along with Psalm 9 and Pentagram, six songs of immensely powerful doom with a newfound grittiness and urgency thanks to Wino's gravelly, soulful voice. The songs are all seriously slow and low, very rarely pick up speed into anything more than a saurian stomp, but it's hardly monotonous; the Lp opens with one of Vitus's all time classic

songs, the crushing retro anthem "Born Too Late", followed by the frenzied psychedelic white-out of "Clear Windowpane", served up with a heavy dose

of lysergic wah overload from guitarist Dave Chandler. The Sabbathian dread of "Dying Inside" is one of the band's many odes to addiction, a recurring theme

in their music, and the slow galloping dirge of "H.A.A.G." is one of the few moments on the album when the band isn't slogging through total sludge. The brooding "The Lost Feeling" leads into the fuzz-soaked crawl of closer "The War Starter", another of Vitus's classic downer metal anthems. It's all crucial, essential listening for doom metallers, and a highlight in the pantheon of 80's metal albums. Highly recommended.