As requested, here’s the remastered reissue of British outfit BLIND FURY 1985’s album “Out Of Reach“. This band was in fact previously known as Satan having released before a cult classic album in the best NWOBHM tradition.
However, the group was looking for a more accessible sound, and the name Satan could have been associated with scary beasts like Venom and their extreme sound. So they brought the more ‘classic hard rock sounding’ vocalist Lou Taylor and re-branded themselves BLIND FURY.
The result is “Out Of Reach”, their debut album, much more melodic, with that wonderful mid-80s sound from the last wave of the NWOBHM scene. The songwriting here is somewhat more in line with Iron Maiden‘s output at the time, but with the melodic leanings of something closer to Tygers of Pan Tang or Phenomena.
The production is in service to a more accessible 80s rock sound but Satan haven’t lost their fantastic guitarists and the recording is dominated by their signature dual-guitar sound. It is decidedly ’80s hard rock / metal in its style well beyond the production with catchy tracks like “Contact Rock n’ Roll” and “Living on the Edge” managing a 50/50 commercial hard rock and classic heavy metal ratio.
Lou Taylor’s voice has great tone and impressive range (a places with a little Geoff Tate vibe) that is exemplified on the title track, a killer tune with synth atmospheres which always reminded me of Phenomena.
”Evil Eyes” is sung brilliantly over some great riffs, “Contact Rock n’ Roll” is catchy as Hell, ”Living on the Edge” pure driving metal, and I love the hard rock groove of ”Dynamo”, a tribute to the famous rock festival in the Netherlands. Great backing vocals here with a sign of the good times of the early 80s.
”Back Inside” is catchy with a wicked opening lead guitar that works well. Together with assisted backing vocals this song is special for a live show.
There’s a unique intro to ”Dance of the Crimson Lady’, a midtempo metal song with some clean guitars and keyboards in the background, again with a certain Phenomena on it, just heavier, like early Queensryche or Sabbath-Tony Martin. This is a highlight, and a pure ’80s song you need to hear.
A lot of the value in ”Out of Reach” comes down to your interest in ’80s hard rock as well as late-era NWOBHM; that incredible sound still metal but melodic and groovy.
After this album the band returned to the Satan moniker and an aggressive style, and in 1988 the group changed its name (again) to Pariah, releasing two albums. There’s a really cool ‘family tree’ in the CD booklet.
It’s kind of a shame BLIND FURY didn’t release any kind of sequel album to this or anything, because it almost leaves you with an empty feeling practically forcing you to crave for more. But hey, some classics kind of do that.
Highly Recommended
A1 Do It Loud
A2 Out Of Reach
A3 Evil Eyes
A4 Contact Rock And Roll
B1 Living On The Edge
B2 Dynamo (There Is A Place)
B3 Back Inside
B4 Dance Of The Crimson Lady Part 1
Blind Fury – Out of Reach (2025) Remaster
 |
