Metal Overview: Grim Reaper

Hello fellow Otaku & Metalheads, and happy April Fools Day.......and Easter!

In all my years, I never expected one of the holiest days of the year to also land upon one of the goofiest. I’m telling you all the truth when I say that I was coming up with some inappropriate jokes.....and I won’t repeat them here. Regardless, I thought I’d take this day to talk about a classic metal band. One’s that’s sadly been in the shadows for too long, and one that really needs to be listened to. Last year I covered the Christian Hair/Power Metal group Stryper (Which you can see here), so this year I wanted to take a look at a band that many metal elitests scoff at. Since it’s April Fools, this band was absolutely appropriate. It’s time to take a look........at Grim Reaper.

Yes everyone......that Grim Reaper! Often considered a joke by many in the metal community, what no-one realizes is that these English gents are a true 100%, honest, genuine, bonafide, Heavy Metal hidden gem. Though they only have 4 records to their name, said records are some of the best metal albums to have come out in the 80s & 2010s. As I devoured each album with gluttonous lust, I knew I wanted to give them the overview treatment, and today was absolutely perfect. So without further adieu, here’s a look at the long forgotten Grim Reaper. Let’s rock!

See You In Hell (1984)

There have been plenty of chronicled origin stories in the world of Heavy Metal. Some are well-known, some are obscure, and then there are some that are so odd & strange, you don’t quite believe them at first. Grim Reaper definitely belongs in that last category. Forming in 1979, the lineup consisted of vocalist Steve Grimmett, guitarist Nick Bowcott, bassist Dave Wanklin, and drummer Lee Harris, but it wasn’t until a Battle Of The Bands (Which had 100 bands in it) that the group was discovered. One of the judges, Roy Woods (From the band Wizards), happened to be a producer for the mostly punk flavored hole-in-the-wall Ebony Records. The band was signed, and on July the 13th in the year 1984, See You In Hell was released to the world. Getting to the 73rd spot on the U.S. Billboard 200 list, Grim Reaper’s inaugural output is an interesting one. An ode to their metal idol Judas Priest, See You In Hell is just dripping with the previously mentioned band’s flavor & atmosphere, and this was done by a band that a lot of people have never even heard of!

Best Track? The Show Must Go On is a melodic & surprisingly emotional song when compared to everything else on See You In Hell. Not to be confused with the Queen song of the same, it none the less shares an elegance not completely until Queen’s 1991 classic. What separates Grim Reaper’s version with that of Queen’s is a heavy dose of metal, and their devotion to Judas Priest. Easily one of the biggest head-turners of the 1980s, and one you shouldn’t ignore.

The Show Must Go On

Worst Track? Ironically, the title track is the worst song on the release. While I wouldn’t call See You In Hell as horrific as the critics do, I do find that it comes across as monotonous at times. Luckily, those times only happen during the chorus, so it’s not a complete slog to sit through.

See You In Hell

Apart from that, the only other issues with the album are with it’s drumming & production value. When it comes to the drums, Lee Harris isn’t that good. He’s trying his hardest to sound awesome, but it comes out incredibly amateurish at best, especially when so much of it sounds like someone’s head thudding against the wall. The production I’m a little more forgiving towards, as the band didn’t have a lot of money & resources at the time, and they had to make due with what they had. That said, See You In Hell is still the worst sounding album in Grim Reaper’s career. Not ear gratingly so, but it obvious as you go through the record it could sound much better.

See You In Hell. A little flawed, but a whole lot of awesome. If you want to see a dirty gem shine, then give this release a go. You won’t be disappointed. Next album!

Fear No Evil (1985)

Though a fun inaugural release, it was obvious that See You In Hell was proof that Grim Reaper needed a bit of a boost. Enter RCA Records: an American record label owned by Sony Music (A subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America). Distributing the band’s first release worldwide, RCA Records took note of Grim Reaper’s rising popularity, and gave them increased funding for their next album alongside Ebony Records. This was all the group needed to go on with their second album, and nearly a year after See You In Hell came out, Fear No Evil burst onto the scene. Released in May of 1985, Fear No Evil was an improved record in oh so many ways. Ditching the awful work of Lee Harris, Grim Reaper brought in Marc Simon to take the position of drummer, and new production workers came in to work on the album. Sadly, Fear No Evil didn’t chart as high as their first album, as it got to no. 111 on the Billboard 200. It’s a shame, because Grim Reaper’s second output proves that they were capable of improving upon past work, and could make better music because of that.

Best Track? Gotta go with the title track this time around. Unlike their first album, Grim Reaper really made a solid song with this one. Thanks in part to the drumming & improved production quality (More on that below), Fear No Evil is a crisper starting track than what was on the band's first record. I'm not going to say anything else, other than to enjoy this tune!

Fear No Evil

Apart from that, Fear No Evil’s other best quality is the drumming. Marc Simon’s drum work is far superior to Lee Harris, and it’s obvious from the first few thunderous beats that Simon knows what he’s doing. Every part of the drum kit he touches sounds like gold, and that gold spreads to & complements every other aspect of not only Fear No Evil, but to Grim Reaper in general. Definitely an upgrade!

Worst Track? Once again, the production value of the album is a weakness for this band. In the album’s defense, the sound on Fear No Evil is far better than it’s predecessor. Due to the increased budget Grim Reaper got, they had more funding for their album, and thus better equipment to use during the recording process. That said, you can still hear moments where things could sound better than they are, but again the increased budget made things crisper & cleaner than anything that can be listened to on See You In Hell.

Fear No Evil. An improvement over their first release, and one that should be in your music collection....yet the band would still need one more release to get things right. Luckily, Grim Reaper did. Next album!

Rock You To Hell (1987)

Sadly by the late 80s, Grim Reaper were in some trouble. Both Ebony Records & RCA Records unleashed some heavy lawsuits upon the band, and while their issues with Ebony eventually dissolved, the problems with RCA would still go on until the band dissolved in 1988. However, in 1987, Steve Grimmett and the gang cranked out a beast of an album by the name of Rock You To Hell. Released on September the 5th, 1987, the group’s 3rd album might very well be the best thing they’ve ever produced. Keeping Marc Simon on board as drummer, Rock You To Hell has the added benefit of a production quality that heavily eclipses See You In Hell & Fear No Evil in terms of sound quality & age. Rock You To Hell Also manages to eclipse Fear No Evil in terms of charting, as it reached no. 93 on the Billboard 200. This album has to be my absolutely favorite out of Grim Reaper’s releases during the 80s, simply due to the fact that everything they’ve gotten right before has been turned up to 11 on this release.

Best Track? Night Of The Vampire is just a fun & goofy song. Thanks to the production quality, you hear every single guitar note, drum beat, and vocal outburst from Steve Grimmett with crystal clarity. This really complements the nature of the song, what with it’s conjuration of the blackest night & it’s various denizens. Some of the lyrics come across as silly, but that in no way destroys the intensity of the track. Night Of The Vampire indeed!

Night Of The Vampire

A good second best song goes to the laughably named Lust For Freedom. Like the previously mentioned song above, Lust For Freedom is just a fun song, full of intensity & energy. I should note that Grim Reaper actually managed to get onto the soundtrack for a movie because of Lust For Freedom! Granted it was a movie from Troma Entertainment Inc, and said movie just so happened to have the same name as the song I’m talking about......but hell, even a B-rated movie is better than nothing.

Lust For Freedom

And finally for good points, there’s the production value. By the late 80s, Grim Reaper finally got guys in the recording studio that knew what they were doing. Max Norman had worked with many rock & metal bands before hand, and his experiences with those groups really shows on this album. Because of his skills, Rock You To Hell sounds the most crisp & clean when compared to the band’s previous 2 releases, and the album because of this has aged the best out of the 80s trio.

Worst Track? Absolutely nothing! Grim Reaper finally got things right with Rock You To Hell. The production is the freshest it’s ever been. The drumming is on point. The guitar & bass is superb, and Steve Grimmett’s vocal work is at it’s best on this album. Sadly, due to all of the legal issues the band was going through, it seemed that they were never destined to survive the 1980s. Despite their breakup, Rock You To Hell is the biggest & brightest feather Grim Reaper has ever put in it’s cap, and it wouldn’t be until fairly recently that fans would ever see the band again. Next Album!

Walking In The Shadows (2016)

With the dissolution of Grim Reaper in 1988, the band members went their separate ways, moving onto other passions & projects, seemingly destined to never return. However, around the middle of this decade, the telltale howling & wailing from the forgotten band came back in force, and the face of this return is the bombastic Walking In The Shadows. Released on September the 23rd, 2016, Walking In The Shadows is Grim Reaper back in full force......or it would be, if the original name was used. Sadly due to legal issues, Steve Grimmett could not use the original name, and had to put his own before it. On top of that, Steve himself is the only original member from the 80s to remain, as none of the other originals wanted to come back for this reunion. Luckily, Steve managed to find some guys that could do just as good. Enlisting the help of Ian Nash for guitarwork, Mart Trail for bass (At live shows), and Paul White for the drums, this modern take on Grim Reaper might not be recognizable at first glance, but once you listen to a few songs on Walking In The Shadows, you won’t even care!

Best Track? Rock Will Never Die is just a wonderful slice of 80s metal cheese, somehow seemingly preserved until it got opened this decade. Despite the modern production quality, fans from the 80s will feel right at home with this song. Steve Grimmett is at the top of his game when it comes to the vocals, Ian Nash is a wonderful substitute for Nick Bowcott, and Paul White is just as good with the drumming as Marc Simon was if not better. Definitely the standout song on the album!

Rock Will Never Die

Worst Track? To be perfectly honest, Walking In The Shadows is a 2010s smash hit. My only gripe is that this modern interpretation of Grim Reaper isn’t the one fans know from the 80s. Due to the legal issues I talked about earlier, Steve Grimmett couldn’t name the band Grim Reaper, and nobody from the original group really seemed interested. It’s a bit of a shame, as you can tell that the music on Walking In The Shadows just screams for the original lineup! Despite that, the new group & Steve Grimmett’s vocals are metallic in their own right, and that’s good enough for me.

Walking In The Shadows. Maybe not the Grim Reaper we know & love from the 80s, but the spirit is still the same. If you want some modern obscure metal, this is what will fulfill that craving. Definitely an album to add to your collection!

And that was a look at the legendary obscurity that is Grim Reaper. As the saying goes don’t judge a book by it’s cover, and this little British band is living proof of that saying. Stop listening to popular bands for a bit, and give some more hidden groups like these guys a chance! Well, with this smaller overview out of the way (Been a bit since I’ve done one of these) Wrestlemania 34 is just a few days away, and my review for it (Along with Raw & Smackdown) not long after. See you then!

Also, on an unofficial note.......welcome to April Fools Month! Hilarity will be rampant!

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If you’re curious about listening to Grim Reaper & their discography, check out the links below:

See You In Hell

Fear No Evil

Rock You To Hell

Walking In The Shadows