Death SS: Black Mass (1989)

Holy hell that is a creepy-looking album cover.  Death SS is a band I have long known about, but never really given a chance.  They have some rather odd album covers that led me to believe the band was something of a joke band (just look at the cover for Heavy Demons for proof).  They often wear horror movie-inspired costumes and just generally came off as a gimmick band to me.  I am now not sure that is actually true, after listening to this album, in fact.  I finally gave them a chance and was pleasantly surprised.

Death SS is an early Italian metal band, forming in the mid 1970's.  Their music is rooted in early heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and some of the NWOBHM with the occasional speed or doom metal riff.  As alluded to, horror is an important part of the band's image and lyrical content.  The creepy intro to "Horrible Eyes" is a perfect example.  In fact, every song on here basically tells a horror story, which is quite alright with me.  And the vocals, which are delivered in a sort of Alice Cooper-esque sneer, really sell the horror.

This is my first experience with Death SS, but after hearing this one, it will likely not be my last.  This is highly competent old school metal with horror themes and it is a ton of fun.