Jerusalem

About

Not to be mistaken for the Swedish Christian-rock band of the same name, Britain’s Jerusalem was a rare band of the early ‘70s that toed the line between the sludgy proto-metal of Black Sabbath and the more technical fretboard wizardry of early heavy-metal bands like Deep Purple. In fact, it was Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan who produced Jerusalem’s 1972 eponymous debut — the quintet’s one and only studio recording. “Frustration” opens with muscled riffs before frontman Linden Williams comes in singing in the higher, more androgynous register normally associated with British heavy metal. Where most hard-rock bands only utilized one guitar player, Jerusalem had two six-string luminaries at their disposal — Bob Cook and Bill Hayden whose communicative interplay is best exemplified in the solo of “Hooded Eagle,” where their call-and-response rocks like they shared a mental telepathy. “She Came Like a Bat from Hell” displays some early head-banging, especially in the rhythm section which plays with minimal flourishes to provide a heavy pedaling beat and plenty of room for Cook and Hayden to unleash the album's best guitar work.

via Apple Music