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Outer Limits

    
       
       
       
     
             
Salem UK are a metal & rock band from the UK formed when the original Salem spilt into two different bands - guitarist Adrian Jenkinson and vocalist Simon Saxby forming Salem UK, while the remaining members of Salem founded From Salem. The new formation Salem UK released their debut album 'Win Lose Or Draw' in 2019, with sophomore album 'Outer Limits' a 2024 release...    
             
...featuring ten songs of decidedly old school sounding British heavy metal with an immense NWOBHM feel - think bands such as Angel Witch, Quartz, Samson and Saxon for a sound reference! But until you actually take a listen to the bands new album you'll never really know just how fucking good 'Outer Limits' is - it's hard, heavy, thunderous and will knock your fucking socks off! The album is "inspired by Hull Fair, an historical event in the band's hometown that dates back to 1279 and is the largest travelling fair in Europe. Each song on 'Outer Limits' draws from the carnival theme, with many named after rides from the fair, weaving the spirit of the event throughout the album".    
             
So ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, metallers and rockers - come one, come all and step right up! Prepare to be amazed and stunned by Salem UK as the bands new album 'Outer Limits' unfolds right before your very ears! 'Prologue - The Fairground' is a twenty second intro featuring a mix of upbeat and cheery, traditional carnival music along with the excited hubbub of riders, visitors and onlookers - exactly what you'd expect to hear as you enter a fairground! And then a searing guitar riff pierces the air as 'Rock You' thunders into life at a hundred fucking miles an hour, Salem UK shuddering the ground as the iconic "metal gallop" takes centre stage! Galloping hard and hitting harder, 'Rock You' is power driven heavy metal ala legends Judas Priest, Salem UK energising every listener with a perfect opportunity to furiously head bang - and I for one already am! The band are cruising here, ignoring speed limits, police, and red traffic lights as 'Outer Limits' marches on with the bolder, bombastic, anthemic thunder of 'Red Light' - the mid tempo majestic swagger sublime as the band show a little of their rockier side, opening up the bands music to a wide array of rock and metal fans.    
     
A sensational opening double, the album motors on with the slick 'Silverback', striding tall and proud right through the heart of melodic metal territory, the band planting one foot firmly on the old school heavy metal monitor to please old and new fans alike - yours truly one of the older fans, growing up as a teenager during the glorious eighties for metal evolution! And with a lively, up beat nature, 'Miss Fortune' is gonna bring smiles a mile wide to the faces of every listener, fan and follower on the planet, Salem UK blending a little blues into 'Miss Fortune's framework, the band standing firmly and squarely right in the centre of the heavy metal genre! And proudly too, flying the flag for British heavy metal very high as the title song 'Outer Limits' enters the fray displaying the metal gallop in full flight! And what a fantastic sight and sound it is, the level of head bang ability right now shooting through the fucking roof as the British metallers keep the pedal firmly pressed to the metal!    
             
The intensity since the album began has been all conquering, holding everyone's attentions and not letting 'em go, 'Overrider' maintaining the incredible infectious groove of the album, the band seamlessly melding heavy metal and hard rock to absolute perfection - the swagger Salem UK are parading is colossal, showing many of their peers, and indeed pretenders to the throne, how a metal and rock blend should sound! There's just no stopping the bands momentum, rolling with as much purpose as a four kilo round of Double Gloucester down Cooper's Hill during the world-famous annual "Cooper's Hill Cheese Rolling And Wake" event in Gloucestershire (UK) - 'Meteorite' maintaining the phenomenal pace and power of the album along with the fantastic galloping nature so synonymous with traditional heavy metal. The band are on fire, and have been since minute one, burning hotter and hotter the further the album runs, 'Outer Limits' (the album) marching on at its heaviest with the ground shuddering 'Fire Fire'. Nearby buildings are gonna crumble into ruins under the immense force pouring outta 'Fire Fire', the band bludgeoning listeners without any remorse! For this is heavy metal after all - do you think Wile E. Coyote would have felt any remorse had the anvil actually hit the Road Runner!    
             
'Present From The Past' could easily be seen as a prophetic (song) title, with Salem UK bringing a forty year old metal sound to the present day and offering it as a "present" to every listener, fan and follower everywhere - the "present" a ten song barrage of hard rocking heavy metal! The pace and power is turned up to maximum for 'Present From The Past', the band surging forth with high head bang ability and an infectious level second to none - 'Oblivion' a more muscular, hustle and bustle type song than any other on offer, the intensity of the album as strong now as it has ever been. Salem UK bookend 'Outer Limits' (the album) with 'Epilogue - The Fairground', another twenty second, this time outro, featuring a mix of upbeat and cheery, traditional carnival music along with the excited hubbub of riders, visitors and onlookers!    
             
Overall, a stunning album of old school, traditional heavy metal featuring the iconic gallop along with a tonne of head bang ability.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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