Sign Of The Jackal

A few months ago, I was at the height of Metal passion. I was buying Metal records left and right...could not get enough of it. I took a trip over to REVHQ and what do I see listed in the New Release Spotlight section? The Beyond EP from Italy's Sign of the Jackal, which features an album cover that looks like a definite nod to a certain Mercyful Fate record...and with a description that mentions the album is for fans of Judas Priest and early Iron Maiden...I was certainly interested to check them out, and rushed over to Heavy Artillery Records to pick up a copy.

While I certainly wouldn't put them at the same level as Priest or Maiden, Sign of the Jackal are a fun listen. 70's horror imagery mixed with a musical style like those New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands from the early 80's. Great mix.

The one thing that caught me off guard, was that Sign of the Jackal has a female singer. I don't know exactly what it is, but I tend to stay away from any music with a woman on lead vocals. When I first heard this band, I thought it was some dude with a high voice...kind of like some of those early 80's Metal bands. After I start digging the band, I discover that it is a woman singing...holy shit, I was tricked! You win, Sign of the Jackal. Your female vocals are fantastic.

The record itself appears to just be something that the band threw together to hold their fans over as they go into the studio this year to record a real LP. The Beyond is just a collection of rare studio tracks and obscure cover songs. Cool enough, and certainly has me looking forward to what the band will do next.

500 pieces of vinyl was pressed for this album. 300 on black, and 100 a piece for clear and yellow colored vinyl. Looks like only the colored vinyl was numbered and I got 127 out of 200.

The band's first 7 inch, Haunted House Tapes, from 2009, is what really captures my attention. Two songs, each with their own intro, really show how much fun this Metal band can be. From the red cover, to the name of the record...it seems like a great tribute to Iron Maiden's Soundhouse Tapes.

The only place that I could find a copy of this 7 inch was at REVHQ. It was a little pricey, but I really wanted a copy. 300 pressed on black vinyl.