New MM Feature: Made in England--Aragorn "Black Ice"
7/31/2012 2:01:26 PM by Josh




The next time someone mentions bands like Venom and Motorhead leading the charge during the NWOBHM movement in regards to speed, heaviness, grime and grit, etc...make sure they've heard Aragorn (a not so surprising Tolkein reference). While not having an accomplished career, like most bands that went sooner than they came during those years, Aragorn carried all those characteristics and waved the flag high with the "Black Ice" (1981) single released by none other than Neat Records and were in fact one of the labels earliest signed bands, predating releases by influential guitar-tone heavy bands like Hellhammer. Struck by possible bad luck/timing, such is seemingly the fate of most in the movement, Aragorn didn't survive much further than this single and the later material didn't capture the bulldozer drive and tempo that this early single did. The B Side, "Noonday" is also another heavy hitter.

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