LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

PENTAGRAM (Bobby Liebling and Joe Hasselvander) is a TRUE macabre legend! We are proud to present you with the fifth official Pentagram studio recordings. Heavier, more grim then ever before “Sub-Basement” takes you slowly down a longdark, doomed vortex. “Cult legend Status” doesn’t even begin to describe the loyalty and respect doom-metal fans havebestowed on this influential act. Nearly every current doom/stoner band owes their soul (or at least a bunch of riffs) toPentagram. Cathedral, Spirit Caravan, Goatsnake, ST. Vitus, Trouble…the list of those touched by the Pentagram “craft” isendless!True harbringers of despair and gloom!
Pentagram BiographyPENTAGRAM plays heavy doom metal so anyone into heavy stuff like ST.VITUS, OBSESSED or original BLACK SABBATH and BLUE CHEER. From ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, the band was formed in 1971 by vocalist, song-writer and guitar player BOBBY LIEBLING very influenced by SIR LORD BALTIMORE GROUNDHOGS and BLUE CHEER. In the beginning Bobby also played lead guitar, in fact he's a very good guitar player and writes all the guitar parts in his songs including the lead breaks. The first line-up consisted of Bobby (voice and guitar), Vincent McAllister (bass), Geof O'Keefe (guitar) and Steve Martin (drums). Their first release was in July 1972 under the name of MACABRE, it was a 7" that included "Be forewarned" and "Lazy lady" two very heavy songs for the period it come out. Before Macabre, Bobby was in a band called SHADES OF DARKNESS from 1966 to 69, a sort of garage group. After Macabre they made 2 more 7" under the name of Pentagram, the first in June 1973 incl. "Hurricane/Earth flight" and the second in October 74 (a 100 copies test pressing) incl. "Under my thumb (R.Stones)/When the scream come (live)". In 1974 COLUMBIA RECORDS became interested in PENTAGRAM, they recorded a demo for them in 1975 that incl. "Run my curse-When the scream come-Wheel of fortune" and there were even plans to go on tour with Blue Oyster Cult, but at the end it never happened. In 1975 Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS come to see Pentagran in Virginia. Gene and Paul even picked Pentagram up in their Limo and cruised around before going to the rehearsal site, they were looking for a band to sign to CASABLANCA RECORDS. Paul Stanley wanted to buy a song of Pentagram called "Star Lady" but Bobby refused because he wanted to use it himself. Gene Simmons also was interested to buy the song "Much too young to know" to use in the Destroyer album but Bobby refused and the agreement with Casablanca will vanish, KISS Signed the band ANGEL. In 1976 Pentagram recorded an EP, but it was never released, the tracks were "Teaser-Smoke screen - Much too young to know - Little games (YARDBYRDS) and Star lady", this session is know as THE UNDERGROUND SOUND RECORDING. Then in 1978 Bobby met JOE Hasselvander and in December they recorded the heavyest PENTAGRAM 7" yet, released in 79 incl. "Livin' in ram's'head/ When the screams come" with a new line-up: Bobby (vocals), Richard Kueht (guitar), Paul Trowbridge (guitar), Martin Swaney (bass) and Joe Hasselvander (drums), this line-up is know as the HIGH VOLTAGE PENTAGRAM. After a few live shows, incl. lots of covers by such bands as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hendrix, Sweet, Hard Stuff and Thin Lizzy in 79 the band broke up. In 1981 a young guitarist from Tennessee named Victor Griffin had a band called DEATH ROW with Joe Hasselvander and Lee Abney (bass) replaced by Martin Swaney within a few weeks. VICTOR fell in love with BOBBY's vocals and on Halloween 1981 Joe introduced Victor to Bobby and the legendary musical partnership began. In 1982 they recorded a demo called "All your sins" and managed to get a deal with Dutch East India Trading and changed their name to PENTAGRAM . In 85 they finally released their first album called "PENTAGRAM" on Pentagram Records, which was a re-mix of the 1°demo, just prior of the album release they replaced Joe with Stuart Rose. Then their 2nd album "DAYS OF RECKONING" came out in mid 87 on NAPALM RECORDS, Joe had already recorded the song "BURNING SAVIOUR" with them but Stuart appears on the rest of the album. Both albums contains some of the greatest heavy doom songs ever recorded and the band played many shows in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area plus some in New York and Tennessee. PENTAGRAM are extremely heavy live, Victor has the wickedest tuned down guitar sound i've heard, he plays ultra heavy-doom laden riffs and great incisive solos, BOBBY's vocal style is similar to Ozzy early times and he's a cool frontman and really gets into the music with HIS INSANE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS and wild outfits. Martin and Joe pound out the rhythm section in the most powerfull doom tradition and especially Joe is one of the most exciting drummer I heard in my life. Since the last show Joe has joined the british band RAVEN and also released 4 solo albums: DEVIL CHILDE (with the name of Matthew Hopkins), 2 with PHANTON LORD (Same -Evil never sleep) and Ladykiller. In 1988 Pentagram reformed with some old 70's members but unfortunatlely broke-up again in 89. In 1990 there was a resurgence of interest in PENTAGRAM as well in Doom metal in general. The UK band CATHEDRAL covered "All your sins" and the label Peaceville became interested in Pentagram and wanted to re-release the 2 albums and to produce a new one. Then in May 93 the first lp was re-released as "Relentless" on cd-lp, this version was remixed from the original master-tape. In August 93 the reissue of "Day of reckoning" was released on cd-lp and JOE Hasselvander re-recorded all the drums tracks Stuart Rose had originally played on. They're back and the 14 September 93 PENTAGRAM played their first show in over six years at TIKIFALA, VIRGINIA. It was a GREAT SHOW, the OLD MAGIC was still there. Victor and Joe were the guest musicians in CATHEDRAL during the European tour with BLACK SABBATH from April to June 94. In November 1994 PENTAGRAM released the album "Be forewarned" as double vinyl and cd contains some ultra-heavy songs like "Petrified", "Too late", "Wolf's blood", "Vampire love" and a very great new version of the classic "Be forewarned". After this release, 5 years of silence, then Review your Choices and now......