Coven

Originally released back in 1987, on vinyl, this Detroit band were known as Coven 13 for a while and are most likely not one of the many bands named Coven that you're thinking of right now, given that this is their only album. Now, the cool Shadow Kingdom has reissued this slab for another round of metal glory. Is it an undiscovered gem of '80s metal? Well, not really. Is it a great example of forgotten trad metal from another time? Sure, I'll buy that. And while songs like the fun "Ruler" and "Burial Ground" may be catchy and memorable, they're also stiff and clunky, the band not quite hitting the sweet spot between trad and doom. But they do try their hardest, that blue-collar work ethic coming through loud and clear, which gives this thing more than enough charm to make up for its shortcomings (one word: vocals). This is a cool curio for metal historians and a fun rollick for longhairs looking for some background music for a night of drinking, but it isn't essential past that.