Despite being released in '84, 'Beware of the Dog' is an authentic dose of NWOBHM and another one of those surprisingly good, but long forgotten albums of this period. The sound is pretty much typical of the genre, albeit perhaps a tad heavier and darker than the average, although some of the latter is down to the production, courtesy of 'Venom's' 'Cronos'. Unusually vocals are split between 'Clucth Carruthers' and 'Alan Hunter' and although this isn't glaringly obvious, does give some subtle variation and as such another facet.

The lads from Newcastle open the album strongly with the hearty 'Hammerhead', a good brisk paced rocker that whilst nothing elaborate, highlights a very respectable guitar solo and is Metal well and truly in the NWOBHM spirit. Not quite as vigorous, but driven by a relentless grooving riff and rhythm is 'Dog Soldiers', which overall has a slight 'Diamond Head' feel, 'Jed Wolf' shows impressive work throughout and I can see why he was later snapped up by 'Atomkraft'. Slightly less impressive is the simply titled 'Demon', a fairly bland mid tempo affair, which at six minutes feels longwinded and the closing nonsense was no doubt influenced by 'Cronos'. More typical of the genre is 'The Inquisition' a lively pulsating rocker, underlining more fine rhythm work from 'Jed Wolf' and 'Kevin Wynn', while the sharp soloing certainly hits the spot. Even rawer sounding is 'Dead Meat', a pretty brisk cut that while lyrically inept, features some respectable instrumental work and some very sharp vocals! The plodding 'Painted Heroes' (The title of the anthology I'll reviewing this from) ensues in a slightly laboured fashion with darker more moody undertones, not too disimilar from 'Witchfinder General', a bit of a mixed bag this one, a tad longwinded but effective in parts. This gives way to the more free flowing 'Voice from the Grave' which rides on a solid rhythm, but ultimately is a little nondescript, while 'Day of the Butcher' gets us back on track in blazing fashion, with punchy lyrics and slashing fret work. Last up is the appropriately titled 'In the End' the only slower track present and it's pretty good, again a little reminiscent of 'Diamond Head' and highlights fitting vocals, solid penmanship and a nice tempo pick-up towards the end.

Ok this is hardly revolutionary stuff, but it's a respectable NWOBHM debut from a band who probably deserved a bit more recognition!