My gut tells me this is a damn good album, and had it been released in 1970, it would have gone platinum.

An English band, from Cumbria, that were apparently discovered by Tony Iommi, and when you listen to them you can understand why. When Iommi found them. he managed to get them signed to Vertigo and they did record an album in 1973 but it was never actually released, the label citing certain members leaving the band. The release was shelved until 1999 when it finally saw the light of day. Today, Necromandus only has one original member on board in the shape of drummer Frank Hall, all the others having passed away over the intervening years.

This album is formed of new recordings which are based on previous recordings made in the seventies... if that makes sense. I suppose, to all intents and purposes, it is a new album but if you like retro then this is certainly one for you – Classic Rock meets a little Prog. Apparently, 'Melody Maker' described them back in the day as "Black Sabbath plays Yes' Greatest Hits".

Opener 'Don't Look Down Frank' smacks you in the face with a sound that mixes Sabbath, Uriah Heep and more with vocalist John Branch sounding like vintage Ozzy Osbourne. This could even be the man himself! As soon as I put this on the CD deck, I thought I was sixteen years old again (smoking in the college common room!). The more I play it, the more the album feels like a combination of all the bands from that era. 'Limpert Man' has hints of The Groundhogs flowing through it, while 'Hymn To Her' is a five and a half minute track where the vocals don't start until about four minutes in and ends up sounding very much ELO. There is a quirky song called 'Scream' which I think is fabulous but it's definitely an acquired taste.

My gut tells me this is a damn good album, and had it been released in 1970, it would have gone platinum. However, unlike albums that have a retro feel but sound modern in production, this one is firmly planted back in the day. You probably need to have been a teenager in the early seventies to appreciate the full value of it. Any younger and you need to think of this as an album your Dad would have loved... and still might!

Steve Price