Holocaust

Released at a time when the band was pretty much falling to pieces, Live: Hot Curry and Wine combines tracks from Holocaust's influential debut, The Nightcomers, with a number of new songs and obscure tracks. Most crucially, this set contains possibly the only commercially available version of the band's classic "The Small Hours" (famously covered by Metallica -- and a corker it is, too), along with some quality material ("No Nonsense," "Lovin' Feelin' Danger," "Forcedown Breakdown") from their rare Garage Days Revisited EP (yes, Metallica later borrowed that, too). Highlights from the aforementioned The Nightcomers LP are also trotted out for good measure, but one has to wonder just how "live" these recordings really are, since the audience often sounds like ten guys screaming in a room. Quite a collector's item, but despite the band's well-publicized influence on a young Metallica, only die-hard New Wave of British Heavy Metal lovers will need to venture here. [Note: the track labeled as "The Nightcomers" on this CD is actually just a five minutes of guitar feedback.] [This U.K. version of the album includes bonus material.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide