Holocaust

1984's No Mans Land effectively witnessed the birth of Holocaust Mark II, when original leader and guitarist John Mortimer was convinced to resurrect his recently defunct band to capitalize on the surprise demand for its 1983 Live (Hot Curry & Wine) release. Of course this very spotty and inauspicious record hardly qualified as a "band" effort, seeing as how Mortimer wound up handling all vocal, guitar, and bass duties, leaving only the drums for new arrival Steve Cowen to tackle. Maybe they shouldn't have bothered, as the resulting 11 mercifully brief, demo-quality songs heard here bore little resemblance to the Holocaust of old. Not only was the sound positively tiny when compared to the Scottish metal heads' powerful, meaty early efforts, the songwriting on hand was horribly amateurish, with only the title track and the ultra-cheesy "Here Come the Good Times" showing any staying power in future live sets -- and not much, at that. To no one's surprise, Holocaust was soon no more yet again, and it would take five years for a more lasting and truly worthwhile comeback to take shape. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide