Warhorse
's self-titled debut was a progressive rock-heavy rock meld that was even less humorless than that of
Deep Purple
, let alone
Black Sabbath
, the band that they got compared to most frequently. There's a bit of art rock in the Hammond organ, and an operatic earnestness to
Ashley Holt
's lead vocals. Titles like
"Vulture Blood,"
"Burning,"
"Ritual,"
"Solitude,"
and
"Woman of the Devil"
are indicative of the group's desire to set a menacing mood, although the songs don't really forcefully hit the mark for which they were probably targeted. A cover of an
Easybeats
song (
"St. Louis"
), of all things, is the only non-original.
Angel Air
's CD reissue adds bonus live versions of four of the album's songs, as well as a demo,
"Miss Jane,"
of a tune that didn't appear on the original LP. ~ Richie Unterberger