Review Summary: This is what Iron Maiden should have released when they decided to return to their roots after Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.
Approaching an album that is being heralded as the “greatest unreleased metal album of all time” is a tricky business. On the one hand, such a reputation creates a sense of enthusiasm while on the other one it might eventually disappoint due to high hopes. The Canadian based Deaf Dealer (initially known as Death Dealer) were formed somewhere around the early ‘80s and released their debut in 1986. Unfortunately, they disbanded right before the release of
Journey Into Fear, which was unearthed by Greek label Cult Metal Classics.
As a result, what we have in our hands is a 1987 heavy/power metal offering that sees the light 27 years after its initial release date in an era where there is a revived interest around speed/power metal. Some would say that it’s luck but the reality is that metal Gods owed it to Deaf Deal as
Journey Into Fear is as good as an obscure, unreleased metal album gets.
From the very first moment, one realizes that the band’s greatest influence is Iron Maiden. However, that’s not to say that Deaf Dealer don’t have an identity of their own. There are catchy choruses such as on “Back to God’s Country” or “To Hell and Back” and highly energetic songs like “Mind Games” and “East End Terror”. The vocalist, while not hitting the high notes of some of his contemporaries, does a great job of adding an epic touch whereas the rhythm section is absolutely tight and fuses to the music with large amounts of adrenaline. Nevertheless, the absolute highlight of the album is the double guitar assault that keeps the listener interested at all times with memorable riffs and tasty leads. Overall, the album lies more on the melodic side of US heavy/power metal, on par with the homologous releases that came out during the second half of the '80s. Apart from Iron Maiden, there are influences from Judas Priest, Jag Panzer, Oliver Magnum, Warlord (on the more mid tempo, epic tracks) or even Running Wild! In addition, where
Journey Into Fear excels is on the two epics, the middle eastern influenced “Blood and Sand” and the title track which is well crafted and adventurous.
On the downside, the production is one of the weak points on here as it gives away the release date of the album even though some may feel that it adds to the cult/obscure nature of
Journey Into Fear. In addition, there will be some who will be turned off by the big similarity to Iron Maiden which maxes out at a few guitar leads.
When all is said and done, none will ever know if Deaf Dealer’s sophomore effort had been for a very long time the “greatest metal album of all time that hasn’t been officially released”. What is certain though, is that in terms of quality there’s not much between it and the more well known US heavy/power releases of the ‘80s and that we’re fortunate that it saw the light of day even 27 years after its recording sessions.
