Salem United Kingdom

"This is a compilation album which collects the tracks that Salem released on demos and singles back in the 1980s - tracks which are otherwise hard to come by because of the rarity of the original releases. And, maybe, given that the band has reunited, it will prepare us for a new release. Musically, "In the Beginning..." offers good old solid guitar-driven hard rock and heavy metal, ranging from quite good to brilliant. A lot of the tracks are good, I think, but not quite original or groundbreaking, while a couple of tracks are pure genius. The central element of all tracks on this album is solid and inspiring classic heavy metal riffage of the kind that metal bands mastered back in the 80s. And these have been generously sprinkled with guitar harmonies, which is enough to make me fall head over heels for this album (I have a weak spot for twin guitars, you see). The tracks that I classify as pure genious are "The Hangman's Noose" with its harmony-based main riff, "Coming for You" and "Reach for Eternity" which are both fast and melodic, and the epic "Keeper of the Keys Trilogy" with its plethora of cool guitar riffs. Recommended to all fans of traditional heavy metal. (review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com)"