Budgie - In For The Kill

180-gram import LP

Budgie was an uncompromising, all-out heavy rock band. At the height of their popularity, in the early '70s, they matched and rivalled groups like Black Sabbath, Stray and the Groundhogs.

Originally formed in Cardiff, Wales in 1967 by Burke Shelley (vocals, bass), Tony Bourge (guitar), and Raymond Phillips (drums), relatively obscure yet influential act Budgie was one of the earliest British heavy metal bands. Their weighty riffs and high-pitched vocals often draw comparisons to Black Sabbath and Rush and the group has released nearly a dozen studio albums and a handful of live recordings to date amidst numerous line-up changes.

The founding line-up of Shelley, Bourge and Phillips would issue three of the band's finest albums including eponymous debut Budgie (1971), sophomore follow-up Squawk (1972) and third effort Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (1973) and is universally hailed as Budgie's definitive incarnation.

1974's In For The Kill is the fourth Budgie full-length and first sans the original power trio with Ray Phillips' drum duties being taken over by Pete Boot (his only studio release with the group). As heavy as any of the band's early offerings, Bourge's guitar heroics dominate the proceedings with the title track featuring a contagious boogie in the vein of ZZ Top while the 9-minute plus fan favorite "Zoom Club" finds the group truly dropping the heavy metal hammer.