Kingdom Come / Sir Lord Baltimore

Sound DNA

• Rock
• Hard Rock

• heavy
• aggressive
• bluesy

About

It was a 1971 <i>Creem</i> magazine review of the Brooklyn trio Sir Lord Baltimore’s debut album <i>Kingdom Come</i> in which the words “heavy metal” were first coined — though following the resurgence of proto-metal in the 21st century, the band has been regarded by many as “the godfathers of stoner-rock.” This description certainly fits alongside opening cut “Master Heartache,” where Gary Justin’s thunderous bass kickstarts the tune like the mentor of Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, before guitarist Louis Dambra’s sludgy riffs go head-to-head with the heavy handed bludgeoning of the band’s singing drummer John Garner. The ferocious attack and speedy tempos of “Hard Rain Fallin’” had much more in common with the fast-throttled proto-punk coming out of Detroit’s MC5 and the Stooges, while more bluesy tunes like “Lady of Fire,” “I Got a Woman” and “Hell Hound” sound inspired by Jimi Hendrix and Cream’s penchant for turning rootsy songs into blisteringly loud biker anthems. “Lake Isle of Innersfree” downshifts with 12-string acoustic guitars and a prominent harpsichord to reveal that the band also had a soft spot for psychedelic baroque rock.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits