Siren is another example of those bands that for some inexplicable reason get lost in space-time and didn’t have the deserved recognition. The years passed by and Siren no longer exists, but their songs were rescued by the internet… Yes, thanks to the “cursed” downloads, those that labels persist in criticize – but allow us to find gems like this.
Founded in 1981 and releasing their first album only in 1986, Siren displays a well done Heavy Metal. Without doubts, the highlight is the vocalist Doug Lee. His timber is unique: Powerful, shrill and almost a metallic sound.
And if you’re a critic of Heavy Metal because the repetitive lyrics, always covering topics such as demons, witches, curses, angels, and stuffs like it… Well, you’ll be amazed with No Place Like Home. Some lyrics have a great taste and run away from the genre’s clichés. One example is the track Iron Coffins. The name is an allusion to the German submarines that participated in the World War II (“The German wolf-packs start to plunder/ On the North Atlantic seas/ The devastation from down under/ Brought men to their knees”). Iron Coffins tells about aquatic battles, the surprise effect caused by the Nazis U-boats, and the allies counterattack.
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| Iron Coffins, single released in 1985. |
Other historical themes, such as the American Civil War and the Great Plague, are recount masterfully in Terrible Swift Sword and Black Death lyrics. Gold Rush is mentioned too, during The Mine – which narrates the story of greedy miners who work a lifetime for a tiny possibility to enrich themselves.
With tricks and wordplays, Siren’s lyrics make the disc worth. However, I have to say that the instrumental quality isn’t a bright point, don’t create too much expectations related to it.
The studio recording, maybe because the group obscurity and the lack of resources, is just regular… They have strong riffs and arranges, but the sound tends to be a little bit muffled.
Undervalued and forgotten over the time, No Place Like Home is a Heavy Metal pearl that deserved greater recognition and luck. Simple, powerful and intelligent disk, rescued by passionate collectors who shared their material on the internet… Thanks!
“Only a chance in a million; then we struck it rich. In the mine, in the mine; it’s all mine.”
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FACTSHEET:
Artist: Siren
Year: 1986
Album: No Place Like Home
Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: United States
Members: Brian Law (drums), Doug Lee (vocals and guitar), Gregg Culbertson (bass), Rob Phillips (guitar).
TRACKS:
1 - Black Death
2 - So Far to Go
3 - Over the Rainbow
4 - Shadows of the Future Past
5 - The Mine
6 - Terrible Swift Sword
7 - Burning Bridges
8 - Another Lost Love
9 - A Place in Time
10 - Iron Coffins
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