Bullet - The Entrance To Hell 1970

The Entrance to Hell is one of those legendary exhumations at which the Angel Air label has become so adept, delving into archives that even their owners have seemingly forgotten, and emerging with treasures whose very reputations are the stuff of mythology. The jewel this time is the debut album by Bullet, the band formed by John Du Cann and Paul Hammond immediately after departing Atomic Rooster, but whose lifespan was cut short by the emergence of another, better-known American band of the same name. Bullet U.K. changed their name to Hard Stuff, and promptly re-recorded their already complete debut album, renaming it Bulletproof, and leaving the original tracks in the vault. Arguably, they made the correct decision Bulletproof, as it eventually emerged, is very much a classic of its ilk, a hard-hitting metal rocker that compensates in sheer bludgeoning power for what it lacks in finesse or musicality. The Entrance to Hell retains those same qualities but somehow seems to lack the same glue that held its successor together; not quite an album's worth of demos (although that would be a joy), it is instead a rough sketch of what was to come, an excellent collection that would soon be even better. allmusic.com

After being unceremoniously dismissed by Vincent Crane from Atomic Rooster...John Du Cann guitarist / vocalist , together with drummer Paul Hammond, and bassist John Gustafson (Quatermass, Roxy Music and later Ian Gillan), quickly picked up the pieces and formed a power trio of their own called Bullet in 1970. The band which released a couple of albums under the moniker of Hard Stuff (due to the fact that another band in the United States was already using the name Bullet) sadly never really got off the ground as a near fatal car accident ended things rather abruptly in 1973. Fast forward to the present and Angel Air Records has managed to snag the original master recordings from Du Cann's personal archives which are now available as The Entrance To Hell.

Without Crane's organ to contend with Du Cann assembled himself a real gritty sounding, blues based power trio built around his unlimited arsenal of crunchy guitar riffs and scorching solos. Together with Gustafson's meaty bass playing and Hammond's rock solid attack behind the kit Bullet certainly had all the ingredients in place for a shot at commercial rock success. Du Cann and Gustafson pretty much split the lion's share of the songwriting duties down the middle and their different writing styles definitely add to the bands overall dynamic. For example Gustafson's funkier, hook laden approach and soaring lead vocals can be hard on tracks like "Taken Alive" and "Sinister Minister", while Du Cann's darker themes also yield some equally as stunning results on "Time Gambler", "Fortunes Told" and "The Soul That I Had". There are also some fabulous, loose sounding jams, as the title track, "Jam (The Rock)" and "Jam ( The Taker)" not only captures the electric and spontaneous energy conjured up when these guys got together and jammed, but they also act as vehicles for all three musicians to demonstrate their versatility as players. Du Cann in particular turns in some extended, blistering, bluesy solos that you hope will never end.

The Entrance To Hell contains just over an hour of kick ass sounding jams and songs that are crammed to the hilt with memorable sounding riffs and melodies. If you're a fan of John Du Cann's previous work in The Attack, Andromeda and Atomic Rooster, or you just appreciate good old fashioned, vintage sounding classic / hard rock from the 70's, then these newly issued recordings from Bullet should definitely be able to give you what you're looking for. Thanks to adamus67 for the great information.

Tracklist:
01.Door Opens
02.Millionaire
03.No Witch At All
04.Taken Alive
05.The Soul That I Had
06.Entrance To Hell
07.The Orchestrator
08.Hell, Demonic Possession
09.Fortunes Told
10.Sinister Minister
11.Jam (The Rock)
12.Time Gambler
13.Monster In Paradise
14.Jay Time
15.Mr Longevity
16.Door Slams
17.Jam (The Taker)

Bullet:
John Du Cann - Guitar, Vocals
John Gustafson - Bass
Paul Hammond - Drums