Unorthodox
Balance of Power (CD) 1994 Hellhound
Like their extremely rare first album from 1992, 'Asylum', Unorthodox' 'Balance of Power' is a classic in the world of old-school doom. Unorthodox was originally called Asylum, but had to change their name due to a conflict with a pop group of the same name in the early '90s. By 1994's 'Balance of Power', Unorthodox consisted of stalwart guitarist Dale Flood, bassist Josh Hart, and drummer Ronnie Kalimon (now with Internal Void).

Their sound was characterized by long songs, dexterous lead guitar, clean vocals reminiscent of the redoubtable Wino, and unconventional song structure not unlike Hellhound labelmates Wretched.  The Sabbath influence, usually prominent among bands on the Hellhound label, is here somewhat downplayed in favor of a more psychedelic sound, sometimes straying into prog. territory. But make no mistake: these guys are heavy!

Flood has now reunited with bassist Jeff Parsons from the 'Asylum' album, and a killer series of shows culminating in their show-stealing set at SHOD 2, shows that they're still kickin' it and heavier than ever. We can only hope that this will culminate in a long-overdue third album; in the meantime, check out 'Balance of Power' and hear one of the very best albums in the world of riffing doom.
Album Cover

1. Junkie
2. To Kill A Monster
3. Peacemaker
4. Well Aware
5. Lost In Tomorrow
6. Maimed And Slaughter
7. The Zombie Dance
8. Standstill
9. Price Of Life
10. The Gate
11. Motherless
12. Unorthodox

Approx. 46 minutes
Reviewed by: Kevin Mchugh