Hour of 13
- Story by Damien
North Carolina traditionalists forge a future for the past
In terms of cult heavy metal pedigree, Hour of 13 frontman Phil Swanson has it sorted. Formerly of Upwards of Endtime, Atlantean Kodex and Earthlord, amongst others, the singer and lyricist has over 15 years of hard-won experience under his studded belt; experience that’s now led to the realization of his latest and greatest project, Hour of 13. Emerging from the ashes of occult metal outfit Vestal Claret, Hour of 13 have transformed the promising might-have-been of the former into pure gold on their stunning self-titled debut.
“Vestal Claret appeared on a 12-inch vinyl split with Atlantean Kodex,” explains Swanson. “[It] drew label interest for a full-length album that I spent more than a year working on before politics and band tension forced me to start looking for an alternative.”
Swanson found his alternative in the shape of multi-instrumentalist Chad Davis and, with the help of guitarist Corey Leonard, they set about recording possibly the best true metal album of the year. Drawing their inspiration from the deep well of the darkness, obscurity, mysticism and doom that runs like an obsidian seam through the fabric of arcane ’70s and ’80s metal, Hour of 13 demonstrate an adept understanding of the genre beyond its superficial sheen.
“I grew up on NWOBHM,” recalls Swanson. “Always a huge Black Sabbath fan and I skipped school to get front row tickets to Judas Priest in 1980. Metal for Muthas was my first introduction to NWOBHM and Angel Witch’s ‘Baphomet’ was the standout track for me. From then on I was hooked—‘obsessed’ may be the more correct term. NWOBHM is my base; everything I do comes from its influence.”
“Black Sabbath did a lot for me, especially the Dio albums,” Davis continues. “Then, my pop bought me Witchfinder General’s Death Penalty and that immediately blew me away. I had been listening to Iron Maiden for a while before, but the impact of the WG record just set it in stone even more. Metal has [always] been my life, in one form or another.”
It’s not just this august organ that’s been creaming itself over Hour of 13—the reviews are rolling in, and they’re all looking good.
“It’s a great feeling,” admits Swanson. “I knew the album was great in terms of other stuff I’ve done and for it to be appreciated by others is very cool.”
“I felt the tunes having an impact on me when I was writing them,” concludes Davis. “The music is very magickal and encompasses everything I have ever wanted in sound and ideology. It’s nice to hear people getting into it.”
