BLACK WIDOW Black Widow III CD (1972)

By 1972 the occult theatre had been stripped back, and what Black Widow were left with was the music itself, which, it turns out, was more than enough.

Often overlooked in favour of the notorious Sacrifice, Black Widow III is the band at their most compositionally confident, tighter and more songwriting-focused, with the progressive rock architecture still intact but the heavy edges more pronounced. It sits in that early 70s UK sweet spot where hard rock and prog hadn't yet decided they were different genres, the same territory occupied by Quatermass, Warhorse, and the heavier end of the Vertigo label roster. If you're building a serious collection of proto-metal and dark progressive rock, this is the record that fills the gap between the debut and whatever you've already got too many copies of.

CD reissue. UK progressive rock and metal, 1972.

Fans of: Warhorse, Quatermass, May Blitz, Cactus.