MASS is a band from Boston that sounds exactly like they came from the UK. I get a really huge ANVIL vibe here. What I mean is they are a really great band that never made it big, but really deserved to. They are a Christian Metal band, but it is hard to tell that from simply looking at many of the song titles, although, "Holy One" makes it obvious. The JUDAS PRIEST influences are more prominent on the full length album than it is on the EP. "Part of Me" is my favorite song from both of the albums. The beginning riff is catchy as can be. The harmony vocals are very well done. The song is mid tempo and has some killer vocals. It is hard for me to understand why this band didn't make it bigger than they have. They do seem to still be active so I won't count them out. As I mentioned earlier, like ANVIL they didn't make it to the big time but they deserved to. Maybe MASS can get their own documentary video that propelled ANVIL from the bottom into the public's consciousness. That would be a very fitting thing to happen. Someone grab a camera quick! They have a song called "Do you Love me" (no relation to the KISS song) that deserved to be a big hit. It is not really a ballad since it gets pretty heavy towards the middle of the song. It does seem to me to have an appeal to it that could gain mass acceptance if only people knew who MASS was.

I find myself liking the songs on "Fighter" more than on the self titled EP. That said, both are great works of traditional Heavy Metal. They fit in perfectly with the great bands of the 80's that had major success. You owe it to yourself to listen to the song, "Bad Man's Reputation" it's the closest to JUDAS PRIEST of all of the songs. Not that they are ripping them off, it's just that the drums and guitar are very similar. I find it odd that MASS slipped by me all these years. I have always been very good at finding hidden gems. Perhaps it is due to the other band named MASS. I am sure I got them confused and heard the inferior version. It's been so long I cannot really recall. Overall, if you like the traditional Metal from the mid 80's, I think you will really love this band. It's hard to find on the net, actually song samples I mean, but if you go to their site, they do have a few. Give MASS a try, you might just be pleasantly surprised, I know I was.

Individual Rating:
EP = 7/10
"Fighter" = 9/10