Top 50 Debut Albums - No.40 "Masters of Reality" Masters of Reality (1988)

Masters Of Reality were one of a number of bands I thought were going to be the future of heavy rock and made my last couple of years as a died in the wool METAL fan quite exciting. As it turned out they weren't the huge success I expected but they recorded some memorable tunes and helped pave the way for a new wave of bands.

The band that recorded this debut album had originally formed in 1981 and all songs are credited to the partnership of Tim Harrington & Chris Goss. Harrington's slow, grungy guitar riffs are captivating and form the rocking foundation of the album whilst Goss' melodic vocal style lightened the mood up and added a quirky twist to the songs. Produced by Rick Rubin and originally released on his Def American label at a time when both things were a sign of certain quality. Disappointingly this line up broke up soon after the release of the album and Masters Of Reality became more of an occasional project for guitarist and singer Chris Goss.

Goss was a key figure in the Desert Rock scene that begat Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age and has produced or contributed to many of the albums to come out of that scene. He was a long time friend of Josh Homme (his vocals may well have been an influence on Homme's singing) and the Masters Of Reality album is a clear forerunner to the later success of Queens of the Stone Age.



.