Wyzard-Knights of metal,1984

I'll admit that I never heard of these guys back in the day. I guess because this their only release is fairly rare. So rare that a vinyl copy of this four track release sold for $500 on eBay several years ago. However in 2003 Perris records got the rights and put it out on CD with a bonus track. Like many rarities, it received a great deal of hype. Like many rarities it doesn't quite live up to it's hype. These guys were from San Antonio, Texas and listed their influence as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. You can sort of hear that, but more Priest than Maiden. They would likely be classified as traditional power metal. Which kind means they are faster than say classic metal bands like Dio or Judas Priest, but not quite up to a speed metal pace. The music reminds me a little of fellow Texans Helstar with tight riffs mixed in with some short sporadic pace changes. They might also be slightly similar in sound to LA band Abattoir, but not quite as fast. The vocals are all over the place though as the vocalist alternates between middle range and some crazy unexpected high notes. I think their energy is pretty high, but their creativity is fairly typical of a lot of mid-80's metal bands that never went anywhere. They also dress in the standard black leather and black t-shirt look and pose with skulls and big candles. The booklet notes say they added a second guitarist after this ep. It's a shame they didn't get another try. Even though they aren't totally spectacular, they are fired up enough that I would have been interested to hear what they could do on a full length album with two guitarists and better production values. It's not hardly worth the $500 the vinyl drew, but it was worth the $10 I paid for the CD a couple of years ago.