Bitch-Be my slave/Damnation Alley re-issue

Metal Blade
1982/1983/2011

I remember around 1984 or 1985 flipping through the "metal" section of my local record store. Now this section pretty much had anything that was kind of heavy that wasn't a big name band at the time. Big name meaning like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. So this metal action had bands like Metallica and Slayer who weren't big names yet plus albums by much lesser known acts like Vyper, Savage Grace and others. One day I stopped flipping through the albums when I came upon a copy of Bitch's "Be my slave". What was this? Was she serious? I thought it goofy and kept going and I never heard Bitch until around 1987. Then I realized what I had been missing. Once you get past the the goofy lyrics you have a solid metal band. They kind of road the rails between metal and hard rock not unlike other early/mid 80's LA acts like WASP, Lizzy Borden, Witch and others. With such steady rockers like "Leather Bound" and "Riding in thunder" Bitch were a force to be reckoned with. Betsy's vocals are stellar with the right mix of smoothness and raw edges. It's a shame I didn't hear this one closer to when it came out because I would have played it over and over for sure. This set also includes their 1982 EP "Damnation Alley" which is good, but a bit more plain rock then metal. These two albums were released together back in
1997, but this new set is re-mastered and includes the bonus track "Let's go" from 1985 plus a DVD. The two albums alone are good, but throw in all those extras and you have one of the better re-issues of the year.