1989
If I ever win the lottery (or the Mega Millions to be exact) one of the first things I would do would be to form my own record label with the sole intent of re-issuing albums like this. Or in Wild Pussy's case I would be re-releasing their lone EP. Hailing from the United Kingdom (Cardiff to be exact) this five piece band was formed in 1986. That would have made them too late for the N.W.O.B.H.M. scene that had taken over Great Britain. Why does that matter? Had they formed a few years earlier they could have easily rode out the wave thanks to their raw Raven/Avenger meets Motörhead (by way of early Metallica) sound and their ability to write damn fine metal tunes. While I'm not sold on the band's name (I'm sure it went down like gangbusters with the ladies) the four tracks on this EP are nothing short of killer. Opening with a number like "Ready To Strike" is always a good sign that you are in for a heavy metal treat. "Ready To Strike" is raw thrash/speed metal along the lines of Raven. That is if Raven was a five-piece band intent on punching you in the face with pure eighties metal! It features a catchy chorus and insane lead guitar work. "Hatred" is the sound of Motörhead as interpreted by an early eighties thrash band. "The Vigil" is early Megadeth with almost punk-like vocals. "Evil Speak" is probably my favorite cut of the four as it's pure eighties power/speed metal with a gritty edge. While the band did release a a 3-track demo in 1987 (the ever so original titled "Demo 1987"!) this seems to be all she wrote as far as the actual band is concerned. The Metal Archives mentions a 11-song demo that was released in 1991 under the name Religion. That demo seems as if it was essentially Wild Pussy minus one of their guitarists (Rob Webber) and it even featured a remake of "Hatred". However no link is provided so what it sounded like is left to my imagination. As for this actually EP though I've provided a link below so you can hear it for yourself. This one goes for insane prices on Ebay (close to $300 for a vinyl copy this album?) so obviously my personal copy is on CD. I picked it up on Ebay and it's part of the "Forgotten Metal" series of compilations put out by Revenge Of True Metal. Wild Pussy appears on Vol. 18 of the series (1993) along with the self-titled 1984 EP from Sweden's Parasite (itself a killer gem of a heavy metal EP which I hope to cover down the road!) and the N.W.O.B.H.M. album "Widow". While that 1983 album is credited as "Widow" by Widow in reality the band was called Ritual. That is beside the point though. I only make mention of this CD comp. as it's your best chance to hear/own this EP. Even the CD isn't really that cheap (it usually goes for over $20 on Ebay) as it's an import. Anyway, the Metal Archives also says that some time after Wild Pussy's called it a day vocalist Jon Blood (Tony ?) and guitarist Red Skies (Lyndon Price) formed the industrial metal/rock band Damaged Gods. As for where they are now? Lyndon Price reportedly runs Red Rock studios in South Wales, but otherwise who knows about the rest? It's a shame that this EP (which again is insanely killer) goes for such a huge amount. I'd love to see this one re-released/re-issued with that 1987 demo (and even the 1991 Religion demo) added on. It will never happen as it's just a pipe dream of mine. Still, if you see either the vinyl or split CD at a reasonable price don't even hesitate. Just pull the trigger, scoop it up and enjoy this forgotten gem of a heavy metal/power/thrash metal release.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h75a81RK7g
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