Forgotten Gems: Rellik-Killer

Iron Glory Records
2001

As I was adding this album/compilation to my "Current Playlist" feature for the week it dawned on me that it would make a pretty good "Forgotten Gem" addition. Based out of San Jose, California the band Rellik (not to be confused with the half-dozen other similarly name outfits) was formed back in 1983. "Killer" (which is just Rellik spelled backwards) is a post-breakup compilation album which collected the EP "Remember The Future", which they self-released in 1986, the group's one demo ("1990 Demo") and a few unreleased songs. The group was lead by Mike "Sleaze" Moore and featured guitarist Michael Scott as well as three musicians with ties to cult eighties heavy metal band Tyton (guitarist Kent Robertson, bassist Fabrice Bellini and well-traveled drummer Steve Pelletier*). Musically these guys took the best parts of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden and mixed them with the likes of Exciter and Grim Reaper. While it's not quite as epic as that might sound, as the band does occasional fall into the old sameness trap where some songs blur together and they had that "raw" vibe going for them, the band has a ton of energy and spirit which shines through. Or at least they did at the time. Eighties metal fanatics will appreciate this compilation and it's pretty easy to find on Ebay for a reasonable price. 


* Steve Pelletier is a well-traveled drummer indeed. He's also played with Hellbound, Ikki Crane and Rapid Fire.