Uncle Sam-Heaven or Hollywood (Re-Release)

Minotauro Records
2014

Well folks now we're talking. Talk about a golden oldie! Leave it to our friends at Minotauro Records to dust off this classic LP and give it a proper re-release. It's been a long time coming if you ask me! Now, I'm sorry to disappoint folks, but I'm going to try to keep things PG 13 here with the cover. If you are older like I am and are in any way, shape or form a collector of all things hard rock and heavy metal then I am going to guess that you've heard of this band before. Or you are at least familiar with the cover artwork of this 1987 LP. This is one of the less risky versions although the bikini cover one is probably the safest bet. Otherwise I am sure that you can guess what's under that sticker! Yes, it's pretty scandalous all around. The thing is what of the actual music? By the name and album title you'd likely be guessing that this one is sleaze and or glam metal. Am I right? I know that was my guess way back in the day when I first came across an MP3 of "Heaven or Hollywood". And yet this one is all about rock. Underground/garage rock if you will with the result being one album that is closer to the New York Dolls or solo Johnny Thunders than it is the likes of  Poison, Ratt or Mötley Crüe. And man alive if it isn't just one of the most beautiful things out there! To be fair there is more then enough raw metal and punk on an album like this one to have universal appeal. There are shades of Motörhead, Kiss and even (early) Mötley Crüe. But in it's heart of hearts this band was all about rock. Imagine heading to a seedy bar in the worst part of town and hearing a band that pulled from the better parts of not only the New York Dolls and solo Johnny Thunders, but Iggy& the Stooges, Alice Cooper ( a HUGE influence on this four-piece!), the Cramps,  the Ramones and even the Godz. Imagine finding out over the course of the evening that this band knew as much about the Sex Pistols and the Dead Boys as they did AC/DC and Aerosmith. And to top it all off the blended all of that knowledge and all of these different influences into a glorious rock and roll racket! That is what we are talking about with Uncle Sam and their album "Heaven or Hollywood". As vocalist Scott Cesna took to the mic like a disillusioned rocker of old his bandmates trashed the joint with the kind of finesse usually reserved for the likes of the Stooges, MC5 or the Dead Boys. Theirs' was a take no prisoners, love 'em and leave 'em take on over the top garage rock and roll and Uncle Sam had to have known that they were living for the moment with the D.I.Y. "Heaven or Hollywood" a means to an end. As good as they are on this record they were reported every bit as good live and whether they were tearing the walls down with their own material or covering the likes of "Steppin' Stone" or "Train Kept A' Rollin" (both choice covers tacked on here as bonus numbers with Uncle Sam's take on "Train..." coming across like a cross between The Godz version and Motörheads!) Uncle Sam was always spot on! And thanks to this very cool (enhanced) re-release here you can relive all of that conflict and glory, the good times and bad times if you will, in the comfort of your own home! Served up as a mini-LP with gatefold Japanese style papersleeve packaging, custom OBI and a sweet poster this re-release offers a great look at this Rochester, New York-based band that was just too cool for the times. Having sadly released only one more album (1990's "Letters From London") the band Uncle Sam came and went before they could be fully appreciated for what they had to offer. That's a shame as Uncle Sam's take on sleazy garage rock was sweet on the taste buds and ahead of the times.


http://www.minotaurorecords.com/

Forgotten Gems-Meghan-s/t

I listen to a lot of albums and frequently I just give them a listen without looking up and information about them beforehand. Maybe this leads to me having to hear a lot of crap, but it quickly becomes obvious whether an album is worth me continuing on listening to it or not. I had a few downloads of hard rock stuff form the 80's and 90's that I was going through recently. I was going through them quickly which is a sign that most of them were lousy. However I came upon this EP from 1987 and just a few seconds into the opener "Don't think twice" had me knowing I had a found a gem. As the album continued the fact that is was a gem was confirmed.I couldn't  find much information about Meghan or this album. It was an independent release in 1987 and one source said it was only put out on vinyl. Beyond that all I know about this album is what's in the music. This is a blend of hard rock/AOR with a touch of metal. The vocals remind some of Ann Wilson from Heart which is a huge compliments. The vocals really make this album and I very impressed with the range and power of the vocals on every song. Musicly think Dokken and Lion as they band kind of goes between melodic and heavy. Honestly they are better than just a backing band because the music is almost as good as the vocals and that is saying something. Whoever twisted the knobs on this album deserves a shout out too because the production is equal to good major label production values of the time. A shame that there isn't more information about this one and it's too bad that Meghan didn't record more because this is a solid and impressive album.

Coven-Worship new gods

Shadow Kingdom
2012/1987

Not to be confused with the Seattle based thrash act or any of the other Covens this Michigan based act (AKA as Coven 13) self-released this album back in 1987. This is the first time it has been issued on CD. It's certainly a product of it's time or even earlier as incorporate sounds from bands from the ealry 70's un through the mid-80's. Tracks like "Riddle of steel" and "General's Eye" remind me of bands like Cirith Ungol and Manilla Road with a dash of Mercyful Fate."Wicked Day" is far more mellow affair with a slight NWOBHM influence."Ruler" is as close as Coven get to a classic metal anthem. "Burial Ground" calls upon early Candlemass only not quite as tight. "General's Eye" comes charging on and has an early Mercyful Fate feel. "Jail house" goes back even further sounding like very early NWOBHM with some early doom elements mixed in. "Threshold of the new" is rough and unfortunately a bit clunky with the music not quite on track and much of the vocals seem like the singer was trying to squeeze in as many words as he could. "Loki" kind of has odd off beat feel sort of like Brocas Helm, but towards the end it's like they just seem to be out of ideas and just let it fall apart. These guys had some real potential and I loved that they chose to follow bands they liked even if it wasn't in fashion at the time. At times they really capture a spontaneous feel in their sound that I love. However at other times like towards the end of this album they don't quite have their ideas fleshed out and they just come across as being sloppy. Mostly this is a decent outing even if it's not a real treasure. glad Shadow Kingdom gave us a chance to hear it.

Forgotten Gems-Blood Feast -Face Fate

Despite some negative things I have said about 80's record label New Renaissance records I still end up picking quite a few of their acts to do on this feature. Many of the albums on that label suffered from poor production and limited distribution. It seemed to a black hole for bands in that they went in and signed for that label but no ever got very far after inking their names to a contract with New Renaissance. However they had some real talent including Medieval, Executioner, At War, Post Mortem, Holocross and Blood Feast. New Jersey's Blood Feast might be the most typical of that batch. Originally known as Blood Lust this band formed in 1985 but soon switched band names. After signing to New Renaissance they would release their debut "Kill for pleasure" in 1987.  They were on occasion referred to as an "East Coast Slayer". I wouldn't totally agree with that label since there is really only one Slayer, but Blood Feast certainly liked that style. "Kill for pleasure" was a decent album comprised to straight ahead thrash, but is suffered some from let's say not the greatest production job in the world. That same year they would release an EP. The EP includes one new track, a re-worked demo track and two re-worked songs from the debut. Even though it's only four songs and I had already heard two of them this is still the Blood Feast album that impressed me the most. The title track is perhaps the most aggressive song they ever took on. It's messy in spots, but it shows how this band could just go straight out and create a crushing attack. "Blood Lust" benefits from a strong, crisp riff and some insane vocals. "R.I.P" follows a manic pace and includes some sore throat style vocals that actually suit the music very well. The closer "Vampire" is a punchy, semi-fast thrasher that shows the bands ability to switch up the tempo but maintain a solid level of heaviness. This album is raw as were all of Blood Feast's albums, but this one definitely demonstrates the potential they had.

Sacred Oath-A crystal vision

Angel Thorne/World Sound
2012 re-issue

In the mid-to late 80's it seemed like every long haired dude who owned an instrument seemed to be trying to form a metal band. In 1985 a couple of high schools kids in Connecticut decided to form a band. Unlike a lot of other clueless teens these guys had some talent. They became Sacred Oath and pretty soon they were playing shows even recorded a demo. Following a second demo they signed a record deal and recorded their debut album "A Crystal Vision" in May of 1987, but it wasn't released until 1988. I didn't hear this album until recent years. I'm not sure that I would have been as impressed by it in 1988 as I am now because I was a thrash first metal fan back then. So maybe it's good that I didn't hear this album until now. Even on their debut the music was tight and well thought out with enough tempo changes to make it interesting. Beyond that they had the skill to not just pull it off, but make it look easy. The style is what qualified as progressive leaning metal in the 80's. Think Fates Warning's  first three albums, Crimson Glory and Queensryche before Rage for order. They also have some classic metal mixed in as well along the lines of someone like Omen. The vocals of Rob Thorne alternate between a deep but clean style and some high pitch screams that he lets loose as needed. It's difficult to pick favorite tracks here as every song is good. If forced to choose I'll go with "The beginning" with it's swirling riffs, the hard hitting "The ferryman's lair" and "Message to the children" which runs six minutes, but feels like they put ten minutes worth of music into it. Fans of 80's metal always seem to have some lesser know albums that they hold up as great albums that most people missed out on. This album doesn't seem to be mentioned in those conversations very often. That's a shame because it should be. Unfortunately the band would break up not lone after this was released. However they years later they reformed. They had the sound down early as this album proves. The re-issue includes a lyric booklet.

Forgotten Gems-Metal Warrior compilation

This mini-album compilation came out in 1987 and features some decent early 80's metal. Wait, 1987 wasn't the early 80's. True, but someone didn't tell the six bands on this album that because even though thrash, early death metal, prog-metal, power metal and other styles were going on elsewhere in 1987 the bands on this album were still playing NWOBHM inspired material. Not that this is a bad thing because what matters is it was good. Let's see what we got here. Deuce from UK are up first with "Power of the realm". It's a mid-paced song that reminds me some of Spartan Warrior only leaning a little more towards a hard rock side. American band Crisis come on next with "Keep fighting". The mix is a little low on this one and you would swear this was done around 1981, but I love the spirit of this song. I imagine these guys were powerful live. The UK's First Offence come up next with "Into the night" which has kind of an early Saxon vibe to it. Good vocals and some strong rhythms help this to be pretty good. Trojan from Ireland contribute "Back to me". This one comes on with a solid riff and some thick vocals. Iy certainly has a strong NWOBHM influence. You have heard this style before, but they make it worthwhile as well. Germany's Not Fragile give us "Cheltenham". Okay this song is all over the place, but in a good way. They begin slow go through multiple pace changes in this seven minute plus track. Probably my favorite song on this album. Closing out the album are Ezymeat from Ireland. Their song is "Massacre" and it's along a similar style as the other songs on this album. The solos and guitars in general are likable, but it's a bit more repetitive than I would have liked. Despite all six bands being five or so years behind the times even then, this is still an album worth giving listen to.

Forgotten Gems-Viking-Do or die

In the last ten or so years viking metal is normally metal with some chants and maybe folk elements mixed in. Back in the mid-late 1980's in the thrash hey day there was Viking the band. They liked the viking and battle theme (obviously), but they played pure thrash. These guys hailed from California and started out as Tracer. They released a demo in 1986, appeared on Metal Massacre 8, signed to Metal Blade and this their debut in 1987. This album frequently gets split reviews. Half of the people seem to dislike them because they sound a like Slayer and Dark Angel and the other half like them...because they sound like Slayer and Dark Angel. Since I am putting this a category with the word "gem" you can guess what I think of it. The above influences are obvious, but other bands of the drew on this sound as well. However for me Viking go beyond just being a copy. They crank out the riffs like those two other bands, but they also stay heavy throughout their songs and don't just ride on one riff. I actually enjoy this album more now then I did when I first heard it in the late 80's. They knew how to really keep the momentum going. The production is raw even for the time, their sound prevails despite that. The band released "Man of straw" a year later then broke up in 1990 after two of the members had become Christians and decide not to continue with the band. Guitarist Brett Eriksen would end up in Dark Angel. A version of Viking would reform years later. Don't let this album fade into the past, check it out if you have never heard it and you should be delighted by some old style thrash.

Forgotten Gems-Inzest-Another religion.....another violence

Topping my "you probably have not heard this, but you sure need to list" is this album. This four song seven inch flexi disc was self-produced by Japan's Inzest back in 1987 . This is total noise (for the time) with some shades crossover mixed in, but mostly just noice. Although unlike more well known noise of the time like Cryptic Slaughter, these guys actually had some direction and knew how put their energy into it instead of just blasting around without a purpose. Every track is under two minutes in length so before you know it the whole thing is over. They look like little kids with nothing to do on the cover. Yet they knew how to put pure rage into their brief bone busting songs. The lyrics are rather barely audible rants about war, money, religion and other rather typical topics of the time. Yet where this band really excel is in how they mix power and speed into raging attacks. I so wish these guys had gotten to record a full length efofrt. Plus I definitely feel that any grindcore, hardcore or thrash band of today could certainly learn a thing or two by listening to this blistering little album.

Forgotten Gems-Executioner-Break the silence

New Renaissance
1987

I am sure that I have mentioned this album before but I don't believe it has gotten the Forgotten Gems treatment, but it certainly deserves it. This Executioner was a trio that hailed from the Boston area. I first heard them with their song "Victims of evil" on the Speed Metal Hell compilation in early 1986. Fast forward to the fall of that year and someone ended up loaning me a copy of a copy of the cassette version of their debut "In the name of metal". Now the production on this album and almost every album on this label was poor so it sounded even worse on cassette. However despite that the power of this band easily shown through. In the summer of 1987 they released their sophomore release "Break the silence" on the same label. Bassist Ari Vainio was gone from the band and the late Seth Putnam (Anal Cunt) was in on bass. Their debut was a mix of NWOBHM, easily thrash and even a slight punk edge. Break the silence has several songs that were re-recordings of tracks that originally appeared on "In the name of metal". Yet the overall sound on this album is heavier and faster. They had obviously been listening to more thrash albums since the time when they recorded their previous album. I bought this one on cassette the week it came out and loved it. It's messy at times yet the excitement they had for their music shines through. They won't earn a lot of style points, but they just got it and that kind of approach shines through. Every time I hear this album I wish that so many other bands had half the energy this band had. Unfortunately this releases and the band's debut have never been released on CD. You can easily find free downloads for it online. So if you never heard then you should give it a shot.

Here is an interview I did with vocalist/guitarist Marc Johnson a few years ago.
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2009/01/interview-with-marc-johnson-of.html

Forgotten Gems:Breaker-Get Tough!

Original cover

Re-issue cover
Auburn
1987/2000

Ohio's Breaker formed back in 1982 naming themselves after an Accept album. This album was originally recorded in 1984, but various problems delayed the release and it didn't come out until 1987. That delay doesn't change the fact that this is a tremendous album. It went out of print quickly and in the following years this album became highly sought after. Even a bootleg version made the rounds until 2000 when the album was re-issued and included a second disc of bonus tracks. Breaker sound is solid classic style metal influenced by the likes of Accept, Judas Priest, Saxon and others. Tracks like "Lie to me", "Razor's Edge" and "Black and white" are just a few of the solid pounding tracks on this album. Actually every song here is good and after just one listen you'd be singing these songs along with the album. They are truly that memorable. They have their hooks down and a wonderful attention to detail. They knew how to hit hard and keep the momentum going on all ten tracks. It's a shame that the album didn't get released in 1984 and that when it was released that they didn't get more notice because they sure deserved it. They achieved a cult statue of sorts on the underground, but these guys sure had the chops to really be a major player in the 80's. Still one has to be glad to hear this album again. For the re-issue the second disc contains some gems and some just okay songs, but if you get this version you can't really argue a whole bonus disc worth of Breaker. Get Tough! is highly recommended.

Forgotten Gems: Dream Death-Journey into Mystery

New Renaissance
1987

Formed in 1984 Dream Death knocked out a pair of demos a few years later and then got signed.They are yet another overlooked band on New Renaissance records that never got their due. This label was mainly known for speed metal and with good reason as most of their stable was made of bands churning out early thrash. However Pittsburgh's Dream Death had far more sludge to their sound. Celtic Frost are the obvious musical influence here. The pacing is very deliberate with thick thumping riffs mix clean slightly raspy vocals. In 1987 doom wasn't a sound that many bands under took. Their were a few bands like Saint Vitus, Trouble and Candlemass, but Dream Death embodied a heavier sound and realized doom didn't mean that every song had to creep by at a snail's pace. In addition to Celtic Frost it's likely Dream Death were fans of Sabbath, Witchfinder General, Pentagram and others as well. Dream Death had a firm on their sound right away and knew how to control theirs sounds and when to blast forward. The could change from slow sludge like drone to bone breaking galloping riffs without missing a beat. Several of the guitars show no restraint and definitely more of a thrash style than the doom style solos we are used to in recent years. A few of my favorite tracks are Hear my screams, The elder race and Black edifice. Yet all eight songs are stellar. Definitely an album worth checking down.

Forgotten Gems-Kublai Khan

New Renaissance
1987

This band actually had a small buzz back then just because their guitarist/vocalist Greg Handevidt had briefly played guitar in an early version of Megadeth. Handevidt was a childhood friend of Dave Ellefson. The two moved to LA to get into music and met Dave Mustaine shortly after he was out of Megadeth. The three formed Megadeth, but Handevidt moved back to Minnesota not long after. In 1985 he formed Kublai Khan who would release just this one album. This album has always received very different reviews. The album suffers from poor production, but that was standard with anyone on New Renaissance. Also despite having been released in 1987 this album sounds more like it could have been done around 1985 or even earlier. Because the style often falls between early speed metal and thrash. Plus there are only seven songs and one is an instrumental. Despite all that this album shreds. Opener "Death Breath" has deep heaviness and follows a solid beat while the solos are fast and furious. "Mongrel Horde" alternates between heavy pounding with a slight early Celtic Frost feel, but then picks to a speed metal frenzy. "Down to the inferno" has deep heavy parts centered on a swirling riff and this may be my favorite track. The next three tracks "Liar's Dice", "Passing away" and "Battle Hymn" are all similar to early Megadeth and Metallica. They have basic raw riffs, but plenty of them."Clash of the swords" is an instrumental with lots of heavy grooves and the guitars let loose all over the place. The rhythm section is simple, but solid and the guitars are raw and slightly sloppy but they are far more hit than miss. Greg Handevidt also does a respectable job on the vocals. His voice is clean, but he has a strong tone and manages to sound melodic at times too. It's a shame they didn't push on and do another album hopefully with better production, but that never happened. Still an enjoyable album in the speed metal/early thrash style and I love the almost over the top guitar style and the mix of early gallop and heavy, slower riffs. It showed they had some of their own ideas and were not afraid to mix them in with their influences. Track this one down.

Forgotten Gems-Post Mortem

New Renaissance
1986

In the mid-to late 1980's I was completely into thrash. Every band with leather jackets, high top white Nikes, stringy hair and some fast riffs probably had my attention at least for a little while. So if I bought an album thinking the band was going to be thrash and they weren't then the album probably tossed to the back of the stack. Such was the case with Post Mortem. They were on New Renaissance records. Which for anyone who remembers this meant bad production, the bands went nowhere if they stayed on this label and most of the time thrash. I bought 1986's Coroner's Office without having heard anything off of it although I had read a brief but but glowing review of it. I figured they would be thrash because one of the band members was wearing a Slayer. Fantastic logic I know, but in my defense was only 16. Well, I listened to the album and there were some fast songs, but not all thrash and those vocals, they were not straight thrash metal vocals. Plus there were some long very slow tracks. Even worse there were short joke type fillers and a slight jazz interlude? What the heck? I was ripped off, mislead and duped by a band pretending to look like a thrash band! That was the thought on this album for a long time. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I gave it another shot and at last it clicked. The band's influences are Slayer, Saint Vitus, Black Flag and Black Sabbath and they all show up on this album. The production is still poor, but that doesn't hold back how brilliant this album yes. Yes, I freely admit that I misjudged this album all those years ago. The faster songs here are a cross between metal and punk and they pull in the heaviness of both, but live for the raw edges of both as well. The slower songs are similar to what Saint Vitus were doing at the time only with even more droning moments, but they are heavy and thick. The band throw several different styles in and sound totally comfortable every step of the way. They could have been a little tighter in spots, but that would come later on. I was wrong on this one and I even think their sound here showed some ideas of early death metal so in some respects they were ahead of their time. If you never heard it then hunt it down and check it out.




New Renaissance
1987

Now the second part of this story was Post Mortem's 1987 four track EP The missing link. Despite being disappointed by Coroner's Office a year before I still believed there was a thrash band in these guys. By 1987 I had gotten into more punk rock bands and was slightly more open to that sound although thrash was still number one in my limited spectrum of music. This album has two fast songs that both lean more towards punk than thrash and two really slow songs. The production was still crap, but for whatever reason I enjoyed this album right away despite it not being what I was hoping for. The two faster songs are mean and raw with lots of bite. While the two slower songs crawl along like a huge dinosaur slowing crushing the ground on it's journey. I still like this EP even better today as well. Even though Coroner's Office appeals to me now I still think that The Missing Link heard the band becoming mush tighter and far more confident. Despite only four tracks it's still the superior album out of the two.

There was a scheduled re-issue of these two albums on one CD from New Renaissance a few years ago, but it never came about. However you can still find them on vinyl on eBay and various places. Plus there was a CD release if Coroners Office back in the 90's, but I heard the quality wasn't the best. You can also find free downloads of both online.

My 2008 interview.
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2008/08/interview-with-post-mortem.html

Twisted Sister-Love is for suckers

Spitfire
1987/2011

This was the Twisted Sister album that really wasn't a Twisted Sister album. Yes, confusing I know and the whole back story didn't come out until well after this album was released late in the summer of 1987. This album was originally set to be a solo album for Dee Snider. He brought in outside people to help him record it including Reb Beach and Kip Winger plus drummer Joey Franco programmed the drum machine for the album rather than playing drums. However when it came time to release the album Atlantic records felt it would sell better with the Twisted Sister name on it so Dee had to get the band members to agree and so they are listed as "Twisted Sister are" and their names even though none of them except Dee actually played on the album. On their short tour Joey Franco was their drummer as he replaced AJ Pero who had quit in 1986 to re-join his old comrades in Cities. No matter who the players are this is a very uneven album. I originally had this on cassette and remembering thinking that side one was promising was side two was weak bubblegum rock. My opinion hasn't changed much over the last album 25 years since it's release. Three of the first five tracks (including the title track) are real solid bruners while the other two are more melodic, but quite decent. Tracks 6-9 show the real decline as they are all pop-rock pulp not far off from Bon Jovi or some of the lighter tracks that KISS were doing at the same time. Closer "Yeah Right" might be the only alright song in the second half. It's total cornball for the lyrics and I actually think that it may be as much good as it is that it's not as bad as the four previous tracks. The best thing about this re-issue and the previous re-issue is that it includes four bonus tracks. All four for whatever reason didn't make the final cut for "Love is for suckers". None are fantastic, but all of them are likable and Dee seems very comfortable with them. If these four tracks had been put in the 6-9 spots on this album then I would have given it say a C+ instead of the C-/D+ that I would have to give the finished album. Kind of an odd album that frequently gets forgotten altogether when talking about Twisted Sister and the above story is large part of that, but there are several fine songs on here and the bonus tracks are worth hearing.

Warlock-Triumph and agony

Metal Mind
1987/2011

After getting some notice in the mainstream circuits from 1986's True as steel Warlock seemed ready to take the next step up the ladder. I remember seeing ads for this one in every metal magazine and seeing the video the opener and big time anthem "All we are". I am sure I bought it cassette around the time it was released and played it over after school for several months at least. Even though I hadn't heard it a while until recently I was quickly reminded by why I took this one so quickly. You get fired up songs like "Three minute warning" and straight up rockers like "I rule the ruins" with it's faintly haunting chorus. Still there's no denying the band decided to stick to the slightly more melodic style that also dominated the previous release "True as steel". Tracks like "Kiss of death", "East meets west" and "Metal Tango" all have very simple song structures and much of the weight relies on Doro's vocals. She delivers of course, but the music is slightly more restrained on numerous songs this time around. We even get multiple ballads with the slow winding ballad "Make time for love" and the march-like heart wrenching attempt of "Fur Immer" (Forever). Not the band's heaviest effort, but probably their most polished. Unfortunately the end for the band was near. After successful opening and then headlining tours both Michael Eurich and Niko Arvantis both left the group leaving Doro as the sole original member. She hired drummer Bobby Rondinelli and guitarist Jon Levin and was set to record Warlock's fifth album when the band's ex-manager claimed the rights to the band name. Unfortunately he won and with pressure from the record label the band changed to the name "Doro" and continued on under that moniker. This re-issue includes a lyric book, band biography and four bonus tracks. Still a powerful album.

Top 5 re-issues/re-releases of 2010

I'll be doing my top 25 albums of 2010 next year, but am knocking a few other other best of lists this week. Here we go with re-issues and re-releases.



1-Quartz-Stand up and fight
Always heard good things about this NWOBHM classic, but finally got to hear it with a bonus track to boot this year.
2-Poobah-Let me in
Early 70's fuzzed out goodness that I never heard before this year.
3-Blind Illusion-The sane asylum
Not much in the way of bonuses on this re-issue, but a veru good and overlooked late 80's thrash album for sure.
4-Savage Grace-Fall from grace/Ride into the night
The two Savage Grace I hadn't heard were put on one set with bonus tracks. Nice package.
5-Darkness-Defenders of justice
I missed this one in the 80's, but got to hear it this year. Great old style German thrash metal.

Mean dogs, nasty airplanes and Damien

Like many people my first exposure to Ohio's Damien was through Headbanger's Ball in the form of their video for the title track of their first album "Every dog has it's day". I bought that cassette not too long after seeing the video. It's classic style metal with a definite Judas Priest influence as well as some Maiden, Dio, Scorpions and others tossed into the mix. The twin guitar attack was tight, the vocals were strong and the rythm section was affective. It wasn't particularly new in any way, but it was done very well. It was 1987 and at that time I think was being pulled in different directions with the hair bands like Poison, Motley Crue and the like taking the radio play and much of the spotlight while thrash was dominating the underground and many fans of heavier metal weant in that direction. So bands like Damien who were in the middle had some trouble finding an audience. Two years later "Stop this war" was released. I bought it (yeah, on cassette again) and it was of similar style, but even better. The style was slightly more varied and direct. They got some play on Headbanger's Ball again, but still never got very far. A shame because they were a powerful band playing real metal. They came back with "Angel Juice" in the mid-90's but I have still never heard it. After that they broke up, but reformed a few years ago for some reunion shows. The first two albums were re-issued on CD on Power Play records a few years ago too. That was my re-introduction to them because I didn't play cassettes any more. Hearing them again on CD let me know just how much I liked this band. Nothing special perhaps, but still very enjoyable metal.




http://www.myspace.com/damienlives06
http://www.powerplayrecords.com/

Mad Max-Night of passion

Metal Mind

1987/2010



Following their 1985 release Mad Max toured Europe with Pretty Maids, Stryper and Yngwie Malmsteen while writing material for their fourth album. The band cut down to a four piece opting for just one guitarist prior to recording "Night of passion". The band ran into some problems with their line-up as the band wanted Dirk Steffens (Accept, Sinner) to produce, but they were overruled by their label who put Dan Johnson (Savatage, Crimson Glory) in charge. The production sounds fine to me, but this move created tension between the band and their label. "Night of passion" marks the first that the band did albums that were very similar in style as the melodic metal of this release compares well with the band's previous album the 1985 release "Stormchild". Perhaps the consistency and stability in style had something to do with the fact that all involved here played on the previous album because line-up changes had been an all too frequent occurrence in this band's first several years. The guitars are solid despite being down to just founding member Jurgen Breforth. Michael Voss once again shows off his wide range and remains in control as goes along. The rhythm section of Roland Bergmann and drummer Axel Kruse work off one another creating a well need foundation for many of the songs. At this point Mad Max very much sounded like a band who had found their comfort zone. Unfortunately this was to be the last album of their first run as they would disband in 1989, but would reform years later and are still going today. This re-issue includes a bonus track and booklet with pics and a band biography.

Dream Death-Journey into mystery

I am pretty sure it was around Christmas of 1987 that I bought this one on cassette. Now keep in mind at this time I was living on a steady diet of thrash, hardcore and crossover so just mainly fast stuff. That was true for most of the time between about 1986 an 1989. That night I wanted to buy something I hadn't heard before and I settled on Pittsburgh's Dream Death just because they were on New Renaissance. They were home of thrash acts I liked then including Executioner, Blood Feast and At War. I got the cassette home, stuck into the player and plopped into my bed waiting for the speed to overpower me. Wait, this wasn't thrash, it was heavy but not fast enough. The vocals were rough, but not as harsh as what I was used to. My immediate response was that I had wasted my money on something that wasn't thrash and therefore I was not going to listen to it. Yes, my tasted really were even more limited back then and they have not opened up all that much over the years. I was living for stuff like Slayer, Kreator, Sodom, Death, Dark Angel and the like. Anyways over the next year or so I played it every once in a while and liked it some. Part of that was because my appreciation for doom was growing although that genre was really kind of small back then. Then maybe around late 88/early 89 my Dream Death tape snapped. Quite honestly I forgot all about this band until a few years ago when I stumbled upon a review of it referring to it as a classic. I searched around and discovered that others felt the same way. Another quick search showed that "Journey into mystery" had now come out on CD. Every once in a while I would take a look and see how much it was going for, but I never bought it. Then a few weeks ago I came upon and auction ending soon and picked it up for around $7. When I got it was actually different, but better than I remembered. A number of the songs were of a heaviness pace level comparable to early Celtic Frost. The vocals were cleaner than that though. The music did at times dip to a slower pace too, but they always held on to this heavy barrage of tight, chugging riffs. The production was also well above the normal New Renaissance records' standard. Normally many albums I heard and liked back in the 80's and then heard again in recent years after a long gap tended to sound not as heavy or fast as I remembered them. However I really missed out on this one. Classic? That's not a label I like to throw around easily. I will say that this is a darn good metal album for the time and it holds up well. They probably were slightly ahead of their time and I am sure that a number of doom bands who popped up over the last say twenty years have heard this one and been influenced by it.

Railway-Climax

Metal Mind
2009

While touring for their second album in 85-85 Germany's Railway seemed to be gaining some momentum as they had the chance to tour with the likes of Motorhead, Twisted Sister, Manowar and other acts. However changes were coming. Vocalist Walter Wicha left and the band brought in their first vocalist Armin Schuler. Then shortly before the recording session for the next album guitarist Hermann Janowitz would depart as well. They recruited Florian Allgayer for the spot and eventually got their third album out in 1987. Even with 2/5 of the line-up changed they still very much in line with the previous albums although not quite as heavy as on the second album. Schuler fits in well as his vocal style isn't that different and actually adds some to the slower songs. The topics didn't change much as it's still mainly about rock and roll, woman and a few other limited ideas. Still the music is strong and they know their limitations. They still sound quite a bit like Accept and AC/DC, but occasionally push into some heavier territory. Kind of shame they didn't push the limits more because they handle those sounds well. Although I like the music on Climax it could certainly be argued that they sound like they are stuck in 1984 as they show very little progress and times were changing around them. The band would soon part ways with their label and it would be three more years until the next release. This Metal Mind re-issue includes a lyric book with photos and a band biography.