Nitro-Volatile Activity

Blood and Iron Records
2014

Hot on the heels of  2013's "Lethal Dose", Pennsylvania-based heavy metal act Nitro, who (of course) are the only Nitro that matters, offer up the limited-edition*, vinyl-only "Volatile Activity" on Blood and Iron Records. This LP, which will come with a glossy sleeve and color insert featuring biography, lyrics and rare photos, gathers together material that was recorded in 1987 and would have been included on the planned follow-up to Nitro's 1984 twelve-inch release, "Lethal+II". Given the fact that ten out of the eleven tracks on "Volatile Activity" originally came from pre-production tapes, with track number eleven, "Uranium"** (which Nitro previously released as a digital single in 2013), serving as a bonus cut, this release sounds quite remarkable! Of course that just goes to show how far we've come with modern technology as even material like this, which had been (regrettably) sitting around for FAR TOO LONG collecting dust, can be given a nice once over enabling it to take on another life. With that being said, this LP is far from a modern day hard rock/heavy metal release. Or as far as style goes. Even with it's superb mastering, which is excellent make no mistake about it, the material here serves as a fairly accurate snapshot of what was going on in America in the mid-late eighties. While the promo material goes out of it's way in saying how this LP ends up "Sounding like early Twisted Sister, Wild Dogs, early Anvil, The Rods, etc." the reality is "Volatile Activity" (or at least the first ten tracks) has more in common with the L.A. scene of the day. For those of you who already know the score, or have (in other words) had the pleasure of experiencing "Lethal Dose" and/or the original "Lethal+II" an album like this could be construed as shocking (what with the dramatic change of direction/wide left turn that Nitro seems to make a few of these cuts), but there is still PLENTY to enjoy about this LP (especially if you just know where to look!). Let's start with the positives moments since there are plenty of those to go around! Opener "Take Me Higher" starts things off in righteous style. It's a very cool Sweet-like number if, and only if, Sweet had been influenced by early Mötley Crüe (although there is no way in hell that "Walking Dead Corpse" Mick Mars could compete with Nitro's John Hazel in the guitar department!). Meanwhile "Wanted Alive" is seventies hard rock meets nineties alternative (which yes, is weird considering when this was originally recorded and everything!) and shows that Nitro's songwriting abilities were still strong and still sharp! "Faking It" is Ratt meets Mötley Crüe and Guns N' Roses although both "Faking It" and a cut like "Shark Lady2" owe debts to the likes of Kiss. That's not a bad debt to find yourself a slave to though right? One of my personal favorites is the swagger-rock/teaze-metal "Tuff Life" which may or may not have run on the same set of rails as the likes of Poison, Mötley Crüe and Twisted Sister, but (and this is a big BUT!) late eighties hair metal/sleaze metal never sounded so well pieced together or "tough"! Yes, that was bad I know. Cheesy pun aside, "Youngblood" (another clear favorite) could have easily been written by Van Halen! It's not the only cut where guitarist John Hazel shows off his stuff (see: "Rule the World"), but seldom does it seem as obvious that the ball was badly dropped on the part of record companies back in the day as it does on "Youngblood"! Lead vocalist Dana Confer shows off the diversity in his voice by offering a bit more grit (as opposed to the absolutely Steven Tyler/Mick Jagger strut that he does on "Tuff Life"!) while the remainder of Nitro (guitarist John Hazel and the severely underrated rhythm section of bass player Brad Gensimore and drummer Tim Wilson) assures future listeners that heavy metal, yes kids, true heavy metal, still pumps through their veins! Here suggestions to the fact that the band sounded like "Twisted Sister, Wild Dogs, early Anvil and The Rods" don't come off as all that absurd. I mean one could easily make that kind of argument if "Youngblood" was blasting it's way out of a good set of stereo speakers! And really this LP would be worth the price of admission for that track alone. Well, that track plus "Tuff Life". Oh, and then there's the fact that the very cool "Uranium" (seriously, this one-time single is awesome heavy metal!) is included here. So yes, I could easily recommend this limited-edition LP based on those few tracks alone. Still, I would be lying if I said every cut here was golden. Take "Boys Will Be Boys" for example. Here's one number that sounds like a leftover Mötley Crüe track! A much better take on this would have to be "Do It". Also, "Pretender" is just a so-so track. It's not bad or anything, but it doesn't exactly light up the hemisphere either. Granted that's only 2-3 tracks out of 11 so this one is most certainly falls more on the side of must-have then pass-up. It's just a case where even if I do love Nitro, and I REALLY DO, not everything they release (or in this case dig up from the past vaults) is going to absolute floor me! If anything it just shows that Nitro are capable of greatness while still having some hiccups/human faults just like the rest of us! Whatever the case "Volatile Activity" still makes for a must-have as stated. Whether we're talking about Nitro fans or heavy metal collectors in general, or for that matter someone who falls into both categories like I do(!), picking up this LP at your earliest convenience is a given! With that there's only one last thing to be said. A release like "Volatile Activity" should  push the door WIDE OPEN for this Penn-based, traditional heavy metal at it's finest,  four-piece to release NEW MATERIAL in 2014! If there is really and truly a GOD OF ROCK N' ROLL then please let something like that! The world is always in need of real heavy metal from real gentlemen of the scene and what better way could there be to make 2014 really awesome then to have a band like Nitro (the only Nitro after all!) release a brand new album? A guy can dream right?

http://www.bloodandironrecords.webs.com/
 *500 copies (400 black, 100 blue)

**http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/03/nitro-uranium-single.html

New Nitro Album Coming In 2014!

Pennsylvania's Nitro, the only and only Nitro, recently announced that in the spring of  2014 Divebomb Records will issue the legendary "lost", never-released Nitro album, "Volatile Activity"! This 1987, unreleased album has quietly been sitting there in the Nitro vaults just waiting for the right moment to emerge. And now, after receiving a fresh remastering job, it will finally see the light! This upcoming release will serve as the follow-up to the Skol Records' 2013 release of  the Nitro anthology, "Lethal Dose" (link below) The new album, which will not only include plenty of exciting extras (such as detailed liner notes surrounding the "Volatile Activity" sessions, never-before-seen Nitro photos from the 80’s and a new interview with original members Dana Confer, John Hazel, Brad Gensimore and Tim Wilson), but will include the group's 2013 single, "Uranium" (also linked below). As more information becomes available I'll post it here at Heavy Metal Time Machine. For fans of the group this is another release that is long-overdo and, given how well the "Lethal Dose" package turned out, "Volatile Activity" should end up as another winner and must-own!

 Review of "Lethal Dose"
 http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/08/nitro-lethal-dose.html

 Review of "Uranium" single
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2013/03/nitro-uranium-single.html

Nitro-Lethal Dose

Skol Records
2013

The long wait for Nitro fans is finally over! After some 29 years, during which time fans, friends and family of Pennsylvania's Nitro never gave up hope, 1984's "Lethal + II" LP is FINALLY getting a proper CD release! All I can say is that it's about time! When I first covered Pennsylvania' traditional heavy metal act Nitro back in early June of 2012, which was part of my "Forgotten Gems" series in which I covered their excellent "Lethal + II" LP,  I mentioned that "This is another release that I would love to see get a proper re-issue with pictures, history, lyrics, etc.". At the time I honestly can say that I had no idea just how self-prophesying those words would be! Here it is 2013 and yes, after all these years, the good folks at Skol Records are re-releasing "Lethal + II" in grand fashion! Before we get to all of that though let's rewind a bit. When the band originally released a 10" EP titled "Lethal" in 1982 (thanks to financial backing from drummer Tim Wilson's father) they began a long journey that would first lead them  to a deal with Mausoleum Records, who would end up re-releasing "Lethal" in 1984 as "Lethal + II" (so titled because of the addition of 2 bonus tracks), then to the release of their first new music in years (the 2013 single "Uranium" which is not a part of this collection, but can be found on iTunes, etc,) and then finally to this well-deserved deal with Skol Records. As I've already covered "Lethal + II" in great detail (which you can read in the link below) I'll just say that this anthology CD is worth buying just for those 7 original tracks. As I have both the original LP of "Lethal + II" and the (rather plain and skimpy) CDR re-release of "Lethal + II" I can honestly say that this new CD version, in no small part thanks to the excellent re-master job from Bart Gabriel (owner of Skol Records), is the best of the bunch. This is how I always imagine that "Lethal + II" would sound. Everything is crystal clear and the band's straight-up traditional heavy metal sound just rolls out of the speakers like it owns the world. So yes, I would suggest this limited-edition re-release just for the updated sound of their original material. Here's the thing though. Not only does the "Lethal Dose" CD include all 7-tracks from the original 10" and 12", but it also comes with 9 previously unreleased studio tracks that were originally recorded by Nitro back in the 80s! As these additional 9 tracks were early outtakes/demos they are not as smooth or as polished as the material on "Lethal" or "Lethal + II". In fact they were not finished so these demos and outtakes, which do have a overall rougher quality about, are mostly suited for die hard fans of Nitro. In some instances you can actually hear lead vocalist Dana Confer yell out "one take" as the group works their way through cuts that were slated to appear on the follow-up to "Lethal"/"Lethal + II". If these cuts are to be believed then Nitro's next album, which had the working title of "Volatile Activity", would have been more in tune with the music of the day. While Nitro always strove to rock out their way and their way only, which, at least on the "Lethal" releases, meant hard and heavy metal (early on band's sound seemed to draw from the likes of AC/DC, Riot, Van Halen, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Iron Maiden, solo Ozzy, Kiss and more along that line of thought), some of this material sounds kind of toned down. Moving beyond the obvious implications that come from these tracks being unfinished and/or outtakes, which means it's a bit hard to get a grasp on the full direction that this group was headed, it does seem as if their next album might have been slightly more "mainstream" in nature. In essence it's more, shall we say, in keeping in touch with the likes of Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Whitesnake, Europe (before the release of that God-awful "The Final Countdown"), Ratt, Alcatrazz, and other similar rock-based/hair-teased bands. That being said it's not all like that, as there are a couple of heavy metal neck snappers hidden amongst these bonus cuts, and it's not like Nitro was suddenly going to be dressing or playing the part of some Hollywood hair metal band. No, Nitro was still Nitro just as they are still Nitro today. Even more so some of the bonus cuts that do suggest a more melodic outlook are quite good and come packed with a lot of promise. There's little sense in covering all nine of these cuts so I'll just say that among these bonus cuts I particularly liked the heavy rocker "Saddle Sore" while my least favorite was "All For Love". That's just my two cents and other people might walk away with a different take on these tracks. That's fine. In the end "Lethal Dose" is still a must-have for not only fans of Nitro, but also fans of  80's hard rock and heavy metal in general. With it's nice packaging this is one re-release that I highly recommend! With a sweet booklet that features not only a brief history of the band, but also comes with lyrics and pictures this is the ultimate way to hear the original and real Nitro! Be aware that this CD is a limited-run though. There are only 500 copies so don't sleep on this anthology as it's simply too good to pass up folks. To pick up your own copy of this excellent compilation be sure to head over to Skol Records and you can find out more about Nitro at the group's Facebook page (both links below).
http://www.skolrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/usanitro?ref=br_tf
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2012/06/forgotten-gems-nitro-lethal-ii.html

Breaking News! Nitro's "Lethal Dose" anthology set for late July release!

Finally, after nearly 20 years of waiting, cult 80's metal act Nitro are getting the ultimate CD experience courtesy of Skol Records! As a long time fan of Pennsylvania's one and only "true" Nitro (forget that glam sham act of the same name!) I will say this release is L-O-N-G overdue. If you're not familiar with the real Nitro then be sure to check out my review/article about them here:
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2012/06/forgotten-gems-nitro-lethal-ii.html
In addition to the original tracks on "Lethal + II" the band has dug through the vaults to add a whopping 9 extra bonus tracks! All of these tracks are from the same time period as "Lethal + II" and are simply the icing on the cake for die hard Nitro fans. As Skol has a proven track record when it comes to these sort of projects (Robespierre's "Die You Heathen, Die!", which I plan to review shortly, being a perfect example of the quality work that goes into their CD packages) this release promises to be one of the better 2013 releases, traditional heavy metal or not! Find out more at the link below and be sure to say a little pray of thanks to the metal gods tonight as this one is going to be epic!
http://bartgabriel.tumblr.com/post/53434953020/out-on-july-25-2013-on-skol-records-nitro

Nitro-"Uranium" Single

Hacksaw Productions
2013

There are some things that should never fall out of fashion and one such item is traditional heavy metal. No matter how much metal's landscape might change, with newer bands trying to outdo the older ones in the extreme department, there will always be room for good, old-fashion, traditional heavy metal bands. Or as long as we the fans support them. What worked so well back in the late 70s and early 80s can (and does) work just as well now. That's of course if you know how to do it and how to do it right. For a band like Pennsylvania's Nitro (the ONLY Nitro that matters boys and girls) they not only knew how to do it right back in the day (their lone album, "Lethal + II", is a true heavy metal classic kiddos), but they still know how to do it right all these years later! In celebration of the 30th anniversary of  Nitro's "Lethal + II" (which you can find on iTunes and Amazon) the band is releasing the first single, "Uranium", from their upcoming new album, "Flechette". When you take into account the length of time that Nitro has been away from the scene (and really just how much the musical landscape has changed in all that time) it's one thing that they were even able to pick things up so well and so smoothly, but it's even more impressive that the same spirit of true heavy metal that helped the band find a loyal following back in the early 80s is still alive and kicking some serious ass on "Uranium"! While I'll never be able to figure out why this Nitro didn't have the same level of success as the "lipstick and hairspray" Nitro did (despite the fact that "Lethal + II" is so much better then anything put out by those pop metal princesses!) maybe the second time around will be the charm? Even if it has taken Nitro far too long  to release a proper follow-up to their lone album (the scene really could have used Nitro on more then one occasion honestly) this new single makes up for the wait. It also points towards bigger and better things for the band. "Uranium", which sounds as if it was forged by the gods of hellfire rock n' roll, is catchy as hell and will get stuck in your head for days on end! It's a mixture of straight-up heavy metal, crunchy hard rock and the more aggressive side of radio rock. And yes, it kicks ass! In a way it's Nitro in a new and improved fashion for today's heavy metal crowd while it's also the same Nitro that so many of us considered cult heroes back in the day. The cool thing about Nitro's new single is that you can easily see it getting love from both the metalheads (thanks to it's crunchiness) and the mainstream (thanks to it's catchy rock appeal) meaning it's a single in the truest sense of the word. If all was to be right with the world, and the band gets the proper press and airplay they rightly deserve, "Uranium" would be ruling the radio in no time flat! It would get plenty of airtime no doubt. I saw how effective it was first hand. As I played the single many times over for review purposes (and honestly so I could also just rock the f**k out as this cut is killer!) it proved to be a hit with my teenage children and their respective friends. Given that it's a diverse crowd we're talking about (my own two like everything from The Beatles to AC/DC while their friends like everything from Skrillex to One Direction) "Uranium" was warmly embraced by all who heard it. I even played it for another long-time heavy metal fan (one of my friends who is also seeing more and more grey hairs appear in his beard!) and the general consensus was that Nitro has a potential heavy metal hit  in their hands. So, there is no reason to think "Uranium" couldn't give Nitro the exposure they so rightly deserve. If your a longtime fan of the group, or even if you just like straight-up heavy metal, be sure to support bands like Nitro. True heavy metal isn't going anyway as long as songs like "Uranium" keep the scene rocking. "Uranium" will soon be available for download on iTunes and all other digital music outlets so be sure to keep an eye out for it. And hopefully fans of the real Nitro won't have to wait too much long for the group's new album. If it proves to be even half as good as "Uranium" is then Nitro could end up with another classic release on their hands! In the meantime be sure to check out the band's Facebook page for updates and you can read my original review of "Lethal + II" below.

 Nitro's Facebook page:
 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nitro/291420000913566

My review of Nitro's "Lethal + II"
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/2012/06/forgotten-gems-nitro-lethal-ii.html

Forgotten Gems: Nitro-Lethal + II

Mausoleum
1984

No, not that "Nitro". Let's just make that perfectly clear. Long before Hollywood, California's larger then life (or at least their hair was) glam metal band Nitro made us all want to puke with their "O.F.R." album (or at least made me want to puke my guts out) there was another U.S. heavy metal band that had used the name. The original Nitro was formed 1980 and hailed from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. According to the Metal Archives in 1982 the band (guitarist John Hazel, bassist Brad Gensimore, drummer Tim Wilson and vocalist Dana Confer) were able to record a 10" mini album thanks to financial backing from drummer Tim Wilson's father Fred Wilson. The original 10" mini album featured 5-tracks and, unlike their glam counterparts from Hollyweird (er, Hollywood), this Nitro was obviously influenced by both American hard rock and the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement. I pulled this next bit off of Amazon where it is originally credited to Paul Suter, KERRANG! March 10-13, 1982 (I cannot vouch for it's authenticity, but if it is accurate then it is interesting information). In regards to Nitro (who were also penning their own material at this time) Paul Suter says "They cite influences from the likes of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, David Bowie, and Ozzy Osbourne, and their live set includes numbers from AC/DC and Van Halen". Considering those two factors it is no wonder that "Lethal" packs quite a bit into such a short amount of songs. "Breakin' Out" opens up the album and from the moment the band asks "DO YOU WANNA ROCK!?" you know this is going to be one of those no-frill rock meets metal albums where the bottom line is simply to play high energy heavy metal. The EP is filled with pounding drums, catchy riffs, killer lead work and a lead singer that knows how to sound "metal" without turning into a caricature. Despite being from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania the band definitely sounded more foreign then most U.S. metal bands of the time. Whether it was their nods to English acts like Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest or their appreciation for the Australian rock of AC/DC the band's material seemed to be all things to all fans. One can't help but wonder why record labels failed to take notice of this promising young band when track after track of "Lethal" is well, quite lethal. Well, one record label did dad noticed at least somewhat. "Lethal" was originally released on Red Dog in 1982 (which was more than likely the band's own label) before it was subsequently picked up 1984 for European distribution by the Belgian label Mausoleum. When the EP was reissued in 1984 two new tracks, "Nothin' To Miss" and "When The Lights Go Out", were tacked on so it could be released in the usual 12" format. Hence "Lethal + II" was born and that is where I found out about this band. Honestly I don't remember what drove me to them although I suspect I had been looking at the other Nitro for line-up info (a girl I went to high school with supposedly dated and/or married a guitarist who played in the glam Nitro-not an original member though if memory serves me correct) when I came across this little treat. Words alone cannot begin to sum up my praise for this high decibel eighties heavy metal releases. Just imagine finding a hidden gem like this and discovering how an album that was this much fun, catchy and simply killer was right in plain view! Thankfully this album is sitting in my CD player as I type so I can enjoy pure hard rock/heavy metal without any of the ego or hangups of certain "other" bands of the same era. It certainly seems as if the band should have made more headway considering the time frame and just how talented they were, but the band disappeared after this one lone record and that is criminal. You can still find the vinyl floating around while you can download the MP3s off of Amazon (where you can also buy a burned CDR copy which is what I have) and I believe Itunes also offers it. This is another release that I would love to see get a proper re-issue with pictures, history, lyrics, etc.

After posting this review Nitro band member Tim contacted me to with a few minor corrections: "Lethal + II" was basically Mausoleum's version of our independent release "Lethal", but with two new songs, "WhenThe Lights Go Out" and "Deadline". They initially wanted to just release "Lethal", but we insisted on putting more songs on so that our fans would get a better value for the $. We were recording a follow up to "Lethal" (the working title was "Volatile Activity") when they came calling, and those were two songs in the can at the time.

He also wanted to pass along a Facebook page set up for Nitro:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nitro/291420000913566?sk=wall