Line-up :
Jeff Beccera - Vocals, Bass
Brian Montana - Guitar
Mike Torrao- Guitar
Mike Sus - Drums
| Contains the 3 songs which were released on Seven Churches and Swing of the Axe which was later released on the The Eyes of Horror EP. Released like a bootleg 7" in 1989 in the label Death Metal Rec. (look cover). |
| 1. | Pentagram | 03:49 | [view lyrics] |
| 2. | Swing of the Axe | 03:55 | [view lyrics] |
| 3. | Twisted Minds | 05:41 | [view lyrics] |
| 4. | Fallen Angel | 04:28 | [view lyrics] |
| Total playing time | 17:53 | ||
Line-up :
Jeff Beccera - Vocals, Bass
Brian Montana - Guitar
Mike Torrao- Guitar
Mike Sus - Drums
One of the first ever death metal demos.
"Fallen Angel" was recorded during the same session, and did not make the
official demo, but it was just as heavily bootlegged. Fallen Angel was a
one-take track, done quickly at the end of the recording session.
Review :
Or thrash, or even speed metal! This demo is what started it all, in 1984... though at times it sounds more like a tight-as-fuck Venom (Becerra does a wicked Cronos at times!), and it's interesting to note how much thrashier this is than the Seven Churches LP.
Exhibit one: the title track, riff at 1.30 - that is a pure fucking thrash riff, and it's gone in the final version, replaced by a faster, higher-pitched, less overtly bludgeoning thrash riff. But here, it's a raging thrasher not unlike Chemical Warfare. The drum flurry kicks in and the slightly faster, more chaotic riff, and then the solo - though it's kind of interesting that it sounds like there's only one guitar during the solo sections... apparently Brian Montana was completely asleep on the job! Oh yeah and how about that closing shriek before the final solo. Mark Osegueda, eat your heart out. And take Tom Araya with you while you're there. Becerra's vox are fucking awesome.
Evil Warriors: SCREAM OUT IN FRIGHT!! Little silly vocal intro, then the song is roughly similar to the Seven Churches version. As I said, the demo is superficially identical to the LP, including the total fucking ruleage of "Burning in Hell"... it's only if you're a Possessed fucking freak like me that you'll notice the little things like "hey wait a minute, that riff is slightly different". One more example... the melodic counterpoint riff in Burning in Hell is more overt, though under this solo there are definitely two guitars and the solo a lot sloppier and Hanneman-ish and directionless, so let's blame Brian Montana, but after that, the wicked thrash break (you know which one!) is more overt than on the LP.
Thus, to recap... it's thrashier, with the riffs a bit more accented. The vocals aren't quite as out-there... I hear Black Metal on Death Metal, and also a little bit of "blasting our way through the boundaries of Hell...". The solos aren't as cool sometimes, and at times the riff under the solo is missing (Death Metal), oh and Fallen Angel doesn't have any bells.
Wait, Fallen Angel isn't even on this demo!! There's 2 versions or something - I have no idea what the story is but some bootlegs have Fallen Angel, others do not... in any case, it was recorded at the same time.
So is it any good? Of course it's good!!! It's fucking awesome!! What it lacks in sheer must-kill, it makes up for in thrashing goodness. This one definitely qualifies as death metal, just like the album that succeeded it... and just like that one, it's a good solid slab of thrash. Worth getting - historical value: unbelievably high. Musical value: just about as high. The only complaint is that Montana's solos are goofy and not nearly as focused as those of Lalonde, and the guitar tone is far more ordinary... but enough of my bitching... there's only one Seven Churches, but this is damn close.
| 1. | Death Metal | 03:17 | [view lyrics] |
| 2. | Evil Warriors | 04:20 | [view lyrics] |
| 3. | Burning in Hell | 03:20 | [view lyrics] |
| Total playing time | 10:57 | ||
line -up:
Scott Knight - vocals , keyboards
Michael Manne - guitars
Tommy Bolan - guitars
Steve A.Tetro - bass
Joey Cussamano - drums
| 1. | The Night Rider | 04:36 | |
| 2. | Let There Be Metal | 05:26 | |
| 3. | Into The Darkness | 00:59 | |
| 4. | The Intruder | 05:33 | |
| 5. | Teaze Me | 03:18 | |
| Total playing time | 19:52 | ||
line-up :
Johan Langquist - Vocals (Candlemass)
Anders - Guitar
Tony - Guitar
Kenta - Bass
Ogre - Drums
The band probably started out in the early 80s in the regions of Stockholm and the only member in the lineup that later would become famous was Johan Langquist who turned up as a singer on the first Candlemass album "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus". The band did two demos in 1982 and 1984. Lyrics are in Swedish. They also played on RockSM in 1982 (a Swedish rock contest). They didn't win, Europe won it instead. The band carried on up to 1986 when Johan did the incredible vocalwork on the first Candlemass album. After "Epicus.." Johan carried on with Jonah Quizz and other bands up to 1992 when Leif Edling of Candlemass actually called him again and asked if he wanted to replace Messiah. He did one rehearsal but nothing took off...
| 1. | Hjärtlos Stad (Heartless City) | 05:22 | |
| 2. | Nattsvarta Ögon (Nightblack Eyes) | 04:36 | |
| 3. | Attack | 03:08 | |
| 4. | Gå (Go) | 04:26 | |
| Total playing time | 17:32 | ||
Line-up:
Clive "Jesus Christ" Archer - Vocals
Conrad "Cronos" Lant - Bass
Jeff "Mantas" Dunn - Guitars
Tony "Abaddon" Bray - Percussion
| Also released as a normal picture disc, a shaped disc (seen here), and 12" version adding "Dead of Night". White label test pressings exist. Also released by Neat records as a tape. It contained the bonus track, "Dead as the Night" and a Dutch radio interview. |
| 1. | Manitou | 04:42 | [view lyrics] |
| 2. | Woman | 02:54 | [view lyrics] |
| Total playing time | 07:36 | ||
Lineup:
Eric Adams - Vocals
Ross "The Boss" Friedman - Guitar
Joey DeMaio - Bass Guitar
Scott Columbus - Drums
| 1. | All Men Play on 10 | 03:54 | [view lyrics] |
| 2. | Mountains | 07:37 | [view lyrics] |
| Total playing time | 11:31 | ||
line-up :
Christophe Apiou - Vocals
Jean Luc Houles - Bass (Jinx (Fra))
Eric Bordron - Rhythm Guitar
Stephane Printemps - Drums
Fabien Gevraise - Vocals, Rhythm & Lead Guitar (Face To Face, Furioso, Jinx (Fra))
| 1. | Watch Your Blood | 03:20 | |
| 2. | All Through The Night (Axe Cover) | 02:26 | |
| 3. | Rat Attack | 02:56 | |
| 4. | Caught Up In You (38 Special Cover) | 04:42 | [view lyrics] |
| 5. | Macho's Method | 04:02 | |
| 6. | Doobie Time | 03:13 | |
| 7. | Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy Cover) | 03:43 | [view lyrics] |
| 8. | Off The Corner | 04:58 | |
| 9. | Princess Of The Dawn (Accept Cover) | 06:23 | [view lyrics] |
| 10. | Instrumental | 03:11 | |
| Total playing time | 38:54 | ||
line up:
Pearl Angel -vocals
Pete Hurricane - guitar
Kim Xmas - guitar , bass
Freddie Wolf - drums
Review :
Evil was a highly infectious little Heavy Metal outfit in the Mercyful Fate/Iron Maiden/Omen vein with some rough and ready vocals (no falsettos here, kids!) to seal the deal. They sadly never released any full length albums, but at least they left us with this cool little EP before they fizzled out into nothing. Their formula is pretty straightforward, and very reminiscent of their countrymen Mercyful Fate, except without the infamous King Diamond on vocals. In fact, Pearl Angel's charismatic midranged snarl reminds me a lot of the late J.D. Kimball of Omen fame, and although his vocal lines aren't the best, you get used to it and enjoy the hell out of this anyway. The riffs here remind of classic bands like Omen or Iron Maiden, or even Helstar at times, while the solos veer over into Mercyful Fate territory. This is purely back-to-basics, riff-driven heavy metal with no frills or gimmicks at all, and if you enjoy that sort of thing, you'll like this.
The title track is an instrumental riff-storm that serves as sort of an extended intro to "Evil", which is a solid little rocker with a headbanging main riff and some throaty growling on the chorus. They're not extremely menacing, but this was 1984, so it's perfectly excusable, and the song overall is enjoyable. "The Devil Wants Me" is a much stronger tune, with some cool speed metal shredding and a stronger chorus, spat out with energy and conviction. "Son of the Bitch," while slightly weaker, is still a rocking tune that isn't worth skipping in the least. The real gem here, though, is "Take Good Care (Of Your Balls)", a true winner in every sense. Kicking off with probably the best riff on here, it explodes into a tried-and-true Heavy Metal classic with razor-sharp claws and teeth. When Pearl Angel venomously spits out the titular lines, you will either be a fan of Evil, or you will never get them. Fantastic song, and worth the whole EP by itself.
If you're a fan of classic, headbanging, fist-pumping 80s heavy metal, then you needed this yesterday. It might be tough to track down, but it's definitely worth it. Recommended.
| 1. | Evil's Message | 02:45 | |
| 2. | Evil | 04:45 | |
| 3. | The Devil Wants Me | 03:03 | |
| 4. | Son of the Bitch | 05:52 | |
| 5. | Take Good Care (Of Your Balls) | 05:46 | |
| Total playing time | 21:31 | ||
Line-up :
Manzo - Vocals
Dan Watson - Guitar
Bill Peterson - Bass
Dave Schmidt - Drums
| 1. | Terror | 03:54 | |
| 2. | Invader | 02:47 | |
| 3. | The Other Side | 03:36 | |
| 4. | Night Of Pain | 03:13 | |
| 5. | Live For The Night | 03:30 | |
| Total playing time | 16:53 | ||
line-up :
Steve Scott - Vocals, Guitar
Mike Gillian - Bass, Vocals
Lance Crane - Drums
Review :
“…metal music, it should be the law…”
Easily finding a spot in metal’s bad cover art museum is Steel Warrior’s debut, an ep that, on the surface, poses so ham-handedly as ‘true’ metal you’re almost afraid to approach your stereo. You’re looking this thing over, torn, distrustful, your darker half certain the four tracks are as cliché as a dream sequence in a sitcom, but your other half, the one that leaves a tip even though the service has been shitty, whispers that the NY trio may actually be okay, if not surprising. Your darker half laughs ‘cause visually there’s the Omen-esque/Battle Cry cover art (complete with the obligatory guitar replacing the axe). In addition, of the four song titles, two are bold metallic statements that by ’84 were already rusty, one does nothing to hide its sanitary napkin, and the last is the millionth tune to give rock a salute. The fact that ‘metal’ is further defined as ‘music’ in their back cover blurb is just another nail in the coffin. And the hammer? Steel Warriors: the moniker. Your light-hearted side hangs its head, sighs, and regrettably agrees, but with a light hopeful glimmer in its eye says there’s still really nothing to lose by giving it a whirl. Yeah, famous last words.
Well, “Steel Warriors” comes out squealing and semi-bulging where a soiled, bass-heavy guitar tone meshes with discordantly conventional sensibility, something fantastic like drunken Motorhead meets, oh I don’t know, Autograph. The din is continually unkempt and soon some of the Motorhead nuance departs, leaving a weirdly grubby pop aftertaste in the chorus’s mouth. Suddenly it happens: the unmistakable deadpan clunk of cowbell, and even your more optimistic half shows visual fear. “Heavy Forces” sees the Motorhead influence reduced to a mere iota, overtaken by a current of happy-rock that doesn’t quite roam into glam territory.
Side two officially says adios to anything Lemmy, and while a steady pace of more cowbell clonks “I Found That Something In You” into sugary existence, it’s followed by the thankfully less spandex-attired “We’re Gonna Rock All Night”, and to your dismay sound like dismal, off-color covers of Kix or Bullet Boys performed by very early Oz or Anvil. So, what’s your optimistic half doing with that length of rope and chair?
The only thing that remains fairly constant is the vocals of Steve Scott, possessing a roughness that runs the gamut of light (“I Found That Something in You”) and coarse (“Steel Warriors”), but is still out in the cold as far as desirability goes.
| 1. | Steel Warriors | 05:02 | |
| 2. | Metal Forces | 03:39 | |
| 3. | I Found That Something In You | 04:31 | |
| 4. | We're Gonna Rock all Night | 03:52 | |
| Total playing time | 17:04 | ||
Line-up :
Vocals, Bass : Peter Wagner
Guitars : Jochen Schröder
Guitars : Alf Meyerratken
Drums : Jörg Michael
| 1. | Battlefield | 02:50 | [view lyrics] |
| 2. | Southcross Union | 03:25 | [view lyrics] |
| Total playing time | 06:15 | ||
Line-up:
Rock 'n' Rolf - Vocals, Guitar
Stephan - Bass
Preacher - Guitar
Hasche - Drums
Also known as the Walpurgis Night EP.
Review :
As a caboose to their exceptional Gates to Purgatory lp, these brothers German hire "Victim of State Power", one of the record's hairier tracks, as an overseer to a pair of fairly lively, yet formuliac occult-browed benders that follow a mindset beaten into form by the debut.
Like all of their songs grooved to vinyl prior to this, once a song's momentum takes off it's pretty much etched in stone, meaning if you're looking for a rollercoaster ride of tempos during a tune, you may as well expect to find a canoe in a phone booth. Okay, maybe it's not such a straight shot as far as the dashing "Satan" goes. Its initial oh so British gust of repetitively agile fretboard aerobatics is a nice reversal compared to its partners, as if to say 'yeah, we can do that too', but it winds up falsely proclaiming something the rest of the track doesn't live up to. But that's fine 'cause the band finally throw some caution to the wind and change it up with a nifty adventuresome shift at midway and then one less dynamic at the end.
"Walpurgis Night", in the meantime, is kinda common in its mild catchiness, probably a little too heartening for the tainted ideals the band is ordering forth, meanwhile the vocally staunch Rolf throws an uncommon ear-splitter into the atmosphere for good measure. Basically a song that could've gotten shoved into the shadows on a full-lengther, but has nowhere to hide here, derailing things a tad.
Unlike hotcakes, the ep didn't sell all that well and is responsible for its collectibility that's on par with the picture disc versions of Gates to Purgatory and Branded and Exiled, which would be up at bat in about a year.
| 1. | Victim of States Power | 03:39 | [view lyrics] |
| 2. | Walpurgis Night | 04:41 | [view lyrics] |
| 3. | Satan | 04:10 | [view lyrics] |
| Total playing time | 12:30 | ||
Line Up :
Leif Edling - bass, vocals
Johnny Reinholm - guitar, drums
| | |||||||||||
Line-up :
Vocals: Leif Edling
Guitars: Anders Walling
Guitars: Christian Weberyd
Bass: Leif Edling
Drums: Anders Walterson
all music & lyrics by Leif Edling
Re-released on CD 1990 on Active Records. Has bonus tracks which were released
as a demo under the Candlemass moniker:
6. Black Stone Wielder (7:17)
7. Demons Gate (8:01)
and different cover art
Review :
I've listened to a lot of death metal, black metal, and doom metal, but I have to say that the track "Black Messiah" is the darkest song I have ever heard, right up there with early Mercyful Fate. Lief sings on here, and he sounds somewhat like an evil Gregorian monk. "In God We Trust" is a lot faster than most Candlemass stuff, but it's good to listen to. "Theme of the Guardians" is midpaced, not far off from Mercyful Fate, but with Lief's trademark vocals and some strange guitar melodies popping up here and there. "Goodnight" starts with a nice acoustic part, which is a nice way of keeping the album interesting. The final two tracks are Candlemass demos and they're a bit heavier than the stuff off of Epicus Doomicus Metallicus.
The raw production on here really works to the album's advantage. There aren't any technical parts, and most of it is low end, so there's no need for a really polished recording. This was THE release that got me into Candlemass, Trouble, and doom metal in general. Totally essential for anyone who wants to feel real darkness (but this just might not be evil...).
| 1. | Black Messiah | 07:01 | |
| 2. | In God We Trust | 04:36 | |
| 3. | Theme of the Guardians | 04:26 | |
| 4. | The King Is Dead | 05:19 | |
| 5. | Goodnight | 06:04 | |
| Total playing time | 27:26 | ||
Cover painting: 'Thor's fight with the giants' by M.E. Winge, 1872, National
Museum.
| Bathory | |||
| 5. | Sacrifice | 04:15 | |
| 6. | The Return of Darkness and Evil | 04:55 | |
line-up :
Siki Spacek - lead guitar/vocals
Greg Hicks - guitars
Darrell Harris - bass
Phil Bullard - drums (R.I.P. - February 6, 2008, colon cancer)
It's not clear who the first black (as in African-American) metal band was, but Black Death have to be one of the earlier ones. Formed in 1977, they build a sizeable local following, eventually resulting in the one album before fading into obscurity -- a tale that mirrors many a band. A telling quote from the record label president: "Their biggest problem was finding a replacement if a member quit the band -- there just weren't that many black guys in town who could play metal."
Unreleased Sampler Tracks:
'Taken By Force' - Cleveland Metal (1983)
'Until We Rock' - Cleveland Metal (1983)
Siki Spacek and Phil Bullard have formed a new project called ``The Legend Of Black Death: Mandrake``, which have played live several times, including the BW&BK Six-Pack Weekend, and the ``Legends Of Cleveland Metal`` concert (alongside Wretch, Aftershok, Nightcrawler, and Destructor).
Also released a selftitled demo tape in 1982, which included different recordings of the songs that would be used on the ``Cleveland Metal`` LP one year later.
| 1. | Night of the Living Death | 04:27 | |
| 2. | The Hunger | 05:30 | |
| 3. | When Tears Run Red (From Love Lost Yesterday) | 05:41 | |
| 4. | Fear No Evil | 06:08 | |
| 5. | The Scream of the Iron Messiah | 03:43 | |
| 6. | Streetwalker | 06:30 | |
| 7. | Black Death | 09:18 | |
| Total playing time | 41:17 | ||
| Line-up : Dave Mustaine : Guitars, Vocals, Piano Chris Poland : Guitars David Ellefson : Bass, Backing Vocals Lee Rausch : Drums |
| 1. | Last Rites/Loved to Deth | 04:16 | [view lyrics] |
| 2. | Mechanix | 03:59 | [view lyrics] |
| 3. | The Skull Beneath the Skin | 03:11 | [view lyrics] |
| Total playing time | 11:26 | ||
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