RARE 80's METAL REVIEWS - LP, EP, 7", DEMO TAPES, FANZINES
AGGRESSOR – DEMO HOL’82 “DON’T YOU DARE!”
Songs: Suicide Nightmare / The House Of Horror / Profession Of Violence //
Back in the early – mid 80’s, Holland seemed to be pioneering the early Speed/Doom Metal sound in Europe, mushrooming one band after another. Remarkably, only few of the bands in these territories made it onto vinyl, and those that did, faced mass ignorance, only to regain status in the now… A band that wasn’t the most professional around, but truly did have a certain potential and musical creativity was 5-piece Aggressor. In the tradition of the 1st generation heavies, the demo sports matching song titles, lyrical contents and nick names such as Warhead (drums), Tiger Throat (vocals) and Machine Gun (guitar). Taped on a D46 cassette, there’s three songs, first of which is “Suicide Nightmare”; a conventional, rhythm riffed SpeedMetaler with a Scandinavian twist. Not over the top heavy whatsoever, but more like accelerated Metal, including such features as harmonized phrasing and double bass drummage. “The House Of Horror” starts with a ballad-esque theme, sporting vocals and acoustics before developing into a mid-paced, UK-style HardRock / Metal number. “Profession Of Violence” is another mid-paced HardRock / Metal affair with a few, surprising twists in the structural department, including slug paced Doom, harmonized lead melodies and semi-SpeedMetal. If comparisons would apply, Holocaust could do in terms of feel and guitar sound (“The House Of Horror”), whilst Dark Wizard would be at it for atmosphere and songs, minus the accelerated parts. Overall, there’s quite a few things going down the music which is a definite plus, over against the off-key, vocalage. Nonetheless, an entertaining demo in its field…
ANGER – DEMO DK II ’84 “METAL ATTACK” *
songs: Tale Of The Sword / Death Before Dishonour / Black Knight / Overheated //
Anger, from Denmark, incepted in ’83, after previous outfit Love Hunter folded. Two of its members, Steven Hunter (bass) and B.K. (drums), put a new band together with the addition of Ron Ashley (guitar) and Body Botham (vocals), and with that, the formation of Anger was a fact. A rehearsal tape got to the desk of Pretty Maids manager Ken Anthony, who advised the band to tape a professional demo. This became the ’83 “Louder Than Loud” demo, featuring the songs “Louder Than Loud”, “Victim Of Power”, “More Than Gold”, “Heavy Metal (‘til The Day I Die) and “WereWolf”. Despite a massive media response (fanzines worldwide) and favourable feedback, it did not get the band to ink a recording deal. Another set of songs was recorded, and though initially intended to be independently released as an EP, its four songs got circulated as a demo, called “Metal Attack”. The demo starts with “Tale Of The Sword” ; a mid-paced Metal number with a crunching, almost Thrash like lead riff and over-amplified vocals that give the song this over-the-top Metal edge. The up-tempo “Death Before Dishonour” sounds like (2nd generation) NWOBHM with a Scandinavian twist; riff-based and repetitive with shades of Priest in the guitar department. “Black Knight” is another up-tempo offering with the Scandinavian thing re-appearing, but actually is quite bodyless. The demo concludes with “Overheated”; a rhythmic, mid-paced Metal number with a gripping, razor-sharp staccato lead guitar and double-bass drummage. It is the guitar amplification and riff-style that brings the whole thing on the verge of Thrash / PowerMetal on more than one occasion. At the core, Anger are genuine Metal , much in the styles of the heavier, mid-80’s NWOBHM acts. If it wasn’t for the prominent role of the guitars and riffage, the material would not have had half the impact, as programming is rather static. Vocals are way out of key, but somehow fit this unpolished, in your face approach. The package as a whole sure did work, which makes it all the more surprising to find the band mellowing down to synths oriented, symphonic HardRock with the release of the lame, ’87 “Reach For The Sky” LP (Paladyn) that in no single way connects with the original Anger sound. Another promising band gone wrong by the absence of label interest… * SOLID *
songs: Tale Of The Sword / Death Before Dishonour / Black Knight / Overheated //
Anger, from Denmark, incepted in ’83, after previous outfit Love Hunter folded. Two of its members, Steven Hunter (bass) and B.K. (drums), put a new band together with the addition of Ron Ashley (guitar) and Body Botham (vocals), and with that, the formation of Anger was a fact. A rehearsal tape got to the desk of Pretty Maids manager Ken Anthony, who advised the band to tape a professional demo. This became the ’83 “Louder Than Loud” demo, featuring the songs “Louder Than Loud”, “Victim Of Power”, “More Than Gold”, “Heavy Metal (‘til The Day I Die) and “WereWolf”. Despite a massive media response (fanzines worldwide) and favourable feedback, it did not get the band to ink a recording deal. Another set of songs was recorded, and though initially intended to be independently released as an EP, its four songs got circulated as a demo, called “Metal Attack”. The demo starts with “Tale Of The Sword” ; a mid-paced Metal number with a crunching, almost Thrash like lead riff and over-amplified vocals that give the song this over-the-top Metal edge. The up-tempo “Death Before Dishonour” sounds like (2nd generation) NWOBHM with a Scandinavian twist; riff-based and repetitive with shades of Priest in the guitar department. “Black Knight” is another up-tempo offering with the Scandinavian thing re-appearing, but actually is quite bodyless. The demo concludes with “Overheated”; a rhythmic, mid-paced Metal number with a gripping, razor-sharp staccato lead guitar and double-bass drummage. It is the guitar amplification and riff-style that brings the whole thing on the verge of Thrash / PowerMetal on more than one occasion. At the core, Anger are genuine Metal , much in the styles of the heavier, mid-80’s NWOBHM acts. If it wasn’t for the prominent role of the guitars and riffage, the material would not have had half the impact, as programming is rather static. Vocals are way out of key, but somehow fit this unpolished, in your face approach. The package as a whole sure did work, which makes it all the more surprising to find the band mellowing down to synths oriented, symphonic HardRock with the release of the lame, ’87 “Reach For The Sky” LP (Paladyn) that in no single way connects with the original Anger sound. Another promising band gone wrong by the absence of label interest… * SOLID *
AXID – DEMO SWE’84
songs: White Lies / Love Games / Stand In Light / Exciter //
This Sweden based 5-piece – that initiated in the early 80’s, and was connected to the Syron Vanes management - never really got overground in the Underground / fanzine scene, the more so as the band never made it onto vinyl, if one does not consider their one-off contribution to the domestic “Heavy Metal” compilation LP (Pang ’82), alongside other unsigned acts such as Orion’s Sword, Squetters and Wiz. Their demo, however, was quite credible, but somehow got lost in the abundance of tapes produced at that time. First off is “White Lies”; an energetic, instant access Metal number with a gripping theme, moderately fast drive and a melodic edge, most of which finds its expression through the vocalage. “Love Games” is a mid-paced HardRock / Metal number, European-style, with a conventional backbone and a Priest-flavoured guitar lead; in all, quite mediocre, with the vox now shifting into the ‘annoying’ mode trying to push things too far up in the mid-range. ‘Stand In Light” is a trademark, Scandinavian sung HardRock / Metal number with a combined, moderately – mid paced drive. Some nice twists to follow as soon as the guitar solo sets in, going down some neo-classical taping modes, followed by rhythmic, Maiden-ish drive with harmonized guitar and bass, that is furthered by a ballad-esque, emotive guitar over a slow-pace to end the song with. Outside its Scandinavian mould chants, the up-tempo “Exciter” goes full on Maiden in the guitar-department, engaging an identical feedback / sound and melodies with the trademark twin-modes. Compact songs, appropriate diversity flow, a deserving guitars and a less-convincing singer, bring this product just above the bulk of bands in the same field. A complete turn towards the melodic thing with added speed, as on “White Lies” would certainly have upgraded the whole thing, as that is where the band scores on full.
songs: White Lies / Love Games / Stand In Light / Exciter //
This Sweden based 5-piece – that initiated in the early 80’s, and was connected to the Syron Vanes management - never really got overground in the Underground / fanzine scene, the more so as the band never made it onto vinyl, if one does not consider their one-off contribution to the domestic “Heavy Metal” compilation LP (Pang ’82), alongside other unsigned acts such as Orion’s Sword, Squetters and Wiz. Their demo, however, was quite credible, but somehow got lost in the abundance of tapes produced at that time. First off is “White Lies”; an energetic, instant access Metal number with a gripping theme, moderately fast drive and a melodic edge, most of which finds its expression through the vocalage. “Love Games” is a mid-paced HardRock / Metal number, European-style, with a conventional backbone and a Priest-flavoured guitar lead; in all, quite mediocre, with the vox now shifting into the ‘annoying’ mode trying to push things too far up in the mid-range. ‘Stand In Light” is a trademark, Scandinavian sung HardRock / Metal number with a combined, moderately – mid paced drive. Some nice twists to follow as soon as the guitar solo sets in, going down some neo-classical taping modes, followed by rhythmic, Maiden-ish drive with harmonized guitar and bass, that is furthered by a ballad-esque, emotive guitar over a slow-pace to end the song with. Outside its Scandinavian mould chants, the up-tempo “Exciter” goes full on Maiden in the guitar-department, engaging an identical feedback / sound and melodies with the trademark twin-modes. Compact songs, appropriate diversity flow, a deserving guitars and a less-convincing singer, bring this product just above the bulk of bands in the same field. A complete turn towards the melodic thing with added speed, as on “White Lies” would certainly have upgraded the whole thing, as that is where the band scores on full.
BITCHES SIN - DEMO UK I '80 "TWELVE POUNDS AND NO KINKS!" *
songs: Down The Road / White Lady / Bitches Sin / Two Of A Kind / Ice Angels / Tighter Than Tight / Heavy Life //
This is the very first material released by Bitches Sin in the original line-up, comprised of Ian and Pete Toomey (guitar), Perry Hodder (bass), Bill Knowles (drums) and singer Alan Cockburn - whose name, unlike the others is not mentioned on the demo cover - Amidst the up-and-coming NWOBHM horde, Bitches Sin sure made a difference, exhausting quite an unique, novelty sound for one did not tap into the standard mid-paced/riff-based thing all along the line. In fact, this demo turned out to be a mixed bag of styles and interpretations to the genre; not overly heavy in terms of speed or compositions, but occasionally truly energetic, pure and relentless as if it concerned a live studio-take. Most of this is channeled through the crisp, rough and ready guitar sound, riffage and solos. The demo does not convince 7 songs in a row, referring to basic outlets such as "White Lady", "Tighter Than Tight" (standard programmed HardRock) and the Blues-meets-Metal minded "Bitches Sin". Surprising also, is the largely Boogie/Blues based "Two Of A Kind", strongly contrasting with the demos heavier, prime cuts; the riveting "Down The Road" and the mid-paced "Heavy Life" that have Metal written all over and prominently feature the trademark, scorchy guitarwork of the Toomey brothers. Most of the songs on this demo did not make it onto vinyl, whereas "Down The Road" appeared on the '81 "Lead Weight" (cassette) compilation (Neat records) and got remixed for their 2nd demo, and the ballad-esque "Ice Angels" got vinylized twice (for the '83 "No More Chances" 12" EP plus the '89 "Invaders" LP), and also re-appeared on the "Your Place Or Mine" demo. Not shocking or overly exciting this demo, for starters, but with the originality factor in there alright and a monumental NWOBHM track as "Down The Road", the band sure made their stand, and still do!
BITCHES SIN - DEMO II UK'81 "YOUR PLACE OR MINE" *
songs: Sign Of The Times / Overnight / Livin' On The Highway / What The Hell / Fallen Star / Over The Top / XF 2894 / Up For Grabs / Hold On To Love / Down The Road (remix) / Ice Angels (remix) //
The second Bitches Sin demo displays a less primitive. more matured (recording) sound, and features a modified line-up, including the newly recruited singer Tony Tomkinson who happened to sing in a similar, level-voice & talk-type fashion. Again, this set of songs has a colorful interpretation to the genre, but increasingly showed a niche for Bluesy/Biker type themes, referring to "What The Hell", "Over The Top", "Up For Grabs" and particularly "Livin' On The Highway", showing certain similarities to Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". Stunningly, this demo also showed a turn towards the commercial thing on the modesty mould "Fallen Star", and in the direction of Fusion on the subtle instrumental "XF 2894". Overall, this demo comes out half as convincing as their 1st one in terms of energy and approach but scores 9 out of 10 with the razor sharp, guitar showered speedster "Sign Of The Times", the remix of "Down The Road", and the fast, catchy "Hold On To Love", much in the likes of both the aforementioned. Unreleased songs from this demo are; "Livin' On The Highway", "What The Hell", "Over The Top", "XF 2894", "Up For Grabs" and "Hold On To Love". Bitches Sin undoubtedly were a top-class NWOBHM act, but their (early) repertoire featured at least as many - actually more - generic outlets than top tracks., the selected few who gained the band A1 status in the genre, and deservedly. Just imagine the band would have made their first vinyl appearance on either LP or EP featuring "Strangers On The Shore", "Sign Of The Times", "Down The Road", "Heavy Life", "XF 2894" and "Hold On To Love"..... unbeatable!
songs: Down The Road / White Lady / Bitches Sin / Two Of A Kind / Ice Angels / Tighter Than Tight / Heavy Life //
This is the very first material released by Bitches Sin in the original line-up, comprised of Ian and Pete Toomey (guitar), Perry Hodder (bass), Bill Knowles (drums) and singer Alan Cockburn - whose name, unlike the others is not mentioned on the demo cover - Amidst the up-and-coming NWOBHM horde, Bitches Sin sure made a difference, exhausting quite an unique, novelty sound for one did not tap into the standard mid-paced/riff-based thing all along the line. In fact, this demo turned out to be a mixed bag of styles and interpretations to the genre; not overly heavy in terms of speed or compositions, but occasionally truly energetic, pure and relentless as if it concerned a live studio-take. Most of this is channeled through the crisp, rough and ready guitar sound, riffage and solos. The demo does not convince 7 songs in a row, referring to basic outlets such as "White Lady", "Tighter Than Tight" (standard programmed HardRock) and the Blues-meets-Metal minded "Bitches Sin". Surprising also, is the largely Boogie/Blues based "Two Of A Kind", strongly contrasting with the demos heavier, prime cuts; the riveting "Down The Road" and the mid-paced "Heavy Life" that have Metal written all over and prominently feature the trademark, scorchy guitarwork of the Toomey brothers. Most of the songs on this demo did not make it onto vinyl, whereas "Down The Road" appeared on the '81 "Lead Weight" (cassette) compilation (Neat records) and got remixed for their 2nd demo, and the ballad-esque "Ice Angels" got vinylized twice (for the '83 "No More Chances" 12" EP plus the '89 "Invaders" LP), and also re-appeared on the "Your Place Or Mine" demo. Not shocking or overly exciting this demo, for starters, but with the originality factor in there alright and a monumental NWOBHM track as "Down The Road", the band sure made their stand, and still do!
BITCHES SIN - DEMO II UK'81 "YOUR PLACE OR MINE" *
songs: Sign Of The Times / Overnight / Livin' On The Highway / What The Hell / Fallen Star / Over The Top / XF 2894 / Up For Grabs / Hold On To Love / Down The Road (remix) / Ice Angels (remix) //
The second Bitches Sin demo displays a less primitive. more matured (recording) sound, and features a modified line-up, including the newly recruited singer Tony Tomkinson who happened to sing in a similar, level-voice & talk-type fashion. Again, this set of songs has a colorful interpretation to the genre, but increasingly showed a niche for Bluesy/Biker type themes, referring to "What The Hell", "Over The Top", "Up For Grabs" and particularly "Livin' On The Highway", showing certain similarities to Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild". Stunningly, this demo also showed a turn towards the commercial thing on the modesty mould "Fallen Star", and in the direction of Fusion on the subtle instrumental "XF 2894". Overall, this demo comes out half as convincing as their 1st one in terms of energy and approach but scores 9 out of 10 with the razor sharp, guitar showered speedster "Sign Of The Times", the remix of "Down The Road", and the fast, catchy "Hold On To Love", much in the likes of both the aforementioned. Unreleased songs from this demo are; "Livin' On The Highway", "What The Hell", "Over The Top", "XF 2894", "Up For Grabs" and "Hold On To Love". Bitches Sin undoubtedly were a top-class NWOBHM act, but their (early) repertoire featured at least as many - actually more - generic outlets than top tracks., the selected few who gained the band A1 status in the genre, and deservedly. Just imagine the band would have made their first vinyl appearance on either LP or EP featuring "Strangers On The Shore", "Sign Of The Times", "Down The Road", "Heavy Life", "XF 2894" and "Hold On To Love"..... unbeatable!
CRYSTAL PRIDE – DEMO SWE’82
songs: Evil Force / The Final Eclipse / A Thousand Nights / Moving Fast //
This Sweden based, female fronted outfit produced a string of vinyls but never really got overground acclaim, the more so, as their best material ever produced dates back to their ’82 “Silverhawk” 7” EP and this particular demo from the very same year. Even though this recording is hampered by its flat, garage-type production, its musical concept towers above the material produced ever after. The demo starts off in a gloomy, melodic Doom fashion with “Evil Force”, patterned upon a MF Fate-esque hammer-on lead guitar, before it develops as a mid-paced, all-out Scandinavian Metaler with a lot of guitar, and the fragile ‘helium’ type vocals of Susanne Christensen as the main draw. Towards the end, the song climaxes, as it intensifies and the guitar goes on forever over the ‘barbarian’ type chant in a repetitive mode. The gloomy, moderately-paced “Final Eclipse” truly captures the Scandinavian, ‘barbaric’ atmosphere in a melodic appearance. The guitars on this one are very heavy, cranking out some grainy, repetitive leads and PowerMetal type modes in both riffage and sound. “A Thousand Nights” is rather mediocre, Euro-HardRock / Metal in the German / Warlock vein but entertaining nonetheless. The demo concludes with the chunky, all-out Scandinavian mould PowerMetaler “Moving Fast”, patterned upon a galloping rhythm lead that comes across much like a beefed up version of Heart’s “Barracuda”. A very convincing demo that would not be equaled by the 12” EP or the full-lengther, the latter which finds the band mellowing down at large. All songs, minus “Moving Fast” would find their way onto vinyl, be it in a much more ‘polished’ / ‘clean’ version which is all too bad, as the initial concept and sound had the winning moves…
songs: Evil Force / The Final Eclipse / A Thousand Nights / Moving Fast //
This Sweden based, female fronted outfit produced a string of vinyls but never really got overground acclaim, the more so, as their best material ever produced dates back to their ’82 “Silverhawk” 7” EP and this particular demo from the very same year. Even though this recording is hampered by its flat, garage-type production, its musical concept towers above the material produced ever after. The demo starts off in a gloomy, melodic Doom fashion with “Evil Force”, patterned upon a MF Fate-esque hammer-on lead guitar, before it develops as a mid-paced, all-out Scandinavian Metaler with a lot of guitar, and the fragile ‘helium’ type vocals of Susanne Christensen as the main draw. Towards the end, the song climaxes, as it intensifies and the guitar goes on forever over the ‘barbarian’ type chant in a repetitive mode. The gloomy, moderately-paced “Final Eclipse” truly captures the Scandinavian, ‘barbaric’ atmosphere in a melodic appearance. The guitars on this one are very heavy, cranking out some grainy, repetitive leads and PowerMetal type modes in both riffage and sound. “A Thousand Nights” is rather mediocre, Euro-HardRock / Metal in the German / Warlock vein but entertaining nonetheless. The demo concludes with the chunky, all-out Scandinavian mould PowerMetaler “Moving Fast”, patterned upon a galloping rhythm lead that comes across much like a beefed up version of Heart’s “Barracuda”. A very convincing demo that would not be equaled by the 12” EP or the full-lengther, the latter which finds the band mellowing down at large. All songs, minus “Moving Fast” would find their way onto vinyl, be it in a much more ‘polished’ / ‘clean’ version which is all too bad, as the initial concept and sound had the winning moves…
DEACON – DEMO US’85 “DEATH TO POSERS”
Songs: Death To Posers / Evermore / Praying And Hoping / Sins Will Burn / High Noon / I’ll Be Damned //
The title of the demo from this Brandon / Florida-based act basically says it all; this is not for posers and ‘false Metalers’ alike, moreover complimented by the lyrical contents of the anthematic Metaler “Death To Posers”, including ‘all-Metal’ phrasing such as; “We Reign In Millions, To Stand And Fight” or “We’ve Got The Glory, With Studs And Steel”, “Die False Metalers, We’re Out To Kill”……This is one of those ‘fist in the air & shout along’ workouts that truly captures the spirit of mid 80’s Metal. Too bad, the band doesn’t continue the demo in a similar fashion, as follow-up tune “Evermore” shows a completely different approach, tapping into U.S. HardCore TrashMetal mid 80’s style. “Praying And Hoping” is, despite its slow-pace, a most intense commodity; mostly on account of the incredibly harsh, over-the-top scream-style vocalage by singer ‘The Deacon’; not the most obvious song-structure and approach…The band slips into high gear with “Sins Will Burn”; a driven, Thrash / SpeedMetaler with a gripping beat. “High Noon” is pretty much cut from the same mould, patterned upon a fast, straight-forward drive. “I’ll Be Damned”, is a regular, riff-based Metal number, and actually quite mediocre, running down the standard programming. Deacon are not much of a technical out in terms of musicianship and structure, but do have an edge, if only for its winning title-track.
Songs: Death To Posers / Evermore / Praying And Hoping / Sins Will Burn / High Noon / I’ll Be Damned //
The title of the demo from this Brandon / Florida-based act basically says it all; this is not for posers and ‘false Metalers’ alike, moreover complimented by the lyrical contents of the anthematic Metaler “Death To Posers”, including ‘all-Metal’ phrasing such as; “We Reign In Millions, To Stand And Fight” or “We’ve Got The Glory, With Studs And Steel”, “Die False Metalers, We’re Out To Kill”……This is one of those ‘fist in the air & shout along’ workouts that truly captures the spirit of mid 80’s Metal. Too bad, the band doesn’t continue the demo in a similar fashion, as follow-up tune “Evermore” shows a completely different approach, tapping into U.S. HardCore TrashMetal mid 80’s style. “Praying And Hoping” is, despite its slow-pace, a most intense commodity; mostly on account of the incredibly harsh, over-the-top scream-style vocalage by singer ‘The Deacon’; not the most obvious song-structure and approach…The band slips into high gear with “Sins Will Burn”; a driven, Thrash / SpeedMetaler with a gripping beat. “High Noon” is pretty much cut from the same mould, patterned upon a fast, straight-forward drive. “I’ll Be Damned”, is a regular, riff-based Metal number, and actually quite mediocre, running down the standard programming. Deacon are not much of a technical out in terms of musicianship and structure, but do have an edge, if only for its winning title-track.
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DEATHSLAYER – CASSETTE EP US’84 “CRY OF THE SWORDS” *
Songs: Strange Illusions / Cry Of The Swords / Night Of The Burning Witch / Journey For Light / Deathslayer / Raven’s Nest //
There’s been a great deal of misconceptions about this particular release, often assumed to be a scarce, highly collectible piece of vinyl. Well, it IS NOT! There was plans to release this tape on vinyl and the band even got close to land a deal with Iron Works to tape this 6-songer on vinyl somewhere in the mid 80’s, but this never happened. The fact that is was circulated as a cassette-EP doesn’t exactly straighten up things here either! The “Cry Of The Swords” demo is the one and only release produced by this Brooklyn based outfit that initiated in march ’83 and was comprised of Johnny Hearts (guitar), Susanne Hearts (vocals), John Forte (bass) and Steve Alliano (drums). Other than it’s moniker may suggest, Deathslayer adopted some European mould Metal, on the verge of PowerMetal with technical, Progressive like twists and melodic bits (vocally). The demo – which actually is a selection from a 30 track repertoire!! - starts with “Strange Illusions”; a Progressive styled, minor scale guitar intro/instrumental. Next up is “Cry Of The Swords”; a true European geared, mid-paced Metal number that halfway develops into a moderately fast-paced, all-guitar oriented affair. “Night Of The Burning Witch” is entirely patterned upon a mobility lead guitar that goes in full with twin-modes during the extended solo. “Journey For Light” was also being featured on the “New York Metal’84” compilation (Rock City ’84) and is the most straight forward type number on the cassette. This catchy, riff-based upbeat number has a sticky nature and features a more convincing vocal performance of Susanne, delivering some double sung/dubbed, melodic lead lines, other than the regular, rather level-voice approach on the rest of the set. The mid-paced “Deathslayer” is a Progressive edged Metaler with bits of balladry before it furthers as a moderately fast instrumental. “Raven’s Nest” is another compilation track, appearing on the “Iron Tyrants vol.I” LP (World Metal ’84). This is the demo’s heaviest outlet; solid, straight forward and close to SpeedMetal, with double bass-drummage and the best , overall vocal-performance, covering a variety in pitch. Trademark of the band, however, is the guitar-style of Johnny Hearts; mobility-type, dominant, and technical in terms of structure and riffage. It is particularly this technicality and mobility in the guitar department that makes comparisons to both Siren and Brocas Helm arise, though the band says to be influenced by acts/artists such as Queensryche (slightly evident on “Deathslayer”), Iron Maiden and Rhandy Roads. Deathslayer definitely had class, just too bad, they never got to vinylize this set. Shortly after, the band continued as HELICON, replaced bass player John Forte by newcomer Hugh Essay, and planned to release a 7-song LP by that name, featuring 4 modified demo songs and three new tunes; “Take The Chance”, “Time Flight” and “Wild Spirit”. Again, this never happened!
Songs: Strange Illusions / Cry Of The Swords / Night Of The Burning Witch / Journey For Light / Deathslayer / Raven’s Nest //
There’s been a great deal of misconceptions about this particular release, often assumed to be a scarce, highly collectible piece of vinyl. Well, it IS NOT! There was plans to release this tape on vinyl and the band even got close to land a deal with Iron Works to tape this 6-songer on vinyl somewhere in the mid 80’s, but this never happened. The fact that is was circulated as a cassette-EP doesn’t exactly straighten up things here either! The “Cry Of The Swords” demo is the one and only release produced by this Brooklyn based outfit that initiated in march ’83 and was comprised of Johnny Hearts (guitar), Susanne Hearts (vocals), John Forte (bass) and Steve Alliano (drums). Other than it’s moniker may suggest, Deathslayer adopted some European mould Metal, on the verge of PowerMetal with technical, Progressive like twists and melodic bits (vocally). The demo – which actually is a selection from a 30 track repertoire!! - starts with “Strange Illusions”; a Progressive styled, minor scale guitar intro/instrumental. Next up is “Cry Of The Swords”; a true European geared, mid-paced Metal number that halfway develops into a moderately fast-paced, all-guitar oriented affair. “Night Of The Burning Witch” is entirely patterned upon a mobility lead guitar that goes in full with twin-modes during the extended solo. “Journey For Light” was also being featured on the “New York Metal’84” compilation (Rock City ’84) and is the most straight forward type number on the cassette. This catchy, riff-based upbeat number has a sticky nature and features a more convincing vocal performance of Susanne, delivering some double sung/dubbed, melodic lead lines, other than the regular, rather level-voice approach on the rest of the set. The mid-paced “Deathslayer” is a Progressive edged Metaler with bits of balladry before it furthers as a moderately fast instrumental. “Raven’s Nest” is another compilation track, appearing on the “Iron Tyrants vol.I” LP (World Metal ’84). This is the demo’s heaviest outlet; solid, straight forward and close to SpeedMetal, with double bass-drummage and the best , overall vocal-performance, covering a variety in pitch. Trademark of the band, however, is the guitar-style of Johnny Hearts; mobility-type, dominant, and technical in terms of structure and riffage. It is particularly this technicality and mobility in the guitar department that makes comparisons to both Siren and Brocas Helm arise, though the band says to be influenced by acts/artists such as Queensryche (slightly evident on “Deathslayer”), Iron Maiden and Rhandy Roads. Deathslayer definitely had class, just too bad, they never got to vinylize this set. Shortly after, the band continued as HELICON, replaced bass player John Forte by newcomer Hugh Essay, and planned to release a 7-song LP by that name, featuring 4 modified demo songs and three new tunes; “Take The Chance”, “Time Flight” and “Wild Spirit”. Again, this never happened!
DEATHWISH – DEMO HOL II ’82 “FULL SPEED AT HIGH LEVEL”
Songs: Quasimodo Zacharias / Motorcycling Killers / Her Song / Sinner / Prisoner / Tyrants Are Coming / Look Out For The Killer Queen / Mystic Demons / Gangland //
This Holland based unit never got to vinylize any of their material, but if they did, it surely would have ranked next to domestic acts such as Allied Forces, (early) Highway Chile and Dark Wizard. Deathwish initiated in ’80 by the Krancher brothers, and back then comprised of Vincent Krancher – guitar / vocals, Bert Dijkema – bass, Cliff Krancher – drums. Additionally, their manager Jelle Wiersma, took over the vocal duties and completed the line-up early ’82. One recorded two demos, first of which was the “Seven Days In Hell” demo, featuring the songs “DeathWish Rock”, “Snowman”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Chile”, “Goodlookin’ Woman”, “Strangers In The Dark” and “Certain Death”. The sound of Deathwish is genuine, early 80’s HardRock / Metal European style, and typically Dutch, as clearly witnessed on “Sinner”; an upbeat HardRock / Metal number that further accelerates in its mid-section. Deathwish are a pretty much, straight-forward type band that are not much into technicality, and not all-Metal but more like an accelerated HardRock unit. Throughout the music, the band has this Bluesy feel running underneath, further accented by the muscular vocalage of their singer, the Bluesy Rock ballads “Her Song” and “Gangland”, and the conventional, chord-riffed HardRocker “Prisoner”. Still, Deathwish has this unspoken, relentless, rough and ready appearance that somehow makes them outdo the average NWOBHM act. This is best captured on the demo’s heaviest moments, which are the mirror-like semi-Headbangers “Look Out For The Killer Queen” (with heavy style rhythm riffage) and “Mystic Demons”, plus the more groove-laden semi – Headbangers, “Motorcycling Killers” and “Tyrants Are Coming”. Now, this may not sound much like a medal winning affair, but it simply marks just the numerous quality acts that could have earned a certain degree of recognition if only they’d have had the proper promotional tools or a record deal to get the word out.
Songs: Quasimodo Zacharias / Motorcycling Killers / Her Song / Sinner / Prisoner / Tyrants Are Coming / Look Out For The Killer Queen / Mystic Demons / Gangland //
This Holland based unit never got to vinylize any of their material, but if they did, it surely would have ranked next to domestic acts such as Allied Forces, (early) Highway Chile and Dark Wizard. Deathwish initiated in ’80 by the Krancher brothers, and back then comprised of Vincent Krancher – guitar / vocals, Bert Dijkema – bass, Cliff Krancher – drums. Additionally, their manager Jelle Wiersma, took over the vocal duties and completed the line-up early ’82. One recorded two demos, first of which was the “Seven Days In Hell” demo, featuring the songs “DeathWish Rock”, “Snowman”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Chile”, “Goodlookin’ Woman”, “Strangers In The Dark” and “Certain Death”. The sound of Deathwish is genuine, early 80’s HardRock / Metal European style, and typically Dutch, as clearly witnessed on “Sinner”; an upbeat HardRock / Metal number that further accelerates in its mid-section. Deathwish are a pretty much, straight-forward type band that are not much into technicality, and not all-Metal but more like an accelerated HardRock unit. Throughout the music, the band has this Bluesy feel running underneath, further accented by the muscular vocalage of their singer, the Bluesy Rock ballads “Her Song” and “Gangland”, and the conventional, chord-riffed HardRocker “Prisoner”. Still, Deathwish has this unspoken, relentless, rough and ready appearance that somehow makes them outdo the average NWOBHM act. This is best captured on the demo’s heaviest moments, which are the mirror-like semi-Headbangers “Look Out For The Killer Queen” (with heavy style rhythm riffage) and “Mystic Demons”, plus the more groove-laden semi – Headbangers, “Motorcycling Killers” and “Tyrants Are Coming”. Now, this may not sound much like a medal winning affair, but it simply marks just the numerous quality acts that could have earned a certain degree of recognition if only they’d have had the proper promotional tools or a record deal to get the word out.
DEEP MACHINE (UK) - DEMOS
There sure is a story to tell about this East London based outfit whose name keeps popping up in NWOBHM history, and directly, or indirectly is affiliated with a whole string of bands, including Angelwitch, E.F.Band, Tokyo Blade, Janine, Paul Di’Anno’s Battlezone, Lonewolf, and Blind Fury. Ever since its existence - at the upstarts of the genre in the late 70’s / early 80’s - Deep Machine (which may well have been a moniker merged from Deep Purple and Deep Purple’s “Machine Head” LP although the Purple influence only but is evidenced on this one song called “Deep Machine” - had been hampered at a large scale by unstable line-ups and seemed much like a revolving door to, or from other acts in the field. Nonetheless, the moniker Deep Machine would be a guarantee for genuine, A1 mark NWOBHM that stood the test of time, as the genre developed, but never made it to the vinyl stage, only to go up in smoke and live on just by its name and a handful of demos produced along the way. About time to highlight this quality act and the material they produced over the years. As far as line-ups concerns, there’s been to many to list, but when it comes to its members, most memorable were, of course, its initiator, guitarist Bob Hooker, bassist Andy Wrighton (Tokyo Blade), guitarist John Wiggins, and guitarist / singer Kevin Heybourne (initiator Angelwitch), the latter who replaced Bob Hooker upon departure. Some of its other members included Roger Marsden (vocals), Rick Bruce (drums), Steven Kingsley? (drums), Tony Harris? (guitar), Paul Smith (guitar), Tony Smith (vocals). When Kevin Heybourne left the band, he was joined by Roger and Rick to re-ignite Angelwitch. In turns, Andy Wrighton and John Wiggins blew new life into Deep Machine late ’82 with drummer Grahmiv Johnson and female singer Donna Jean. In this ‘new’ line up they also recorded a demo in ’83 featuring the songs: “Feed The Fever”, “Freeway” and “Sin (Is just A State Of Mind)”, hallmarked by the rough style vocals by Donna. For the genre, the music produced in this line-up boasted an impressive crunch on the lead guitar, that brings the band close to US PowerMetal outfits on the riveting “Feed The fever” that could easily cope with early Jag Panzer riff-style if it wasn’t for the groove factor of this up-tempo Metaler. The Blues injected HardRocker “Freeway” shows a more moderate approach but still carries a lot of boost, both in the guitar and vocal department. The demo concludes with the slow-burner “Sin…” with the Blues thing re-appearing in a beefed-up HardRock fashion. Prior to this, the band recorded a whole set of originals which included heavy balladry (“Spellbound”, “Saga”), conventional rooted HardRockers, addressing to the likes of Saxon on the up-tempos “The Rider” (connecting with “Rough’n’Ready), “Killer”, and the mid-paced “Dressed To Kill”, riffed much in the styles of “Wheels Of Steel”. Remarkable is the Iron Maiden sound that comes clearly surfacing on the “Killers”-alike “Fallen Angel” (with similar harmonies and structure), the versatile, “Phantom Of The Opera” flavoured “Overloaded”, and “Premonition”, the latter which strongly clings to Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. Numbers that had more of an own swing included “Nightstalker”, “Asylum”, and “Witchchild” to name a few. Overall, the band’s approach was pretty much geared towards compact, energetic songs with a fairly uncompromising, straight forward nature, and NWOBHM by all means. With a strong fanbase at the famous East-End venue “Ruskin Arms” and Holland’s “Dynamo” - both of which respectively triggered the success of bands such as Iron Maiden and Jaguar for instance – Deep Machine should have been the next in line, the more so as the band had the sound and potential to pull it off…..
There sure is a story to tell about this East London based outfit whose name keeps popping up in NWOBHM history, and directly, or indirectly is affiliated with a whole string of bands, including Angelwitch, E.F.Band, Tokyo Blade, Janine, Paul Di’Anno’s Battlezone, Lonewolf, and Blind Fury. Ever since its existence - at the upstarts of the genre in the late 70’s / early 80’s - Deep Machine (which may well have been a moniker merged from Deep Purple and Deep Purple’s “Machine Head” LP although the Purple influence only but is evidenced on this one song called “Deep Machine” - had been hampered at a large scale by unstable line-ups and seemed much like a revolving door to, or from other acts in the field. Nonetheless, the moniker Deep Machine would be a guarantee for genuine, A1 mark NWOBHM that stood the test of time, as the genre developed, but never made it to the vinyl stage, only to go up in smoke and live on just by its name and a handful of demos produced along the way. About time to highlight this quality act and the material they produced over the years. As far as line-ups concerns, there’s been to many to list, but when it comes to its members, most memorable were, of course, its initiator, guitarist Bob Hooker, bassist Andy Wrighton (Tokyo Blade), guitarist John Wiggins, and guitarist / singer Kevin Heybourne (initiator Angelwitch), the latter who replaced Bob Hooker upon departure. Some of its other members included Roger Marsden (vocals), Rick Bruce (drums), Steven Kingsley? (drums), Tony Harris? (guitar), Paul Smith (guitar), Tony Smith (vocals). When Kevin Heybourne left the band, he was joined by Roger and Rick to re-ignite Angelwitch. In turns, Andy Wrighton and John Wiggins blew new life into Deep Machine late ’82 with drummer Grahmiv Johnson and female singer Donna Jean. In this ‘new’ line up they also recorded a demo in ’83 featuring the songs: “Feed The Fever”, “Freeway” and “Sin (Is just A State Of Mind)”, hallmarked by the rough style vocals by Donna. For the genre, the music produced in this line-up boasted an impressive crunch on the lead guitar, that brings the band close to US PowerMetal outfits on the riveting “Feed The fever” that could easily cope with early Jag Panzer riff-style if it wasn’t for the groove factor of this up-tempo Metaler. The Blues injected HardRocker “Freeway” shows a more moderate approach but still carries a lot of boost, both in the guitar and vocal department. The demo concludes with the slow-burner “Sin…” with the Blues thing re-appearing in a beefed-up HardRock fashion. Prior to this, the band recorded a whole set of originals which included heavy balladry (“Spellbound”, “Saga”), conventional rooted HardRockers, addressing to the likes of Saxon on the up-tempos “The Rider” (connecting with “Rough’n’Ready), “Killer”, and the mid-paced “Dressed To Kill”, riffed much in the styles of “Wheels Of Steel”. Remarkable is the Iron Maiden sound that comes clearly surfacing on the “Killers”-alike “Fallen Angel” (with similar harmonies and structure), the versatile, “Phantom Of The Opera” flavoured “Overloaded”, and “Premonition”, the latter which strongly clings to Maiden’s “Hallowed Be Thy Name”. Numbers that had more of an own swing included “Nightstalker”, “Asylum”, and “Witchchild” to name a few. Overall, the band’s approach was pretty much geared towards compact, energetic songs with a fairly uncompromising, straight forward nature, and NWOBHM by all means. With a strong fanbase at the famous East-End venue “Ruskin Arms” and Holland’s “Dynamo” - both of which respectively triggered the success of bands such as Iron Maiden and Jaguar for instance – Deep Machine should have been the next in line, the more so as the band had the sound and potential to pull it off…..
DEFCON – DEMO US’85 “KILL POSERS”
Songs: Red Light / Dungeon Of Evil / Descenders From Hell / Sniper / War Of The World //
A selected few may only know about this Huntington Beach (US) located quintet through their contribution to the ’86 “Thrash Metal Attack vol.I” compilation LP (“Red Light”). Even fewer may be acquainted with the ’85 “Kill Posers” demo, and it definitely comes to the core of Underground Metalheads that know to link this band with Metallica, as the latter mentioned had their first vinyl appearance (on the “Metal Massacre” vol.I compilation LP) with guitarist Lloyd Grant on guitar. It would, however, take another three years for Lloyd and co. to circulate any material under the banner of Defcon. Their ’85 “Kill Posers” demo sports the typical, mid-80’s HardCore Thrash thing (as that is how this music was stickered back then), generated by many bands and compilations from the continent. So, other than one may expect, the Metallica sound is far off, only to come surfacing once on the agility riffed “Dungeon Of Evil” in the shape of “Motorbreath” (“Kill ‘Em All” LP) alike programming and vocal lines, be it in a faster and heavier mode with slam-drive drums. “Red Light” has a modest HardRock/Metal beginning, to develop into a lightning fast Speed / Thrash Metal number with hints of early Hallow’s Eve. “Descenders From Hell” is another fast-paced offering, HardCore Metal style, with a matching, snappy vocal style delivered by Chuck Tresler (which got replaced by Steve Williams by the time things got vinylized, as was drummer Mike Pepin). Getting back to the song, reference-wise, it happens to sound pretty much like an intensified Savage Grace. Another reference to the HardCore Thrash thing comes in the shape of the upbeat “Sniper” with its ‘chainsaw’ type guitar attack. The demo concludes with “War Of The World” which has some up-tempo in there but overall moves in over-the-top speed. Tools of the trade throughout the demo are heavy staccato-riffage, snappy vocalage and slam-drive drums, gelling a musical content that entirely connects with the heavier, second generation US Metal acts.
Songs: Red Light / Dungeon Of Evil / Descenders From Hell / Sniper / War Of The World //
A selected few may only know about this Huntington Beach (US) located quintet through their contribution to the ’86 “Thrash Metal Attack vol.I” compilation LP (“Red Light”). Even fewer may be acquainted with the ’85 “Kill Posers” demo, and it definitely comes to the core of Underground Metalheads that know to link this band with Metallica, as the latter mentioned had their first vinyl appearance (on the “Metal Massacre” vol.I compilation LP) with guitarist Lloyd Grant on guitar. It would, however, take another three years for Lloyd and co. to circulate any material under the banner of Defcon. Their ’85 “Kill Posers” demo sports the typical, mid-80’s HardCore Thrash thing (as that is how this music was stickered back then), generated by many bands and compilations from the continent. So, other than one may expect, the Metallica sound is far off, only to come surfacing once on the agility riffed “Dungeon Of Evil” in the shape of “Motorbreath” (“Kill ‘Em All” LP) alike programming and vocal lines, be it in a faster and heavier mode with slam-drive drums. “Red Light” has a modest HardRock/Metal beginning, to develop into a lightning fast Speed / Thrash Metal number with hints of early Hallow’s Eve. “Descenders From Hell” is another fast-paced offering, HardCore Metal style, with a matching, snappy vocal style delivered by Chuck Tresler (which got replaced by Steve Williams by the time things got vinylized, as was drummer Mike Pepin). Getting back to the song, reference-wise, it happens to sound pretty much like an intensified Savage Grace. Another reference to the HardCore Thrash thing comes in the shape of the upbeat “Sniper” with its ‘chainsaw’ type guitar attack. The demo concludes with “War Of The World” which has some up-tempo in there but overall moves in over-the-top speed. Tools of the trade throughout the demo are heavy staccato-riffage, snappy vocalage and slam-drive drums, gelling a musical content that entirely connects with the heavier, second generation US Metal acts.
DEFENDER – DEMO HOL ’84 “TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED”
songs: Defender / The Redeemer / Shooting The Rapids / Passing By //
Prior to the “City Ad Mortis” MLP (CBS ’87), This Holland based 5-piece – not to mistaken for the German outfit that released the private press ’89 MLP “A Symbol Of Devotion” - recorded a demo, which is particularly interesting in view of the fact that none of its tunes appeared on the disc. This demo never really got international media response, and about the same applies to the MLP, even considering that it was released on a major record-label (EMI. This, however, all adds up to the collector’s value of both items, the more so as the musical quality and potential is high up in European Metal / SpeedMetal territories. The A-side opens in full-speed fashion with “Defender”; a catchy, instant-access Metal number with Maiden-inspired guitar harmonies and 2 solo-sections. “The Redeemer” is a double-bass drummed semi-Banger with a faster drive running underneath its mid-tempo gear. The instrumental “Shooting The Rapids” on the B-side, sports a similar drive with complementary timings (onto SpeedMetal) and lots of harmonized phrasing that draw largely on the styles of Iron Maiden. “Passing By”, a Heavy Ballad, alternates semi-acoustic picking layers with heavier sections, touching lightly on Bitches Sin’s “Ice Angels”. This is one very complete and pro-done demo; from the packaging and crystal clear production to the musical side of things. It’s got all the trimmings, both concept and performance wise, including fast tunes, chunky Metal, semi-balladry, plus, matching, rough-edged vocals, harmonized leads, solos and double-bass drummage. Allround quality that was overlooked at a large scale….
songs: Defender / The Redeemer / Shooting The Rapids / Passing By //
Prior to the “City Ad Mortis” MLP (CBS ’87), This Holland based 5-piece – not to mistaken for the German outfit that released the private press ’89 MLP “A Symbol Of Devotion” - recorded a demo, which is particularly interesting in view of the fact that none of its tunes appeared on the disc. This demo never really got international media response, and about the same applies to the MLP, even considering that it was released on a major record-label (EMI. This, however, all adds up to the collector’s value of both items, the more so as the musical quality and potential is high up in European Metal / SpeedMetal territories. The A-side opens in full-speed fashion with “Defender”; a catchy, instant-access Metal number with Maiden-inspired guitar harmonies and 2 solo-sections. “The Redeemer” is a double-bass drummed semi-Banger with a faster drive running underneath its mid-tempo gear. The instrumental “Shooting The Rapids” on the B-side, sports a similar drive with complementary timings (onto SpeedMetal) and lots of harmonized phrasing that draw largely on the styles of Iron Maiden. “Passing By”, a Heavy Ballad, alternates semi-acoustic picking layers with heavier sections, touching lightly on Bitches Sin’s “Ice Angels”. This is one very complete and pro-done demo; from the packaging and crystal clear production to the musical side of things. It’s got all the trimmings, both concept and performance wise, including fast tunes, chunky Metal, semi-balladry, plus, matching, rough-edged vocals, harmonized leads, solos and double-bass drummage. Allround quality that was overlooked at a large scale….
 |  Photo by WITCHSLAYER
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WITCHSLAYER – DEMO US I’82
Songs: Witchslayer / Losin’ It / I Don’t Want To Die / Seduction / Deceiver //
Chicago-based outfit Witchslayer is one of such bands that could have made it and this demo proves it all! Their concept was quite ahead of it’s time, exploring the paths of Doom, Metal and PowerMetal. The band’s trademark was their incredible intensity that even came off on the more Doom flavoured outlets; a fine example of this is “Deceiver”, an ultra slow, grinding Doomster in the styles of Sabbath. “Witchslayer” opens the demo in a mid/up-tempo PowerMetal fashion with a gripping lead-riff and a razor-sharp appearance with a matching, snappy vocal style and aggressive, shout-style chorus. “Losin’ It” has the Doom thing firmly incorporated, being driven by a slug-pace before the song develops into a riveting up-tempo Metaler. “I Don’t Want To Die” (also featured on the Metal Massacre IV compilation, Metal Blade ’84) is the most versatile outlet on the demo, extremely heavy in the guitar department and multi-patterned, highlighting the mobility-factor in structure, riffage and bass-lead guitar synchronization. The mid-paced “Seduction” sports the most intense, chainsaw-type riffage and comes with another good lot of short, accelerated sections. A most convincing demo in all, just too bad it never got vinylized back in the days….
Songs: Witchslayer / Losin’ It / I Don’t Want To Die / Seduction / Deceiver //
Chicago-based outfit Witchslayer is one of such bands that could have made it and this demo proves it all! Their concept was quite ahead of it’s time, exploring the paths of Doom, Metal and PowerMetal. The band’s trademark was their incredible intensity that even came off on the more Doom flavoured outlets; a fine example of this is “Deceiver”, an ultra slow, grinding Doomster in the styles of Sabbath. “Witchslayer” opens the demo in a mid/up-tempo PowerMetal fashion with a gripping lead-riff and a razor-sharp appearance with a matching, snappy vocal style and aggressive, shout-style chorus. “Losin’ It” has the Doom thing firmly incorporated, being driven by a slug-pace before the song develops into a riveting up-tempo Metaler. “I Don’t Want To Die” (also featured on the Metal Massacre IV compilation, Metal Blade ’84) is the most versatile outlet on the demo, extremely heavy in the guitar department and multi-patterned, highlighting the mobility-factor in structure, riffage and bass-lead guitar synchronization. The mid-paced “Seduction” sports the most intense, chainsaw-type riffage and comes with another good lot of short, accelerated sections. A most convincing demo in all, just too bad it never got vinylized back in the days….