VAULTING THE PUMMEL HORSE
Ey up! Hello again lads & lassies, another sampling of the obscure & the semi-legendary coming your way this evening from the very bowels of rock's secret stash. There's an international flavour to tonight's collection, taking in bands from the UK, America, Canada, Sweden, and in the case of the first item, the band itself is comprised of two different nationalities, Spanish and American.
So let's get to it eh?
In 2004, THE DICTATORS were on what looked to be a long break, so drummer JP "Thunderbolt" Patterson and guitarist Ross The Boss (ex- MANOWAR, SHAKIN' STREET & BRAIN SURGEONS), would play instrumentals together just for the fun of it. Along with CJ Scioscia, they recorded an instrumental CD, entitled "Thunderbolt Patterson with Ross The Boss", as THUNDERBOSS. Around the same time, JP's Spanish friend Juancho, from the band BUMMER suggested to him that he, J.P. and Ross get together with Fernando and Miguel Pardo from the band SEX MUSEUM and form a band. Madrid meets NYC, with members of Spanish rock bands and half of the Dictators. Following several fruitful rehearsals together, THE THUNDERBOLTS, as they were now dubbed, toured Spain with GUITAR MAFIA, as well as playing a couple of THIN LIZZY Tribute shows, with a few Dictators songs thrown in for an encore. A good time was had by all, so all agreed to do it again. In May 2006, the album, "The Thunderbolts", was released on CD by Rock On! Music. In Japan, the single "On The Tip" was released, backed with "Stay With Me". In early 2007, they played an eleven city Thunderbolts tour of Spain which included songs by THE DICTATORS, THUNDERBOSS, THIN LIZZY, MANOWAR and new original songs which have not yet been recorded by the band.
THE THUNDERBOLTS - The Thunderbolts (2006) USA
http://rapidshare.com/files/167025232/THE_THUNDERBOLTS_-_The_Thunderbolts__USA-ESP-2006_.rar
Chicago Metalworks Battalion was an early 1980's compilation album featuring (as the title implies), Heavy Metal bands from the state of Chicago. Some of the featured bands reputations have grown steadily over time, such as SLAUTER XSTROYES, DIAMOND REXX and SILENT RAGE, but there are also a wealth of more obscure artists present, such as PARADOXX, FELONY, BLACKSTAR, LUNACY, WARCRY, TORMENT and MAELSTROM. The album was successful enough at the time to spawn at least one sequel, (perhaps more, i'm not sure), but it's very hard to find nowadays. If you do track a mint original copy down expect to pay a hefty price to secure it.
VARIOUS - Chicago Metalworks Battalion ('80's) USA
http://rapidshare.com/files/167034621/VARIOUS_-_Chicago_Metalworks_Battalion__USA-80s_.rar
RUNESTAFF began life in Ipswich in 1980 as an all male quintet in the Tolkien inspired Prog Rock mould. Their first recorded product would be a three track 1982 demo cassette recorded at Hillside Sound Studios in Ipswich. Dogged by line-up shuffles the band added vocalist Joanna Symes when guitarist/vocalist Andy Page departed. However, Page soon returned, inspired by the possibilities opened up by the new singer, concentrating solely on guitar. The band spent the next couple of years building up a strong live following with constant gigging and the odd decent support slot, gradually adding a Harder edge to their Proggy sound. The Wolverhampton based Heavy Metal Records issued a self-titled album in 1985. They followed this with two 7" singles, "Road To Ruin", and "Do It!" on Heavy Metal subsidiary FM/Revolver Records later that same year. Tragically, keyboard player Kaust Rakhit died of Thalasemia in mid 1985 and was replaced by Barry Godfrey. Depressed by the death of his friend, Page quit once more in 1986. A planned second album was stalled as vocalist Joanne Syme suffered a serious throat problem. With their momentum stalled by Syme's illness the band gradually dissolved in late '86.
RUNESTAFF - Runestaff (1985) UK
http://rapidshare.com/files/167040123/RUNESTAFF_-_Runestaff__UK-1985_.rar
TRUX were an obscure New Wave Of British Heavy Metal quartet who only managed one release during their lifetime. The "Bad Luck" 7" single was released in 1982 on the bands own Trux Records label. One of the most obscure releases from a genre filled with hard to find records, expect to pay silly money for a copy of this record, if you can find it.
TRUX - Bad Luck 7" (1982) UK
http://rapidshare.com/files/167051879/TRUX_-_Bad_Luck_7____UK-1982_.rar
I'll let Dan's Corroseum review do the talking on this next one.
This is one of the best, and for sure the most overlooked, Swedish metal single of the eighties. I can’t understand why it is so seldom seen on want or favelists. Sure it is rare, but that’s usually not an obstacle. Could be because of the late date of release or their not so heavy look on the front cover, but that sure as hell are no acceptable excuses. ”King of the Sea” is one of the most memorable moments in Swedish metal history. An up-tempo metal hymn with neat a-string riffing and a fantastic chorus that will lift you high above the clouds on wings of steel, or something like that. Kind of similar to the godly-in-it’s-own-right TREASURE single, but with better vocals and musicianship. Other names that spring to my mind are bands on the more metallic side of the NWOBHM, like AVENGER or BLITZKRIEG. The b-side is a melancholic acoustic ballad, but with a soaring chorus and a really heavy solo section. After a few spins you will realize that it’s nearly as divine as the a-side. Trumpets must sound and mp3’s be spread, until justice is done and Jackwave put where they rightfully belong: In the hall of fame.
JACKWAVE - King Of The Sea 7" (1986) Sweden
http://rapidshare.com/files/167048710/JACKWAVE_-_King_Of_The_Sea_7____SWE-1986_.rar
Finally tonight, Lord Ryur only made this one recording, but it's a good one. Due to the high, wailing vocals used in both songs and the traditional 80s metal style, comparisons are inevitably made to KING DIAMOND/MERCYFUL FATE. However, by far the best comparison is to SACRED OATH, particularly the excellent A-side, "Pact with the Sinner". The song has an interesting structure, a very catchy chorus, and showcases both normal and high vocals that add texture to the song. As is typical for bands using high-pitched vocals, "Pact With the Sinner" develops a somewhat eerie vibe similar to many compositions by King Diamond, LORDS OF THE CRIMSON ALLIANCE, and Sacred Oath. The B-side is less memorable but is still in the same galloping, slightly epic vein that will conjure up memories of Sacred Oath's "A Crystal Vision" album more than any other record I can think of. If you like galloping, epic metal along the lines of OMEN or GOTHIC KNIGHTS and don't mind higher vocals akin to King Diamond and Sacred Oath, then check out Lord Ryur if you get a chance. Note that the band hailed from Canada (not the US as sometimes stated) and the single was limited to a tiny pressing of 100 copies. Review from http://metal-archives.com/
LORD RYUR - Pact With The Sinner 7" (1986) Canada
http://rapidshare.com/files/167044071/LORD_RYUR_-_Pact_With_A_Sinner_7____Can-1986_.rar
Well, that's it for another week, hope you enjoy this weeks selection of goodies. As always, if you still need more, check out my other place : http://guntherspaps.blogspot.com/ , and please keep the comments coming folks, it's been getting a little quiet round here lately.
So let's get to it eh?
In 2004, THE DICTATORS were on what looked to be a long break, so drummer JP "Thunderbolt" Patterson and guitarist Ross The Boss (ex- MANOWAR, SHAKIN' STREET & BRAIN SURGEONS), would play instrumentals together just for the fun of it. Along with CJ Scioscia, they recorded an instrumental CD, entitled "Thunderbolt Patterson with Ross The Boss", as THUNDERBOSS. Around the same time, JP's Spanish friend Juancho, from the band BUMMER suggested to him that he, J.P. and Ross get together with Fernando and Miguel Pardo from the band SEX MUSEUM and form a band. Madrid meets NYC, with members of Spanish rock bands and half of the Dictators. Following several fruitful rehearsals together, THE THUNDERBOLTS, as they were now dubbed, toured Spain with GUITAR MAFIA, as well as playing a couple of THIN LIZZY Tribute shows, with a few Dictators songs thrown in for an encore. A good time was had by all, so all agreed to do it again. In May 2006, the album, "The Thunderbolts", was released on CD by Rock On! Music. In Japan, the single "On The Tip" was released, backed with "Stay With Me". In early 2007, they played an eleven city Thunderbolts tour of Spain which included songs by THE DICTATORS, THUNDERBOSS, THIN LIZZY, MANOWAR and new original songs which have not yet been recorded by the band.
THE THUNDERBOLTS - The Thunderbolts (2006) USA
http://rapidshare.com/files/167025232/THE_THUNDERBOLTS_-_The_Thunderbolts__USA-ESP-2006_.rarChicago Metalworks Battalion was an early 1980's compilation album featuring (as the title implies), Heavy Metal bands from the state of Chicago. Some of the featured bands reputations have grown steadily over time, such as SLAUTER XSTROYES, DIAMOND REXX and SILENT RAGE, but there are also a wealth of more obscure artists present, such as PARADOXX, FELONY, BLACKSTAR, LUNACY, WARCRY, TORMENT and MAELSTROM. The album was successful enough at the time to spawn at least one sequel, (perhaps more, i'm not sure), but it's very hard to find nowadays. If you do track a mint original copy down expect to pay a hefty price to secure it.
VARIOUS - Chicago Metalworks Battalion ('80's) USA
http://rapidshare.com/files/167034621/VARIOUS_-_Chicago_Metalworks_Battalion__USA-80s_.rarRUNESTAFF began life in Ipswich in 1980 as an all male quintet in the Tolkien inspired Prog Rock mould. Their first recorded product would be a three track 1982 demo cassette recorded at Hillside Sound Studios in Ipswich. Dogged by line-up shuffles the band added vocalist Joanna Symes when guitarist/vocalist Andy Page departed. However, Page soon returned, inspired by the possibilities opened up by the new singer, concentrating solely on guitar. The band spent the next couple of years building up a strong live following with constant gigging and the odd decent support slot, gradually adding a Harder edge to their Proggy sound. The Wolverhampton based Heavy Metal Records issued a self-titled album in 1985. They followed this with two 7" singles, "Road To Ruin", and "Do It!" on Heavy Metal subsidiary FM/Revolver Records later that same year. Tragically, keyboard player Kaust Rakhit died of Thalasemia in mid 1985 and was replaced by Barry Godfrey. Depressed by the death of his friend, Page quit once more in 1986. A planned second album was stalled as vocalist Joanne Syme suffered a serious throat problem. With their momentum stalled by Syme's illness the band gradually dissolved in late '86.
RUNESTAFF - Runestaff (1985) UK
http://rapidshare.com/files/167040123/RUNESTAFF_-_Runestaff__UK-1985_.rarTRUX were an obscure New Wave Of British Heavy Metal quartet who only managed one release during their lifetime. The "Bad Luck" 7" single was released in 1982 on the bands own Trux Records label. One of the most obscure releases from a genre filled with hard to find records, expect to pay silly money for a copy of this record, if you can find it.
TRUX - Bad Luck 7" (1982) UK
http://rapidshare.com/files/167051879/TRUX_-_Bad_Luck_7____UK-1982_.rarI'll let Dan's Corroseum review do the talking on this next one.
This is one of the best, and for sure the most overlooked, Swedish metal single of the eighties. I can’t understand why it is so seldom seen on want or favelists. Sure it is rare, but that’s usually not an obstacle. Could be because of the late date of release or their not so heavy look on the front cover, but that sure as hell are no acceptable excuses. ”King of the Sea” is one of the most memorable moments in Swedish metal history. An up-tempo metal hymn with neat a-string riffing and a fantastic chorus that will lift you high above the clouds on wings of steel, or something like that. Kind of similar to the godly-in-it’s-own-right TREASURE single, but with better vocals and musicianship. Other names that spring to my mind are bands on the more metallic side of the NWOBHM, like AVENGER or BLITZKRIEG. The b-side is a melancholic acoustic ballad, but with a soaring chorus and a really heavy solo section. After a few spins you will realize that it’s nearly as divine as the a-side. Trumpets must sound and mp3’s be spread, until justice is done and Jackwave put where they rightfully belong: In the hall of fame.
JACKWAVE - King Of The Sea 7" (1986) Sweden
http://rapidshare.com/files/167048710/JACKWAVE_-_King_Of_The_Sea_7____SWE-1986_.rarFinally tonight, Lord Ryur only made this one recording, but it's a good one. Due to the high, wailing vocals used in both songs and the traditional 80s metal style, comparisons are inevitably made to KING DIAMOND/MERCYFUL FATE. However, by far the best comparison is to SACRED OATH, particularly the excellent A-side, "Pact with the Sinner". The song has an interesting structure, a very catchy chorus, and showcases both normal and high vocals that add texture to the song. As is typical for bands using high-pitched vocals, "Pact With the Sinner" develops a somewhat eerie vibe similar to many compositions by King Diamond, LORDS OF THE CRIMSON ALLIANCE, and Sacred Oath. The B-side is less memorable but is still in the same galloping, slightly epic vein that will conjure up memories of Sacred Oath's "A Crystal Vision" album more than any other record I can think of. If you like galloping, epic metal along the lines of OMEN or GOTHIC KNIGHTS and don't mind higher vocals akin to King Diamond and Sacred Oath, then check out Lord Ryur if you get a chance. Note that the band hailed from Canada (not the US as sometimes stated) and the single was limited to a tiny pressing of 100 copies. Review from http://metal-archives.com/
LORD RYUR - Pact With The Sinner 7" (1986) Canada
http://rapidshare.com/files/167044071/LORD_RYUR_-_Pact_With_A_Sinner_7____Can-1986_.rar
Well, that's it for another week, hope you enjoy this weeks selection of goodies. As always, if you still need more, check out my other place : http://guntherspaps.blogspot.com/ , and please keep the comments coming folks, it's been getting a little quiet round here lately.
posted by bigfootkit at 4:27 PM
16 Comments:
Thanks for all this great stuff.
Nice batch, as always! Looking forward to hearing that chicago metal comp (I recently got a copy of the 'chicago class of '85' comp but haven't even had time to play it yet). Chicago seemed to be a major metal hub in the mid-late 80s, as did Cleveland, although I wonder if the cleveland scene flourished a bit later (off the top of my head it seems like Cleveland bands were putting more out in the mid-late 80s instead of the early-mid 80s, but maybe i'm way off base).
Lord Ryur is a very cool record. Oddly, the price seems to have actually come down some in recent years. Even though the pressing was tiny at 100 copies, a fairly large number are known to be in collector/dealer hands (reportedly at least 1/3 of the copies are accounted for). Still not gonna turn up at Wal-Mart in the $4.99 bin.
Been catching up on recent posts. The Weapon demo was good but frustratingly inconsistent- for every great song they also did a rather blase song. The Denigh was a bit disappointing; seems they went for a more plain, AC/DC vibe after the single. Not bad, but not a cracker like the single. Really like that Sashay single, although I still can't decide whether the band name or sleeve art is more embarrassing :-) Tailgunner proved to be pretty good, though I would never have thought it was recorded after 1979 :-) Also liked the Spike LP alot; 'Bad News' has long been a favorite tune of mine, but I didn't remember the rest of the album being so good (apparently the couple of songs with a bad glam-sleaze-blues tinge to them got stuck in my head and blotted out all memory of the good songs except 'Bad News').
Happy early thanksgiving.... do people outside the US celebrate thanksgiving? If not, have a nice thursday :-)
Wow! Quick responses tonight.
Nightslood, i think your question regarding Sashay has only one answer. Is the name of the band or the cover art most embarrassing? My vote would go to the tee-shirt! Can you imagine how ghastly it was? (Shudder)
We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Scotland, but thanks, i appreciate the sentiment, i hope you have a great one!
Wow, dude, thanks a LOT for the Runestaff album!! You guys sure were able to dig up a LOT of personal info on this band, which I definitely appreciate!
Runestaff is awesome... Igonna try the rest Thanks
Thanks for posting the Chicago Metalworks! I've been wanting to hear that one for a while. Was the rip you have recorded off of the radio? I assume all that talking in between songs isn't on the actual vinyl.
I haven't finished listening to it yet but I noticed a couple tracks were labeled wrong. The "unknown" track is Warcry - Hot Rocker and the one labeled Warcry is actually Francois - Just Like You.
Hi Kit, Thanks a lot. Great post. Take care, Blofeld
First of all: thanks for all the great work you do on this blog.
The song on the B-side of JACKWAVE King Of The Sea 7" has a lot of flaws in it. Do you have a better version of it? Would be nice as it is a great song.
Then: could you re-upload the SYE record posted way back on these pages? That link is down you see. Thanks in advance anyway!
Great batch of record. The only thing to criticise (if so) is the b side of the Jackwave 7", since it's almost unbearable due to the flaws on it. The a side is okay (and musically even better) but still I would love to have the b side in its full glory.
A repost in a better quality would be too great.
M.
Sorry about that Jackwave b-side folks. That's the only rip i have of it i'm afraid, and it didn't sound too bad on my mp3 player, but through speakers is another matter unfortunately. Can someone else can provide a better copy maybe? Likewise, my apologies for the glitches in the Shadowfax 7" recently, that was posted without checking it first. Again, i don't have the original so am unable to upgrade it with a better copy.
Hope these two recent blips haven't spoiled your overall enjoyment of the recent posts here. Thanks for the comments, please keep 'em comin'.
Hi there!
Here's the correct info on the Chicago compilation incl. correct tracklist:
V/A - "Chicago Metal Works Battalion #1" Comp LP 1986 (Silver Fin Records)
Paradoxx "Plan of attak"
Felony "Felony"
Blackstar "Don't Ever Leave Me"
Silent Rage Pedal to the Metal"
Lunacy "Give it up"
Warcry "Hot Rocker"
Francois "Just Like You"
Diamond Rexx "Up and Down"
Torment "Freedom Fighters"
Slauter Xstroyes "No Idea"
Maelstrom "Unleash the dogs"
Keep the Metal coming!
Thanks for keeping up the great posts! LORD RYUR is excellent.
Would love the NATTSVART ep (VARGARNA/DRAKENS ÖGA) from 1982 if you have it. I've had a hell of a time finding it.
Hi guys!
Thanx for uploading all this wonderful music. I download many of the stuff you put on this blog and I can say I educate myself through your blog. Thanx a million
If you have any wants list or just want to drop me a line my mail is michaback@hotmail.com and I'd love to hear from you!
Cheers
Mik
A useful tip
This won't have effect in fact, that's exactly what I believe.
Lord Ryur 7 are on sale to ebay.ca at $500 USD thats the cheaper price i found ,, i will buy it soon ,, thats a very rare 7
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