GIRLSCHOOL • Running Wild LP

PolyGram Records 1985
Alright, I think this one is a bit of a rarity... certainly I'd never seen or even heard of it when I stumbled across it at Hamilton's crustiest record shop Hammer City. I had an inkling that it was gonna be bad based the discogs note that simply states "infamous release", and that just made me wanna hear it more! For my money GIRLSCHOOL's first 2 records and early singles are the only things that are truly great - after Hit & Run they seemed to consistently miss the mark. Running Wild is their fifth record and first without Kelly Johnson on guitar, and also their first (and only?) as a 5-piece. Oddly enough Running Wild never saw a UK release... perhaps they knew their old-school fans wouldn't appreciate the poppier sound and glossy production on offer here. This is pretty mediocre stuff to be sure, but each side has a couple of decent tracks: "Something For Nothing" and "Are You Ready?" on the first and "Love Is A Lie" and "Can't You See" on the second. This one is worth a shot - it's honestly not as bad as rumoured to be.
DOWNLOAD: GS-RW85.rar (86.46 MB)

DARXON • Tokyo EP

Wishbone Records 1985
In the mood for straight ahead, no frills Metal? Look no further my friend, cuz Germany's DARXON have got it in spades. Good songs. good production, standard mid-80s Metal/Rock that reminds me of a less Speed Metal GRAVESTONE (might just be that guitar sound though). Don't have much to say about these guys cuz I don't know much about 'em... I do however know I like 'em.
DOWNLOAD: Darxon-Tokyo.rar (31.93 MB)

THE REJECTS • Quiet Storm LP

Heavy Metal Records 1984
When Quiet Storm was released it was clear that these guys were no longer the COCKNEY REJECTS I knew and loved... the cover alone made that painfully obvious. I mistakenly assumed that they'd become a full on Metal band (airborne BC Rich lightning rod anyone!?!), but no, that'd be too easy. This record is much more confusing than that, and really nothing could have prepared me for what was in store. While the bands previous record, 1982's The Wild Ones, was a straight ahead riff rocker reminiscent of AC/DC, Quiet Storm sees the band stepping even further away from their Punk Rock roots. The Rock songs are simplistic, bluesy, and somewhat stiff 60s or 70s throwbacks. The remainder of the tracks range between ROLLING STONES-ish faux country ("Fourth Summer"), ELTON JOHN cum SUPERTRAMP ballads ("I Can't Forget"), funky, unintentionally jokey, BB KING influenced white-boy Blues ("Jog On"), and piano and keyboard laden ballads ("Quiet Storm"). It's bizarre to be sure... and I quite like it. I tend to find these sort of "off" records very intriguing. You know, when a band tries to disengage itself from the past and break new ground (Into The Unknown, Grave New World) or reinvigorate itself to reclaim former glories (Born Again perhaps). Extreme changes are frowned upon by most fans who are content with hearing the same record over and over again by their favourite bands, that makes a record like Quiet Storm a ballsy proposition... and I appreciate that.
DOWNLOAD: TheRejects-QuietStorm.rar (68.33 MB)

KNIGHTMARE • Mindless Mayhem LP

Beaner City Records 1987
Part BAD NEWS, part DEAD SERIOS, and wholly impossible to take seriously, KNIGHTMARE got it right by calling this one Mindless Mayhem. It's exactly that... really dumb Punk with mild metallic touches thrown in to alleviate the encroaching boredom. Actually, to be fair, this record starts off entertainingly enough, but the joke gets old quickly, and by the time the second side rolls around it's become quite annoying. The songs are kinda catchy, and the "Sonic Reducer" cover is a strong indicator of where these guys were really coming from in spite of their Metal posturing. Imagine a way sloppier DEAD BOYS attempting (and failing) to play Metal and yer in the ballpark.
DOWNLOAD: Knightmare-MindlessMayhem.rar (60.36 MB)

OSTROGOTH • Full Moon's Eyes EP

Mausoleum Records 1983
An absolute stone-cold classic of Euro Metal brilliance! Not a weak track amongst the four that make up this, OSTROGOTH's debut EP. Brimming with energy and a slightly eerie mood, dual guitars fight for the harmonized spotlight while vocalist Red Star handily steals the show. Much like Canada's LORD RYUR, this record shares an indefinable cinematic spookiness that I simply can't get enough of. Why did it take me so long to rip this one? Fantastic question! But it's here now, so call the doctor, cuz you're about to catch "Rock Fever"!
DOWNLOAD: Ostrogoth-FullMoonsEyes.rar (31.65 MB)

ADAM BOMB • Fatal Attraction LP

Geffen Records 1985
I bought this cuz Adam Brenner was a major part of what made TKO's In Your Face such a phenomenal record, and so it stands to reason that the songs on Fatal Attraction that sound most like TKO are my favourites. "I Want My Heavy Metal", "Take Me In", and "Russian Roulette" all fall comfortably into this category, but that's not to say there aren't other good tracks on this slab... the title track is an upbeat rocker and album closer "Prime Evil" is uncharacteristically dark and moody. Oddly, Brenner's guitar playing is less flashy and over-the-top than his work with TKO. I figure most egomaniacal guitar players would be chomping at the bit to wank all over their first solo record, but this sounds much more like a real band than Brenner's solo outing. Pretty cool on the whole, and not over produced at all, which is surprising given that it's on Geffen and released at the height of slick west coast over indulgence.
DOWNLOAD: AdamBomb-FatalAttraction.rar (70.92 MB)

EXCITER • Feel The Knife EP

Music For Nations 1985
Three quick classics from the mighty EXCITER! "Feel The Knife" sounds like a Violence And Force outtake and is nothing more than a simple and direct kick in the ass, the kind that only Beehler and Co. can deliver. Two classic amped up live tracks (recorded in the band's hometown of Ottawa ON) follow in the form of "Violence And Force" and "Pounding Metal". EXCITER were clearly a fine tuned machine as they blast through both tracks with aplomb and precision. Dan Beehler is a force to be reckoned with behind the kit, his playing is always intensely huge, memorable, and integral to the EXCITER sound. Pound this!
DOWNLOAD: Exciter-FeelTheKnife.rar (25.02 MB)

LONDON • Don't Cry Wolf LP

Metalhead Records 1986

The little I know about LONDON is that they were stalwarts of the Sunset Strip Glam scene in the early 80s, and pretty much everyone has been a member of the band at one time or another, including Nikki Sixx, Michael White, Blackie Lawless, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Brian West (TKO), Fred Coury, and these are only the guys you've heard of. Don't Cry Wolf is the band's second record, and surprisingly it's quite good. Much much heavier than expected, as many of the songs plow ahead at double time and are stacked with proper Metal riffs. Speaking of which, the riffs are mildly generic and pretty much every one will remind you of another song, but at least that makes 'em memorable. The production by Kim Fowley is dated and artificially huge and the cover of "Oh Darling" is atrocious and misplaced, but these two gripes aside, Don't Cry Wolf is a solid record. Give it a shot, your friends will never know... and how bad can it really be!?!
DOWNLOAD: London-DCW (67.09 MB)

THE BROOD • The Brood LP

Profile Records 1986
Ever wonder what the 4-headed offspring of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and RUSH might sound like? Don't worry, no one else has either... but now that the thought is in your head, let me introduce you to THE BROOD. This one slipped well under the radar back in the day, but my god it's one hell of a record! Drummer Amery Smith, who played on the first SUICIDAL record, has got some serious Peart-ness in his playing, and the guitarists are both phenomenal... Rocky George would be a proud papa. The vocals of course sound like Mike Muir, but musically THE BROOD are heading in a slight more proggy direction. Aside from Join The Army I'm not really familiar with SUICIDAL's records, but at times these guys are deadringers for their suicidal sires. To add further similarities to ST, The Brood was produced by photographer Glen E. Friedman... the same guy responsible for the first SUICIDAL record. After only one listen I'm already bummed that this is the only record THE BROOD managed to release. Uh... download!
DOWNLOAD: TheBrood-TheBrood (80.93 MB)

THUNDERFIRE • Thunderfire LP

Roadrunner Records 1983
Super early Roadrunner offering from Belgian maniacs THUNDERFIRE for y'alls here. This, their one and only release, starts out in an ominously doom laden and distinctly BLACK SABBATH-esque fashion... the intro even sounds slightly like classic Swedish Death Metal when the gargled scream enters the fray, and from there Thunderfire plows through punky proto-Thrash and metallized AC/DC riff rockers in even doses. Hard to imagine that these guys actually sought out Keith Nichol to produce their record... I always assumed that VENOM used him cuz he was the only guy in town willing to put up with their racket... but perhaps, for brief moment, he was the Andy Sneap of 1983. Regardless, he did a decent job of capturing THUNDERFIRE's raw rock'n'metal sound, and now you can capture it by following the link below.
DOWNLOAD: Thunderfire-Thunderfire.rar (62.22 MB)

RUMBLE MILITIA • Fuck Off Commercial LP

Atom-H (1987)
RUMBLE MILITIA is a band whose name has always stuck in my mind... it's got a great ring to it, and it conjures up all sorts of cool (teenage) imagery, but I'd never heard the band until dropping this here copy of Fuck Off Commercial onto the platter today. RUMBLE MILITIA play Thrash Metal with a sorta Crossover vibe, and remind me of a varied array of bands: a looser and less proggy VENDETTA comes to mind first, as does a thrashier RUNNING WILD, and the ridiculously high pitched screams smack of Schmier. A truly entertaining record, Fuck Off Commercial has exceeded all expectations and is destined to find a place in my regular rotation.
DOWNLOAD: RumbleMilitia-FuckOffCommercial.rar (66.51 MB)

WAR DANCE • Live June 24, 1989

Private/Indie 1989
OK so here it is, as promised... WAR DANCE live and in their full metallic glory. Barely recognizable as the same band that recorded Monkey See, Monkey Do a scant five months later. Marvel at Gizz Butt's guitar histrionics, and a band tighter than a gnat's ass stretched over a rain barrel. Amazing stuff... even if the cheering on the first track is obviously and laughably fake.
DOWNLOAD: WarDance-LiveJune24-1989.rar (57.41 MB)
PS: Just stumbled across this YouTube gem of the band performing O.P.D. at this very same show!

WAR DANCE • Monkey See, Monkey Do LP

Hageland Records 1989

Finally got my hands on a copy of WAR DANCE's only full length "official" release, Monkey See, Monkey Do, and I gotta admit, I was more than a little disappointed to see Gizz's name absent from the band's line-up. In fact, bassist/vocalist Andy Frantic is the only remaining member from the band's None But The Brave and A Short Sharp Shock demos... kinda weird. No matter, I forged on undeterred. Right off the bat this version of WAR DANCE is looser and punkier, the metallic edge maintained by Gizz Butt is completely absent, as are guitar solos and general advanced musicality... and unfortunately these are some of the things that I loved about the demos. Frantic's catchy songs remain, and high energy abounds, but vocalist "Sonny" Lister is a bit lacklustre and uninspired. I was honestly hoping for a the full blown Metal attack that WAR DANCE displayed live (evidence to follow), but alas Monkey See, Monkey Do is a bit of a step backward in that regard. Still, this is a cool Punk/Hardcore record, just not what I was expecting and/or hoping for.
DOWNLOAD: Wardance-MonkeySeeMonkeyDo.rar (60.62 MB)

ROGUE MALE • First Visit LP

Music For Nations 1985
If I'm not mistaken, ROGUE MALE were to have us believe that they were some sort of post-apocalyptic future warriors... or wait, that might have been ATOMKRAFT, but I think ROGUE MALE were on the same tip. Only the band's "look" conveys any sort of futuristic vibe, as the tracks on First Visit have a decidedly (cock) Rock feel. They are much heavier than yer typical commercial Metal band, falling somewhere between MOTORHEAD and TKO, but futuristic they ain't. I was mightily impressed by this record, because my recollection was that it was a turd, when in fact it's a pretty good time. Any record with a track called "Crazy Motorcycle" can't be taken too seriously, and I don't think that was ROGUE MALE's intent... simply download and enjoy.
DOWNLOAD: RogueMale-FirstVisit.rar (71.47 MB)

TKO • Below The Belt LP

Roadrunner Records 1986
I was super stoked to find this, the last missing piece for my TKO collection, last weekend. Now, it seems to me that TKO was a band that never had it's stars align, because they released some top-notch records, but were largely ignored by the record buying public. 1979's Let It Roll was chock fulla slick, fantastically written and executed 70s Rock and 1984's In Your Face is hands down my favourite "commercial" Metal record ever. Having loved those records so much, I was worried that Below The Belt wouldn't live up, and in some ways that concern was justified. Album opener "Beware The Hunter" is overly commercial and sounds painfully dated (Simmons drums do not belong on Metal record folks), but thankfully things take an upturn thereafter. That big 80s production unfortunately remains, but the songs improve greatly, and all the hallmarks of a great TKO record are present: Brad Sinsel's gritty streetweary vocals and memorable, catchy, well written tunes. For the most part Below The Belt sounds like an overproduced version In Your Face, which does dull the immediacy of the music, but hey, I'll take what I can get. The only other slight drawback is that Adam Bomb's ultra-flash guitar playing is conspicuously absent, but again, beggars can't be choosers.
DOWNLOAD: TKO-BelowTheBelt.rar (77.34 MB)

BORN TO METALIZE LP

Megaforce Records 1984
Don't let that piece of shit cover fool you... Born To Metalize is a completely kick-ass comp featuring four NJ/NY Metal bands, all of which, with HADES being the only exception, should have gone on to bigger and better things. Oddly enough, HADES is the only band that actually did manage some modicum of success, but more on them later. After a cornball intro, THE BEAST get the ball rolling with 3 straight ahead high energy tracks. I love the vocal delivery! Really excellent stuff, and a tough act to follow for Bayonne's SNEAK ATTACK... fortunately they're able to hold their own with a slightly more typical sound for the era replete with screeching vocals, soaring whammy-bar leads, and laughable lyrics ("Sneak Attack" is so homoerotic it's ridiculous!). Simplistic and direct in their approach, TORTURED DOG keep the quality high in spite of tracks filled with the most generic riffs you can imagine... and somehow it's endearing. Thankfully HADES wrap things up quickly with only 2 tracks (all others contribute 3) of overwrought, melodramatic Metal. These guys clearly took themselves way too seriously, and are a bit of a buzz-kill considering the other 3 bands came to party with lunkheaded, good time tunes. Not a bad band, but they are definitely the weakest link on Born To Metalize, and the singer's Paul Di'Anno impersonation is a bit too blatant on "Rogues March". On the whole, highly recommended listening.
DOWNLOAD: BornToMetalize.rar (78.69 MB)

HERETIC • Burnt At The Stake EP

Thunderbolt Records 1984
Heretic. Burnt at the stake. Sounds pretty heavy right? Well don't get your hopes up, cuz like the majority of NWOBHM acts, HERETIC's presentation was much more sinister than their actual sound. Opener "Water Of Vice" starts things off in fine form with a riff similar to WITCHFINDER GENERAL's "Requiem For Death", but things quickly become more lightweight with each passing track. Solid guitar work and solos reminiscent of early 80s, Snowy White-era, THIN LIZZY are the saving grace here, and weak vocals are the major stumbling block. Still, it's a fun light hearted romp if yer up for it.
DOWNLOAD: Heretic BurntAtTheStake.rar (33.1 MB)

SHINE • Powertime Demo

Private/Indie 1997
The three years between THE OBSESSED's Church Within record and Wino's return with this here SHINE demo seemed interminably and painfully long. The resurrected and revived OBSESSED held so much promise, only to fall apart yet again, and I feared the worst after their premature demise. Crazy rumours about Wino abounded... he was a destitute drug addict, even that he was on the lam (!?!). Whether or not any of them were true was of no consequence when the ad for Powertime popped up in the back of Metal Maniacs. I hastily sent my money away to the address provided, but ended up waiting over a year for the demo to arrive. There was some sort of shady snafu with the guy who was handling their distribution, but all was forgiven when it finally arrived. OK, on to the music... Wino fans will recognize these 3 songs from the first SPIRIT CARAVAN record (SHINE were forced to change their name to SC due to another band with the same moniker), but I have yet to confirm whether or not these are the same versions on Jug Fulla Sun. They're very similar, and maybe were just remixed, or rerecorded... who knows. Powertime sees Wino at the top of his game, and everything we loved about the OBSESSED is present: Wino's powerful trademark vocals, his fantastically twisted leads, and riffs and vocal melodies that bore their way into your subconscious. Anyways, it seems that pretty much everyone loves Wino, so that description served no purpose as you likely already know what you're in store for... just download and enjoy.
DOWNLOAD: Shine Powertime.rar (27.44 MB)

LANKHMAR • Prejudiced Demo

Private/Osmosis Records 1989
Some decent late 80's Québécois Thrash on offer here from Montreal's LANKHMAR... who would later drop the H for the much catchier LANKMAR. Don't ask. Musically Prejudiced is fairly typical of the time: a blend of Bay Area and mildly technical Thrash, sounding a lot like TESTAMENT and at times fellow Canucks M.A.D.. Lyrically LANKHMAR did not have the goods, but their musical chops more than make up for it, and the production is outstanding to boot. All in all a very cool download.
DOWNLOAD: Lankhmar Prejudiced.rar (46.59 MB)

BANSHEE • Cry In The Night

Metal Blade Records 1988
This slab, just one amongst many of Metal Blade's long forgotten one-off releases, is actually pretty dece. BANSHEE dealt melodic Metal that covers a lot of varied bases, from OZZY's riffy early solo outings, to RUSH ("I Believe" sports a blatant rip-off of "In The End" from Fly By Night), to MAIDEN and EXCITER on the title track. Totally solid band, great vocals and guitar playing, and heavy yet catchy tracks - you can't really go wrong.
DOWNLOAD: Banshee-CryInTheNight.rar (45.58 MB)