VENSOR • Trash Till Death Demo

Private/Indie 1987
Not really sure what the deal was with these Québécois dummies, but I'm gonna give 'em the benefit of the doubt and assume that the swatikas, Vensoreich and other questionable affectations were just used for shock value in a crass, simple minded attempt to gain noteriety. The fact that there's a song called "Hi! Hitler" is just as hilariously stupid as I'm sure the 3 members of this band were. Musically VENSOR are a totally generic mix of Morbid Visions-era SEPULTURA and fellow Montrealers AGGRESSION - not terrible, but nothing you haven't heard a million times before... jesus, by '87 we were already sick of this shit! Actually this is way cooler now than it was then... too bad about the nazi bullshit though. If anyone is totally offended by VENSOR's idiocy and lack of common sense, please let me know and I'll remove it - but if you're offended by the fact that this is generic and subpar, I can't do anything for ya.
DOWNLOAD: Vensor-TrashTillDeathDemo.rar (52.04 MB)

RAW POWER • You Are The Victim LP

Rockin' Bones/Complete Control 2003
I flipped my wig when I saw this at Hits & Misses the other day... my fuck! You Are The Victim! I've wanted this record for years - I'm talkin' 25 maybe. Sure it's not the original Meccano release from 1983, but it is a damn fine reissue that was clearly put together with love and not just a cash-in in mind. Not only is RAW POWER's debut You Are The Victim here in it's entirety (14 tracks) but there's 17 bonus tracks culled from various compilations and singles. There's the entire Wop Hour 7" (see my post here), 2 tracks from the Raptus - Negazione e Superamento comp LP, 2 tracks from the 4 Per A/A Per Tutti comp 7", plus 8 tracks from a 1983 demo that appeared on the fantastic Burning The Factory CD put out by Grand Theft Audio. Finally "Fuck Authority" from the MRR comp is tacked on the end (it's actually on here twice, but only a goddamn fool would complain about that!). Fantastic record.
DOWNLOAD: RawPower-YouAreTheVictim.rar (85.18 MB)
PS: For the sake of continuity I've kept the 14 You Are The Victim tracks together and left all the bonus tracks to the end.

MASS • Swiss Connection LP

Strand Records 1981
Swiss Connection, MASS's fifth album, is full of decent Metal infused Rock that straddles the line somewhere between AC/DC and NWOBHM stalwarts SAXON. This certainly isn't gonna melt yer face, but a few of the songs ("Shoot Out", "Time Runs Out", "Dead End Rider Back Street Fighter") are well crafted, catchy proto-Metal romps that satisfy in spite of their derivativity (hey new word!). The highlight of Swiss Connection is guitarist Dave Schreiber's ripping lead style - he tears it up in wailing Nugent-esque frenzies of bluesy balls-out mayhem. Unfortunately, like most bands who blatantly cop AC/DC's style, MASS wind up sounding mediocre and boring. It's weird cuz that's the antithesis of all things AC/DC - I don't get it! All-in-all not a bad record, but not outstanding by any means.
DOWNLOAD: Mass-SwissConnection.rar (76.29 MB)

ALIEN • Cosmic Fantasy EP

Mongol Horde Records 1983
Heavy Metal ain't rocket science, and with Cosmic Fantasy, New York's ALIEN succinctly drive that point home. The band's moniker and intergalactic themed lyrics are diametrically at odds with their street-rockin' knuckle-draggin' brand of KISS-ish everyman's Metal. Nothing about ALIEN's sound is futuristic or otherworldly, but that don't mean it ain't fun. Sure it won't make the earth stand still, but it's got the right stuff if glammy semi-commercial wannabe cosmic Metal is yer thing. And really who doesn't love a bit of GSCWCM.
DOWNLOAD: Alien-CosmicFantasy.rar (41.23 MB)
PS: The band thought that the title track was so good that they included it twice.
PPS: Apparently ALIEN don't adhere to the Prime Directive, as evidenced by this cryptic backwards message that appears at the end of the record: We are ALIEN. The intergalactic Gods of Heavy Metal. We are here to embed our music in your minds. You've been warned!

LEATHERWOLF • Leatherwolf EP

Tropical Records 1984
It might be tough for you youngsters to imagine, but there was a time when every other band didn't have wolf in their name. No WOLF PARADE, no WOLFMOTHER, no AIDS WOLF, no WOLF EYES... just LEATHERWOLF (and HOWLIN' WOLF I guess). That's all we had, and we liked it. And really, after you hear this record you'll understand why LEATHERWOLF was enough... here's a hint: it's because they fucking rule! This EP's become an instant classic. Infinitely better than 98% of their peers, these guys were like MAIDEN x10 - and yet they remained virtually unknown. I've said it way too many times to be credible (I'm kinda like the boy who cried wolf ha!), but these guys really shoulda been huge. They had it all: interesting and engaging songs, top flight musicianship, and an over-abundance of energy. I'm not gonna suggest that you download this... I demand it!
DOWNLOAD: Leatherwolf-LeatherwolfEP.rar (40.34 MB)

THRUST • Fist Held High LP

Metal Blade Records 1984
I imagine that Bill Metoyer and Brian Slagel somehow, while on vacation in Ireland, managed to capture the only living screaming banshee. Upon their return to the good ol' U. S. of A. they taught it everything it needed to know about the awesome power of Metal: that it's only good when it's loud, and if done right it could take over the world, and how posers must be destroyed. Once the banshee, who they'd give a human (and male) name... let's say John, was well versed in all things Metal, they'd form a band around it... a buncha dudes from the Midwest who wouldn't be shocked by having a mythological creature for a bandmate. Committing the banshee's wail to tape wouldn't be easy, but in the name of Metal it had to be done... and the resulting record: Fist Held High would be feared by posers the world over. Having said absolutely everything there is to say about Metal in a scant 8 songs, and longing for the bonny Emerald Isle, the banshee musta returned to it's homeland, cuz no other recordings of the fabled creature, and it's trusty back-up band THRUST, are known to exist.
DOWNLOAD: Thrust-FistHeldHigh.rar (73.35 MB)

THE OBSESSED • Unreleased LP Cassette

Private/Indie 1985
This is an unreleased album that THE OBSESSED recorded for Metal Blade Records in 1985... the band were never picked up by the label, and thus these recordings have gone unreleased lo these many years (to my knowledge they aren't officially available anywhere). Most of the songs, however, were rerecorded and are available on later OBSESSED and SPIRIT CARAVAN records, but there's a few ("Feelings", "Lifer City", and "No Message Negative") that haven't turned up elsewhere. There's also a cracking version of "Hiding Mask" here - one of my all-time favourite Wino tracks. These recordings capture the classic OBSESSED line-up at the top of their game, making most of these versions superior to their more recent renditions. Cuz this came to me via tape trading, I have no idea how many generations of tape hiss have been piled upon these recordings, but I've done my best to clean 'em up without negatively affecting the music. Enjoy!
DOWNLOAD: TheObsessed-UnreleasedLP.rar (52.64 MB)