Bootleg 1983
Apparently Ian Gillan's response to Born Again went something like this: "I looked at the cover and puked! Then I heard the mix and puked!" Funny... but way off base. Not only is the cover one of the greatest things I've ever seen, but it's perfect for the music contained within the grooves of this monumental record. As far as the mix is concerened, it's sloppy and muddy, but it's integral to the overall menace of Born Again... and this is a menacing record if ever there was one. Oh shit... this ain't Born Again though... it's Born Again Unmixed. I downloaded this from a newsgroup a few years ago, and there was a story about how these were rough mixes that ended up in the possession of Bill Ward's girlfriend at the time. The entire record is here plus an unreleased track called "The Fallen" (rumour has it that there's up to 5 other unrleased tracks that were recorded during the Born Again sessions). Some songs have different guitar bits here and there, different lyrics, and missing vocal parts. "Trashed" has a neat extended bit after the solo, but the coolest thing about Born Again Unmixed is the 9+ minute version of "Zero The Hero"!!! The end of the track is just the main riff over and over again for about 3 minutes... that damned riff could go on for 20 minutes and I'd be happier than a pig in shit. Anyways, Born Again rules, and this is a very cool alternate version of that obnoxiously heavy, and downright scary, record.
DOWNLOAD: BlackSabbath-BornAgainUnmixed.rar (80.37 MB)
PS: Here's a cool link to loads of info about Born Again, including the original picture of the baby used on the cover. Awesome!
BLACK SABBATH • Born Again Unmixed CD
RIPPING CORPSE • Dreaming With The Dead CD
Kraze/Maze America 1991
It's been at least 10 years since I last heard this record, and I gotta wonder why it took me so long to get back to it. Dreaming With The Dead is an intense exercise in complex, intricate, razor sharp American Death Metal. I always knew this was good, but I've gained a whole new appreciation for it. I found myself marvelling at how the multi-layered guitars create an almost symphonic effect at times. Kinda MORBID ANGEL-ish, but RIPPING CORPSE were no wannabes, they carved a swath through the the masses of generic DM bands to create their own niche. Equally as heavy as Dread Cthulhu, and just as grotesque... RIPPING CORPSE fhtagn.
DOWNLOAD: RippingCorpse-DreamingWithTheDead.rar (65.9 MB)
OLIVER MAGNUM • Oliver Magnum CD
Restless/Colossal Records 1989
I wasn't planning to post any CDs here, but I started thinking about how much I loved this record when I was a kid, and I had to revisit it. These guys, along with SAVATAGE and MERCYFUL FATE, were one of the few straight up Metal bands I liked when I was younger... I was too into Thrash and Punk/Hardcore to really "get" Heavy Metal. OLIVER MAGNUM, however, were aggressive enough to appeal to me... and their spectacular musicianship and songwriting didn't hurt either. Another part of their appeal was that I never had any idea what the eff they were singing about... the lyrics all seemed to be about some otherworldy nonsense that was way beyond me, but I always liked 'em a lot. Add to all that an outstanding vocalist and you've got the whole package. "Old World Nites" is still one hell of a song!, as are "Sister Cybele" and "Mendes Prey", but there really is no weak song on this album. I waited for a long time for a followed up to this record, but unfortunately it never happened. This is American Metal of the highest order, and downloading is highly recommended.
DOWNLOAD: OliverMagnum-OliverMagnum.rar (72.62 MB)
