Stonehenge - Wings of Steel (1986)

The career of these metallers from New Zaland was more of a snippet - and it's no wonder they vanished considering just how many bands shared the same name. Even so, it's quite an obscure little three-track EP that feature some of the murkiest, raspiest vocals I've ever heard, although the music in general is rather dated, even with Medieval overtones on the title track. Hard to find this one which is why I wanted to review it and give it some exposure. I'm still unsure of vocalist Djamil Rodop can actually sing as he's so far back in the mix, and whilst the guitars and drums plod with some intent it all becomes a bit of a haze, but if you happen to come across this platter for cheap then make sure you snap it up.
5.5/10

Proud Existence - The Trail (1984)

Another dose of burning metal from the Netherlands, the poorly named proud Existence were a formidable experience for their short career, just a shame they couldn't keep the metal mysticism up for more than this EP, but again, it's quite murky power metal with a sprig of thrash that comes to the fore on tracks such as 'Castle in Black' which has a real dark atmosphere to it and the riffs are superb. Vocally it's not the greatest but then again, Alex Roest isn't the worst vocalist I've ever heard. Maybe it's my imagination but so much of this stuff has a real stuffy, dense quality often due to low-budget production but I can't knock it - just bang that weary head to the fantastic 'Fast Ride' which features a killer solo and galloping drum. Immense considering it probably sold fuck all. Almost punky and Gothic in its vocals and atmosphere, 'The Trial' is quite a gem.
7/10

Leader - Out In The Wasteland (1988)

Extremely obscure Dutch speed metal with slightly dodgy vocals yet an endless low-budget charm. The only release by these guys, it hurtles by in a flash, but sadly despite the whizzing guitars the vocals are distinctly lacking, often out of tune, giving the album a strange live garage feel. Even so, I'm somehow able to look past the inadequacies and hear a glistening record that is fuelled by those vicious guitars which come courtesy of Oscar Carre and Richard de Jonge. 'Ride the Wind,' 'Shoot to Kill' et al are all ferocious lumps of molten metal played at quite a speed too, so those of you who like a rusty mix of early #80s thrash and N.W.O.B.H.M. should dig into this.
6.5/10

Laaz Rockit - City's Gonna Burn (1984)

I guess all bands had to start somewhere. Laaz Rockit's debut was more of an exercise in vintage '80s metal - far removed from the thrash titans they became a few years later. I still like this kind of burning metal because it's so sincere and stuffy, and the album shows a lot of promise with the cutting riffs and Michael Coons warrior vocals. 'Caught in the Act' and 'Take No Prisoners' are superb little numbers, boasting scorching riffs that would make the band some decent money as they turned into a moshing thrash act, but again, all bands have to start somewhere and you could do far worse than belting out a track like 'Something More'. Very much of its time, 'City's Gonna Burn' is a stab at power metal mixed with more melodic, almost glammed up presence and it works.
7/10

Blade Runner - Hunted (1984)

This is the first full-length opus from N.W.O.B.H.M. band Blade Hunter. Both this and their 1986 album 'Warriors of Rock' are decent efforts but sadly, the only records they made. They began life as White Tiger, but Blade Runner clearly sounds like a more grittier moniker. 'Hunted' is a half-decent little rocker with a poppy edge ('Too Far Too Late') but still contained some excellent riffing and classic metal workouts. The title track is a real clanker of a tune with a great little riff and snarling albeit no thrills vocals from Steve McKay. There's always something rather stuffy about these types of records especially if you can get them on vinyl. 'Looking From The Outside' and 'The Stealer' are equally creaky little numbers. I'd rather listen to a host of this stuff instead of most of today's revival crap. Blade Runner really did rock hard.
7/10

Black Death - s/t (1984)

Blacker and stuffier than Satan's armpit, Black Death were a very obscure '80s thrash/heavy metal band - four black dudes who played dungeon style metal featuring killer underground solos and boasting fiery vocals that were classic in their feel and yet strange in their range, varying from bewitching drool to high-pitched and banshee and then demonic hiss. This is certainly a record worth diffing out because it leaves an immense layer of crust on the speakers such is its basement charm. 'The Hunger,' 'Streetwalker,' 'Here Comes The Wrecking Crew,' all very obscure sounding, badly produced heavy metal warts n' all raging. You've just gotta love something so cardboard in its approach and yet also enchanting in its leathery nuances. This very much an unearthly, lower quality mix of Motorhead, Mercyful Fate, Iron Maiden, old Judas Priest, old Metallica - straight up Devil's music from Cleveland.
6.5/10

Skrapp Mettle - Sensitive (1991)

Can you believe that these guys were playing parody metal way before Steel Panther stole the show? Skrapp metal recorded one album - this one - back in '91, and no-one batted an eyelid, I guess that was down to the fact that metal was still in force, and for the most part if you hear this in the distance this sounds like your average metal band. The vocals of Jeff Scott Soto were pretty mercurial, hinting at Whitesnake's David Coverdale, particularly on the swanky swagger of 'Retire or Die,' but elsewhere this is very much comedy metal - yet played astonishingly well...maybe too well? This archetype metal but when you hear the hilarious 'That Load' or 'Spunk' then you know you're in for a hair metal orgasm. All very much tongue in cheek, it's late '80s metal at its corniest but again, the playing is pretty decent but one can only laugh at the lyrics, "Give her a spunk sandwich for lunch..." then we begin to wonder just how Steel Panther got away with it! I guess for SP it was a case of right place right time, because Skrapp Mettle did nothing else after this and faded into the annals of metal folklore, but if you like cheesy metal that doesn't take itself too seriously then give this a spin.
6/10

Recon - Behind Enemy Lines (1990)

Now this really surprised me when I first heard it - I was introduced to these rockers with the track 'Choose This Day' which begins like some dodgy '80s hair metal track, but then somehow it twists and turns with jarring guitars and odd vocal warbles and gang chants as if it were some cold, remote German techno-metal outing. This is a strange record, often icy in its power metal leaning, especially with Vett Roberts' wails, but it's all so mystical, almost thrashy and always cutting. I guess if techno-freaks Watchtower decided to mellow slightly then maybe Recon would be the result - but even then, when you hear the classic metal stomp of 'Dreams' or the bass heavy 'Ancient Days' I'm just flabbergasted at the attitude and precision of these guys. It's sad that these Christian metal-heads only lasted for one album although bizarrely they did throw out a live opus eleven years later! 'Behind...' though has all the frosty melody of Helloween, Sanctuary and Queensryche combined. Props must go to the twin guitar attack of Eddie Starline and George Ochoa. Classy metal.
7.5/10

Holy Soldier - s/t (1990)

Another half-decent rock band who came way too late, because by the time their second opus, 'Last Train' had emerged the world was already succumbing to zombie grunge. But hey, this is good old fashioned holy rock very much in the vein of Stryper - in fact at times one would begin to wonder if this was some sort of rival for the yellow and black attack, but there's room enough for both. Holy Soldier were a more than adequate melodic metal act bolstered by the pure croons of vocalist Steven Patrick, and with tracks such as 'See No Evil' that band really showcased their talent, effortlessly churning out sprightly harmonies with lush choruses and stirring ballads such as 'Eyes of Innocence.' Some really nice songs on here, 'Love Me,' and the more potent 'Stranger' will no doubt catch the ears of those looking for something stronger.
7/10

S.A.D.O. - Sensitive (1989)

The German rockers carve out a nice, edgy hard rock opus that was sadly, to be the bands last as the grunge wave took over. At times this is very much a hot combination of Guns n' Roses and AC/DC, the vocals of  Andre Cook adopting that Axl Rose type of wheezy snarl, especially on the swaggering 'Love Lies' which features some superb guitar work from Matthias Moser. 'Sensitive' isn't the most staggering of hard rock albums, very much of its time it still sports a number of cool tracks such as the breezy 'Another Kind of You' which builds to quite a stomp plus the fizzing groove of 'Talk About Me.' Not a bad little band who churned out four decent records before their split.
7/10

John Norum - Total Control (1987)

This is the debut opus from Europe founder John Norum - and what a belter it is from the Swedish guitarist. Sprinkled with keyboards, yet always driving hard, this is very much melody metal at its best, with Norum shining - as expected with the guitars, and also, surprisingly, with the vocals too on the opening 'Let Me Love You' and the smouldering 'Love Is Meant To Last Forever,' although Goran Edman handles throat duties on three tracks. Admittedly, 'Love Is...' does have the strains of Europe's 'The Final Countdown' to the point of plagiarism but who cares, it's still effective hard rock that comes into its own on the swooning 'Too Many Hearts' and the pompous strut of 'Back on the Streets' originally recorded by Vinnie Vincent's Invasion. 'Total Control,' like a lot of this stuff back then has a fresh feel to it and despite not being original or ground-breaking in the slightest it's still a good hard rock platter spattered pop melodies.
7/10

Alien - s/t (1988)

Not to be confused with the more theatrical band who released the 'Fantasy' opus, these guys are more middle of the road pomp rock from Sweden - big choruses, lush instrumentation, and crisp production enable the bands big ballads and hair metal heartbeats to rise above the norm. Amazingly these guys are still rockin,' and one can't help be moved by the effective if formulaic vocals of Jim Jidhed who provides wondrous melody with songs such as 'Brave New World' and floaty ballad 'Tears Don't Put Out The Fire' with its haze of synth and crisp guitar. Nice on the ears, and perfect for that late '80s scene which spawned the likes of Kingdom Come and slightly more pompous, cotton-candy bands, but I can't knock them for their cushioned sound. A good all rounder this one for fans of big harmonies and perfumed melody.
7/10

Korzus - Mass Illusion (1991)

Old school thrash from Brazil - these guys formed in the early '80s and unlike a majority of cult thrashers they are still going strong despite cult status with early releases. As expected with 'Mass Illusion,' which is probably my fave my these guys, there is a slight Sepultura influence, as well as the usual early Slayer styling's, but for the most part it's a tight record, produced well and boasting some great mid-tempo numbers such as the chanted attitude of the title track with its choppy vocals from Marcello Pompeu and heavyweight guitar attack of Heros Trench and Antonio Araujo. The drums of Rodrigo Oliviera may be no match for Igor Cavalera but they are up there, because 'Mass Illusion' is a nifty, ominous and serious sounding opus that boasts several solid tunes such as the bassy, yet groove-based 'Midnight Madness' and the frantic opener 'Agony.' Certainly worth checking these guys out if you want something to fill the Sepultura void. 'Mass Illusion,' despite its generic feel at times is a rightly acclaimed opus.
7/10

Wombbath - Internal Caustic Torments (1993)

Dark, foreboding old school death metal from Swedish which comes complete with free indecipherable vocals from Satan's depths, and some interesting off-beat riffs with a true dense, old school sound. Very much basement metal - these guys had previously released a 5-track opus entitled 'Several Shapes' and ended their career with 1994's 'Lavatory'. Thankfully, this nine-track album doesn't sound all too Swedish, instead it opts for a lower guitar tone rather than the usual buzz-saw riffing we'd become accustomed to with bands such as Entombed and Dismember. For the most part the band shift between low-end guttural death metal and the occasional faster, yet still accessible layers of gloomy fog. The title track showcases both of these tempos with Tomas Lindorfs vocals being very much of that grisly bellowing variety. It's pretty much no thrills throughout but will certainly appeal to anyone who was used to lapping up this sort of horrifying mess back in the day. A cool little release for the death metal scene.
6.5/10

Graf Spee - Reincarnation (1989)

This is some seriously rough death thrash with layers of crust on top. Graf Spee are a Uruguayan band who never got past their first album, although a split and a demo did follow. The band are aptly named after a German warship and the sound of the band does sound something akin to an old, rusty ship hitting the rocks. This is really black sounding metal, particularly those hoarse vocal sneers courtesy of Victor Rueda, whilst the guitars have all the subtlety of chewing lumps of tin and glass, whilst the drums sound as if they recorded in a sewer that separated the band from the studio. Fans of Venom, Warfare, and also stuff like Darkthrone will certainly find much to savour with raw tracks such as 'Freedom' with its truly horrifying introductory screams and buzzing blazing guitar. Nasty stuff. The band do have the ability to resort to sludge, take for instance the epic silt of 'Patala Loca' with its cereal-box drumming and rough riff. I actually can't get enough of this but it leaves an awful lot of grime under the nails.
7/10

Hyster'iah G.B.C. - Snakeworld (1991)

This Swedish bunch probably qualify for one of the world's worst band names and yet musically this is quite a punchy thrash affair, and I didn't expect it. Hyster'iah G.B.C. remind me at times of Suicidal Tendencies with those choppy rasps and sneers and dense crossover riffs. It's the sort of bruising thrash you'd expect from New York such is its skatecore appeal - but one sniff of 'How Does It Feel' or 'Rope for Rape' won't have you dreaming of Scandinavian fjords! A relatively short record, it's an obscurity worth checking out if you can find it anywhere. Sorry but I know so little about this band but they do thrash hard. Strange cover and album title too!
7/10