Tipsy Wit - Songs & Dreams (1991)

1991 was such a confusing time for metal. The genre had branched out into funk, jazz, and just about every other style - metal had become tepid in some instances and 'hair metal' was very much dying on its feet with grunge just around the corner. However, there were also a great number of hugely talented bands slipping under the radar and one such posse was Tipsy Wit. They weren't exactly alternative metal; just good solid heavy rock featuring classy, powerful vocals and well-crafted songs; especially in ballad 'For Your Love'. The trouble is, if these guys had been American they might just have broken big - but hailing from France meant that they remained relatively unknown in spite of the talent. For those of you who enjoyed early '90s rock such as Heaven's Edge and certainly Kik Tracee would have loved Tipsy Wit; they had everything - a cool funky strut ('They Need You'), and above all cool driving anthems such as with 'Ice Cream Lickin' Party'. I guess the main issue was that this sort of party metal just wasn't in vogue and so they slipped away without so much as a whimper...but this is still a rollicking opus. 8/10

Slander - Careless Talk Costs Lives (1991)

Packaged like it's from the early '80s, UK band Slander didn't really get their just rewards for their stripped back yet more than adequate brand of Brit metal. Simple melodies; no thrills casual vocals and yet fleeting examples of class with the likes of 'Lonely Nights' and the speedier chug of 'On The Run'.

Very much back to basics metal which would surely have suffered having been released seemingly out of time; and yet all those years later and 'Careless Talk...' is sounding like a forgotten gem of a record. Killer cover and twelve more than solid rockers; another brace of favourites being the plodding 'No Road Back' and the flailing 'Lay Down the Law'.
7/10

Sacrosanct - Recesses for the Depraved (1991)

Featuring ex Pestilence axe-man Randy Meinhard; Sacrosanct was a short-lived technical thrash metal act that released three records in the early '90s then sadly dissolved. for me; 'Recesses...' (which is sandwiched between 'Truth Is - What Is' and 'Tragic Intense') is for me their best record, a chugging act of menace steeped in weighty riffs, excellent leads and mid-paced technicality. Michael "Mike" Lucarelli's vocal style is simple and masculine; and wold have suited any mid '90s metal act and there's also that nice fusing of technicality with a Bay Area sense of grooveness and although the drums are rather understated the guitar wins out here especially as it worms its way with formidable fashion on the opener 'Like Preached Directions'. Indeed, for such a progressive record this is quite easy on the ears and one worth looking into.
7.5/10

Hammer - Terror (1991)

This is some killer brash thrash from Poland even if it should've emerged half a decade previous. Hammer is a quintet that went on to release a batch of albums; but for me this is their best effort - a speedy Overkill/Exodus-styled workmanlike performance of blazing guitars; clear vocal snaps and plenty of chunkiness and speed. Indeed it does have a very Americanised feel also bringing to mind the superb Vio-lence and so as a first attempt at explosive thrash this is an album that really grows on you because of its ability to remain catchy - the title track is a brilliant thrash workout featuring an accessible melody; flailing leads and that archetype '80s U.S. thrash sound but for an utterly rancid blitzkrieg bop check out 'Stul pysk'. Although there is an overall lack of variety this pretty much annihilates a majority of modern day thrash acts; so forget the new kids on the block and instead dive into this lump of Polish extremity.
7.5/10

Megace - Human Errors (1991)

It's always nice to throw in a bit of German techno-thrash every now and then and one can't go wrong with the often bewildering strains of 'Human Errors' which was released on Magic Records. It's a bit of an obscurity but one worth tracking down if you like thrash metal full of time shifts and intriguing patterns. Okay so it is a tad self-indulgent and the female vocals almost don't work; they come across like some neo-Gothic wailing which add a haunting effect but are preferable as scratchy, choppy raps of angst. Even so, the melodies showcased behind the voice are most impressive; offering for the most part a mid-paced rambling and doodling where bass and drum jar the senses and the guitar offers an ashen swirl but the pros and cons of this record are pretty much summed up in the track 'Repetitions of Human Errors' where the schizophrenic vocals range from those weird, ascending moans to spitting raps but musically it's a quizzical affair of jazzed up dehydration and innovative grooves but it certainly takes a while for the likes of 'Save Your Dignity' to grab hold. Very belonging in some sort of blessed cauldron once served with the likes of Cynic, Mekong Delta, Voivod and then onto Dream Theater only this time Megace are less punchy and a tad more confused.
7/10

Lunacy - Face No More (1991)

Bit of a strange one for its time; Lunacy come complete with like it/hate it cover art and a peculiar hardcore, comedic tone based around occasional juddering bass-lines and a confusion of general direction. One moment we have a half-decent thrashing groove; the next there's an air of impressive progression but as of this era there's an all too much sickening tendency to drift into that alternative stance where the vocals become irritating raps boasting comedy sighs and tinged with buffoonery. Oddly, at its most positive angles Lunacy becomes more akin to Coroner but sadly this is all too sporadic and so they spend most of their time cavorting with that tepid variation. It still deserves its place; it's just a shame the title track and a few others are so darn bubble-gum; same goes for 'Up In Smoke' yawn!
5/10

Hittman - Hittman (1988)

A gloriously metallic debut opus comes from this New York quintet who play pure, steely power metal fuelled by joyous solos; a smooth vocal delivery and weighty percussion and yet oddly there's something so sheen about this; Hittman preferring not to revel in the pic but instead border upon a glossy technical thrash outpouring. The likes of 'Dead on Arrival' blind the eyes with glistening charm; the vocal prowess of Dirk Kennedy are just so metal in their deft, almost fleeting high-pitched nature. With cutting riffs which rely on being more fleet of foot rather than chunky; Hittman's debut drifts along on tip-toes and exhibits its versatility - Metal Church's excellent 'Blessing in Disguise' appears as a classier older brother even though Hittman's debut shows defter touches. But one can only admire the flexible majesty of 'Metal Sport' and 'Breakout'; each track with a Gothic-hue particularly the latter with the overall result being a rather blinding slab of silvery power metal that is easy on the ears and yet in contrast almost cutting and cold in its seriousness.
8/10

Chateaux - Chained & Desperate (1983)

A fully cranked up debut album comes via the Ebony Records roster; Chateaux being a high-pitched, exploding metallic rant that belongs in the same rusty bracket as say Savage, Grim Reaper - mainly due to its smouldering guitar sound courtesy of Tim Broughton who just owns this opus with his shredding and general riffs of doom. There's a sense of dark brooding throughout this mighty slab; hinting at that doom-laden and blackened NWoBHM enchantment and it's there from the off with the nodding title track which begins with a fiery wail of despair but you can pluck your way through this dimly lit cavern and come up with gem after gem to light your way. Personal faves are the grinding, clanking, fizzing mustiness of 'Son of Seattle' and the weird fuzzy bop of 'Spirit of Chateaux'; but every ingredient for this mini-masterpiece is right whether in the form of the powerhouse vocals of Steve Grimmett who of course made his name more so with fellow barbarians Grim Reaper; but all the while the drums of Andre Baylis keep banging skulls and Alex Houston's bass plods with menace; then 'Chained...' is always going to be a firm yet underrated favourite amongst true metal-heads.
9/10

Pistol Dawn - Conversation Piece (2009)

Don't be fooled by the date; 'Conversation Piece' is in fact a re-issuing of Pistol Dawn's two rare EPs from 1990. This is very much party hardy metal somewhere between hard glam and punchy Skid Row styled masculinity and boasting some fantastic guitar work (Scotti Ryan) and effective vocal sneers from Faster Freddie Brecht. We get ten pure rock tracks here and everyone is a gem; right down from the slamming title track; the swaggering G n' R pomp of 'Gone Away' with its cool introductory drum slab and fizzing guitar and then it's transformation into a sentimental semi-ballad. Enuff z' Nuf's Chip features on 'Message in a Bottle' but forget the sweetness and light and revel in the glammy chug of 'Be My Girl' and the equally weighty yet sugary 'Dreams Come True'. Yep, they shoulda been bigger but isn't that all part of the romance? Fans of Lilian Axe and the like should snap this gem up because for something that seemed out of date in 1990, it sure sounds relevant now.
7.5/10

Castle Blak - Another Dark Carnival (1987)

Coming just a year after the half-decent debut 'Babes in Toyland' (see review); these U.S. glamsters still don't have the bite of early Crue even though the vocals have that sort of playful Vince Neil-styled whine. This opus comes across as a rather tepid glam rock plodder that I so desperately want to love but can only like in segments; particularly with the poppy title tune and the more engaging drive of 'Fire' but it just lacks an overall attitude and controversial sneer to really get under your skin. None of the instruments stand out as a major force and so the result with this sophomore effort is a band that sounds like so many others at the time...caught somewhere between Crue circa 'Shout...' and 'Theatre'.
6.5/10

Cacumen - Bad Widow (1983)

Cacumen's 'Bad Widow' has to boast one of the most metal covers of all time! With that red stiletto crushing that hand one could almost begin to think that the cover may hide a truly fiery metal album; but as it goes Cacumen are not the heaviest chunk of metal you'll hear in your life - this is very much melodic mid-paced drudgery that starts to wear thin after a few tracks but the title track alone should put enough metal in your kettle whilst the likes of 'Aint Got No women' sort of speed by in NWoBHM fashion reminding one of the Scorpions vocally; but it's a rather derivative affair that sort of grates and whines its way through ten tunes before grinding to a halt with 'Rescue Me' which features a tasty lead. For me this is an album where the guitar bites harder than the voice but it's still a little above average slab of biker rock.
6.5/10

Blind Vengeance - Taste of Sin (1984)

Well, it seems as if the letter 'B' has been getting a lot of exposure recently on this blog - it's certainly not intentional; most of these reviews being random acts of my madness. Blind Vengeance hailed from Canada and were fronted by one Harry Hess who went on to steer Harem Scarem; but on this ten-track opus he's far less impressive but it's still a dense-dose of driving, mid-paced metal featuring many highlights amidst the smog - most notably the chugging title cut and the hair-frazzling 'Give Me the Night' which is one of the band's racier efforts. Like so much of this stuff there is an air of the enchanting about it; because whilst not overtly epic it rises above the average production to become an opus that showcases a lot of metallic talent more so in the effective guitar groans and fizzes of Darryl Frattura.
7/10

Black Sheep - Trouble in the Streets (1985)

Apparently this opus features Paul Gilbert; but fans of Dokken/Kiss and melodic metal will no doubt dig this half-hearted and half-decent foray into straight-laced metal pomp. There are some nice crunchy moments; particularly 'Eyes on Love' and the Zeppish tinges of 'Stick!' but it's all to mainstream and inoffensive for it's own good as it sways in average fashion from Whitesnake to even a scratchy Ratt and whilst it makes for an enjoyable listen it's not the sort of opus you'll be playing frequently. Very much heavy rock by numbers that occasionally offers up a catchy groove.
6/10

Babylon A.D. - Babylon A.D. (1989)

This is one of those late '80s swaggering, sleaze-tinged albums that dated quickly but which I've come to appreciate more today as I reflect back on it. This would have probably benefitted from being released two years previous where tracks such as 'Hammer Swings Down' and opener 'Bang Go the Bell's may have been appreciated more. There's still a sharpness in that guitar tone and it's not the sort of album clogged up with sentimental fluff; in spite of some dodgy track titles (such as the opener) it's still a reasonably hard rockin' 'hair metal' album with familiar gang chants and it's a record made all the more popular by the mini-anthem 'Kid Goes Wild' which featured on the soundtrack to 'Robocop 2' I believe.
7/10

Backwater - Revelation (1984)

Released on Disaster records; this is probably one of the most sincere satanic Venom-clones you are likely to hear - Backwater being some drunken fusion of Motorhead, Bathory, Warfare, Venom and Bulldozer chewed up by some oily incinerator and spat out via black plumes of smoke. There's a strong sense of Britishness about this vile German clanking of chains - it's a part speed metal part punked up mess of greasy vocal sneers; hellbent-for-leather drums and general all round metallic blackness puked out through such unholy orders as 'Dirty Pigs' and the brief yet destructive rust rant of 'Too Much Alcohol'. It's not pretty and it's certainly not clever but this rust-bucket of a record will have you hailing Satan and chomping on beer cans before the foggy night is through...(1986's 'Final Strike' being as equally sordid).
7/10