Anvil Bitch - Rise To Offend (1986)

This has to be a joke, right ? The hilariously named Anvil Bitch play a cartoon style of basement thrash hidden behind a half decent, albeit typically '80s 'metal' album cover, and clank through a handful of pallid tracks with titles such as 'Maggot Infestation' and 'Time To Die,' the band clearly not sure whether they are a joke band or maybe serious, but afetr a short while this obscurity begins to grate on the nerves but deserves inclusion as proof that this type of thrash existed in the murky realms of the '80s metal scene. 4/10

Dream Death - Journey Into Mystery (1987)

Pretty cool doomy thrash that takes its influence from early Slayer, Celtic Frost and there's even shades of Obituary there - before Obituary were even born! There's a gloomy edge to this record, a cult platter boasting a cool cover and musicians who clearly know how to create a macabre riff or two. The band shift between chugging weirdness, occasional faster oddities and then, to greater effect, slower, more menacing noise, giving 'Journey...' a real air of eerie atmosphere. Vocally it's in the vein of early Tom Araya (Slayer) and whilst production was never great on these type of records, Dream Death weren't a bad little band and thankfully their unusual stench of thrash lived up to the 'mystery' in the title. 6.5/10

Royal Court Of China - Geared And Primed (1989)

Now here was an interesting record, the rather badly named Royal Court Of China presenting themselves like one of those swaggering, multi-coloured slightly alterno metal acts without ever reaching dizzying heights of talent, instead they come across as a half-rainy, sometimes summery, slightly drunken tepid sleaze band who remind me at times of D.A.D. and maybe even the wilder Dogs D'Amour - but whilst never being convinced by them, Royal Court Of China still spit out the occasional track of note, my favourites being the funky 'Six Empty Bottles', and more swaggering sneer of 'Half The Truth' and the wishy-washy 'So, Yer Love Is...' All rather lukewarm but I'm still glad I heard it at the time. Check out Claytown Troupe for a better experience. 5/10

Salty Dog - Every Dog Has Its Day (1990)

What a fine rock n' roll record this was. When one considers how big The Black Crowes were, it's rather criminal that Salty Dog never received their just rewards for churning out some of the finest sleazy, swaggering metal blues tunes ever. In Jimmi Bleacher, the band were blessed with a fine vocalist, his voice effortlessly caressing the epic porch ballads such as the acoustic sway of 'Just Like A Woman' and the epic 'Sacrifice Me.' Salty Dog, rather like Sea Hags, were one of those underated bands that had the ability to take a Faces/Stones-esque boozy jig and not make it sound stale, instead injecting a refreshing and yet seemingly casual coolness that is epitomized on the bar room jig of 'Come Along' - the band's most well known track. Maybe it was always about timing, but slap 'Every Dog...' on now and you'll still be enchanted by this sassy sound and leave you once again wondering why bands like this didn't make it big. 8/10

Nasty Habit - Rock Hard (1991)

This sounds like something from the mid to late '80s but in fact jumped on the Crue driven bandwagon years too late. Nasty Habit - half-decent name for a sleaze metal act - parade around in lycra and banadana's although nobody really cares. This would have been swallowed up whatever year it had been released but listening back it isn't afraid to show its balls and spout tales of lipstick, leather and female mayhem but whether any of this was actually experienced by the band is another story. Even so, there's a Crue feel, circa 'Theatre Of Pain' on 'Rock n Roll Whore' and this track pretty much epitomizes the whole album, a record that attempts to be down and dirty but which comes up smelling of mundanity I'm afraid. 5.5/10

Dragon - Fallen Angel (1990)

Be careful not to purchase the Polish version of this thrash record otherwise, unless you are from Poland, you won't understand a word the singer is saying! It's all pretty basic stuff for its time anyway - Euro thrash of no real identity that boasts gruff vocals and mild tracks such as 'Tears Of Satan' and 'Into The Dark.' Far from being awful, Dragon, despite their watery name, could have been a lot worse and so I'll always feel the need to promote these records that slipped by the wayside. 6/10

Kat - Metal And Hell (1985)

If I'd discovered this as a shambling leather clad teenager I'd have been burning black candles all week. This is black thrash from the mid '80s that needs to be experienced if you're a fan of Venom, Bathory, old Kreator, Possessed and the likes. This is really stuffy, evil sounding metal that boasts track titles such as '666,' 'Black Host' and the ominous, doom-laden 'Oracle.' "Devil, Satan, Satan...' warbles the fiery frontman on '666' whilst 'Time Of Revenge' has a haunting black metal style intro that leads into a Bathory style noise. All very authentic sounding although I'm guessing these guys probably work on a farm or something now, but as Kat they rocked hard as Hell. Hail the dark lord! I'm choking on the coffin mould! 7/10