Keen Hue - Ogre King (1985)

A rather odd cover which at first suggested to me some type of '70s prog oddity but this in fact a rather striking, stomping heavy rock no thrills metal experience out of Sweden and it's one which grows and grows on the wars. So stuck in that '80s time-warp were Keen Hue that I'm rather surprised they returned with another opus in 1993; but 'Ogre King' is a fairly bog-standard rocker hinting at power metal flecks on tracks such as 'Liar' and the superb 'Prisoner but Guiltless'. There's plenty of macho power in the voice of  Patrick Silén but a majority of the tracks do have that early '80s, stripped-back almost New Wave of British Heavy Metal feel but however one tries to throw this in with the rock rather than the metal only has to check out the glorious, chest-pounding entity that is the title track. Indeed, after a few spins you begin to realise that the cover is very apt for this stone-faced rocker.
7/10

Arrow - Diary of a Soldier (1986)

Although a touch tepid; 'Diary of a Soldier' is a nice, watery dose of melodic metal that came out of Sweden at seemingly the right time only for the band to disappear immediately afterwards. We get four tracks; the best probably being the opening title plod with its nice and tidy musicianship and subtle yet no thrills vocal performance from Mattias Höijer. There's certainly nothing heavy about Arrow and tracks such as 'Straight to your Heart' have a certain obscure charm and pop-laced quality; but it's all over so quickly that it's no wonder Arrow became so very quickly forgotten.
6/10

Leather Nunn - Take the Night (1986)

I'm surprised these guys never went on to release more records; but 'Take the Night' is the only chunk they spewed out and I'm grateful for it. This is heavy metal played for keeps; hinting at a glam style to some extent but as fiery as the bottomless pots of Hell. The album comes complete with chunky, trashy guitars - accessible grooves; a strong metallic percussion and the archetype drools of Wade Williams. In a sense there's a streetwise feel to this as the band explores the rather naïve and almost predictable themes of metal but it's all encapsulated in that dingy production and the fact that there's such an instant charm about proceedings with the simple choruses of the title track and the creaky old school Crue-like clatter of 'You're the One.' A fantastic slab of metal that has become pretty collectable but essential...
8/10

Hands of Mercy - Fallen Angel (1988)

Rather standard obscurity here from Belgium; Hands of Mercy being a short-lived quartet who played a catchy style of hair metal with nice sleazy riffs and a dose of pomp. 'Fallen Angel' was a three-track EP - sadly only lasting for twelve minutes and it was to be the last twelve minutes of their career but there are some nice sassy tunes on offer, particularly the catchy title track with it's Kiss-like melodies and extra saucy riffage courtesy of Stef Hermans. The EP being a pretty much instant slice of heavy rock featuring some nice solos and occasional fiery input as each track progresses. 'Lonely in the Night' is probably the most 'metal' tune on offer,a  slow builder with a darker plod and some subtle touches, bringing an all too brief career to a close.
6.5/10

Liquid Mirror - Kicked out of Fantasy (1987)

Another glammy gem; Liquid Fantasy hailed from California and disappeared after they released these rollicking slab of melodic rock. The band featured former Hawaii man Tom Azevedo who has a rather comforting tone to his voice although musically it was a mish-mash of pop-edged melodies ('I Wanna Be With You') and a harder pomp ('I Don't Care') but in its inoffensive manner there was something so engaging about this glittery slab of glam. We get nine decent tracks which run for a duration of just over half-an-hour and it's a record I recommend you track down if you like fiery stomp rock.
7.5/10

Swedish Erotica - s/t (1989)

If I told you that in spite of their atrocious band name that members of Swedish Erotica (and yes, they are Swedish) played with numerous metal legends as Malmsteen, TNT, King Diamond, Vinnie Vincent then you'd be thinking that maybe this is one of those really cool, majorly talented acts let down by its moniker, and to some degree you'd be correct. Swedish Erotica are a peculiar bunch - very much archetype melodic metal with punchy, sassy choruses and a few cheeky licks thrown in for good measure - think of a rather harmless blend of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and slightly harder pomp hair metal and you'd be on the right track. It's almost Steel Panther without the overtly tacky lyrics but in its predictability there is a distinctive charm where the likes of 'Love Me or Leave Me' become honey-drenched chuggers showcasing the decent vocal strains and almost run-of-the-mill hair metal joys and chants. In the end this album grows on you like a cheesy fungus, because it's often bombastic, always anthemic and just so generic but how could the '80s survive without a foundation of songs such as 'Downtown' with its formulaic lyrics and middle of the road riffage. But it's good, fuzzy late '80s metal that kept the band in good stead in spite of several line up changes and a career into the '90s and beyond - even if actual output has been somewhat sporadic. For good ol' fashioned party metal, look no further...
7/10

Blackboard Jungle - I Like It A Lot (1992)

For those of you who dig stuff like Saigon Kick, The Front, Kik Tracee et al, then Blackboard Jungle would have been right up your street. Trouble is, this album was so hard to find...as it is today and so they never made any sort of impact on the music scene; in fact they were too cool for school and remain a cult act responsible for some of the grooviest numbers that came before the grunge wave. The title track itself is a semi-psychedelic sway of rousing vocals and varying musical injections to create an almost flowery, funky trip but it was always going to end in tragedy in spite of the glories of 'Chicago', 'Everybody Talk About It', and 'Forever You & I'. Brilliant throughout I can only hang my head in shame at those who failed to recognise such talents.
8.5/10