Pacific Metal Project (1985 Restless Records)

This was a compilation of local Seattle based bands. It also happens to be one of my favorites. Unlike many compilations of local talent that sample a wide variety of musical styles, this one is nearly 100% metal. All tracks are exclusive except where noted.



LP includes insert with band info.


1. Heir Apparent – “Tear Down the Walls”: There were quite a few bands on the Seattle scene that were inspired by Queensryche’s early success, but none match the brilliance of Heir Apparent. Their very first official release is featured here and is one of the catchier tracks from their 1986 Graceful Inheritance LP. This version is slightly different.
2. Myth – “Let Me Hear the Thunder”: Not to be confused with the band from Connecticut (the page on metal-archives is dead wrong), this is the infamous Kelly Gray Myth that once featured Geoff Tate on vocals. His replacement is no Geoff Tate, but he’s still pretty good and actually reminds me of Ann Boleyn despite being male. This is a great song, but it seems to be missing something. Perhaps there are too many keyboards?
3. Mistrust – “Running for My Life”: Mistrust was formed from the ashes of a couple other Seattle based bands. The guitarist and bass player are from Rottweiller and the singer is from Culprit. Decent song that sounds a bit like Metal Church with a hard rock edge. The same version appears on the 1986 Spin the World LP (their only other release).
4. Manchild – “Keep on Believin’”: Fairly typical US metal, it has a decent chorus but overall is too predictable.
5. Ransom – “Throw the Stone”: Some heavy dark sleaze here (sort of like W.A.S.P.) The melody actually reminds me of the self-titled track by Sacred Few.
6. Look Out – “Burning Steel”: This intro to this song is a rip off of “The Lady Wore Black”, but the rest sounds more like something from Canada’s Black Knight.
7. Phaze – “Where Can We Be Alone”: Phaze plays decent but unremarkable heavy hard rock in the style of Dokken.
8. Arson – “Caught in the Web”: An excellent speed metal track, and unfortunately another band who never released anything else.
9. Xinr – “Everpresent Angel”: Now this is the reason I track down all these obscure compilations. Completely unknown band, and one of the most original I’ve heard in a long time. They sound kind of like a cross between Cirith Ungol and Hell. The vocals certainly aren’t for everyone but it’s a great song nevertheless. Tragically, members Tony Saiz and Shaun Tramel died in a motorcycle accident just weeks prior to the release of the Pacific Metal Project LP and the band soon disbanded. Second guitarist Roger DeCarlo went on to join Cruella, but until recently it was thought that no other recordings survived from the original Xinr lineup. Fortunately, Stormspell Records were able to track down the remaining members and acquired the rights to some long lost demos. The CD, Beyond Woodward, was released on December 1, 2008 so get your copy now!
10. D.C. Lacroix – “Rip It Up”: This is the same as the version on their 1986 Crack of Doom LP, but without the brief vocal introduction. Shortly after this compilation was released, the band was contacted by New Renaissance Records to have the song included on their Ladykillers compilation (which I reviewed a couple weeks ago). This inspired the band to move to L.A.

Available Formats: Vinyl and cassette.

Value: $8-10 (vinyl), $3 (cassette)

Ladykillers (1986 New Renaissance Records)

New Renaissance Records, the label started by Ann Boleyn of Hellion, put out a lot of compilation albums. In fact, this was their fifth compilation LP, and their sixth LP overall. Unlike the others, however, Ladykillers features exclusively female-fronted artists. Most of them are from California, though a few are from New Jersey and Blacklace is from New York. As someone who really enjoys female vocals in metal, it’s no surprise that this is one of my favorite compilations. I’ve chosen to review the cassette version here because it includes two tracks omitted from the vinyl version. All songs are exclusive except where noted.



A second volume was released on CD in 2000.

1. Blacklace – "Speed of Sound": Traditional NY metal, a bit like Riot with tough female vocals. This song is taken from their 1985 Get It While It’s Hot LP. One of the less obscure bands on this compilation.
2. Hellion – "Better Off Dead": Hellion plays a kind of commercial power metal that you often hear from L.A. bands, but with the unique vocals of Ann Boleyn. This was rerecorded for their 1987 Screams in the Night LP.
3. Pantara – "Torn Away": Straight up heavy metal with Ann Wilson like vocals (including an "Ooh" straight out of "Barracuda"). The Ladykillers album was slated to include a second Pantara track called "Nitemares" but I guess it didn’t make the final cut. The all-female quartet would disappear into obscurity again after this.
4. Queen of Hearts – "Sleeping with Dead": Somewhat of a sleazy hard rock song which is saved from mediocrity by a great, catchy chorus.
5. Judy Saiya – "Try Anything": I’ve always loved Stevie Nicks, so it’s great to hear someone with a similar voice singing over something a bit heavier. Only a bit though, as the music is very light hard rock like, say, Femme Fatale.
6. Deep Freeze – "No Last Words": The first of two tracks by Deep Freeze, this was not included on the LP version of Ladykillers. Decent hard rock with some very masculine vocals.
7. The Day After – "Fire": The only real stinker on the album is this lame cover of the Doors’ classic.
8. Syren – "Fight Or Fall": Killer power metal that reminds me of Black Knight with rougher vocals, similar to those of Leather Leone from Chastain. They also had a song called "Danger" on the 1985 California’s Best Metal LP, New Renaissance Records’ third compilation album. Singer Brenda Barboni’s career goes back to the early 70s, but she did not find metal until joining Syren in either 1984 or 1985. Syren later changed their name to Tigershark. Brenda is currently recording a new CD with her much more AOR/hard rock oriented project, BB3. You can hear "Fight Or Fall" on the BB3 MySpace page.
9. High Risk – "I Know What You Want": The beginning of this song might mislead you with its flute and light sounding intro, but it soon reveals itself as epic power metal. Maybe epic isn’t the right word to describe a song that’s only just over 4 minutes long, but it has a great build up and very strong finish. Actually it reminds me a lot of one of my favorite songs, "Troubled Ways" by Lost Horizon (no relation to the famous Swedish band) on Metal Massacre 7. Except there’s a flute. And the singer sounds uncannily like Ann Wilson from Heart. In other words, it rules! According to Blood Sisters they released a 3 song demo in 1987. If anyone can help me get a hold of that demo, I’ll name my next child after you*! High Risk first appeared on Metal Madness compilation with an inferior, male voiced, track.
10. DC Lacroix – "Rip It Up": Formerly a Seattle based band, DC Lacroix is one of the more generic female-fronted acts of the 80s. This song is taken directly from 1986 Crack of Doom LP making it even less interesting. It first appeared on the 1985 Pacific Metal Project compilation LP, but without the brief intro.
11. Jaded Lady – "On the Run": Jaded Lady began as an all-female version of Motley Crue called Obsession who changed their name to Leather Angel, and then to Jaded Lady after both drummer Krissi North and guitarist Debbie Wolf left. They seem to have become more competent since Leather Angel’s 1983 We Came to Kill EP. However, this is still not a song that is worth repeated listens. They would briefly appear on the 1988 film Decline of Western Civilization Part 2: The Metal Years and then break up before releasing anything else other than a few demos.
12. Deep Freeze – "Soft Touch": If you have the LP version of Ladykillers, then you only get this track by Deep Freeze. Presumably that’s because this is a little heavier, but I think "No Last Words" is the better of the two. This band also appeared on the Q100 radio sampler Mega Metal I, though I am not sure if it was one of these tracks or another exclusive one.
13. Hellion – "Put the Hammer Down": The second cassette only track is from Hellion. A different version appears on Screams in the Night.

*If I ever do have another child, I’ll probably have to be institutionalized as well. Three is plenty, thank you!

Available Formats: cassette and vinyl (minus 2 tracks)

Value: $3-5 (cassette), $10-15 (vinyl)

Gorau Sgrech - Sgrechian Corwen (1982 Recordiau’r Tŷ Gwyn)

As much as I love the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, I won’t be reviewing very many NWOBHM compilations since Malc Macmillan pretty much covers them all in his book (which is absolutely essential for any fan of the genre). However, there are a few he missed, such as this live compilation from Wales. Of course he might have intentionally excluded it because of the minimal NWOBHM content, but then again he did include the similar Barod am Roc compilation.



Every song is sung in Welsh. The songs appear to be recorded during a local “Battle of the Bands” type of competition. The LP came with a poster insert featuring photos of the live performances.



There are basically only three artists of interest on here, the rest fitting mostly in the folk rock category. One is Rhiannon Tomos a’r Band, featuring Y Diawled’s singer from their excellent “Noson y Bladd” single, who performs two songs from her 1981 Dwed y Gwir LP. First is “Rosaline”, one of the weaker, bluesier tracks from the album. It’s practically unchanged in live form unfortunately and therefore not worth listening to. However, she follows it up with a killer rendition of “Cer â Hi” which is possibly the only real metal song she’s recorded outside of her time with Y Diawled. Again, the song is hardly changed from the studio version, but hearing it live shows just how powerful Rhiannon’s voice is.

Omega’s “Nansi” is excellent melodic NWOBHM (heavy melodic like Trespass, not wimpy melodic like Valhalla) with a catchy chorus. They released an eponymous LP in 1983, though I don’t know how the music compares to this song which was also released as a single (presumably studio version).

Finally, we have Crys’ title track from their 1981 Rhyfelwr LP. One of their best songs, it is done in a 70s epic style not too far off from their famed countrymen Budgie (minus the high pitched vocals). This is a significantly shorter version than on the LP.

Tracklist:
1. Y Ficar – “Seibiria Serenêd”
2. Pererin – “Mae ‘Nghariad i’n Fenws”
3. Rhiannon Tomos a’r Band – “Rosaline”
4. Rhiannon Tomos a’r Band – “Cer â Hi”
5. Meic Stevens – “Rue St. Michel”
6. Omega – “Nansi”
7. Crys – “Rhyfelwr”
8. Tich Gwilym – “Little Wing”
9. Tich Gwilym – “Red Beans & Rice”
10. Ail Symudiad – “Garej Paradwys”
11. Ail Symudiad – “Geiriau”

Available Formats: Most Welsh albums (those on the Sain label anyway) were typically released everything on cassette and vinyl, but as far as I know this is vinyl only.

Value: $10-20

Metal Massacre (1982 Metal Blade Records)

Well, I suppose I’m not making a good first impression by waiting a month to do my first review. The main cause for delay was trying to get good pictures. I should have realized when I started that I don’t own a scanner and I suck at taking pictures. Oh well.

After much deliberation over what album should be the focus of my first review, I decided not to do my favorite compilation or my rarest, but the one that I think is the most important in the history of metal. This is of course the very first record on Brian Slagel’s Metal Blade Records label. In 1982, Slagel was publishing an underground ‘zine known as the New Heavy Metal Revue and decided to make an album showcasing several of the bands he wrote about. It started a series of compilations that exposed several huge bands to the world (Metallica, Slayer, Overkill, etc.) and continues today. Metal Massacre isn’t an obscure compilation by any means, but some people might not be aware of the differences between the original release and the reissue, or between these songs and their album versions (if any).



Also interesting to note is that the center label did not yet have the familiar "bloody axe" logo.


1. Steeler – "Cold Day in Hell": The album starts off well enough with this song from Ron Keel’s (and later Yngwie Malmsteen’s) first band. This appears to be the same version as the A-side to their 1982 single which had all different members aside from Keel. Malmsteen, Rik Fox and Mark Edwards would join the band to record their 1983 LP which includes a rerecorded version of this song with added guitar twiddling. I actually think I prefer the original. I’ve never been a fan of that kind of musical exhibitionism.
2. Bitch – "Live for the Whip": I’ve always thought of Bitch as one of the prototypical Metal Blade bands, combining NWOBHM influences with the emerging LA sound. In fact, this song actually sounds a lot like an early Girlschool song to me, with the addition of Betsy’s usual BDSM themes. A different version appears on Bitch’s 1983 Damnation Alley EP with more whipping and moaning, plus a new bass player.
3. Malice – "Captive of Light": With the exception of the vocals, Malice sounds much less like a Judas Priest clone than on their later works. This track was also released 7 years later on their Captive of Light EP. The EP featured 2 different vocalists in place of James Neal, but I believe they didn’t even rerecord this song, instead opting to include it as is.
4. Ratt – "Tell the World": Looking back on this now, it seems strange to have glamsters Ratt on a Metal Massacre album, but in reality it doesn’t stand out that much from the other songs. On the off chance that there’s a Ratt collector reading this, this version is slightly different from the version on their 1983 self-titled EP, featuring a different bass player and a different drummer.
5. Cirith Ungol – "Death of the Sun": Brian Slagel has always said he is a big fan of 70s rock, so it’s no surprise that he picked up these legendary 70s-influenced metalheads for his label. Unlike most of the bands on this and future Metal Massacre compilations who were making their debuts, Cirith Ungol already had one LP under their belts when they recorded this song. A new version of "Death of the Sun" would also appear on their first LP for Metal Blade, King of the Dead.
6. Demon Flight – "Dead of Night": Following up Cirith Ungol is another good band marred by an irritating vocalist. This song is also one of 3 on their sole, self-titled EP. According to the EP sleeve that one is a new version, but it sounds exactly the same to me. It’s worth mentioning that of the other 2 songs on their EP, one features much better vocals and the other is an instrumental.
7. Avatar – "Octave": Not the same Avatar that would later become Savatage, I actually have no idea what became of this band. This, their only recording, is a pretty interesting instrumental. It would’ve been nice to hear what they could have done if they had a singer.
8. Pandemonium – "Fighting Backwards": The best metal band featuring twins from Alaska! And even that couldn’t save them from mediocrity. It’s not stab-a-pencil-in-your-ear bad, but it won’t inspire you to buy one of their 3 LPs that Metal Blade mysteriously decided to release. Exclusive to this album.
9. Malice – "Kick You Down": While Bitch and Warlord were afforded the opportunity to appear on more than one Metal Massacre compilation, only Malice had 2 songs on the same one! "Kick You Down" is slightly more memorable than "Captive of Light" and also exclusive to this album.
10. Metallica – "Hit the Lights": The production on the rest of this album is typical indie metal fare: bad, but in a good way. "Hit the Lights" still sticks out like a sore thumb, the production is that bad. They would rerecord this one twice (once for the Metal Massacre reissue and once for the 1983 Kill ‘em All LP) before getting it right. Compounding the amateurism is the fact that Metallica is misspelled "Mettallica" and bass player Ron McGovney is listed as "Ron McGouney". It’s not even clear who really played on this track as there are five members listed but I’ve read it was just Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, and Lloyd Grant. As the story goes, Ulrich was friends with Slagel when he had the idea to make the Metal Massacre LP. Ulrich wanted to be on it, so he got in touch with Hetfield and thus Metallica was born.

Available Formats: This album has a bit of an interesting history. The original 1982 LP was limited to 4,500 copies which sold out immediately. Brian Slagel was on a tight budget so later that year he had a repressing done by the Metalworks label who, according to Slagel, ripped him off. I’m not certain of the exact tracklist but I believe it is the same as the first, minus "Octave". The cover is plain silver with just the words "METAL MASSACRE" rather than the familiar skulls picture. In 1984, after Metal Blade Records was established as a serious label, they made another reissue on vinyl and cassette with a different tracklist. The Steeler track was replaced with Black and Blue – "Chains Around Heaven", Ratt’s contribution was removed altogether, and the old version of "Hit the Lights" was replaced with a new one (which is also different to the version on Kill ‘em All). This version was also reissued on cassette and CD in 1994. Then there’s the 1984 picture disc box set with Metal Massacres 1-5 (limited to 1,000 copies), and in 1998 all 12 CDs (at the time - now there are 13) were reissued as part of another box set called Grim Harvest.

Value: $40-$60 (LP), $20-30 (Metalworks LP reissue), $20-$30 (1984 LP reissue), $5-$8 (1994 CD reissue)