STRAW DOGS.

I'll have to admit that back in the day, I wasn't much of a fan of what the F.U.'s had become, but John Sox's vocal delivery intrigued me in a "WTF?" kind of way? Super-nasally, yet super unique - dude had some deep pipes to go along with that though, and that kept me wondering. "How the hell does he sing like that?"

Some riffs on this here record are some straight-up heavy metal 80's-style stuff, but I got hooked on that "Young Fast Iranians" jam they did, and while I've been a dude who preferred "a bit of metal in his hardcore", this record somehow worked for me. Seriously, there are some killer fucking riffs delivered on here. Take "Cavalry" for instance…

These days I prefer "a bit of hardcore in my metal", and these days, this record gets a lot more play around here.
Rockin' stuff from one of the best hardcore bands there ever was - don't let that scare you…



Straw Dogs - We Are Not Amused

Link in comments.

MOTÖRHEAD.

You can't go wrong with - (nor can you be a true fan of the rock) - if you don't have some Motörhead in your collection…

While you probably have a shit-ton of it (as do I), I find these recordings from the "On Parole" re-issue super-intriguing in the fact that this session sounds like boozy "bar rock" - but in a way that sounds good, ya know?
Much more of a 50's / 60's rock style coming from this - the original lineup - than the airborne volume machine that they would become shortly thereafter.

A nice touch, for sure, and something every fan of the band should own.



Motörhead - On Parole: The Dave Edmunds Tracks

Link in comments.

RAGING FURY.

Not a lot I can tell you about these guys other than the fact that they've been around since 1982, and play an aggressive rockin' version of Thrash.
This may sound weird, but their singer totally reminds me of a whisky-and-Marlboros-hoarsed-out Matt Pike at times - yes, I realized these guys precede High On Fire by like, um 15 years or something - but maybe 'Ol Frost Hammer is a fan of these guys? Who knows?

What I do know is that this is a hard-as-fuck CD to find, and these guys fly way under the radar.
If you love Japanese metal / HC, you should be diggin' this little gem as well.
More unique flavor from the Far East, bro.



Raging Fury - Raging Fury

Link in comments.

JUDAS PRIEST.

Live albums can tend to be kind of one-dimensional and unexciting, but this one is none of those things mentioned above - it is also under scrutiny as to wether it actually is live or not.

The band claims there were guitar touch-ups, and that some of the vocals were redone due to Rob having the flu on those nights back in February of 1979 in Tokyo, but honestly I could give a shit less as this is a kick-ass record that grabbed me right by my teenage testicles back in the day. The tone K.K. Downing got back then was razor sharp & white-hot; one of my favorite Flying-V players to this day...

Enjoy this (timeless) blast-from-the-past.



Judas Priest - Unleashed in the East

Link in comments.

METAL CHURCH.

A criminally underrated Heavy/Thrash unit from Seattle, these guys kept it going for almost 30 years(!?!) only to pack it in last summer after a million lineup changes, death, bad blood, label drama & whatnot.

Kurdt Vanderhoof plays some seriously tastefully classic metal-infused with gritty chunka-chunka throughout this here, their debut release. While it never got better than this album for me, the first three records are all pretty solid throughout. The fucking riffs on this thing though are fucking monstrous to say the least.

SIDE NOTE-
Did you know Lars Ulrich was "almost" in this band?
So fucking GLAD that "the worst famous drummer in metal" couldn't make it to practice often enough...



Metal Church - Metal Church

Link in comments.

MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Maybe it's the Darvocet hangover speaking right now - no work today, hurt my back - but to be honest with you, this collection of early Crüe sessions (1981-1982) is fucking raw, & fun as hell to listen to!

While "Too Fast for Love" is a tad poppy & slightly "candy-coated" in its red-and-black swagger-attack, these demos are back-alley dirty & chock full of passion! Vince Neil's vocals are screechy as hell, Mick's gutter-guitar tone sounds like it's coming from a $40 amp - the way it SHOULD sound, and the drums are big and booming, (or is that the bass)? Ha ha.

Overall the mix is excellent on these early takes - there's a muddy track or two, no big deal - and of course you'll hear a few mistakes/off-notes, etc. but the constant throughout is a fire that burned strong; long before they became the parody that they are today...



Mötley Crüe - The Early Sessions

Link in comments.