Archive for August, 2020

Ideal Inspirational Blogger Award

Posted in Uncategorized on August 28, 2020 by 80smetalman

I would like to thank Chateau Cherie for nominating me for this award. Her anti-bullying blog has been a very inspiring read for me over the past few months. You can follow her blog at: https://cheriewhite.blog/author/cheriewhite/.

Now I am nominating some of the blogs I follow for this award. The rules are rather simple.

  1. Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link back to her/his blog.
  2. Answer their questions.
  3. Nominate up to 9 other bloggers and ask them 5 new questions.
  4. Notify the nominee’s through their blog by visiting and comment on their blog.
  5. List the rules and display the ” Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award” logo.
  6. Provide the link of the award creator of Ideal Inspiration Blogger Award as Rising Star from Ideal Inspiration. https://idealinspiration.blog

My nominees are:

  1. mikeledano.com
  2. Heavy Metal Overload
  3. 1537
  4. Metal-Nerd Blog
  5. 2 Loud 2 Old Music
  6. Thunder Bay Arena Rock
  7. keepsmealive
  8. Jessica Bakkers.com
  9. TVTA

My answers to Cherie’s question are:

  1. What other things do you like to do besides blogging? When not working, I like music and playing computer games. I also referee (American) football.
  2. Ford or Chevy? Definitely Ford! The only Chevy I ever owned game me problems no end.
  3. What is your favourite vacation spot, the mountains or a tropical island? Of the two, a tropical island. Growing up in a seaside resort in New Jersey, I loved going to the beach as a kid and the island gives me a nice ocean to swim in.
  4. What is you favourite season of the year? Summer for sure, reasons are largely stated above.
  5. Would you rather take a train across the country or a plane? That depends what I intend to do when I get to the other side and how much time I have to travel. If I have time to take in the countryside, then it would be the train.

My questions for my nominees:

  1. When did you start seriously getting into music?
  2. Which decade do you consider the best one for rock music?
  3. What are your interests outside of music?
  4. What is your favourite food and why?
  5. What band haven’t you seen live and will never get the chance to?

Looking forward to your answers!

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Europe- The Final Countdown

Posted in Uncategorized on August 26, 2020 by 80smetalman

When MTV played the video for Europe’s best known single of all time, “The Final Countdown,” on the heavy metal half hour, I am sure that I wasn’t the only one who reacted, “This isn’t heavy metal.” Although the keyboard melody is very very catchy, it wasn’t what I expected from a metal song. Furthermore, when Joey Tempest is showing what a good vocalist he is, I hear more bass than the power chords of the guitar. Again, not what I had come to expect from a metal band. However, the guitar solo on the song is an absolute killer, so that made me rethink, a little. Being one to give the benefit of the doubt, I came to the conclusion that Europe was a metal band who just made a commercially viable song to get themselves noticed. This was nothing new from metal bands at the time.

With the success of the single, the question asked was, “What is the rest of the album which bears the single’s name like?” For me, the answer came with the second song on the album, “Rock the Night,” which was also released as a single. This rocker dispelled any belief that Europe were a heavy metal who leaned more towards synth pop in order to make it big. By the way, “Rock the Night” is my all time favourite Europe song.

Even the power ballad, “Carrie” didn’t change my view of the band following “Rock the Night.” Besides, I was already familiar with the fact that many metal bands have their token ballad. Some have more than one. “Carrie” is okay as far as power ballads go, not spectacular but okay.

Looking back, maybe it was a good ploy by the band to put their three singles first on the album. Sometimes, this could be a bad move if the remaining songs aren’t up to scratch but that isn’t a worry on “The Final Countdown.” “Danger on the Tracks” just completely rocks and after a few recent listens, I have completely under appreciated the guitar work of John Norum, He really cooks on this particular song. Because it wasn’t a single, “Danger on the Track” qualifies for hidden gem.

“Ninja” is okay, it rocks but I get the feeling it would be even better if the guitar had been turned up more. The keyboards accompaniment works well here. There is no better way to tell the tragic story of the Native Americans than the way Europe do with the song, “Cherokee.” The hard rocking beat does not take from the message of the lyrics in any way. In fact, it only serves to make the message more powerful. The keyboard solo is quite good on it.

“Time has Come” starts out as if it’s going to be another power ballad but the power chords after the ballad like intro makes me say no. It has a catchy vibe through the power rhythms of Norum and he lays down another great guitar solo. I love the way his rhythm guitar trades with the guitar solo in the middle of the song. Joey’s vocals sound the best on “Heart of Stone.” The vocals really take command here with the band in full support. Another great guitar solo helps too. “On the Loose” is a cool song incorporating everything from the other tracks. For years, I have questioned whether it should have been the closer as opposed to “Love Chaser.” Nothing wrong with “Love Chaser” as a song, I just think it should swap places with “On the Loose” or is that me just nitpicking.

Track Listing:

  1. The Final Countdown
  2. Rock the Night
  3. Carrie
  4. Danger on the Track
  5. Ninja
  6. Cherokee
  7. Time Has Come
  8. Heart of Stone
  9. On the Loose
  10. Love Chaser
Europe

Joey Tempest- lead vocals

John Norum- guitar

John Leven- bass

Mic Michaeli- keyboards, backing vocals

Ian Haugland- drums, backing vocals

A big song, a lead singer who, according to my ex wife and sister, was a heartthrob and a great album. It is no wonder why 1986 was Europe’s year.

Next post: Some More Metal News

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Local Metal Talent

Posted in Uncategorized on August 23, 2020 by 80smetalman

In late 1985 and throughout the first half of 1986, there was one metal band which made the rounds in the clubs of South Jersey. That band was called Sacred Sword and they were the main metal band around at the time. There were a few others, but Sacred Sword was the best known. In 1986, they put out a five song EP titled, “Give’Em Hell.” Rumour at the time had it that the record was financed as a result of the lead singer’s brother’s financial compensation following an accident. In any case, what people got was a cool metal EP, which was something not very common around my way at the time.

Local radio did play the EP on occasion, most of the time it was the opening track, “Ready to Pop,” which was the track most suited to be released as a single. However, my favourite track on the album was “Curse of Fright Night” where Alice Cooper’s influence on the band comes in. What I had forgotten after all these years is how good the other three tracks are. All three are straight up metal tunes, “Summer Heat” being the best of the three. I did tape the EP and take it to England with me later on in the year and some of my new friends there were quite impressed with them. Unfortunately, no one from the major record labels were.

Track Listing:

  1. Ready to Pop
  2. Curse of Fright Night
  3. Desolation Love
  4. Summer Heat
  5. Give’Em Hell

John Higbee- vocals

Robin Russo- guitar

Kurt Stunckell- bass

I don’t remember the drummer’s name nor can I locate it anywhere online.

Jerry Johnson was added as a second guitarist after the EP was made

What I have been neglecting to mention on this blog was the impact of a late night radio programme out of Philadelphia. Every Saturday night at midnight, Philly’s best radio station, in my opinion, WYSP, had a one hour programme called “Metal Shop,” hosted my one ‘Mean’ Ed Green. One hour of metal tunes and whenever a metal band played the Spectrum at any weekend, the opening act would appear on the programme as guests. It was the first time I heard any interviews with Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, among others. The programme got a lot of mention in “Rock and Roll Children, so I should mention it more here.

Getting to the point, in the summer of 1986, Mean Ed Green began pushing a Philly based metal outfit called The Bloody Stools. The song which he chose was called, “Give Head or Die.” Again, recently was the first time in years I heard the song but I like the eerie piano intro similar to Alice Cooper and Blue Oyster Cult. The band would go onto release an album in 1991 but I would only hear about this now. Having had a listen, “Meet the Bloody Stools” is a pretty good album.

Frankie Long- vocals

Fabian Vegas- guitar

Tova- bass

Vinnie Bafingucci- guitar

Nikki Sptiz- drums

Then in the Autumn of 1986, I went over to Great Britain. In my first week at university there, when all metalheads find themselves, I met a guitarist who played in a band from Swansea in Wales called Torque Show. His main reason for coming to London was the hopes that his band would make it in the big city. The rest of the band would follow.

Before I met Leigh, Dave and John, they had put out a three song demo called “Heroes and Bad Girls” and they played on a heavy metal compilation album, called “The Metal Collection,” which featured bands from all over Europe.

The original drummer never made the trip to London so the first thing they had to do was find a new one, which they did. That accomplished, they would rehearse in the Halls’ music room where myself and others would watch them. Eventually, they would get some real gigs in 1987 and put out another demo before eventually breaking up. One note, I did see them open for German metal greats, Bonfire,” at The Marquee in London, in 1988.

Heroes and Bad Girls Track Listing:

  1. Looking for the Rock
  2. On Come the Lights
  3. Melt Me

The song from the compilation was called, “Hour of the Slowest Clock.”

Torque Show

Dave Williams- vocals

Leigh Griffiths- guitar

John Gerring- bass, pedals

Mike Edwards- drums

Mark Pardy would take over on drums in late 1986 and because there is no recorded material to be found, I thought I would include a second picture of the band.

Torque Show Mark II

For the most part, none of these bands made it beyond their locality and it’s only die hard fans like me who keep their memories going. Still, these three bands were all part of my 1986 and I am singing their praises now.

Next post: Europe- The Final Countdown

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Punk/Metal Albums of 1986: Dayglo Abortions: Feed Us a Fetus

Posted in Uncategorized on August 20, 2020 by 80smetalman

The success of thrash metal in 1986 prompted a lot of punk bands to cross over into heavy metal. However, no band did it better that year than Canada’s Dayglo Abortions. What was once known as hardcore punk won over many metalheads, like me, who were getting heavily into thrash.

One song which highlights the successful crossover is “Argh, Fuck Kill.” What I love here is the fact that they took all the stereotypes people had about punk and thrash and made a song out of it. The main lyrics of the song simply go, “Blah, blah blah, blah, blah blah, blah, blah” until the shouting of the title in the chorus. It has been said that those three words are the most common in punk songs. Therefore the Dayglo Abortions take those stereotypes and make fun of them in a cool hardcore way.

That is the great thing about “Feed Us a Fetus,” it makes fun of lots of things, especially all the things I found wrong with 80s Reagan America. A definite target is religion, actually the rise of the TV evangelists which seemed to dominate Sunday morning television back then. “Die Sinner Die” and “Religious Bumfucks” tackle it very well. America itself is also targeted via songs such as “Wake Up America” and “Ronald McRaygun.” On the other hand, the band takes a poke at their own country with “Proud to be a Canadian.”

Darker issues are also up for satirical scrutiny in the songs. At the time, many people were still in awe of the lyrics in Suicidal Tendencies’ “I Saw Your Mommy.” Dayglo Abortions take it even further with the song, “I Killed Mommy,” where the chorus goes: “I killed mommy with an automatic.” I don’t think that song would have gotten airplay on commercial radio. Then again, in another song, they want to kill the hosers but with the hardcore thrash sound this band produces, it all sounds good. One noteworthy piece of musicianship is on “Stupid World,” where there is a part borrowed from the Led Zeppelin classic, “Whole Lotta Love.”

With twenty-four songs in less than forty-four minutes, one might think the album goes by in a blur. Not with these songs, each one is unique and not enough praise is given to the band for pulling it off so well. Still, there is one song which stands out above the rest and that happens to be “Black Sabbath.” It’s not really a dig at Sabbath, although Murray Acton does sound a little like Ozzy here, okay maybe a little, after all the second verse goes:

Tony Iommi is my God, his guitar solos have been asterialized

Ozzy Osbourne is so out in space, he probably like it if I pissed in his face

In reality, I think the song simply makes fun of those who copy their favourite rock stars to the point of being a fanatic. Then again, very little is sacred when viewed through the satirical eye of the Dayglo Abortions.

Track Listing:

  1. Stupid Songs
  2. Argh, Fuck Kill
  3. Die Sinner Die
  4. My Girl
  5. Dogfarts
  6. Inside My Head
  7. Wake Up America
  8. Proud to Be Canadian
  9. Stupid World
  10. Ronald McRaygun
  11. Kill the Hosers
  12. Religious Bumfucks
  13. 1967
  14. I Killed Mommy
  15. I’m My Own God
  16. Used to Be in Love
  17. Suicide
  18. The Idiot
  19. Germ Attack
  20. Scared of People
  21. Black Sabbath
  22. I Want To Be an East Indian
  23. Kill Cunt Brain
  24. Whiter Than Hitler

‘The Cretin’ Murray Acton- guitar, vocals

Spud- bass, vocals

Jesus Bonehead- drums

“Feed Us a Fetus” by the Dayglo Abortions is not for the feint-hearted or the easily offended. I can see why they dedicated the album to Tipper Gore. But if you like some good hardcore punk/thrash and have a sense of humour, then this is the album for you.

Next post: Reflecting on Some Local Bands

To buy “Rock and Roll Children,” email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Note: If Mike’s experiences with the book is making you reluctant to take the plunge, Steve from Every Record Tells a Story has received his copy no problem. Another copy has been posted to Mike.

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Raven- The Pack is Back

Posted in Uncategorized on August 16, 2020 by 80smetalman

I was supposed to go see Raven supporting Loudness and Twisted Sister in the summer of 1986 but the concert was cancelled. Rumour had it that Twisted Sister were banned from playing in New Jersey but I don’t think there was any validity in that. Anyway, because I couldn’t go check out what I called a new band to me, I had to settle for their album, “The Pack is Back.”

When I first heard the album, I just thought it was a cool metal album but over the few times I’ve listened to it recently, I can’t help thinking how the first half of the album sounds like KISS. That is except for the cover of “Give Me Some Lovin'” which is a cool metal take on the song. It’s almost but not quite as brilliant as Thunder’s cover of said song which came out three years later.

Back to the KISS influence, the title track, which opens the album, could have come right from the quills of either Paul or Gene or whoever KISS got to write their songs at the time. For the record, I am not dissing KISS or their influence on the album because the best track is the third track, “Screamin’ Down the House,” except the power chords are more present. The melody and harmonizing at the chorus definitely sounds like KISS. Like I said, my favourite track on the album.

“Young Blood” is also a KISS sounding song and also with really strong power chords and is also a really cool track. I love the bass solo in the middle of the song which turns into a bass line that compliments the guitar synthesizer solo. My theory is that the KISS influence might have come because Raven were under so much pressure to have a more commercially successful album. It only got to 121 in the US album charts.

Raven sound less like KISS and more like themselves on the second half of the album. Well not the total second half of the album because “Rock Dogs,” while very powerful, still sounds like KISS. Actually, early KISS as this song could have been easily written by Ace Frehley. I guess that’s as good as anyway to change the tide in the album. The use of horns on “Don’t Let It Die” is another reason why they shouldn’t be discounted in a metal song if used properly. Then again, “Don’t Let it Die” does host the best guitar solo from Mark Gallagher on the entire album and he does do some good soloing on the other songs. “Get In Your Car and Drive” is a good example of his guitar work and what Raven are capable of when being themselves. Again, no disrespect to KISS, the dates indicate that KISS were probably a big influence on Raven and that isn’t a band thing.

Track Listing:

  1. The Pack is Back
  2. Give Me Some Lovin’
  3. Screamin’ Down the House
  4. Young Blood
  5. Hyperactive
  6. Rock Dogs
  7. Don’t Let it Die
  8. Get in Your Car and Drive
  9. All I Want
  10. Nightmare Ride

John Gallagher- bass, vocals

Mark Gallagher- guitar, guitar synthesizers, vocals

Rob Hunter- drums

I wonder what it would have been if Raven did play with Loudness and Twisted Sister. Judging by this album, I think they would have contributed greatly to what would have been a stellar night.

Next Post: Dayglo Abortions- Feed Us a Fetus

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Arsames- An Update

Posted in Uncategorized on August 13, 2020 by 80smetalman

There has been an interesting twist in the story of Iranian metal band Arsames who are facing up to fifteen years in prison for playing heavy metal music. Reports state that the band has fled Iran before their trial.


Arsames, Sentenced to Fifteen Years in Prison for Playing Metal, Flee Iran

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The Iranian metal band Arsames, whose members were recently sentenced to 15 years in prison for playing “satanic music,” have fled their country to avoid that imprisonment, Loudwire reports.

Says the band in a statement:

“Our music is about our past culture, history… that they think when we growl and play fast music we are into Satanism! The skulls on our t-shirts means the same for them as satanic musicians.

“We [were] arrested in 2017 when we were in our studio during rehearsal. They moved us to jail that day and [did] not [tell] our family about where we [were] for a week. Finally after nearly a month later we paid bail to come out of prison and they told us you should not work, release [or sell] your merch until your final court … and do not talk with media! Our Instagram page, official website … banned and they shot down all for a year, but we built a new Instagram again and [started] to be active until few weeks ago [when] the court called us again and they gave us 15 years [in] prison. So we had to escape from Iran.”

The band has not yet revealed their current location, presumably for safety reasons. But they have released the below video, which further details their current plight:

“Is it a crime that we are playing metal music!?. Is it [a] crime that we are talking about Persian history?! Is it a crime that you think we are into Satanism when we have songs about Cyrus the Great and monotheism!? Is it a crime that we love music and our country?!”

If you wanna help out the group, MetalSucks encourages you to buy something from their Bandcamp page — Immortal Identity is $7, while a series of cover recordings are all name-your-own-price. You can also follow them on FacebookInstagram and YouTube.Popular in the CommunitySponsoredMR. BUNGLE FORMALLY ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM, PREMIERE FIRST SINGLE | METALSUCKSKenRiffeyJr3hThat is quite the improvement. I’ve never been a devotee but I know there are a LOT of people really stoked for this so I’m happy for them.


Great Metal Albums of 1986: Yngwie Malmsteen- Trilogy

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , on August 12, 2020 by 80smetalman

Theoretically, I should have visited Yngwie Malmsteen’s third album, “Trilogy,” back when I visited the Emerson, Lake and Powell album. For a brief time in 1986, Yngwie supported ELP on their tour but eventually, he left the tour stating that he wasn’t happy with the fact that he didn’t have enough space leftover to set up his things after the headliners had set up theirs. I just thought that was one of the drawbacks to being a support band. Another amusing tidbit from Yngwie’s tour was that when he played the Marquee Club in London, a lot of Bruce Springsteen fans turned up because they thought it was ‘The Boss’ playing under another name and to these people, there couldn’t be anyone by the name of Yngwie Malmsteen.

What I like about “Trilogy” is that young Mr Malmsteen goes further into making more songs in the traditional sense, instead of just shredding away on the guitar, which he still does brilliantly on this album. In fact, the only two instrumentals on the album are “Crying” and the closer, “Trilogy Suite Op:5.” However that last one is the best one for the closer. It just takes the album out with lots of great guitar work.

Any thoughts that Yngwie can’t write songs are quickly dispelled with the first three tracks and in my mind, the three best songs on the album! The opener, “You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget,” was released as a single and it’s probably the right one for that. Unfortunately, I don’t remember it getting any play on the radio or MTV, shame on them. The middle song, “Liar,” is my vote for hidden gem. It is just a powerful rock tune, where the vocals of Mark Boals, who replaced former lead singer Jeff Scott Soto, the guitar work of Mr Malmsteen and the keyboards of Jens Johannson come together to make a brilliant song. “Queen in Love” is a good, actually very good, a solid song with more of the above.

After the first instrumental, things go very hard with “Fury.” This could have been better if there was more rhythm guitar. It seemed that Yngwie wanted to show that he could shred a bass as well as a guitar, although he does play a good solo as does Jens on the keyboards. Power chords galore continue on “Fire.” It is one of those catchy type of metal songs. Another positive from “Trilogy” is that he does lend some of the spotlight to the rest of the band. The contributions of Boals and J. Johansson are heard plenty but it’s on “Magic Mirror” where Jens’s brother Anders is let go on the drums and he picks up the baton and runs with it very well.

One criticism which has been aimed at Mr Malmsteen over the years is that his guitar solos all begin to sound pretty much the same. Yes, I would agree that there might be some similarities in them but I just put it down to being his style. Besides, with his talent, he could play the exact same solo on every song and I wouldn’t get bored with it.

Track Listing:

  1. You Don’t Remember, I’ll Never Forget
  2. Liar
  3. Queen in Love
  4. Crying
  5. Fury
  6. Fire
  7. Magic Mirror
  8. Dark Ages
  9. Trilogy Suite Op: 5

Yngwie Malmsteen- guitar, bass, Moog Taurus

Mark Boals- vocals

Jens Johansson- keyboards

Anders Johansson- drums

By 1986, many metalheads were already citing Yngwie Malmsteen as the new guitar god. At the time, I wouldn’t have disagreed with them and even today, he’s definitely in my top 5. Saying that, he had his critics and not just because of his over inflated ego which was by this time, very apparent. So, in respect to this, I conclude the post with a riddle: How many Yngwie Malmsteens does it take to change a light bulb?

Answer in the next post which is: Raven- The Pack is Back

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Kreator- Pleasure to Kill

Posted in Uncategorized on August 9, 2020 by 80smetalman

When I introduced 1986 way back when, I stated that this was the year heavy metal began to noticeably fragment into sub-genres, most notably, glam and thrash. Others would follow further down the line. If I could point to one album which concreted this fragmentation, it’s German thrash band Kreator’s second album, “Pleasure to Kill.” When I played the album to friends, all the thrash oriented friends called it “pure thrash,” which it is. However, a couple of my more glam and mainstream metal friends weren’t too impressed with it. One of them called the album, “Music to kill your grandmother to.”

Being one who likes to visit all the metal camps, I loved the album for what it was, pure unadulterated thrash. The ferocity and speed of which the songs are played were mind-blowing when I first heard it in 1986 and I still fully appreciate its raw power these days. While I might state that my musical tastes have gone slightly more melodic in my old age, I still love the power of albums such as “Pleasure to Kill.” The song titles are amusing too.

The biggest highlight for me of Download 2018 was to see Kreator play the title cut live. “Pleasure to Kill” could possibly be one of my all time favourite thrash metal songs and it’s definitely up there with my favourite songs of all time. I love the fact that even though the song sets out to beat your brains in, it has a cool tempo change in the middle, which the band does effortlessly. Even though Mille Petrozza has since demoted himself to rhythm guitar, he does shred this song outstandingly. Then again, he shreds on every song, his best effort being on the closer, “Under the Guillotine.”

With all my years of listening to “Pleasure to Kill,” I find it hard to pick a hidden gem. While the title track is the best known song from the album, nothing can be taken from the other tracks. Tracks such as “Ripping Corpse,” “Command of the Blade” and “Death Is Your Saviour” lead the charge in what makes this one of the best thrash albums not made by one of the Big 4.

In finally choosing a hidden gem for the album, I took into account that while Mille is the principal lead singer on the album, drummer Ventor, sings lead on three songs. Of those, I think that “Command of the Blade,” is the best, so it gets my vote for hidden gem. That brings me to dispel another misconception about the album. Some of those who aren’t into thrash claim that you can’t tell the difference between Mille’s vocals and Ventor’s. I always could tell it.

Track Listing:

  1. Choir of the Damned
  2. Ripping Corpse
  3. Death Is Your Saviour
  4. Pleasure to Kill
  5. Riot of Violence
  6. Pestilence
  7. Carrion
  8. Command of the Blade
  9. Under the Guillotine

Mille Petrozza- guitar, vocals

Rob Fioretti- bass

Ventor- drums, vocals on tracks 3, 5 &8

Michael Wulf has been accredited for being on the album, he wasn’t, as Mille plays all the guitars. Wulf was eventually let go because, according to Mille, he wouldn’t learn the songs.

Another positive from 1986 is that metalheads in North America and the UK realized that there were some great metal bands in Germany, other than The Scorpions and Accept. Kreator, along with the likes of Warlock and Helloween, spearheaded this. In Kreator’s case, having such a great album like “Pleasure to Kill,” it’s obvious why. Finally, after the hundreds and hundreds of times I’ve listened to the album, I have never had any desire to kill my grandmother.

Next post: Yngwie Malmsteen- Trilogy

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Celtic Frost- Tragic Serenades

Posted in Uncategorized on August 6, 2020 by 80smetalman

A problem I have always had with EPs is that they can be easily missed by me. Often times, I would only hear about them via word of mouth or if I was lucky enough to see it at the record store. Therefore, many of them, like the 1986 offering “Tragic Serenades” from Swiss thrash metal clique, Celtic Frost, passed me by until recently. Besides, the record store I frequented most in New Jersey wouldn’t have had a Celtic Frost record on display to begin with. On the other hand, had this been a full length album, I would have been kicking myself for letting it go past unnoticed for so long.

“Tragic Serenades” might only have three songs but after a good mosh to it, you would have been just as tired out as if it had been a full LP. It has three really in your face thrash songs starting with what is in my opinion, the best of the three, “The Usurper.” The reason why I like it so much is that despite it’s thundering power chords, pounding bass and drums and a blistering guitar solo or two, it still carries a melody.

Less melodic is the middle song, “Jewel Throne.” The power in this song is ear blowing and the slower tempo of the song gives it an apocalyptic feel. However, midway through the song, it just goes into a mad speed thrash which is guaranteed to get a mosh pit going anywhere it’s played.

Ending the fearsome threesome of songs is the closer, “Return to Eve,” which according to Wikipedia, is listed as a “party mix.” I get the humour with that as it would definitely change the mood of any party. It’s also the best song to end the party but would I like to know is who is the lady who adds to the vocals on it.

Track Listing:

  1. The Usurper
  2. Jewel Throne
  3. Return to Eve
  • Thomas G Warrior- guitar, vocals
  • Martin Ain- bass
  • Reed St Mark- drums, percussion

Like I said, only three songs but man, what three thrashing songs they are!

Next post: Kreator- Pleasure to Kill

To buy Rock and Roll Children, email me at: tobychainsaw@hotmail.com

Fight to Free Arsames

Posted in Uncategorized on August 2, 2020 by 80smetalman

arsames

Arsames

The religious government of Iran is at it again! Iranian heavy metal band, Arsames, has been arrested and could face up to 15 years in jail for doing nothing more than playing heavy metal music. This is a travesty of justice. FFI: click the link below.

Iranian Metal Band ARSAMES Arrested, Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For "Playing Satanic Music"

I hope you not only read this disturbing article but listened to their songs posted in the article. These guys can play! Please join me in signing the petition below.

https://www.change.org/p/un-human-rights-commission-free-iranian-heavy-metal-band-arsame