Archive for January, 2021

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Tony MacAlpine- Edge of Insanity

Posted in Uncategorized on January 31, 2021 by 80smetalman

Two camps were beginning to emerge in 1986 over the question of solo albums by lead guitarists. Those in favour argued that you got to hear the guitarist showcase their talent without the confines of the rest of their band. Those on the other side stated that albums of nothing but guitar instrumentals tend to become boring. They even point to one of the pioneers of guitar albums, Yngwie Malmesteen, stating that even he had vocalists on some of his songs. Personally, I go with the ‘in favour’ group because I have always been in awe of virtuosos who could bend the six-stringed instrument to their will. Tony MacAlpine was one such virtuoso.

Tony’s album, “Edge of Insanity” has no vocals and those in the opposition camp might find the album boring. However, what he does on each and every track is not boring. On each track, he makes the guitar sing in a unique and very entertaining way. I have always thought that he deserves to be included among all the rock and metal guitar gods whenever they are mentioned. However, in contrast to Yngwie, Tony plays the keyboards on the album as well. In fact, there is no guitar on the track, “Chopin- Prelude 16, Opus 28,” it’s just him on the keyboards and he is excellent. But where it shines best is my choice for hidden gem, “The Taker.” Here, Tony uses both his guitar and keyboard skills to great effect. Another contrast is while Yngwie played bass on his debut album, Tony only plays bass on one track. For the others, he chose to enlist the help of one Billy Sheehan. With Billy, he didn’t have to worry about the bass parts.

When I listened to “Edge of Insanity,” I tried to do so without regard to the two tracks which were featured on the Metal Sisters Compilation, the title track and “The Witch and the Priest.” However, that second track has been the one which has stuck in my mind for more than thirty years and as far as I’m concerned, it’s the best track on the album. It’s just the way Tony brings a rhythm to the lead guitar and then changes it once you start getting comfortable and then changes it back. At the same time, Billy and drummer Steve Smith, yes that Steve Smith from some band called Journey, what, were you thinking of the character on “American Dad?” provide a totally reliable rhythm section. That track is the defining number on a great instrumental album.

Track Listing:

  1. Wheel of Fortune
  2. The Stranger
  3. Quarter to Midnight (Live Solo)
  4. Agrionia
  5. Empire in the Sky
  6. The Witch and the Priest
  7. The Taker
  8. Chopin, Prelude 16, Opus 28
  9. Edge of Insanity
  10. The Raven
  11. No Place in Time
Tony MacAlpine

Tony MacAlpine- guitar, keyboards, bass (track 7)

Billy Sheehan- bass

Steve Smith- drums

It might be true that lead guitarists playing solo albums were beginning to come out of the woodwork in 1986 but I never considered that a bad thing. In the mid to late 1980s, there were a lot of great guitar albums, my favourite would come two years later but I totally enjoyed Tony MacApline’s album in 1986 and still enjoy it today.

Next post: Poison- Look What the Cat Dragged In

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

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Ded Engine

Posted in Uncategorized on January 27, 2021 by 80smetalman

Now to answer the question which has been on everybody’s mind since last post, does Ded Engine really sound like Judas Priest with a head cold? Maybe the head cold bit was a little too harsh as I have listened to it recently but when I first heard it back in 1986, I thought it was the case. On the opening track, “Scream,” maybe they had a cold when they recorded that one and still a little bit when I reheard one of the tracks, “Rabid,” which appeared on the Metal Sister Compilation Tape, the same might apply. But when I heard the other track, “Bloodlust,” I was less inclined to think so. In fact, “Bloodlust” is one of the better tracks on the album.

Listen to the two tracks and judge for yourself:

Whether they had a head cold or not, this album from Ded Engine was definitely influenced by Judas Priest and it can be heard all over the album. The opening track reminds me of “Ram It Down” and the second track starts out with riffs similar to “You Got Another Thing Coming.” Saying that, I hear a little bit of KISS’s “Tears are Falling” in that intro but I tend to lean more towards Priest here, especially as KISS were chasing trends in the 80s, not creating them. The track, “Renegade,” reminds me of “Freewheel Burning” and I am convinced that every track can either be linked to a particular Judas Priest song or you can hear the Priest influence on it.

Being influenced by a great band like Judas Priest isn’t a bad thing. Ded Engine emulate their heroes very well. Lead singer Scott Litz is no Robert Halford but he does his best to try to sound like him and isn’t too bad and you have to give credit to guitarist, Doug Horstman. He can play riffs and solos like both Glenn Tipton and KK Downing, so you can say you have one guitarist doing the work of two. He plays well on the album. For me though, the best track on the album is “Take A Hike.” Probably because I can’t tie it to any particular Judas Priest song off the top of my head. I’m sure if I went through the Judas Priest discography, I would find one but no matter. This song, while still very strongly influenced by that band, probably sounds the most original. Horstman lays down some really great riffs on it.

The great feeling from “Take A Hike” is carried over to “Hot Shot.” There is some originality here and some Litz’s vocals are probably the best on the track and the backing vocals are good. Furthermore, Horstman lays down a cool guitar solo. With all that said, I should declare it the best track on the album but I’m afraid that even with all of those elements, it fails to reach the heights of “Take A Hike.” The problem with the Priest influence is that by the time you get to the last three tracks, it all gets a little predictable, even if the guitar solo on “Young and Hot” is quite good.

Track Listing:

  1. Scream
  2. Kings of the City
  3. Renegade
  4. Rabid
  5. Bloodlust
  6. Take a Hike
  7. Hot Shot
  8. Young and Hot
  9. Reign of Terror
  10. Til Deaf Do Us Part
Ded Engine

Scott Litz- vocals

Doug Horstman- guitars

Marky De Sade- bass

G.H. Chip Lorimer- drums

Final verdict is that Ded Engine’s debut album definitely sounds like Judas Priest but not so much with a head cold as I originally remembered. It’s a worthwhile listen.

Next post: Tony MacAlpine- Edge of Insanity

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

Great Metal Albums of 1986: 3rd Stage Alert

Posted in Uncategorized on January 23, 2021 by 80smetalman

One cool think about Metal Sister Stacy when I knew her back in the 1980s was that she could always find new metal bands which few people had heard of. It’s her I have to thank for introducing me to Virgin Steele and Kreator to name just the ones that come to mind. Plus, it was her albums which the Metal Sisters Compilation Tape was made from. As you know, one of those songs was “The Stranger” by 3rd Stage Alert. While their EP came out in late 1984, I didn’t hear of them until I was sent that tape two years later and now, I’ve finally got around to listening to the six song EP.

First of all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the album, all songs are played very competently. Dave Drury is a decent enough singer and the rhythm section is as good as any. Furthermore, I am very impressed with the lead guitar work of Al Morris as he lays down some cool solos. The songs are good enough as well, the problem is that there is no ‘blow me away’ factor on the album. If I owned this album on cassette back then or CD now, it would go into my rotation but it wouldn’t be one that I would play, say on the way to a concert for extra motivation.

I think the reason why the Metal Sisters recorded “The Stranger” on the tape because it was the first one on the EP. While all the songs are good, there isn’t a stand out, track until track four, “Take That Jump.” That is the best song on the EP, with some good riffing and good backing vocals to accompany Dave and a cool guitar solo from Al. Yes, definitely, ” Take That Jump” is the hidden gem here.

Track Listing:

  1. The Stranger
  2. Steppin’ Out
  3. Superstar
  4. Take That Jump
  5. Adagio (For a Dead Soldier)
3rd Stage Alert

80sMetalman Theory: If Metal Blade Records had taken the time to grow the band, then 3rd Stage Alert would have gone on to achieve greater glories. The potential certainly was there as shown in this EP and if given the chance, could have matured into a great band. Unfortunately, they got lost in the ‘also rans’ of the many metal bands in the 1980s.

Next post: Another great save from Boppinsblog. The reason I couldn’t find the Ded Engine songs from the tape to put on the last post was because I had spelled their first name correctly. The above is how the band actually spelled their name. Therefore, the next post will be their debut album and we’ll get to see if they actually do sound like Judas Priest with a head cold.

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

Great Unofficial Metal Albums of 1986: The Metal Sisters Compilation

Posted in Uncategorized on January 20, 2021 by 80smetalman
Not the actual Metal Sisters but it might have made a cool album cover

Here you go! As some of you requested, I am posting the songs which my sister Dawn and her friend, the late Stacy Kroger, (Stacy passed away around ten years ago due to a heart defect she had since birth), whose aliases were Dawn the Destroyer and Wild Swinging Stacy, aka- the Metal Sisters, recorded 21 metal tunes which they sent me at Christmas 1986. In recent posts, I have been posting the albums these songs were taped from and now, after popular demand, I present to you, “The Metal Sisters Compilation Tape.”

Unfortunately, there were two songs I was unable to find on the Tubes of You. However, there are 19 other songs for you to listen to and enjoy.

1. Tobruk- She’s Nobody’s Angel
2. Tobruk- Going Down for the Third Time
3. Virgin Steele- Don’t Say Goodbye
4. 3rd Stage Alert- The Stranger

The two tracks I couldn’t find, both by Dead Engine.

5. Rabid

6. Bloodlust

What I remember about Dead Engine from these two songs is that they sounded like Judas Priest with a head cold.

7. Vyper- Afraid of the Dark
8. CJSS- No Man’s Land
9. CJSS- Communication Breakdown (It wasn’t recorded live on the tape.)

The Metal Sisters wrote both CJSS songs as David T. Chastain on the tape.

10. Odin- Solar Eye

That was side A of the tape.

11. Helloween- Walls of Jericho/Ride the Sky
12. Jack Starr- Road Warrior
13. Jack Starr with Rhett Forrester- Crazy Again
14, Rhett Forrester- Gone With the Wind
15. Rhett Forrester- The Last Thing I Do
16. Vinnie Vincent- Boyz Are Gonna Rock
17. Tony MacAlpine- Edge of Insanity
18. Tony MacAlpine- The Witch and the Priest
19. Castle Blak- Babes in Toyland
20. Castle Blak- Throw the Book
21. Poison- Let Me Go to the Show

I hope you’ve enjoyed listening, I still do. I think the moral here is that there was a lot of great heavy metal around in 1986 and there could have been dozens of compilation tapes like this one made. Oh, in case you’re curious, here is an actual photo of my sister. She too has recently published a book called “Backstretch Girls.” You don’t have to be into horse racing to enjoy the read.

The original Metal Sister, Dawn LeFevre

Next post: 3rd Stage Alert

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

To buy Backstretch Girls, go to: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Backstretch-Girls-Dawn-LeFevre/dp/1543984312/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=backstretch+girls&qid=1611143584&s=books&sr=1-1

Great Metal Albums of 1986: CJSS- World Gone Mad

Posted in Uncategorized on January 16, 2021 by 80smetalman

First of all, I like to give a huge thanks to Boppinsblog who has come into fill in some blanks on a couple of recent posts. He was able to supply the musicians who played on Rhett Forrester’s “Gone With the Wind” album and a couple of week’s back, when I posted on Chastain’s album and lamented over not finding the songs which appeared on the Metal Sister’s compilation tape, he directed me to this album by David Chastain’s other band, CJSS, “World Gone Mad.” So once again, thank you Boppinsblog!

The two tracks from the album which appear on the tape are “No Man’s Land” and a cool cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown.” Maybe it’s because the song was so familiar to me already, but I have to say that “No Man’s Land” is the best track on this album. Hearing it again after so many years, (I finally modernized in 2007 when I got a car with a CD player, so that’s when my tapes were retired), I still really dig the track. On it, all the members of the band get to step forward and show their stuff. Great vocals, drumming and a very cool bass-line from Mike Skimmerhorn and of course, like with the entire album, the guitar mastery of David.

After a great start, with the two songs mentioned and a good opener, “Hell On Earth,” the album takes a tiny dip with the title track. I think, the band was trying to experiment or possibly trying to be a little new wave and it’s not a bad attempt, but the constant repetition of “I pledge allegiance,” gets a little annoying by the end. Fortunately, it redeems itself with “Run Another Day,” which starts off as it’s going to be a power ballad but speeds up to a mid tempo rocker with David cranking out a cool solo. It also highlights the vocals of Russell Jinkens, who really shines here.

After a couple of cool rocking tracks, the album goes into a more power metal course on “Welcome to Damnation.” The bass intro is amazing, especially the way it brings in the guitar. David shows that he is more than someone who just wants to solo away but can hit the power chords on the rhythm guitar parts as well. Then again, he does some cool guitar soloing here as well. Closing out the album is “Living in Exile,” which reminds me a little of Dio’s “Stand Up and Shout,” which is a bit strange because that song is an opener. However, “Living in Exile” is the best choice for closer as it does punctuate the album very well on its way out.

Track Listing:

  1. Hell On Earth
  2. No Man’s Land
  3. Communication Breakdown
  4. World Gone Mad
  5. Run Another Day
  6. Gates of Eternity
  7. Destiny
  8. Welcome to Damnation
  9. Living in Exile
CJSS

David T. Chastain- guitar

Russell Jinkens- vocals

Mike Skimmerhorn- bass

Les Sharp- drums

It’s obvious that David T. Chastain was a very busy boy in 1986 with an album from Chastain and this one with CJSS. This band also put out another album at the end of the year and if it’s anything like “World Gone Mad,” then I can’t wait to hear it.

Next post: Responding to demand, I am going to post, “The Metal Sisters Compilation Tape.”

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

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Rhett Forrester- Gone With the Wind

Posted in Uncategorized on January 13, 2021 by 80smetalman

In 1986, I thought the songs which appeared on the Metal Sisters’ compilation tape were awesome, now in 2021, I am finding how great many of the albums those songs were on were good. Cue former Riot lead singer Rhett Forrester’s debut solo album, “Gone With the Wind.” Thankfully, the Metal Sisters put the two songs from the album after the Jack Starr songs and in the notes, I knew that Rhett had sung the vocal on the phenomenal Jack Starr song, “Crazy Again.” Now I got to hear what Rhett could do on his own.

The opening title track was one of the two songs which were on the tape. Since it leads off the album, I feel it’s in its rightful place. “Gone With the Wind” is a great belter of an opening song with some great power chords. The sounds of strong winds blowing at the beginning might have been done before by others but it sets the right tone here and makes you want to stick around for the rest of the album.

With this album, the Metal Sisters did choose the best two tracks to put on the tape. The other song on it is the third track, “The Last Thing I Do.” It’s one of those songs which lures you into thinking it’s going to be a power ballad before all hell breaks loose at the chorus. This formula is repeated at the second verse but what I notice now is the guitar in the background during the ballad part, which definitely adds a bit of flavour to it. Then after the second verse, all hell breaks loose again but it stays that way for the rest of the song and has a blinder of a guitar solo. Unfortunately, my search for the musicians who play on the album have turned up nothing and that’s a bit of a bummer because whoever is the guitarist here, he cooks!

Insert 80sMetalman repetition: two great songs don’t make a great album and yes, the rest of “Gone With the Wind” holds up. The track, “Cranky Boy,” which is sandwiched between the two tracks on the tape, while not as great as the two mentioned tracks, acts as a good bridge between them. Some straight forward power chords and a cool guitar solo. God, I’d love to know who played guitar on this album.

With a video to accompany the song, I deduce that “Assume the Position” was meant to be released as a single. Listening to it has me thinking about something Keepsmealive said about “Crazy Again.” He sensed a KISS feel to that song and there is an 80s KISS feel to “Assume the Position.” It’s a very melodic metal tune but things get hard and heavy again with “Shake the Shadow.” I have to say, I think this song hosts Rhett’s best vocal performance on the album. He just sounds noticeably clearer on it. The same can be said on “Moving in for the Kill.” While this is one of those decent straight-forward metal tunes, it is more filler but good filler. The guitar solo is another blinder. Same could possibly be said for “Boys Wanna Fight,” except whoever is the drummer here should step up for praise from yours truly. The drums are really good on this one.

Track Listing:

  1. Gone With the Wind
  2. Cranky Boy
  3. The Last Think I Do
  4. Assume the Position
  5. Voyage to Nowhere
  6. Shake the Shadow
  7. Boys Wanna Fight
  8. Moving In for the Kill
  9. Live With Me
Rhett Forrester

Rhett Forrester- lead vocals

Paul Kayen-guitar

Gary Bordonaro- bass

Carl Canedy- drums

If I had been more knowledgeable of music history in 1986, I would have stated that “Gone With the Wind” gave Rhett Forrester platform to move on after the disbandment of Riot. I would have called it a promising start. Unfortunately, Rhett was taken from us in 1994 after he refused to give up his car in an attempted car jacking. I’m sure those who killed him will burn in hell.

Next post: CJSS- World Gone Mad

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

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Jack Starr’s Burning Starr- No Turning Back

Posted in Uncategorized on January 10, 2021 by 80smetalman
Alternative Cover

It is very tempting for me to compare the 1986, “No Turning Back” album from Jack Starr’ Burning Starr to the album I visited in the previous post, Jack’s 1984 album with Rhett Forrester, “Out of the Darkness.” It is sorely tempting, especially as Jack bends the six string so easily to his will on both albums. Actually, what’s even more tempting is to say which one I prefer, okay, take the gun away from my head, it’s “Out of the Darkness,” but “No Turning Back” is a pretty cool album as well.

The opening title track does what an opening track should do, it captures your curiosity as to how good the rest of the album is going to be. I think it would have been out of place anywhere else on the album. However, the second track, “Light in the Dark” is a scorcher of a metal tune. A greatly paced tempo with some great guitar work from Jack. It is on this track that you can fully appreciate the vocals of singer Mike Tirelli. Going back to album comparisons, I get the feeling that Mike and Rhett are interchangeable. Their vocals styles are quite similar. Again, that’s not a bad a thing.

One area where this album wins out over the previous album is the power ballad. If I had listened to this album back in the day, “Fire and Rain” would have been included in my top thirty power ballads, easily. The entire band are totally engaged on this one led by some great vocals from Mike and of course, Jack’s magical guitar work. In fact, “Fire and Rain” would most likely break the top twenty and maybe even threaten the top ten. I like it that much.

Burning Starr’s rhythm section of Keith ‘Thumper’ Collins and Mark Edwards let you know they’re part of the band on “Call of the Wild.” The rhythm is strong on this song. Then we come to the song which was on the Metal Sister’s compilation tape, “Road Warrior.” This song brings back great memories of the tape and it’s a cool song, even with Mike’s falsetto vocal but now that I have heard the entire album, it’s not the best song on it.

Three short instrumentals, “Prelude in C-Minor,” “M-1” and the closer, “Coda,” take up a combined total of one minute and fifty four seconds but they serve the purpose of giving a relaxing but well deserved break in the action, while “Coda” ends the album nicely. However, mingled in between those are two filler tracks, “Evil Never Sleeps” and “Path of Destruction.” They’re not bad songs but I don’t miss them when the needle moves to “Avenging Angel.” This is a speedier track but it matches well with the vocals, a good headbanger and the line in the chorus, “Avenge my death, avenge my life!” sticks in the mind during the cool guitar/keyboard trade off. That leads very well to the penultimate track, (it would have been a great closer too), “Run For Your Life.” It’s intro of nearly a minute and a half leads you to believe that it’s going to be another instrumental but everything just explodes and all five members come together magnificently. Jack hammers out another cool solo, actually two as the instrumental part at the end is ace; making it a great way to end things.

Track listing:

  1. No Turning Back
  2. Light in the Dark
  3. Fire and Rain
  4. Call of the Wild
  5. Road Warrior
  6. Prelude in C Minor
  7. Evil Never Sleeps
  8. Path of Destruction
  9. M-1
  10. Avenging Angel
  11. Run for You Life
  12. Coda
Jack Starr’s Burning Starr

Jack Starr- guitar

Mike Tirelli- vocals

Keith ‘Thumper’ Collins- bass

Mark Edwards- drums

David DeFeis- keyboards

In 1986, I was sent a tape of twenty-one good songs, “Road Warrior” from Burning Starr’s “No Turning Back” album being one of them. After listening to the album now, I wish I had listened to it back then.

Next post: Rhett Forrester- Gone With the Wind

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

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Jack Starr- Out of the Darkness

Posted in Uncategorized on January 6, 2021 by 80smetalman

Yet another reason why I should have bought the album. No, I knew what a great guitarist Jack Starr was, it’s just that when he appeared on the Metal Sisters’ tape, I assumed the two songs, “Crazy Again” and “Road Warrior,” were on the same album. After a little digging, I find that “Crazy Again,” the song which ended my 1986 on a great note and got me through some rough times in the first month of 1987, appears on the album, “Out of the Darkness,” which was made in 1984. So, I’m going to have to invoke creative license here because I loved the song in 1986 and now the album, therefore, I’m going to include it in the tour of 1986.

Also what I didn’t know was that on this album, Jack had teamed up with former Riot singer, Rhett Forrester. The two make an awesome pairing, Jack’s guitar magic combined with Rhett’s vocals make the album fantastic. Of course, “Crazy Again” is the best song on the album and it’s probably the best known one, though it was never a single that I know of. However, if I had to pick a hidden gem and I will, it’s the track “False Messiah.” This track has several different elements which all come together. It’s a powerful yet still a melodic metal tune, mainly down to Rhett’s vocals. Towards the end of the song, there is a Southern Rock feel to it, reminds me a little of Blackfoot in their heyday.

While the two tracks just mentioned are the best ones on the album, the other tracks aren’t totally overshadowed by them. “Concrete Jungle” is a brilliant opener, those opening riffs definitely whet your appetite for the rest of the album. As are tracks like “Wild in the Streets” and “Chains of Love.” While people joke about heavy metal artists having their token ballad on albums, “I Can’t Let You Walk Away” is no joke. Again, Rhett’s vocals are well suited and Jack’s guitar solos are perfect for the song. On the subject of guitar solos, Jack shows his stuff on three instrumentals, the short but sharp “Scorcher,” the intoxicating “Odile,” who was Jack’s wife at the time and the closer, “Amazing Grace.” At a time when quality guitarists were everywhere, Jack proved that he deserved to be counted among the best of them.

Track Listing:

  1. Concrete Warrior
  2. False Messiah
  3. Scorcher
  4. Wild in the Street
  5. I Can’t Walk Away
  6. Chains of Love
  7. Eyes of Fire
  8. Odile
  9. (Let’s Get) Crazy Again
  10. Amazing Grace
Jack Starr and Rhett Forrster

Jack Starr- guitars

Rhett Forrester- vocals

Gary Bordonaro- bass

Carl Canedy- drums

Guest Musicians

Gary Driscoll- drums, track 9

Emma Zale- additional vocals, track 2; piano and strings, tracks 5 & 8

Paul Kane- guitar, track 5

Laura Kyle- backing vocals, tracks 5 & 7

Ned Meloni- bass, track 8

David DeFeis- backing vocals

I may have been two years late in discovering this album and Jack Starr but I have since more than made up for it. “Out of the Darkness” is a true metal album, no matter what year. As for the other track I heard on the tape with “Crazy Again,” that album did come out in 1986, so I guess I’ll have to post that one next.

Next post: Burning Starr- No Turning Back

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

Great Metal Albums of 1986: Vyper- Afraid of the Dark

Posted in 1980s, Heavy Metal, Heavy Metal and the 1980s, Music, Rock, Uncategorized with tags , , , , , , , on January 3, 2021 by 80smetalman

First, I hope all of you had a good new year. While most years, I say I hope people didn’t get too wrecked on New Year’s Day, this year, I have to say I hope no one got caught violating the Covid restrictions in their area. At least this year, the UK’s top metal hating newspaper, The Sun, didn’t splash pictures of young women being falling down drunk on its pages. Instead, it reported on all the lockdown violations. Anyway, let’s get to the subject at hand.

Still using the Metal Sisters’ compilation tape they sent me for Christmas in 1986, there was a song called, “Afraid of the Dark,” by a band I’d never heard of, Vyper. At the time, because there were so many good songs from other artists on the tape, it just sorted of blended in with them. Now that I’ve had a chance to listen to their 1986 EP of the same name, I realize just how good that song is. It starts with a cool guitar riff which if it didn’t totally grab my attention then, it certainly does now. This track highlights the talents of the entire band with some great guitar riffs and a cool solo in the middle, great vocals and a good bass line. Definitely the best song on this four track EP and it leaves you in hope that the others will be just as good.

“Afraid of the Dark” might have been the showcase tune for the album but “Diamonds” is the hard pounding heavy metal song on the album. No frills, just straight forward powerful metal, which is played very well by the band. The vocals remain clean and backed by some good background vocals. Then speed increases more with “Time Flies.” Definitely the fastest song on the album and though it’s not as tight as “Diamonds,” it is still a great song to headbang along to. The innuendos in the lyrics such as, “I like to sit you down, let you ride my rocket” and “Bring your girlfriend along, I like her too,” are quite amusing.

Controversial lyrics don’t end with “Time Flies.” On the closer, “Daddy’s Girl,” Vyper venture into very controversial territory. The song is about a father, who because he and mother work separate hours, uses his daughter to get his pleasure. Actually, I’m surprised there was no outcry from the fundamentalists in the US over this one. It could be why the band didn’t put out an album for an album for twenty more years. Shame though, because there is a really good guitar solo trade off on this track. This EP showed that the band had the potential to hit the big time.

Track Listing:

  1. Afraid of the Dark
  2. Diamonds
  3. Time Flies
  4. Daddy’s Girl
Vyper

Christy Black- lead vocals

Jacky Foxx- guitars

Michael Scott- drums, backing vocals

Rik Brock- bass, backing vocals

Robbie Saint- guitars

Because the EP is only 14 minutes long, I thought I’d share it in its entirety.

It’s easy to say that with so many metal bands around in 1986, that one can see why Vyper might have been overlooked. Still, it’s a shame because if more people listened to “Afraid of the Dark,” then Vyper could have risen to their full potential.

Next post: Jack Starr- Out of the Darkness

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