Two Nights of Great Metal in Edinburgh, Scotland

It’s been nearly a week since my weekend in Edinburgh, Scotland but this is the first chance I had to fully write about it. I had a great time but I will leave out all the touristy stuff, you can read all about that on my Peaceful Rampage blog. Here, I want to focus on the musical part of the weekend and there is a lot to focus on. When I Googled rock and metal bars in Edinburgh, one of the hits was a pub called The Banshee Labyrinth. The name alone made me want to check it out and the fact that they featured some great live music on both nights was a big bonus.

Patrons of the Banshee Labyrinth

Some cool decoration

Friday:

After making my way through the labyrinth, trust me, it’s literal with all the rooms and corridors, I found where the live music was. The band on stage on my arrival was Portable Head, a four piece outfit from Dundee. Unfortunately, I only caught the last ten minutes of their set so I really can’t say much about them except I liked what I saw and heard.

Portable Head opening the evening festivities

Unfortunately, my mobile stopped recording when I turned it sideways

A horror theme greeted the audience when Gravelle, (pronounced Gravel), took the stage. They might have only been a duet but they had the stage presence of a much larger band. Furthermore, their appearance, especially the male member dressed as female are not for the narrow minded. However, their brand of horror-gothic rock and subsequent stage show provided some great entertainment. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this band.

Gravelle frightening the crowd

They are a very versatile band

Friday headliners, Unreal, were definitely not for the weak of heart. Another duet, this time it was guitarist and singer, backed up by a recorded drum and bass, obliterated the room with their screamo- thrash metal. I’m surprised no mosh pit opened up while they were on stage as it would have been appropriate. Nevertheless, Unreal’s assault on the eardrums was an excellent way to end the evening.

Unreal were unreal

Saturday

Saturday day time was very manic as my stepdaughter and tour guide, Loretta, dragged us all around the city centre. We had a very busy day seeing the sights and when we returned to the hotel, Mrs. 80smetalman was exhausted. So, while she had an early night, I returned to the Banshee Labyrinth. Unfortunately, for the second straight evening, I got there late and only caught about five minutes of the opening band, RMVR. They were another duet, this time with guitar and drums. Again, for the brief time I saw and heard them, I liked what I did see and hear.

RMVR

Now, I’m angry with my Swiss cheese memory but I think the second band of the night was called Dreaming of Dead Flowers. While, I apologize to the band if I got the name wrong, I can say that this trio totally kicked ass! They played some straight up neo- speed metal and it was a joy to see them perform.

Dreaming of Dead Flowers, I hope that’s their name.

Headliners, Voodoo Twins, were not about to be outdone. Even though three quarters of the band were closer to my age than many in the audience, they had an energy of people much younger. They brought a very cool punk/metal sound to the evening which was very warmly received. A small mosh pit opened at the front towards the end of the set. Vocal duties were shared between the guitarist and bassist which added a further dimension to the band as did the keyboards. Hell, on one intro, I thought they were going to play a cover of “Mr. Crawley.” Still, they ended a second great night of live music.

Voodoo Twins take control

Some cool work on the keys

Voodoo Twins going for glory

I don’t know why these videos are sideways.

So, if you ever go to Edinburgh, definitely call into the Banshee Labyrinth. You can get great beer, other drinks and fantastic live music. Mrs. 80smetalman is already planning next year’s trip so I will be heading back for sure. Especially because they have The Trooper on draught.

Next post: KISS- Smashes, Thrashes and Hits

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

To sign the petition giving Bruce Dickinson a knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of 1988: KISS- Chikara

At first, I was going to abandon posting about the “Chikara” album from KISS and curse myself for taking notice of Wikipedia. After all, the album was only released in Japan and limited to 100,000 copies. KISS put out the album to coincide with their tour of the country at the time. However, Mike encouraged me not to abandon the post so credit him with another save. Fanboy Mike might not be able to save hockey shots but he has saved my bacon twice in as many weeks.

Once I found the album on Youtube and began listening, I became jealous that I didn’t have a copy of the album back in 1988. This would have been the KISS album for me at the time because it had all the songs I like, except “Dr. Love” but nobody’s perfect. See, and I apologize for going over old ground to long time followers, I didn’t properly get into KISS until 1982 with the “Creatures of the Night” album. While there were a few songs I knew and liked, I didn’t get into KISS because I had a religious upbringing and I believed all that crap that they were admitted Satan worshipers and that the band’s name was an anagram for ‘Knights In Satan’s Service.” I said it before but as a teen in the 1970s, religion messed up my head more than heavy metal music ever could but that’s a story for another day.

Mike gave another piece of advice about the album, when listening to it, one must include the remix of “I Was Made For Lovin’ You.” It might be seven minutes plus long but I do like it better than the original off the “Dynasty” album. There isn’t much more I can say about it, that’s the problem with compilation albums. The songs we all know and love are mainly there already but it’s good to hear them all together.

Track Listing:

1. Rock and Roll All Nite
2. Detroit Rock City
3. Love Gun
4. I Was Made For Loving You
5. Creatures of the Night
6. I Love It Loud
7. War Machine
8. Lick It Up
9. All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose
10. Heaven’s On Fire
11. Thrills in the Night
12. Who Wants To Be Lonely
13. Uh.. All Night
14. Tears are Falling

KISS

KISS

I thought I should include all the KISS lineups.

Paul Stanley- rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals

Gene Simmons- bass, lead and backing vocals

Ace Frehley- lead guitar, lead and backing vocals

Bruce Kulick- lead guitar, backing vocals

Vinnie Vincent- lead guitar, backing vocals

Peter Criss- drums, lead and backing vocals

Eric Carr- drums, lead and backing vocals

And also my two favourite KISS songs together:

So there you have it, possibly the best KISS compilation album I’ll never own. It did inspire them to release a similar compilation album in the US later on in the year.

Next post: I’ definitely off to Edinburgh so you will either read an account of some band I discovered in a rock club there or it will be KISS- “Smashes, Trashes and Hits.”

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

To sign the petition for a knighthood for Bruce Dickinson, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of 1988: Hurricane- Over the Edge

Whenever the term ‘hair metal’ is mentioned, one of the first bands which comes to mind is Hurricane. By 1988, that term seemed to be thrown around quite liberally and many bands, rightfully or not, was given the branding. However, I never really cared about the hair, I left that to the ladies like my sister who were jealous of bands who had better hair than they did. Hurricane was such a band.

Me, I just focused on the music and Hurricane’s second album, “Over the Edge,” delivered quite a bit of good music. The title cut starts things off very nicely with some great power chords and a cool guitar solo. Furthermore, the vocals come through very well too, making me want to stick around for the rest of the album. Following on is a very interesting cover of the Alice Cooper classic, “I’m Eighteen.” This version is definitely slowed down with some clever guitar hooks. On top of that, Kelly Hansen’s vocals are sinister but very articulated and a smoking guitar solo from Robert Sarzo.

While the opening tracks are great and that includes, “I’m Onto You,” it’s the middle of the album which does it for me. “Messin’ With a Hurricane,” “Insane” and “We Are Strong” are the best tracks on the album. I don’t know if any of these songs were released as a single, but “Messin’ With a Hurricane” definitely fulfills the criteria for it. It’s a very powerful but melodic metal song with a great bassline. Then you get the more bluesy “Insane,” which is done extremely well. Great harmonizing opens “We Are Strong,” which is followed up by some great power chords and solo. It turns into a very cool, straight up metal rocker. You know, I can’t decide which of these three songs I like best.

Although I praise the middle of the album, things don’t deteriorate as the album winds down to its conclusion. “Give Me an Inch” is the best of this bunch with the harmony vocals. It’s what Yes would sound like if they went heavy metal. At first, I thought closer, “Baby Snakes,” might be a cover of a Frank Zappa song but it’s not. It’s a spoken song where a boy named Jeff constantly phoning this girl named Jenny in the hopes of getting a date. She shoots him down every time but Jeff will not give up. It’s all done with a great musical backdrop.

Track Listing:

1. Over the Edge
2. I’m Eighteen
3. I’m Onto You
4. Messin’ With a Hurricane
5. Insane
6. We Are Strong
7. Spark in My Heart
8. Give Me an Inch
9. Shout
10. Baby Snakes

Hurricane

Kelly Hansen- vocals, guitar

Robert Sarzo- guitar, vocals

Jay Schellen- drums, percussion, vocals

Tony Cavazo- bass, vocals

Now I see why Hurricane were so big in 1990. This “Over the Edge” album was the springboard which launched them into that greatness.

Next post: KISS- Chikara

Note: I’m off to Edinburgh for the weekend so the next post won’t be for a week. Furthermore, if I find a good metal bar in Scotland’s capital, I’ll post about that before the KISS album.

To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson his knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of 1988: D.A.D.- Special

I’m beginning to wonder if Denmark is an untapped vein for heavy metal. Of course, we know of the famous Danish band, Mercyful Fate and the solo career of lead singer, King Diamond. The other day, I was listening to another Danish metal band, Fate, and their 2006 “V” album, which is an excellent album. Recently, I have been delving into today’s offering from Denmark, D.A.D. For those who might not know, the initials stand for Disneyland After Dark but the band had to change its name after the threat of a lawsuit from the Walt Disney corporation.

“Special” is a compilation album with songs from their first two albums, “Draw a Circle” and “Call of the Wild.” Now my only experience of this band was their best known song, “Sleeping My Day Away,” which will appear when I post about their next album. Therefore, this was another learning experience for me and what I now know is that there is a bit of humour to these songs and a new genre called cowpunk.

Album opener, “Isn’t That Wild” is done in the style of the Dead Kennedys. I can picture DK singing this tune but D.A.D. do a grand job. If I hear the lyrics correctly, I think the song is about satellite television, which was gaining in popularity at the time. Next comes “Marlboro Man,” which is about cigarettes. It’s done in a neo punk/blues fashion making it a fun song to listen to. Again, I’m not totally clear here but I think it’s an anti- smoking song. Then again, it could be having a dig at the anti- smoking brigade.

If I had heard “I Won’t Cut My Hair” in 1984, it would have been my theme song. It’s what it says in the title, about someone who won’t cut his hair. It’s done in a hard rock/blues fashion and the guitar is brilliant. Best song on the album. I don’t know which of the Binzer boys plays the guitar solo on this one but it’s fantastic!

“Jonnie” and “Trucker” could be almost country songs. There is a twang to both of the songs but with a more harder guitar sound. Maybe that’s what cowpunk is. Furthermore, both songs are derived from traditional country music themes, trucks and going to shoot someone who’s done them wrong. Then again, “Call of the Wild” could have been used in a western movie. When I listen to the beginning, I picture Clint Eastwood walking across the street in an old western town.

Entwined between those three songs is a more commercial track called, “It’s After Dark.” I speculate this was where the band got its original name from. I like the chorus lyrics stating Disneyland is closed, so let’s go out and get drunk. Then we get a very amusing song which proves humour can be effectively used in metal called, “Mighty Mighty High.” Is this song glorifying smoking weed? More likely, it’s taking a poke at being high. Then again, who cares, I love the punk tone the song is done in. This one is the hidden gem for this album.

The humour carries on with the short but hilarious “Counting the Cattle” and the longer but no less funny, “God’s Favourite.” The former is a total piss take of country music. The latter is more punk/metal and there is a good bassline in it and it could be the forerunner to the big hit which would come a year later. There are definitely similarities with those two songs.

Everyone remind me come December when I write a Christmas post to include “Sad Sad Christmas.” While the theme is meant to be sad, a father and son spending Christmas own their on after mother left. It even has a Christmas themed intro and goes more country. In spite of all that, I can stop laughing when I hear the song.

The western theme returns with “Never Never (Indian Love).” Actually, it could have been a good country western song. It’s about a man who is lamenting his love with a Native American girl. Closing the album is a cowpunk song for sure, “Up Up Over the Mountain Top.” Trust me, it’s the best way to end this album.

Track Listing:

1. Isn’t That Wild
2. Marlboro Man
3. I Won’t Cut My Hair
4. Trucker
5. Jonnie
6. It’s After Dark
7. Call of the Wild
8. Mighty Mighty High
9. Counting the Cattle
10. God’s Favourite
11. Black Crickets
12. Sad Sad Christmas
13. Never Never (Indian Love)
14. Up Up Over the Mountain Top

Jesper Binzer- vocals, guitar, banjo

Stig Pederson- vocals, bass

Jacob Binzer- guitar, tap steel, piano, keyboards, backing vocals

Peter L. Jensen- drums, percussion, backing vocals

I learned something, I learned how that Disneyland After Dark, stuff Walt Disney, are a really good band who write some very amusing songs.

Next post: Hurricane- Over the Edge

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

To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson his knighthood, click the link; https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of1988: Sword- Sweet Dreams

Credit Mike Ladano with the save. If he hadn’t written a recent post on Sword and mentioned the album, “Sweet Dreams,” I would have gone through the entire tour of 1988 without posting about the album. However, it is strange that I hadn’t heard of the album back then. They were already known in the UK for their “Metalized” album two years prior, so I don’t know why this album failed to make a dent anywhere, except possibly in Canada.

Now I promised myself that I wouldn’t make comparisons to this album and “Metalized” but there is one similarity to note. First, different songs can be attributed to different subgenres of heavy metal. The first two tracks are definitely power metal. “Land of the Brave” sounds very Viking metal to me and it is a fun tune with the falsetto vocals of Rick Hughes. It is the second best song on the album. The top spot goes to the more melodic metal penultimate track, “Life On the Sharp Edge.” The chorus is mind blowing and the guitar solo really rips.

One good thing is that Wikipedia doesn’t comment much on the album. It only says that it’s Sword’s second album. Without such outside influence, I was able to completely make up my own mind about “Sweet Dreams.” My verdict is plain and simple, it’s just a great metal album which isn’t afraid to branch out into territories which are now inserted into sub-genres of metal. “Back Off” is the fastest song on the album and they come they close to playing thrash. However, there is a very intriguing guitar solo from Mike Plant on it. The again, “Prepare to Die” is even more closer to thrash.

Reading my post on “Metalized,” after a couple of years, I sang the praises of bassist Mike Larock in the post. I still think he should be mentioned in the same breath as other great bassists but his basslines aren’t so prominent on this album, at least to my ears. But he and Dan Hughes make a great rhythm section. Oh yes, if you want a song that captures all the genres at once, then “Caught in the Act” is the song to go to there.

Track Listing:

1. Sweet Dreams
2. Trouble Is
3. Land of the Brave
4. Back Off
5. Prepare to Die
6. Caught in the Act
7. Until Death Do Us Part
8. The Threat
9. Life on the Sharp Edge
10. State of Shock

Sword

Rick Hughes- vocals, keyboards

Mike Plant- guitar, keyboards

Mike Larock- bass

Dan Hughes- drums

Is “Sweet Dreams” yet another album which came and went and didn’t get the notice it deserved? For me, the answer to that question is a definite yes.

Next post: D.A.D Disneyland After Dark- Special

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

To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson a knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of 1988: Ted Nugent- If You Can’t Lick’em… Lick’em

My big question from Ted Nugent’s 1988 album, “If You Can’t Lick’em…Lick’em,” was if his popularity fading away. Being in the UK, I didn’t know this album existed until years after and further evidence was brought about in 1990 when I heard he had joined a band with other fading 80s superstars. However, that’s a story for another time.

On the first listen to “IYCL’E…L’E” was that in an attempt to regain lost popularity, he fashioned some of the tracks after one of his best known songs, “Stranglehold.” Both the opening track and title track give me that impression, even more so with the title cut because even the guitar solo reminds me of that big hit from days gone by. That’s not to say that either of the songs aren’t good, they truly are and maybe he was onto something there.

While Ted has some decent metal tunes on the album, “She Drives Me Crazy” is an excellent metal tune and with its opening riffs from Ted, “Separate the Men From the Boys, Please” is the hidden gem on the album, there is too much of what I would call filler. “Skintight,” “Funlover” and “The Harder They Come (The Harder I Get)” all tick that box. Again, they’re not terrible songs and Ted’s mastery of the guitar is what makes each of these tracks enjoyable. Actually, it’s what saves them as the lyrics to them give ammunition to the accusations of him being a misogynist many years later. Or is it me getting old? Not just the lyrics though, they simply just don’t measure up to the other tracks on the album.

On the other hand, the Motor City Madman does throw in a blinder of a curve ball on the track, “Spread Your Wings.” This is a blues rocker in the vein of many of the great blues based guitarists of the world, I’m talking about Stevie Ray Vaughn, Pat Travers, Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. With this song, he could have his name right up there with all of those great guitarists I’ve just mentioned. The Nuge really does himself proud with this one. His vocals are very good and his guitar solo just sends me to another dimension. Maybe, it should have been released as a single.

Two points I never realized until pulling out this album. The first is that “IYCL’E…L’E” is the first album where Ted sings lead vocals on every track. I know that he did share vocal duties with other members of his band on previous albums. Ted’s vocals have always been all right, so this is no major shock. What is a little shocking, at least it would have been for me if I had actually heard this album back in 1988, is that he co-wrote the closer with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. However, these days, it’s not really a surprise and besides, it’s a good song to end the album.

Track Listing:

1. Cant Live With’ Em
2. She Drives Me Crazy
3. If You Can’t Lick’ em…Lick’ em
4. Skintight
5. Funlover
6. Spread Your Wings
7. The Harder They Come, (The Harder I Get)
8. Separate the Men From the Boys, Please
9. Bite the Hand
10. That’s the Story of Love

Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent- lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitars, bass

Dave Amato- rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Jai Winding- hammond b3 organ

John Purdell- keyboards

Chuck Wright- bass

Pat Torpey- drums, backing vocals

Tom Werman- percussion

“If You Can’t Lick’em… Lick’ em” would be the last solo album Ted Nugent would release for seven years. History knows what he did during that time but it doesn’t stop this album from being good. Sure, Ted has many greater albums to his name but this one has its charm. One other useless point of information, Ted has only come to the UK four times since this album.

Next post: Sword- Sweet Dreams

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

To sign the petition to give Bruce Dickinson a knighthood, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of 1988: Vixen

When I heard about Vixen, my first reaction was: “It’s about time we had a cool all female American heavy metal band.” Before that, The Go Go’s came and went and Britain’s Girlschool only managed to achieve cult status in the US and only metalheads mainly knew them in their own country. Saying that, I did see Girlschool play to a fully packed out Marquee Club in 1992 but I digress yet again. Today, I am here to talk about Vixen.

Their self titled debut album seems to alternate between radio friendly rock and harder metal. The opener, “Edge of a Broken Heart,” which made it to 26 in the US charts starts the album off and showed that Vixen were capable of commercially friendly rock. The same can be said about the third track, “Cryin’.” This too is a good radio friendly rock tune although it didn’t do as well in the charts. It could be the contribution on keyboards by one Richard Marx which helps, although “Cryin'” is more tender. Of course there is more tender as the fifth track, “Desperate,” leans more into ballad territory but it turns it around with a cool rock out towards the end. Oh yes, another thing these songs all have are killer solos from Jan Kuehnemund. Repeating myself again but it’s a damn shame that female shredders never got the respect they deserved back then.

The tracks which wind between the more commercial songs are the rockers, “I Want You to Rock Me” and “American Dream.” These are definite rockers and if you thought Jan shredded on the hits, you should really hear her go to town on “American Dream!” However, the album does go more metal on the second half of the album, starting with “One Night Alone.” This is a pure rocker, plain and simple with all the necessary ingredients. The same can be said for “Hell Raisers.” This is a metal tune and my vote for hidden gem.

If they hadn’t released it as a single, “Love Made Me” would have been the hidden gem. This is a power rocker but with more commercial sounding harmonizing at the chorus but trust me, the verses are done with true metal killer power and of course, a cool solo from Jan and I shouldn’t have waited this long to point out what a great singer Janet Gardener is. She definitely has the pipes.

Way back in what now seems ancient 80smetalman history, I wrote a post about underrated musicians. My sister, Dawn, stated that Vixen drummer, Roxy Petrucci, would definitely be in her band of underrated musicians and listening to the album, I concur with her on this. She is one hell of a drummer and full marks is given to her here. She doesn’t really do any mad drum rolls or anything like that but she doesn’t need to. Roxy makes up one half of great rhythm section with bassist Shane Pederson providing the other half.

Track Listing:

1. Edge of a Broken Heart
2. I Want You To Rock Me
3. Cryin’
4. American Dream
5. Desperate
6. One Night Alone
7. Hell Raisers
8. Love Made Me
9. Waiting
10. Cruisin’

Vixen

Janet Gardener- rhythm guitar, lead vocals

Jan Kuehnemund- lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals

Roxy Petrucci- drums, backing vocals

Shane Pederson- bass, backing vocals

Additional Musicians:

Richard Marx- keyboards

Vixen proved to the world that America was capable of producing an all female heavy metal and by 1988, it was about bloody time.

Next post: Ted Nugent- If You Can’t Lick’em… Lick’em

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

To sign the petition to have Bruce Dickinson knighted, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false

Great Metal Albums of 1988: Anvil- Pound for Pound

Not sure if “Pound for Pound” was one of the albums mentioned by Lipps when he talks about unknown Anvil albums in the “Story of Anvil” documentary, but I’m sure it was one of those included in that list. It did come and go without much notice, including mine. However, I did give the album some listens and it is definitely worthy of being included on 80smetalman’s Blog.

It seems that on “Pound for Pound,” Anvil were going for a more heavier than their normal sound. In some places, they go near thrash but what I really like about the album is the theme of some of the tracks. Take the opener, “Blood on the Ice.” This isn’t as sinister as the title might suggest, it’s about fights in ice hockey. Being a big hockey fan and a big fan of the Philadelphia Flyers starting in the days when they were known as the Broad Street Bullies, this track holds a special place for me. It reminds me of Flyers hero from back then, Dave ‘The Hammer’ Schultz.

And of course, Family Guy gets in on the act.

Like what many other metal bands did back in 1988, Anvil has a song ripping on TV Evangelists. Their offering is called “Corporate Preacher” and it is spot on in what they sing about evangelists and it’s done to a very hard metal vibe. Innuendo a plenty is found in “Toe Jam,” which is a very fast, almost thrash metal jam. Lipps wails on the guitar on this one and does not slow down on “Safe Sex.” On both of these tracks, he silences any doubts about his guitar playing ability, although I never had any and “Safe Sex” is about what the title suggests.

I think we can all appreciate the sentiment behind “Where Does All the Money Go?” My biggest moan is that every time I think I might be getting ahead, some surprise bill comes along. We can all identify with that. While not thrash, it’s done to a very catchy hard rocking vibe. Maybe this is a good song to help you forget financial troubles and just enjoy the rock out, especially with that guitar solo.

The next three tracks all go by pretty fast but that’s not a bad thing. Some very cool riffs start “Brain Burn.” I think it’s about a nagging partner and the power chords and swirling solos continue through the next two songs. They do set up things for the penultimate track, “Fire in the Night.” Being longest song at over six minutes, one might think Anvil were going for a more progressive metal way to end the album. Even more so with the intro and opening guitar solo. While not as fast as many of the other songs, it’s still a cool mid tempo metal tune going in a more traditional Anvil way. It would have made a great closer had not they decided to add the very amusing twelve second long “Cramps” at the very end.

Track Listing:

1. Blood on the Ice
2. Corporate Preacher
3. Toe Jam
4. Safe Sex
5. Where Does All the Money Go?
6. Brain Burn
7. Senile King
8. Machine Gun
9. Fire in the Night
10. Cramps

Anvil

Steve ‘Lipps’ Kudlow- vocals, lead guitar

Dave Allison- rhythm guitar

Ian Dickson- bass

Robb Reiner- drums

Is “Pound for Pound” a hidden gem among forgotten Anvil albums? Well, after listening to it, I think it’s a strong contender.

Next post: Vixen

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

To sign the petition for a knighthood for Bruce Dickinson, click the link: https://www.change.org/p/special-honours-committees-for-knighthoods-a-knighthood-for-bruce-dickinson?redirect=false