Vain - Demos / Old Tapes

I've always had this fascination with sleaze rock, and Vain were one of the best bands from the genre. They didn't hit like the LA bands from the time, partly due to their refusal to relocate from San Francisco. This gave them a bit of integrity in a scene that would castrate itself to get ahead.

This is just a collection of various demos from completely different sessions. The tapes didn't contain any information as to when they were recorded or where. So your guess is as good as mine. There is bootleg floating around just called Vain - Demos. This is NOT that and doesn't contain any of the same songs.

Fuck you.

1. Worship You
2. Family
3. Get Up
4. Cindy
5. Walk Away
6. 1000 Degrees
7. Beat the Bullet
8. Here Comes Lonely
9. Secrets
10. Ticket Outta Here
11. Deliver the Passion

HERE

W.A.S.P. - We Are So Punk! (Demos)

Not really. WASP was never punk nor were they true metal. They were, however, a fucking kickass rock band. Nevermind how douchy Blackie Lawless can be or how silly the band got in later incarnations. The first album and the demos leading up to it are still completely relevant to landing elbow-drops on small children. So wipe that spunk off your hands and get ready to download these rarities.

The first demo is the "Face the Attack" tape from 1982. There are apparently 3 tracks missing, all of which were from sessions for a different band, Circus Circus, that never got off the ground. I've only heard these in an extremely degraded version that was barely audible. Maybe they'll pop up one day. Check out the slick Rik Fox (of Steeler fame) artwork. Wonder if he had the 64 pack of crayons...you know the one with the sharpener on the back.

Demo number two is a collection of demos that sound like they were done around the same time of the "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)" single. They're probably from the same sessions. The production on these is pretty good...almost as good as the finished record that came out the following year.

I've also thrown in an old Sister demo featuring 'ole Wackie Walrus in his pre-W.A.S.P. band. It's actually a pretty good song, entitled "I Don't Know What I Am". Pay attention to the last section where you get a hint of the Crimson Idol record that Blackie would record a decade later.

HERE

7 inches of bliss...yeah, that's what I said.

The NWOBHM movement marked a significant change in the way every rock fan on the planet saw this festering beast known as heavy metal. You had bands like Sabbath, Priest, Purple/Rainbow, Armageddon, and even a fledgling Van Halen. All of which made for a reasonable argument as to what heavy metal was. Then came this merciless limey monster affectionately called the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. True metal grit mixed with the "fuck the world" mentality of punk...THIS WAS HEAVY METAL. It instantly made everything previously called "metal" seem unimportant. These bands mattered.

Ok, enough with the history lesson...you've all done your homework. The following 7"s are some of my favorite from the era and still get major play on my turntable.


Up first is Blitzkrieg's immortal Buried Alive 7". This 1981 mini-masterpiece was released on the Neat label and made a huge impact on some metalliband in California. Said band recorded a version of the b-side simply named "Blitzkrieg". Spinning this little piece of plastic is like throwing a grenade into a crowd of posers and watching the shrapnel blow through brains left and right. Blitzkrieg had the heaviest riffs of all the NWOBHM bands.


Next I have my most played NWOBHM single, Jaguar's Axe Crazy/War Machine. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING brings the mosh out of me more than the song "Axe Crazy". Upon hearing the first explosion of double bass drums, I wanna suplex little old ladies into church pews and backflip through stained-glass windows. The b-side, "War Machine", always reminded me of Maiden's "Remember Tomorrow"...and I mean that in the best possible way. This record sums up the whole movement for me, metal in its purest form.


Now we're going to rewind the dial a bit. Mythra's Death and Destiny was the first non-Maiden NWOBHM 7" I was able to track down. Released in 1979, it predates a lot of the more famous bands from the scene by a year or so. Mythra also sports slightly better production and more intricate arrangements. The title track chugs along with a fiery tube amp riff a la AC/DC...with a few twists in there to keep the queen's panties all tied up. The major stand-out to me is song "Killer". Lots of powerful chords and dual guitar harmonies to make you kick disco balls at guidos' heads. Wait...it's not 1979...but this record will make you wish it was! Hail and kill!

Blitzkrieg - HERE

Jaguar - HERE

Mythra - HERE