GIRLSCHOOL • Running Wild LP

PolyGram Records 1985
Alright, I think this one is a bit of a rarity... certainly I'd never seen or even heard of it when I stumbled across it at Hamilton's crustiest record shop Hammer City. I had an inkling that it was gonna be bad based the discogs note that simply states "infamous release", and that just made me wanna hear it more! For my money GIRLSCHOOL's first 2 records and early singles are the only things that are truly great - after Hit & Run they seemed to consistently miss the mark. Running Wild is their fifth record and first without Kelly Johnson on guitar, and also their first (and only?) as a 5-piece. Oddly enough Running Wild never saw a UK release... perhaps they knew their old-school fans wouldn't appreciate the poppier sound and glossy production on offer here. This is pretty mediocre stuff to be sure, but each side has a couple of decent tracks: "Something For Nothing" and "Are You Ready?" on the first and "Love Is A Lie" and "Can't You See" on the second. This one is worth a shot - it's honestly not as bad as rumoured to be.
DOWNLOAD: GS-RW85.rar (86.46 MB)

DARXON • Tokyo EP

Wishbone Records 1985
In the mood for straight ahead, no frills Metal? Look no further my friend, cuz Germany's DARXON have got it in spades. Good songs. good production, standard mid-80s Metal/Rock that reminds me of a less Speed Metal GRAVESTONE (might just be that guitar sound though). Don't have much to say about these guys cuz I don't know much about 'em... I do however know I like 'em.
DOWNLOAD: Darxon-Tokyo.rar (31.93 MB)

THE REJECTS • Quiet Storm LP

Heavy Metal Records 1984
When Quiet Storm was released it was clear that these guys were no longer the COCKNEY REJECTS I knew and loved... the cover alone made that painfully obvious. I mistakenly assumed that they'd become a full on Metal band (airborne BC Rich lightning rod anyone!?!), but no, that'd be too easy. This record is much more confusing than that, and really nothing could have prepared me for what was in store. While the bands previous record, 1982's The Wild Ones, was a straight ahead riff rocker reminiscent of AC/DC, Quiet Storm sees the band stepping even further away from their Punk Rock roots. The Rock songs are simplistic, bluesy, and somewhat stiff 60s or 70s throwbacks. The remainder of the tracks range between ROLLING STONES-ish faux country ("Fourth Summer"), ELTON JOHN cum SUPERTRAMP ballads ("I Can't Forget"), funky, unintentionally jokey, BB KING influenced white-boy Blues ("Jog On"), and piano and keyboard laden ballads ("Quiet Storm"). It's bizarre to be sure... and I quite like it. I tend to find these sort of "off" records very intriguing. You know, when a band tries to disengage itself from the past and break new ground (Into The Unknown, Grave New World) or reinvigorate itself to reclaim former glories (Born Again perhaps). Extreme changes are frowned upon by most fans who are content with hearing the same record over and over again by their favourite bands, that makes a record like Quiet Storm a ballsy proposition... and I appreciate that.
DOWNLOAD: TheRejects-QuietStorm.rar (68.33 MB)

KNIGHTMARE • Mindless Mayhem LP

Beaner City Records 1987
Part BAD NEWS, part DEAD SERIOS, and wholly impossible to take seriously, KNIGHTMARE got it right by calling this one Mindless Mayhem. It's exactly that... really dumb Punk with mild metallic touches thrown in to alleviate the encroaching boredom. Actually, to be fair, this record starts off entertainingly enough, but the joke gets old quickly, and by the time the second side rolls around it's become quite annoying. The songs are kinda catchy, and the "Sonic Reducer" cover is a strong indicator of where these guys were really coming from in spite of their Metal posturing. Imagine a way sloppier DEAD BOYS attempting (and failing) to play Metal and yer in the ballpark.
DOWNLOAD: Knightmare-MindlessMayhem.rar (60.36 MB)

OSTROGOTH • Full Moon's Eyes EP

Mausoleum Records 1983
An absolute stone-cold classic of Euro Metal brilliance! Not a weak track amongst the four that make up this, OSTROGOTH's debut EP. Brimming with energy and a slightly eerie mood, dual guitars fight for the harmonized spotlight while vocalist Red Star handily steals the show. Much like Canada's LORD RYUR, this record shares an indefinable cinematic spookiness that I simply can't get enough of. Why did it take me so long to rip this one? Fantastic question! But it's here now, so call the doctor, cuz you're about to catch "Rock Fever"!
DOWNLOAD: Ostrogoth-FullMoonsEyes.rar (31.65 MB)

ADAM BOMB • Fatal Attraction LP

Geffen Records 1985
I bought this cuz Adam Brenner was a major part of what made TKO's In Your Face such a phenomenal record, and so it stands to reason that the songs on Fatal Attraction that sound most like TKO are my favourites. "I Want My Heavy Metal", "Take Me In", and "Russian Roulette" all fall comfortably into this category, but that's not to say there aren't other good tracks on this slab... the title track is an upbeat rocker and album closer "Prime Evil" is uncharacteristically dark and moody. Oddly, Brenner's guitar playing is less flashy and over-the-top than his work with TKO. I figure most egomaniacal guitar players would be chomping at the bit to wank all over their first solo record, but this sounds much more like a real band than Brenner's solo outing. Pretty cool on the whole, and not over produced at all, which is surprising given that it's on Geffen and released at the height of slick west coast over indulgence.
DOWNLOAD: AdamBomb-FatalAttraction.rar (70.92 MB)

EXCITER • Feel The Knife EP

Music For Nations 1985
Three quick classics from the mighty EXCITER! "Feel The Knife" sounds like a Violence And Force outtake and is nothing more than a simple and direct kick in the ass, the kind that only Beehler and Co. can deliver. Two classic amped up live tracks (recorded in the band's hometown of Ottawa ON) follow in the form of "Violence And Force" and "Pounding Metal". EXCITER were clearly a fine tuned machine as they blast through both tracks with aplomb and precision. Dan Beehler is a force to be reckoned with behind the kit, his playing is always intensely huge, memorable, and integral to the EXCITER sound. Pound this!
DOWNLOAD: Exciter-FeelTheKnife.rar (25.02 MB)

LONDON • Don't Cry Wolf LP

Metalhead Records 1986

The little I know about LONDON is that they were stalwarts of the Sunset Strip Glam scene in the early 80s, and pretty much everyone has been a member of the band at one time or another, including Nikki Sixx, Michael White, Blackie Lawless, Slash, Izzy Stradlin, Brian West (TKO), Fred Coury, and these are only the guys you've heard of. Don't Cry Wolf is the band's second record, and surprisingly it's quite good. Much much heavier than expected, as many of the songs plow ahead at double time and are stacked with proper Metal riffs. Speaking of which, the riffs are mildly generic and pretty much every one will remind you of another song, but at least that makes 'em memorable. The production by Kim Fowley is dated and artificially huge and the cover of "Oh Darling" is atrocious and misplaced, but these two gripes aside, Don't Cry Wolf is a solid record. Give it a shot, your friends will never know... and how bad can it really be!?!
DOWNLOAD: London-DCW (67.09 MB)

THE BROOD • The Brood LP

Profile Records 1986
Ever wonder what the 4-headed offspring of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and RUSH might sound like? Don't worry, no one else has either... but now that the thought is in your head, let me introduce you to THE BROOD. This one slipped well under the radar back in the day, but my god it's one hell of a record! Drummer Amery Smith, who played on the first SUICIDAL record, has got some serious Peart-ness in his playing, and the guitarists are both phenomenal... Rocky George would be a proud papa. The vocals of course sound like Mike Muir, but musically THE BROOD are heading in a slight more proggy direction. Aside from Join The Army I'm not really familiar with SUICIDAL's records, but at times these guys are deadringers for their suicidal sires. To add further similarities to ST, The Brood was produced by photographer Glen E. Friedman... the same guy responsible for the first SUICIDAL record. After only one listen I'm already bummed that this is the only record THE BROOD managed to release. Uh... download!
DOWNLOAD: TheBrood-TheBrood (80.93 MB)

THUNDERFIRE • Thunderfire LP

Roadrunner Records 1983
Super early Roadrunner offering from Belgian maniacs THUNDERFIRE for y'alls here. This, their one and only release, starts out in an ominously doom laden and distinctly BLACK SABBATH-esque fashion... the intro even sounds slightly like classic Swedish Death Metal when the gargled scream enters the fray, and from there Thunderfire plows through punky proto-Thrash and metallized AC/DC riff rockers in even doses. Hard to imagine that these guys actually sought out Keith Nichol to produce their record... I always assumed that VENOM used him cuz he was the only guy in town willing to put up with their racket... but perhaps, for brief moment, he was the Andy Sneap of 1983. Regardless, he did a decent job of capturing THUNDERFIRE's raw rock'n'metal sound, and now you can capture it by following the link below.
DOWNLOAD: Thunderfire-Thunderfire.rar (62.22 MB)