See You In Hell

When we started 2022, I was all excited about chasing a bunch of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal records during the year. I had big plans. I wanted to cross off some heavy hitters from Samson, Satan, and Witchfinder General. I wanted Iron Maiden and Venom singles. I should know better. I have terrible focus, and it wasn't long before I'd lost immediate interest in buying NWOBHM records and I found obsessions with different eras of hardcore. I managed to pick up a few NWOBHM records, but it wasn't as fruitful as I'd imagined back in January. Anyway, as we were closing in on the end of the year, I felt the need to make one more big move before hammering in the last nail in the NWOBHM Chase Of 2022 coffin.

In August of 2022, the singer for Grim Reaper, Steve Grimmett passed away unexpectedly. I had caught Grim Reaper for a show on their US tour in 2018, and Steve was just happy to be on the road and playing those old songs. He hung out after their set to talk with fans and let them get photos. Class act. With his recent passing, it just felt like it was finally time for me to grab the original UK Ebony pressing of the first Grim Reaper album, See You In Hell.

For an album that is nearly 40 years old, this copy that I'd picked up was in great shape. Is there any better feeling than receiving an old record, opening the box and seeing that it still looks brand new? This record doesn't command a high price tag, but it is still a stone cold NWOBHM classic for me. There were a lot of those bands that I didn't discover until many years later, but I had this See You In Hell cassette when I was 13 or 14 and I rocked the shit out of it. Makes me feel good to finally have this in my collection, next to the original pressing of the second Grim Reaper album, Fear No Evil. Now I just need Rock You To Hell to complete the trifecta.

Sledgehammer

Sledgehammer were a band on the classic New Wave Of British Heavy Metal comp, Metal For Muthas. They had the second song on the album, following up Iron Maiden's Sanctuary, and that one-two punch was a great way to kick off the record. I'd never heard anything else from the band, so when I saw the first Sledgehammer 7 inch for cheap, I figured that I'd pick it up and see what else the band had to offer.

Originally released in '79 on Slammer Records, the Sledgehammer 7 inch was reissued in 1980 on Valiant and packaged with a picture sleeve. No doubt, the band's Sledgehammer song is the best song they have done. The song is classic early NWOBHM that gallops with its infectious headbanging beat... so good. The b-side however, doesn't hit as hard and is more of a 70's rocker. Not bad, but it doesn't have the same power as the title song.

The Sledgehammer 7 inch was an early entry to the NWOBHM scene, so I'm happy to add it to the collection.

Name, Rank & Serial Number

Earlier this year I picked up the Fist album, Back With A Vengeance, as a part of my attempt to fill a lot of holes in my New Wave Of British Heavy Metal collection. As we close in on the last part of the year, the NWOBHM Chase of 2022 hasn't been as successful as I imagined when I started this quest back in January. Sure, I've picked up a couple of big records here and there, but overall once we got passed the initial surge, I've just been too interested in hardcore records and I lost focus on the original goal. Well, if there is anything this blog succeeds at, it is it's unfocused and manic obsessions.

So as I was posting about Back With A Vengeance back in June, it triggered me to finally pick up the first Fist record, the Name, Rank & Serial Number 7 inch. This was the Fist record that introduced me to the band, and while they were a NWOBHM band in the early 80's, I didn't check them out until 2018. Always late to the party, but I was hooked immediately with these two songs. The 7 inch was originally released on Neat, but the band was quickly picked up by MCA, and they reissued the record. The Neat pressing of this 7 inch is really the only way to go.

Catalog number NEAT04, but really the second NWOBHM single that Neat released, and I'm super happy to have it in my collection. It also makes me want to chase those other early Neat singles that I'm missing.

The Unexpected Guest

The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal covers a wide range of styles. From the more traditional heavy metal of Iron Maiden and Tygers Of Pan Tang, to the doomy Sabbath inspired Angel Witch, and the more fast and punky Raven. Then there is Demon, who have more of a 70's rock sound...possibly drawing a bit on Blue Oyster Cult for influences. Not a sound that I'd associate with the NWOBHM, but still, Demon were a British band in the early 80's, so they fall under the NWOBHM umbrella.

The Unexpected Guest was released in 1982, and is Demon's second album. I've heard that the band get a bit more weird and progressive after this record, so all I've ever listed to has been this one and their debut, Night Of The Demon. Both are great rockers.

This was another record that I grabbed from my favorite seller on eBay at the moment. His old metal records are in great condition and start with a nice low starting bid... I assume that not many people bother with eBay much these days for records, so I've been lucky to win a number of things from him at a low price. His latest auctions haven't interested me too much, so I wonder if he is hitting the bottom of what he was looking to sell. If this is the end of his good stuff, it has been a great run this year.

Demon apparently were a bit theatric with their live stage show, and it is cool to have a bit of that captured on the inside of the gatefold sleeve.

Escape From New York

Geddes Axe is a true New Wave Of British Heavy Metal obscurity. The band released three EPs across 1981 and 1982 and then they were gone. They don't seem to get the attention that bands like Savage and White Spirit receive, but man, they are too damn good to be ignored. I was excited to grab their Sharpen Your Wits 7 inch last year, and when I recently had the opportunity to pick up another record from the band, I didn't hesitate.

Escape From New York has just three songs on this 12 inch, but each one is NWOBHM brilliance. Full of youthful energy and song writing chops, these boys should have been bigger. I absolutely love this record.

The back cover photos cover just about every style going. The singer is standing there with his his long hair and denim jacket, looking seriously pissed that his mates showed up for the photo shoot with suit coats, skinny ties, and tiger stripped shirts. He has to be thinking, "What the fuck, dudes."

Give 'Em 7 Inches Of Hell

Witchfynde is a classic New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band, and in my mission to get some of their records into my collection, I picked up the In The Stars single earlier this year. At that time I was really looking forward to picking up one of the Witchfynde full length albums soon, but as it turns out, it was more convenient to just grab another single.

The single for Give 'Em Hell was released back in '79, and the cover looks very similar to the Give 'Em Hell album released the following year. That's okay because the red-eye devil goat is a good look. I imagine that this kind of satanic imagery had parents pooping their pants at the time. Save the children!

While there isn't anything exciting here for this record, as both songs show up on the Give 'Em Hell album, I'm still pretty stoked to pick up this NWOBHM single. The black, white and red design is cool, and complements the In The Stars single nicely. Now I just need to get my hands on the Witchfynde albums.

Fistful Of NWOBHM

Fist were a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band from the early 80's. It took me almost 40 years to finally hear the band when I downloaded a copy of their Name, Rank & Serial Number 7 inch back in 2018. I was knocked over with how great that EP was. Those two songs captured everything that I love about the NWOBHM sound. When I got thinking about making a run at some NWOBHM records in 2022, I knew that I finally needed to pick up something from Fist.

Despite loving the first Fist 7 inch, I hadn't really spent much time with their two full length albums. The second Fist LP, Back With A Vengeance from 1982, has the reputation of being the heavier album from the band, so I queued up the songs on Spotify and was prepared to give them my complete attention. Hot damn. I was immediately hooked, and soon found myself giving it repeat listens. I obviously needed a copy of this and quickly scooped one at a decent price from a US seller on Discogs.

There are different labels with the Neat Records name in either blue, green, red or silver. I tend to think that the blue labels are the first press, so I was happy to grab one of those.

Let's Go With Vardis

Vardis are another New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band that I want to get into my collection. Their 100 MPH album is a classic from that period, and something that I definitely need to get my hands on. Instead of chasing that first Vardis record, I'm over here fucking aroudn with one of their singles.

I'd never really paid any attention to Vardis until a few years ago. I picked up the New Electric Warriors comp, and that record was just full of obscure NWOBHM bands that I'd never heard of before. The Vardis song on there, If I Were King, really grabbed my attention. The band has so much infectious energy and it made me want to check out more from the band.

I really dig the front cover photo on this 7 inch. It gives off such a cool vibe that the band is bashing out their live set in a small Working Men's Club in front of a crowd of punters. Man, it must have been amazing to be there when this shit was taking off. Anyway, I grabbed this single for Let's Go (with the bonus 7 inch featuring a couple of live tracks that I'm pretty sure were taken from that 100 MPH album) when I was recently picking up a couple of other NWOBHM 7 inches from a Discogs buyer, because it only makes sense to add more records to your order when you are already paying for overseas shipping.

In The Stars

One of the classic New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands that I want to get into my collection this year is Witchfynde. They are just one of those bands that you have to have their records if you are into the NWOBHM. I actually bought a copy of their first album a few years ago, but as luck would have it, it wasn't in the condition that the seller had listed it as so I ended up returning it...and I haven't gone back to try and find another one. I really hope to correct that this year.

While I've always really liked the first Witchfynde album, Give 'Em Hell, it took me some time to warm up to their second record, Stagefright. Initially, Stagefright just seemed to try to push itself to be more than it was. The vocals seemed to be a bit forced, and there were points that would make me cringe as it tried to push the boundaries of what was going on for metal in 1980. I've definately warmed up to that record over the last couple of years, and I really appreciate it these days. While I still need to get my hands on that second album, I was happy to recently grab the single that was released for it when I was picking up a few 7 inches from a UK seller.

Both songs on this In The Stars single are from the Stagefright album, but even though there isn't anything really new here, the songs are still great. I've always liked the look of those Witchfyne labels that Rondelet Records did, and the whole packaging here is a good look.

Trespassing With The NWOBHM

My copy of the second Jameson Raid 7 inch arrived a few weeks back, and when it did, I paid a visit to my friend Jeff for a bit of a vinyl brag. Like me, Jeff is a big fan of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal stuff, and for years he has taken every opportunity to rub it in my face how much better his collection is than mine. Since he had discovered Jameson Raid last year through some recent discography LP that was released, I couldn't wait to show off that I'd bought the real deal with an original single from 1980. After spending the evening giving the record a spin on his turntable and talking about obscure NWOBHM singles, I was itching to rush back to Discogs and see what other trouble I could get into. The next day, I'd loaded up a few more NWOBHM records into my cart and was clicking the Place Order button.

Trespass were one of those NWOBHM bands that probably should have made a bigger impact than they did, but for one reason or another never made it to that next level... maybe it was because the band never released an album, and only dropped three 7 inch records over a three year period. I'm always fascinated by bands like this... bands that only left behind a small string of independently released records before fading into obscurity (no, I haven't bothered to check out their album from 1993, or what they have done since resurrecting themselves in 2014).

Jealousy was the second 7 inch from Trespass, and the two songs here are great. The shipping for this was super quick. From the UK to the US it took about five days. Amazing.

Night Of The Blade

Tokyo Blade are one of those bands where I have a hard time getting my head around where they are from. See, in my brain I always think that the band was from California along with the other early Metal Blade bands. I mean, I feel like the band would have fit in nicely on the first Metal Massacre compilation, and therefore my first instinct is to think of them as an early American Heavy Metal band alongside the likes of Armored Saint and Lizzy Borden. But that is wrong. Tokyo Blade were from Salisbury in England, so they are obviously a New Wave Of British Heavy Metal band...and while it wasn't planned as a part of my NWOBHM Chase of 2022, it still fits the bill so we are counting it towards my goal for the year.

While I was aware of the Tokyo Blade name as a kid, I don't think that I ever heard any of their records at the time. I'm pretty sure that my exposure was limited to the song Lightning Strikes from the Banzai Axe comp. I downloaded a few of the bands early records about 15 years ago, and I'd give them a casual listen here and there over the years, but I never really invested myself too deeply into them. Last year, however, the Night Of The Blade record hit me hard and I listened to that thing a lot. I couldn't get enough of it. When I saw a copy on Discogs at a very reasonable price I jumped on it.

Since Tokyo Blade is a NWOBHM band, I was tempted to go for the original UK pressing on Powerstation Records, but with my obsession over the green Combat labels, that was obviously the only way that I was going to go here.

The Nightcomers

As we were coming to the end of 2021, it had me thinking of what record collecting goals I wanted to set for 2022. When I started thinking about what I wanted to accomplish this year, my thoughts kept returning to the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. I know that my plans can get derailed and sometimes lose focus when my tastes bounce around to different genres, but right now my mindset is all about building a solid NWOBHM collection. I didn't chase many of those records last year, but picking up that mint condition Savage record was fucking huge, and the Geddes Axe single damn near made it into my Top Five list for favorite records that I picked up. I want more of that. Let's see how committed to this quest I can be, and we will check in a year from now and see how the NWOBHM Chase Of 2022 turned out.

Holocaust are one of the classic bands from the NWOBHM era. Raw, loose and loud... they are the very definition of bands from that period. They were a big influence on bands like Metallica, who went on to cover the Holocaust song The Small Hours for their Garage Days Re-Revisited. When I decided that I wanted to make a move on a big NWOBHM record, I had my sights on the first Holocaust full length album, The Nightcomers.

It took me some time to fully appreciate this Holocaust record. It kind of reminds me of the first Tygers Of Pan Tang album, where the vocals seems to lack the serious power of other bands at that time. However, these past couple of years has seen me really warm up to both the Holocaust and Tygers records, in part due to the raw youthful passion for heavy metal that is on display. These are young kids doing what they love, playing loud heavy metal music, and I'll always get down with that.

NWOBHM Raid

As we were closing in on the end of 2021, I was quickly trying to scoop up some last minute records that made a big impression on me over the previous twelve months. However, ordering from overseas sellers during the postal nightmare of December probably isn't the winning combination for a successful delivery before the end of the year. While I might not have made it before the new year deadline, there is no denying that this Jameson Raid record was my favorite discovery of 2021.

Jameson Raid was from Birmingham, and released two 7 inches in '79/'80 as the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal was really starting to kick into high gear. The band has never really made it onto my radar until my friend Jeff mentioned that I should check them out last summer... although, the band did have a song on the second Metal For Muthas comp, listed as "The Raid", so technically I guess I had heard them before. One of the cool things about the NWOBHM is that there were so many small and independent bands from that period that each time I dig in a little deeper, I keep finding buried treasures like this. When Jeff told me to check them out, I wasn't really expecting too much, so it was a surprise when they hit me as hard as they did.

This shit is great, and even though newer hardcore bands ruled my playlist last year, those two Jameson Raid records were still the best thing that I uncovered. I desperately wanted those records, but to find one in very good condition was going to cost me some money. I kept checking the listings on Discogs for the band's second 7 inch, End Of Part One, through the last half of the year, and when a cheap copy wasn't falling in my lap, I finally just threw in the cash that I needed to get the job done. No regrets. This record rules.