(It's Not A) Dead Ending

I've been doing this blog for over 13 years now, and it has always been a fun way for me to kill some time. This past month, however, it has been tough to carve out the time to keep the post count up. I guess that I could make the time if I really wanted to, but in reality, my motivation for this has been pretty low, and I've just been choosing to spend my time with other things. I don't plan to abandon this blog, as I still find it to be a great point of reference...and I get a kick out of looking back to see where my head was at during a specific point of time, or what my initial impression was of that second Backtrack album. This is a journal of my musical journey, and I don't see it going away any time soon. Still, it was nice to take a break from it for a while.

I was on Spotify recently, and noticed they had a new two song EP from Dead Ending available for streaming. Whoa. I hadn't heard anything about this. I wasn't exactly blown away by their 2017 album, Shoot The Messenger, but I was still interested to check out what the band was releasing, so I quickly clicked that play button.

Vic Bondi and crew keep that fast Hardcore attack coming with this two song EP. Clocking in just over six minutes, this is a nice quick blast from Dead Ending.

500 pressed on clear vinyl.

Great White

As I was digging into some hair metal albums that I'd ignored back in the 80's, I came across Great White. I remembered enjoying the song Face The Day back in '86, but I never bothered to check out more from the band.

When I started to do some research and check out the Great White discography, I was surprised to see they had released a couple of records in the early 80's. I'm quite sure that if I'd heard their Out Of The Night EP from '83 or their self titled album from '84, I would have been all over these records as much as I was with Krokus, Dokken, and Ratt from that same time period. This is just some straight up metal, and falls perfectly in place with a lot of what I've been spinning this year.

Turnaround was quick on this record. I downloaded the songs back in April, and must have been so excited about what I heard that I was placing a winning bid on eBay for the vinyl the following day.

Direct Line To The NWOBHM

Last year, I discovered the Hard Nutz album. It is a bit of a precursor to the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal in 1977, and kind of helped build the foundation for the movement that would really explode a couple years later. Man, I loved that album, and felt like I'd really uncovered a long lost gem.

The Direct Line album from Dedringer feels a lot like that Nutz record. The style is the same, with those 70's rock riffs, and hooks that don't fucking let go. As soon as I heard Sunday Drivers, I knew that I was going to come back for repeat listens...and then with each spin, I just loved this record more and more.

This record is a bit more poppy than what you would typically think of for the NWOBHM, but like Nutz, it is just too good to ignore. I've read reviews that say that Dedringer's second album, Second Arising, is heavier than Direct Line, so I'm definitely going to have to check that one out soon.

While the sticker on the front cover says "do not pay more than £3.99", I did end up spending $10 for this copy, which still feels like a great deal.

Sweet Seven Inch O' Mine

I still have a small stack of records that I inherited from Steve after he passed away...a few odds and ends that I didn't think were too important, and yet, I couldn't bring myself to include them in the pile that I donated to the local Goodwill. With my hair metal obsession this year, I finally pulled Steve's copy of 5150 from Van Halen out of that pile and was surprised that I enjoyed the hell out of it...so when I found myself interested in singles, I flipped through the stack of Steve's old 7 inches to see if anything sparked my interest.

I'm not big on collecting Guns N' Roses, but it was cool to pull the Sweet Child O' Mine single from Steve's collection and add it to my own. While the song is definitely overplayed, you can't deny how great the Appetite For Destruction album is. That one album is the extent of my G N' R interest, but who knows, maybe someday I'll break down and finally check out the Use Your Illusion records.

Jesus, that barcode on the center label is fucking ugly. There is one on the back of the picture sleeve already, so I'm not sure what the point is of placing it on the A and B-side labels as well.

AC/DC Single Shakedown

Singles. Singles. Singles. I don't know why I'm suddenly obsessed with them. I've chased a bunch of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal singles, plus some Jethro Tull 7 inches this year, and it has been a blast. When I was picking up the Locomotive Breath single recently, I checked to see what else the seller had for sale, and when I saw a few AC/DC singles, I got excited and bought all of the ones that he had available.

Flick Of The Switch may be the most underrated AC/DC album. It is one of my favorites of the Brian Johnson era, so when I saw the Nervous Shakedown single, it ignited a spark that I might want to collect more of these AC/DC singles.

The winning track on this record is the live version of This House Is On Fire. The core of an AC/DC live set doesn't change very much with each tour, and any new songs tend to get dropped immediately after touring for that album...so to have a live version of a song from the Flick Of The Switch album is a rarity indeed.

One of the big draws for me with the AC/DC singles are the iconic live photos used for the picture sleeve cover. Angus on Brian Johnson's shoulders for the For Those About To Rock single is looking good.

Nothing too exciting on the b-side here, with a live version of Let There Be Rock. It is still a great song, but since the band has probably played it live for every tour since 1977, a live version doesn't feel very special...still it was probably pretty cool to have a recording of Brian singing it back in '81.

Let's Get It Up! Wow. I considered this a deep track on the For Those About To Rock album, so it was surprising to see it was released as a single.

For Those About To Rock was the first AC/DC album I bought as a kid, and so it was a bit nostalgic to see those brown Atlantic labels again.

After picking up the three AC/DC 12 inch singles, I needed one more to make a nice square photo to post to Instagram. I felt that Fly On The Wall is another underrated AC/DC album, so I was on the hunt for a single from that album. When I found the Danger single at a good price, I quickly added it to the collection.

The Danger single from '85 is easily the most boring of the bunch. With the simple cover design, and another album track on the b-side (we don't even get a live version here), it isn't very exciting. Still, I'm pretty happy to have a copy.

This was super fun, so add another quest to the list. I'm looking forward to finding more!

Locomotive Breath

I was slightly obsessed with Jethro Tull singles earlier this year. Initially, I was interested in the exclusive songs that never appeared on the regular studio albums, but soon I became fascinated with the picture sleeves. I loved the old photos and sleeve designs...it felt like a true piece of music history. Once I started chasing them, I just wanted more and more of them, so I set a quick goal to keep going until I had nine of them...you know, for that perfect Instagram photo. Once I hit my goal, I pumped the brakes and moved on and started focusing on other records.

After picking up a few recent New Wave Of British Heavy Metal singles, it got me thinking about that obsession with Tull singles, and it rekindled that desire to collect them...so I grabbed another one from Discogs.

Locomotive Breath is one of my top Jethro Tull songs, so I kind of had my sights set on getting the 7 inch single for that one. As luck would have it, I found a US seller with an available copy...and since the price was right, I quickly added it to my cart.

Once again, I love that picture sleeve photo. Shame that someone felt the need to write their initials on the front and back.

I've got a few of these French pressings from the Serie Parade collection for Tull singles, so it feels cool to add one more.

NWOBHM Fun After Midnight

I was on a roll, picking up a couple of New Wave Of British Heavy Metal singles from a seller on Discogs, and I added one more to my cart before checking out.

A II Z released their debut album, The Witch Of Berkeley, with the leading wave of NWOBHM in 1980. Oddly, their first album was a live recording. It's okay, but not their best representation, as the No Fun After Midnight single from '81 is where they truly shine. This three song single is NWOBHM perfection. It is such a shame that this single stands head and shoulders above everything else they recorded...and even the 7 inch they released later in '81 falls flat when compared to this.

I've made various attempts to pick up the No Fun After Midnight 12 inch since I first heard it five years ago, so it feel good to finally get my hands on one. The record cover is fucking iconic with the flying V guitar held high, and the red colored vinyl is a great touch.

Made In Great Britan

Early 2018, I started to really get interested in some of the more obscure New Wave Of British Heavy Metal singles. I downloaded a bunch of them on Soulseek, and I was getting down with just about everything that I was hearing. No surprise, I wanted to hunt them all down on vinyl. Of course I couldn't just fuck around, and I dove in after a heavy hitter with the Blitzkrieg single. Dropping that much cash so quickly had me pumping the breaks, and I backed off the chase, and then my attention was drawn to less expensive obsessions. Still, I've had thoughts of those singles bouncing around in my head for the past year or so, and it felt good to get back to the game.

One of the early NWOBHM singles that really hooked me was from Mythra. The band released one single back in '79/'80, and I'd never heard of them before...but goddamn, those four songs are fucking gold. This shit can hang with most of those bands that were getting attention at that time. Heavy metal rules.

The Death & Destiny EP saw a few different pressings at the time. The original 7 inch pressing on Guardian Records N' Tapes, which was packaged in nothing but a plain white dust sleeve, and then it was reissued by Street Beat in both the 7 inch and 12 inch formats. Both of the Street Beat pressings were packaged with a picture sleeve, and I was tempted to grab one of these because they just looked better...but there was just something cool about a bare bones 7 inch single with that orange Guardian label, so that's the one that I went with. So happy to have this long lost treasure.

NWOBHM Sweet Tooth

Goddamn. Things have been incredibly busy the past month or so. I'm months behind on blog posts, and I keep telling myself that it's time to get serious, and to crank out post after post...and then I just find myself trying to find the time. Real life obligations and plans are a bitch.

I'm an idiot. There are stacks of classic New Wave Of British Heavy Metal albums that I still need to add to the collection...Tygers Of Pan Tang, Raven, Tank, Samson...the list goes on and on...yet here I am, obsessing over obscure NWOBHM singles.

One of the singles that I have been hot to pick up was the Sweeties 7 inch from The Handsome Beasts. I mean, this one is worth it for that cover alone. The label definitely had a target audience for this one, and it certainly grabbed my attention.

Both Sweeties and One In A Crowd appear on the Beastiality album, which I still need, but this is still a cool single to own. The Handsome Beasts have more of a ruffian/biker rock style, instead of what I would typically consider the NWOBHM sound, but I'm still liking the dirty vibe of this band...plus I love that classic Heavy Metal Records label!

While I certainly didn't pay this $2.99 price tag, I thought that the Oz Records price tag on the plastic sleeve was a nice touch.

Bells Of Awakening

Visigoth are a newer metal band that has taken me by surprise over the last few years. Both of their albums have landed near the top of my Top 10 list for the year they were released, so when it was announced that Metal Blade was releasing a new two song 7 inch from the band, I grabbed my shield and broadsword and went into battle.

These two songs don't stray from the path that Visigoth have already tread...just straight forward traditional heavy metal. This shit is epic...a triumphant battle cry for metal. Damn, I'm so glad that this band exists in 2019.

Metal Blade released a few different colors for this 7 inch. The US pressing on green vinyl...hand numbered and limited to 200...was good enough for me. Such a great single.

Wolf God

Anytime that Grand Magus release a new album, you can pretty much guarantee that it is going to make my Top 10 list for the year. The band plays that straight forward, traditional metal sound that will hook me in every damn time.

Grand Magus give us more of the same with their ninth album, Wolf God...but I really like this groove that they have been in with their last few records, so I'm not complaining. They have a sound, and they haven't strayed far from it with their last few albums, so at this point you know what you are going to get. No surprises, just some killer Manowar influenced metal!

Blue vinyl is limited to 300 copies. The same number were pressed for both red and yellow, but for me, blue was the way to go here.

Long Live The Lewd

Ryan Waste has the midas touch, and everything the dude does is absolute gold. Municipal Waste, Volture, the short lived youtube channel for Living Fast (well, that first episode was great anyway), and obviously his latest band, Bat.

It has been a few years since the Wings Of Chains LP, so I was eager for the latest EP from the band. As soon as preorders went up for Axestasy, I was in the Hells Headbangers store to get the limited colored vinyl option. I've done pretty well and scored the limited vinyl pressing for the last couple of Bat records, so I didn't want to fuck up and break the streak with this one. Mission accomplished.

500 pressed on bone colored vinyl.

Hell yes. Bat keep the Venom vibe going strong with this EP. Rock fucking solid.

Call Of The Wild

I've been having a blast checking out some of those old 80's hair metal records that I ignored the first time around...and revisiting some long forgotten classics. That's the headspace that I've been in for a while now, and when I was checking out some vinyl community videos on youtube recently, someone mentioned the band Circus Of Power. I'd never heard of them before, but since I was hungry to discover some long lost bands from that era, I quickly dug up a download of the band's first album to check it out.

No exaggeration...I fucking love this record. After downloading it, I queued it up for some morning four mile runs, and it quickly had it's hooks in me. This was not the hair metal that I was expecting...no light weight pop metal here...it has more of that late 80's sleazy dirty blues sound, which hits all the right buttons for me. I was floored with how great these songs were, and it has easily become the most listened record for me so far this year.

Finding a seller that had this available, still in the plastic wrap with the hype sticker, for about $6 made my year. Definitely a long lost treasure.

Metal Traveler

Earlier this year, I picked up the Trapped Under Ice compilation which featured a bunch of new Canadian metal bands. I hadn't heard the majority of the bands on that comp, and some of them were really quite good. It fired me up to buy some records for newer bands, and one of the first that I rushed to check out was the new album from Traveler.

Traveler had the first track on the Trapped Under Ice comp, and their song Betrayer really set the tone. That is a killer song, and was really looking forward to their new album that was due out this year.

Overall, this is really a solid first album from the band. There are some good songs here, but it kind of runs out of steam by the end. Hopefully they keep at it, because I'll be paying attention if they release a follow up at some point.

No colored vinyl option here. You'll take black vinyl and you'll like it!

The Mayhem Continues...

While I haven't been that interested in compilations in the past, I've kind of come around to some of them in recent years. The Metal Massacre series have always captured my attention, but lately I've been interested in old New Wave Of British Heavy Metal comps, and I've also added the Speed Kills series to the list of compilations that I want in my collection.

When I was picking up a few records from an overseas seller on Discogs, I noticed that they had Speed Kills II available, and I quickly added it to the growing number of records in my cart.

I already own volume I and III in the Speed Kills series, so it felt good to fill the hole where number two would be.

Volume I and III were both filled with some big time thrash names. Number one had all the heavy hitters, with Metallica, Slayer, Celtic Frost, Venom and Megadeth...and even number three had Death, Possessed, Death Angel and Nuclear Assault...but number two in the series seems to have more of an underground vibe with Anthrax being the only big name on here (although I guess you could make a case for Sodom and Helloween). There were just more bands that I'd never heard before, like Living Death, Iron Angel and Brainfever...plus lesser known bands like Razor and Whiplash, and it kind of makes this one feel a bit more special.

Like the other two Speed Kills records that I own, I love the charm and character of the summary for each band.

Hide In The Rainbow

I was already picking up a couple of records from an overseas seller, so I checked to see what else they may have available. More Dio vinyl? Fuck yes.

The major selling point for this 12 inch EP is the song Hide In The Rainbow. The song never appeared on a regular Dio full length album, so it wasn't until around 2011 that I even discovered that it existed. The song is an absolute killer, and released in '86, it definitely fits the sound from those classic Dio years. It blows my mind that this song is such a hidden gem, and that it took me so long to hear it. As a single-only release, I wonder how many other people had this song fly under the radar as well.

Four songs...Hide In The Rainbow, plus one song from each album to that point in the band's career. UK only release.

Thirty Years Older... 1989

I love reconnecting with older albums that I'd long forgotten about. Some albums end up getting pushed aside to collect dust at the back of the collection, and it feels like you'll never need to listen to it again...but then somehow that album ends up on your radar, and it sinks its fucking hooks into you and won't let go.

While I enjoyed Gang Green through the late 80's and saw them open for Social Distortion at The Living Room in Providence...getting kicked out of the club for stagediving when Gang Green played Another Wasted Night)...as we moved through the 90's, I kind of wrote off those crossover albums from the band. A couple of years ago, I was reminded just how good You Got It was when I was reviewing my 1987 playlist, and the same kind of thing happened this year when I queued up the Older... Budweiser album from '89.

I was surprised by just how much I loved revisiting this record. So much fun...and one of my favorite rediscoveries from 1989.

Initially, when I was recently looking to buy a copy, I picked one up from a US seller for a good price, however, when the record arrived, I didn't think it was worth the VG+ rating that the seller had given it. I was disappointed with the condition, and the seller was cool with it, and refunded the money provided that I send it back to him. Man, I don't usually complain about the condition of records that I buy, and letting it go was a tough call, but I immediately was on the hunt for another copy, and found an overseas seller with a bunch of cool shit available, so I loaded up my cart, and soon had my hands on a nice looking copy...which included a cool merchandise insert. Good deal.

Riding With Samson

Before Bruce Dickinson joined Iron Maiden late in '81, he was the man behind the mic for Samson. They were a pretty big deal in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene at the time, and recorded a couple of albums with "Bruce Bruce" before he split for bigger stages with Maiden. Still those early Samson albums are a good time, and I can't believe that I still don't own them.

I've been obsessing over NWOBHM records a bit this year, specifically the singles from that period, and so when I saw this 7 inch for Samson, I figured that I'd it was a good time to finally add a piece of Samson vinyl to the collection. I wouldn't normally go for a picture disc, but since the regular 7 inch pressing didn't come with a picture sleeve, I guess the picture disk is the most attractive option.

I'm all about the exclusive b-side song on singles, and Little Big Man from Samson is a killer. I'm glad that I finally found this long lost song. Now maybe I will finally get off my ass and pick up those Dickinson-era Samson albums!

Total Addiction

After reading the story of Noise Records, Damn The Machine, a couple of years ago, it dawned on me that in addition to collecting original pressings for Metal Blade, Megaforce and Combat, I needed to round out the Big 4 for 80's metal record labels, and add Noise to the list. I've slowly been adding those original Noise records to the collection, and when I was grabbing Kreator's Extreme Aggression from a German seller on Discogs, I figured that I'd check to see if he had anything else from the Noise label.

While I've got the straight edge, and find absolutely nothing appealing about drinking and beer culture, I do love thrash metal, and even though just about every song from Tankard's Chemical Invasion album is about beer and getting drunk, I still can't resist headbanging like a maniac to this record. Chemical Invasion was Tankard's second album, and back in the 80's, I loved everything from the Zombie Attack debut, straight through to the Alien EP. I lost track of Tankard by the time they released The Meaning Of Life back in 1990, so there is a large chunk of their discography that I really haven't heard. I might have to remedy that soon!

I still have a long way to go with my Noise collection, but I'm slowly getting there. Hopefully I can keep making some steady progress because the label has so many metal classics that I need to get my hands on.

1989 Aggression

As excited as I've been for some of the recent new releases, I really just want to hangout in my 1989 playlist, so I'm happy to get back to my mission of picking up albums from that year.

One of my favorite metal albums from '89 is Extreme Aggression by Kreator. Holy shit. As an 18/19 years old kid, this album ruled my world. It was so fucking angry and fast, and as I was starting my first year of college and feeling more out of place and awkward than ever, it fit my teenage world perfectly. From start to finish, this record just continues to assault you, never letting up.

When I started looking at my playlist for 1989, and saw this Kreator album slugging it out with Sepultura's Beneath The Remains and Overkill's The Years Of Decay for the top spot, I knew that I needed to make a move and grab this record. When I started checking Discogs to see what was available, I knew that I needed to chase an original German Noise pressing. There was something about those US Epic that looked totally out of place and awkward. The Noise labels are where it's at.