SLAY2R

BRAiri DAMAGE ISSUE MQ.I t

EDITORS AlID URITERS; PLAYLISTS:

Vadiia Rubin and Ron Kieto
V/RIT5R: Gene Ho-'^lan Vadim
COVER LOGO: Lisa Hoctlan 1. P0SSESSSD-”3urning in Hell"
COVER [Link]: 2. DARK AIIGEL-’'Falling from the
Melisa Remains Sky”
[Link]-”Hell Awaits"
SPECIAL THARX: 4. DESTRUCTI0E-”Total Desaster"
;ir. Sr Mrs. Ho?jlan;Gene 5. V0IV0D-”Voivod"
and Lisa; Katon W. DePena; 6. ;;A:iTAS-"Svil Dead”
Kerry Kini^ and Slayer; Brian 7. HIRAX-"Destroy"
Sla?rel; ilike T. and Possessed; 8. EXODUS-"Dying by His Hand”
John Syriis; Rob and Death 9. TR0UBLS-”Victiin of the Insane”
Angel; Dark Angel; Lee Rauch; 10. DEATH AiJGEL-”Thrashers"
Kirax; Kenny Powell; Jeff Oly; 11 .[Link]-”Die by the Blade”
Tom Vfarrior and Celtic Frost; [Link]-"Devil's Attack”
Overkill and Lee Kundrat; [Link]-"Massacra”
Pam Smith; John,Mark and Jag 14.0VERKILL-"0verkill”
Panzer; Dave(D.T.R.); Larry; 15.3ATIIORY-"Return of Darkness
Jeff(0i!); Bob Ealbandian; and Evil”
Destruction; Jeff; Rick S.; Ron
Mark and Abbatoir; Dave I. SLAYSR-”Praise of Death"
Mustaine; NINJA-DAVE ; 2. P0SSESSED-"Death Metal"
and anyone who buys this mag. 3. DESTRUCTI0II-"Mad Butcher"
4. D.R.I.-"Couch Slouch"
5. V0IV0D-"V/arriors of Ice"
BRAin DAMAGE [Link]-"Kecrophiliac"
6110 F.. LOS ARCOS ST. 7. EXODUS-"Bonded by Blood"
LOilG BEACH CA. 90815 8. HIRAX-"Boinbs of Death"
USA 9. DARK A:iGEL-"Herciless Death"
10. HELLHAMHER-"3rd of the Storms"
ADD RATES: II. 0MEH-"Dragon's Breath"
[Link] PANZER-"Symphony of
FULL PAGE: $35.00 Terror"
h PAGE: $18.00 1 [Link] TENDENCIES-"Suicide’s
i PAGE: $9.50 an Alternative"
BUSINESS CARD: $5.00
14. ACID-"Drop Dead"
15. M0T0RHEAD-"Locomotive"

For a pre-issue newsletter of write:P0WSRTHRASH

the upcoming POV/ERTHRASII c/o GENS KKORY
MAGAZINE, filled with news 112 MOUNTAINSIDE TER.
about thrashers like: EXODUS, CLIFTON. NJ 07013 USA
IRON ANGEL, SODOM, etc., as well Send S.A.S.E./I.R.C.
as info about the progress on the mag,
 A MERCILESS ONSLAUGHT OF METAL
FROM MBTAL BLADE RECORDS

m
HELLNAMMER SLAYER THRUST
‘‘APOCALYPTIC RAIDS^ “HAUNTING THE CHAPEL“ “FIST HELD HIGH”
‘There it NO band heavier than 3 new songs from the one and only. Mutilating metal from these
Hellhammer.” Chicago heavies.
— Sledgehammer Press

Vau»x> ^

3RD STAGE ALERT MAD MAX DARK HEART WARLORD

Produced by guitar-wiz “ROLUNG THUNDERS “SHADOWS OF THE “AND THE CANNONS
Yngwie Malmsteen. Another great German NIGHT* OF DESTRUCTION
band in the tradition of Best new band from HAVE BEGUN”
Accept and Scorpions. Englarxl. Live video soundtrack
-ALL ALSO AVAILABLE ON CASSETTE^ from these masters.
Ask for these records and tapes at your local record store.

ENIGMA TO ORDER BY MAIL MBTAL BLADE RECORDS

P.O. BOX 2896 SEND 20« FOR A CATALOG 224S6 Ventura Blvd., Sia. E
TORRANCE, CA 90S09 to MITAL BLADC or CALL INIOMA (213) 32a-B407 Woodland HHIa, CA 91364
 Tiiis bunch of damned hellrats from West Germany has been in
existence since 1983. At that time Mike (guitar) was playing in
a*band called MORRIGAU. Soon after, he met Tommy (drums) and
they decided to form their ovm band. After getting a vocalist
the’band was called KlIIGHT OF DEIIOII then soon changed into
DESTRUCTIOII, although they still didn't have a bass player.
Tommy met up with Schmeir at a disco, of all places! Schmeir
picked up'the bass and for the time, the lineup v;as complete,
’lowever, a short time before they went into the studio to record
the first demo, the vocalist was fired and Schmeir took over at
the mike. Their first demo has 6 tracks of "Black - Hardcore -
Ki-'hspeed - Metal", as they like to call it! It was recorded in
only 5 to 6 hours. The tape is entitled "Bestial Invasion of
Hell". It's real good, although does suffer a bit from produc¬
tion, like a lot of great demos do!
The tape starts of with "Mad Butcher", the title speaks for
itself! This is a fast-paced grinding tune, with growling vocals
and great leads! The music shows SLAYER, EXODUS, VENOM and
early iIETALLICA influences.
The rest of the DESTRUCTION material is basically in the
same vein. "Antichris-o" starts off pretty slow, but then builds
up its speed. The other songs on the tape are pretty fast all
the way through. These include; "Total Disaster", "Front Beast",
"Satan's Vengeance" and the great closer "Tormentor".
The material is thrash, the vocals are growling, but there's
also excellent guitar work (influenced by the likes of Randy
Rhoads and Kirk Hammett) which separates this band from groups
like SODOM and the now extinct HELLHAMMER.
DESTRUCTION is about to sign a contract with Steamhammer
Records (a division of Road Runner), and they should be featured
on the upcoming "Speed Metal" compilation, so watch for that!
Meanwhile, I suggest you get a copy of their 6-song demo
v;hich comes with lyrics and photo! Send $4.00 to DESTRUCTION'S
U.S. representative; Katon V'. DePena
6062 San Rafael Dr.
Buena Park, Ca. 90620 -4-
 . death angel was formed in the summer of >82. The
(vocals), Andy Galeon (drums),
1-^ guitar) and Rob Cavestany (bass/lead guitar!)/
1. recorded a 4-track demotape featurincr '*No
Time for Love , The Hunted”, "Intruder” and "Barren Lands”J
This material was pretty weak; none of these songs are plaved
live any more, - ^ ‘
Viair D®nnis took over on bass and nov; does
a -5m stuff is
“’ind that Den-
ReinerO^ (watch out Rob
The music is heavy, but with lots of tempo and melodv
changes. D.A, is influenced a lot by MERCYFUL FATS. The^uitar
si“d« of Akira Taka=aki influence, but on thl tilly
Side. Theseguys also like VENOM! There are a lot of fast
ANGEL'S live set consists of:
‘•'SnAnt (a good fast tune), "V/itches of Naves”,
rf 1? ' "Devil's Metal”, "Priests of the Black Oracle”
"’^5J^'*'®/-°^?/^utasy song), a brand new song "The Ultra
three instrumentals and my personal favorite,
Thrashers , a song about the bangers in the front row!

^\^‘0^terey and with LAAZ ROCKIT at the

in tL ARMORED SAINT soraotirae
flnri future. ihe bana hopes to record a demo very soon
415-75^245^)1 °ore gigs (for booking call Virginia

So watch for the Ultra Violence metal from these thrashers!

-5- 3y V.R.
^tr»-
 "Welcome to Morgoth, the land of VOIVOD"

VOfJfOD formed in Canada in November 1982. It consists of;

Snake (throat, screams, insults, mike torture and weapon ooera-
\ metal axe, electromotive force and tremo-
lltion;. Blacky (blower bass, [Link] s»<^t) and Away
Uhunder machine, death machine, and horror machine). Just after
vnTvnn^-5 sort of tell what these guys are all about!
VOiyop is definitely one of the heaviest! They're influenced by
well-known bangers like MOTORHEAD. VENOM, RAVEN and others (there
^ influence from bands like DISCHARGE),
a three-track demo 5 or 6 months ago that
featured: Voivod", "Condemned to the Gallows" and "Iron Gong".
Soon after that, they appeared on "Metal Massacre 6" with a new¬
er version of "Condemned to the Gallows",
entitled "War and Pain" out on Metal
Blade (Slagel's Picking up hardcore bands!). The album is great!
It reminds me a lot of the first VEIJOM LP! The opener "Voivod"
is a fantastic jpener that blasts through with speed and power!
Blower is another thrash tune that has a little punk feel to
it. Not all of this LP is pure thrash though, "Live for Violence"
IS a^^good heavy song and has some pretty good leads. "V/ar and
shows these guys have some talent,
here^^^ ^ great LP, 9 tracks of good heavy power metal-no ballads

«« ^ nuclear explosion, "It's

J ^^“® realize all the destructive
KSmam machine". There are plans for some shows with
ifkf afoTT°sLwr sometime this winter. SoinL •

fnr. outside of Canada? watch

for them! They're dedicated to pure, heavy, power metal!
V/rite; VOIVOD
C.P. 158 By V.R.
Jonquiere,Quebec _
Canada G7X7V9 *7-
 POSSESSED cones from the S.F. Bay area, the hardcore heavy
metal heaven, At the moment they're one of the heaviest and
fastest bantis in the world, no kiddinc’! A lot of bands lose_
sor.e of their heavvness in the sneed but POSSSSSi^jD is li^ntnin?^
fast and very heavy and tjrindinf^ at the same time! ^ •
The band was formed'by Mike Torrao (guitar) and .-like Sus
(drums), who \;ere playing together for quite some tine. A while
later they found Jeff Bacerra on bass. and then got Brian Montana
(guitar) through an ad in a magazine. With that they started
writing songs. Jeff wanted to sing, so they
tbin:^ worked out. POSSESSED is influenced mainly by VEhOM and
EXODUS (!) but there are also noticeable SLAYER influences^
Recently POSSESSED recorded a three song demo tape.
demo's first track is "Death Metal" (which is exactly what these
-uvs are all about). This is a great fast paced and uiya-heavy
song, with some good leads ahd a great chorus. Although
does sound a bit like Cronos and Lemmy, I like his vocals alot,
especially in "Death Metal". Next is "Evil Warriors . This one
isnot as fast as the other two, but still a good heavy song,
af^ain there's some good leads. The best is saved for las "
--- - . . ^ at its be St! ! !
"Burnin" in Hell". This song is hardcore metal
ihis song speedmetal, but it also has a really good slow n
heavy part in the middle! « 4.u ^ n
'other POSSESSED material includes; "Swing of the Axe ,
"Tribulation" and "Satan's Curse". Hopefully they'll be able
to those out either on vinyl or tape real soon! ihey ve
been contacted by Torrid Records from Hew York (who is going to
s±pn EXODUS), who is interested but not able to sign them right
now. Brian Slagel, (Metal Blade Rec.) also
the band and plans to put them on Metal Massacre 6 (which al
might feature SODOM and DARK ANGEL!) and maybe release an L.P.
some time in the near future.
POSSESSED has been doing shows in the Frisco
EXODUS and SLAYER, and plan on doing some more HiRAA,
DARK ANGEL, OVERKILL (from N.Y.!!) and maybe MEGADSTH some time
in October. However, they're not likely to play outside the
Bay area in the near future.
I can't wait to hear some new material from this quartet.
Death Metal from the pits of hell!
-ft-
-8- By v.R.
 For more info:
OMEN
17842 Willard St.
Reseda, CA. 91335

H
in the distant gloomy sky, lingers the warning of OMPJil
September 1984 has brought about the eagerly awaited
debut LP from L.A.’s OMEMj. (Entitled "Battle Cry", it weaves
ten tales of good and evil knights battling dragons and each
other, fair maidens cun wenches, and gladiating mercenaries
raping and pillaging in the night.
First heard on Metal Massacre 5« with "Torture Me",
OilEK got off to a fast start. The sonsr was indicatinir of
things to come from them. Though "Battle Cry"'s tunes are
not as fast, they still pack a very medieval punch, drav;ing
upon influences ranging from old MAIDEN to MANOVMR to SAVAGE
GRACE. Though 7 of the 10 tunes are in the "Phantom of the
Opera" or "Crionics" beat, repetition rarely tears its ugly
head, except in "Bring Out the Beast". There are many more
highlights on this album then lowlights. Stronger tunes
include: "The Axeman", "Last Rites", "Dragon's ’Breath" and
•two holdovers from guitarist Kenny Powell's SAVAGE GRACE
days, "Die by the Blade" and the title track.
. Kenny Powell has learned his chops v/ell. A member of
the Randy Rhoads school of playing, he shines as a ^ruitarist
- as well as a good songwriter, while the rhythm section of
, bassist Jody Henry and the huge drum sound of Steve ’.i’ittig
pounds away their forceful backbeat. J.D. Kimball is, I feel,
one of the better singers on the L.A. circuit, with a stvle
all his own.
OMSH has a bright future ahead of them, and as soon as
they break out of L.A., beware, earth!!!
"....the future is now, the sign is uoon us, soon all the world-
shall know it is an OMEN...."
By G.H. -9-
 ihe mighty SLAYSR, L.A.’s only Black Metal band is doing
very well at the raoraent, especially for being so fast and heavy
and definitely not coniniercial. Their debut LP has been selling
very well. They have now put out a three-song EP called "Haunt¬
ing the Chapel”,
In January, SLAYER went to San Francisco for the first time,
to get a taste of some real thrashers! They have gone back quite
frequently since then. In late June (after making a stoo in San
Francisco to play with SXODUS, POSSI SSSD and LA's VERMIIT) SLAYER
went up north and did some dates in Olyiania, Seattle and Portland
with special guests .lETAL CHURCH and l/ILb HOu
HOGS (I mean DOGS!),
On the way back they did a show with LAAZ ROCKIT San Francisco
and one v:ith IIIRAX and DEATH AHGEL in Monterey, Soon, after doing
some more gigs in L.A. and one in Frisco (with EXODUS, SUICIDAL
TEMDEICIES and POSSESSED) SLAYER will go into the studio to re-
cord the next LP, "Hell A’waits”, The current is a preview of
what you can expect on the album (although none of the three
[Link] will actually appear on the LP), The new SLAYER material
IS longer and much more
grinding, not to mention much faster
than ever!!
Some of tne new titles includej "Necrophiliac”, "Praise of
Death", "Kell Awaits", "Xill Again" and "Narlocks Revenge" (work-
ing title), Tliese are more-lesscompleted, but there v/ill undoubt-
ediy be some changes before the L? is out.
"Praise of Death" starts off really fast, then goes into
great slower, but grinding part, and once again speeds up!
i>ecrophiliac" is another excellent thrasher song with many
tempo changes. It has been played live quite a fev/ tines , so
many people are probably familiar with that one, I v;on' t talk
about "kill Again" and "VJarlocks Revenge" because I have not heard
those with vocals yet, but I'll tell vou this much, They are also
very f^ood songs!
However, my personal favorite out of all these is the title
track, "hell awaits". It starts with a slow and very heavy intro
that gradually builds up into one of the fastestSLAYER songs, a
classic!
 SLAYER IS great on vinyl, but those who have seen the band
play (except KERRAKG!) will tell you they are one of the most in¬
tense live bands on the scene* They play so much faster and
heavier than on vinyl, and with lots of headbanging. SLAYER
doesn t rely on flash pots and makeup anymore, just oure energy!!!
Hopefully, soon they will tour beyond the West Coastl As it says
on the ”SNM” LP: "Beware Europe, we're going to steal your souls!

mu, Write to SLAYER at:

P.O. BOX 5007
HUNTINGTON PARK, CA

/aairs
90255
U*S.A.

-11-
i::t5rvisw vjith icatoh w. depen a of hirax.
Bd: l.^hy did Bob and Brian leave the band? HIMX
Katon: They didn't want to play thrashing power metal!
Bob wanted to do more technical stuff,which is cool, but he
didn't want to thrash at all. Brian, he is just a wimp!
Ed. How are the new members working out?
K. Real good! Scott (guitar) is just netalhead and John
Tdrums) is a total thrasher.
gd; Has the music changed with the new line-up?
K: Aaaarrrggghhh!!! Drasticly! Everybody that hears it
says that. It's a lot heavier and faster!
Bd; Have you done any shows lately?
Dovm here in L.A., boredom county, vie do just parties, to
make money, to get back up to San Fransisco. That's where the
thrashers are at. We want to play down here, because there are
some 'bangers down here. Ho natter how much people slag off
L.A., there are some real 'bangers here!
Bd: V/hat bands are you influenced by?
K; Let's put it this way, without taking credit av/ay from a
bunch of bands I'll forget to mention, we like anything
that's real heavy, fast and loud!
Bd; Any plans for a second demo?
K: ’Jell the first tape, I don't even v/ant to tall: about.
It got us known, but the next one, only the hardcore are
gonna be able to handle it!
3d; How many songs do you plan to record for the next tape?
K; Hopefully, six, but minimum three, »7e might go into an
expensive studio. VJe v;ant to get the best sound, a raw,
heavy sound, of course, MOTORKEAD is a prime example of a
very heavy and raw sound,
Bd; ‘.vhat songs do you plan to use?
K; h’e' 11 be choosing from ne\^r material like; "Guardian Pro¬
tector", "Executed", "Destruction and Terror", "Bombs of
Death", "Demon's Evil Forces", "Destroy", and "Call of the
Gods", which is for all the posers who wear an upside-down
cross without knov/ing anything about it, I can see if you're
like King Diamond, I mean he's the ultimate, he's really
into it.
Bd; Last comments?
K; Just stick to thrashin' pov;er metal, you'll be okay!
 Pic by Burzelbar

HELLHAMMSR,Switzerland’s heaviest, who just released

their debut vinyl after putting out two denos have now
split up! It was official on ilay 11 , 1984. Torn VJarrior
(guitar/vocals) and Martin Ain (bass) left the band a few
vreeks after a second guitarist was added to KELLKAHMER.
HELLHAMHER went through many line ups, but this time the
creative head of the band, Tom, decided to start a whole
new band with bass player Martin. The band also features
Isaac Darso (session drummer) and is called CELTIC FROST,
The reason for the split is, as Tom said: ”Ue want,
to play heavier, but Vince (guitar) and Bruce (drums) did
not like this direction". Although there is no more
HELLHAMMER, your nightmare is not over, because their
spirit lives in CELTIC FROST. "CELTIC FROST makes KELLIIAM-
MER sound like Boy George!", said Tom V/arrior recently,
Tom also said that Celtic Frost will deliver much heavier
and more technical metal than ever before,
Celtic Frost plans to put out a three-track SP on
Noise Records. The vinyl offering should be called "Morbid
Tales", Three tracks will be chosen out of their new ma¬
terial which includes: "Procreation of the V.'icked",
"Morbid Tales", "The Cross on My Shoulders", "Dethroned
Emperor", "Necromancer" and "Dawn of Meggido", Celtic
Frost’s plans don’t stop here: Their debut LP entitled
"To Mega Therion" should be out by early spring, 1985.
So two years before the official one, Celtic Frost start
their own Apocolypse!

By V.R. -13-
 pomfr In Hark
This OVEnivILL comes from New York and is, in my opinion,
txie best [Link] Metal band that city*s ever put outi This
original and the musicianship is great!
This Blood iletal quartet was formed out of the ashes of a
^ cover band D.O.A. and a band called
tne DROPOUTS in 1972.
OVERKILL decided to be an original band and created a verv
heavy sound which they called "Blood Iletal". Bob- ^
by Blitz voice hits the band's sound very well. Kis vocals
are unique and very powerful! The drum sound created by 'Rat'
Sfcates is a killer, fast and with a touch of punk influence but
not sloppy in any way.
XU ^ finally* in March and September, 1983 OVERKILL recorded
their first demo called "Power in Black". There are 5 tracks
of pure metallic mayhem on this tape. All the songs are real
but in my opinion, the two stand out tracks are "Overkill"
and .Theres No Tomorrow". Those two are it! This tape is a
must to own!
i'rom what I hear, OVERKILL is also a great live band and
in the area. They've opened up for ANVIL and
HiiiALLICA, as well as headlining a lot of shows.
OVERKILL is getting a lot of airplay on the mighty V/HSC,
York, which helps them out tremendous-
ly. pey also reserve airplay in almost 20 other stations
around the world.
By now OVERKILL has some new material, and will soon have
an LP and hopefully, a tour. Beware...the Blood Metal Donors
are coming!
For tapes, merchandise, video and info write: OVERKILL
OVERKILL
'^ttT0/K_ [Link] 721
New Providence, N.J. 07974
 I

DARK ANGEL certainly has arrived! 1982 saw the formation

of one of L.A.'s most promising power metal bands. At that
time they used to do covers (like Tank's'Shellshock" and "Step-
pin on a Landmine"), but also started writing originals.
In 1983 DARK ANGEL recorded a 5-track demo. This tape
circulated pretty well and made the band more known. Soon
after the demo, drummer Mike Andrade left the band and was re¬
placed by Bob Gorley (who didn't last too long!). V/ith that,
they did gigs in the Los Angeles area opening for groups like
SLAYER, AUGUST REDMOON and POWERTRIP.
After going through countless drummers DARK ANGEL got Jack
Shwartz. They also added a second guitarist, Eric Meyer, With
that lineup (the original members being Jim Durkin, Don Doty and
Robbie Yohn) they went into the studio in June 1984 to record
their first L.P, entitled "We Have Arrived", This 8-track tape
(that will be their L.P.) is very good, heavy and fast!
The standout tracks are: "Welcome to the Slaughterhouse", ^
"Falling from the Sky" and the classic - "Merciless Death", a
killer speedmetal song, with a slower double bass chorus. The
other songs on the tape are; "Hell's on IT'S Knees", "Vendetta",
the title track, "No Tomorrow" and "Gonna Burn" (which will
hopefully be replaced by a newer song that was written after the
tape was recorded). The L.P. will hopefully be released towards
the end of the year on a new label called Metalstorm Records,
After the recording of the L.P,, Jack Schwartz was replaced
by ex-Megadeth sticksman Lee Rauch, who lasted till late Septem¬
ber, and now Jack is back!
Right now, as guitarist Jim says; "We're heavier and faster
than we've ever been!"
Also Manager Steve Craig is no longer working with the band.
So don't write to Platinum Management for info about DARK ANGEL!
DARK ANGEL will soon be doing shows in L.A. and San Francis¬
co area. Seeing DARK ANGEL is a must, so be there !!!! And
watch for their up-coming L.P.
By [Link]
 JAG PANZER "AMPLE DESTRUCTION" LP

JAG PANZER is really the only true power metal band to

come out of Colorado. Their debut album certainly proves it:
"Ample Destruction" combines excellent guitar work and kick-ass
vocals with a heavy back beat.
"License to Kill", the opener, is a very impressive song
and lets you hear the talent of the Tyrant as he screams away
with good back up vocals by the two axemen.
"'iarfare" is the second song, and provides excellent guitar
work with a pounding drum sound.
"Symphony of Terror" is, in ray opinion, the killer track.
There is a powerful drum intro. Rick does some excellent stick
•work as he pounds his kit, especially during the chorus. Again,
lots of great screams and good solos, a well written song!
"Harder than Steel" has the same hard driving effect as
"VJarfare" with very good synchronized guitar work and an echoing
effect during the solo.
"Generally Hostile" is the only track which Rick plays
double bass (I wish there v^ere more j. It has a good powerful
guitar sound.
Side two opens with "The V/atching". This is the only dis¬
appointment of the album. It shows lack of power and should
have been left off the album!
"Reign of the Tyrants" is quite possibly the heaviest song
on the LP! It has a good keyboard/guitar intro.
"Cardiac Arrest" shows very much the same writing ideas.
Now for the grand finale—"The Crucifix". It brings you
the best writing talents from these five bangers. This seven
minute concept song is a classic which consists of five parts:
"The Possession","Suffer unto Me", "Apostles of the Damned",
"The Beast" and "Armageddon". This track shov/s great amounts
of talent and vast ranges of vocal sounds.
Other than their first EP, this is by far the best piece
of vinyl that Azra Records has put out!
As for The Tyrant (vocals), Rick Hilyard (drums), Mark
Eriody and Joey Tafolla (guitars) and John Tetley (bass), "Ample
Destruction" should take them a long v/av! !

By R.N.

P.O. Box 16066

Colorado Springs, CO 80935

-16-
MERCYFUL FATE - "Don't Break the Oath"

Released upon the eve of an American tour (that hooefullv

v;on't fall through), "Don't Break the Oath", FATE'S second LP',
oroves to be one of 1984’s classics. Every son"; brin'^s through
the munch that was sorely lacking on many of "Melissa's" tunes.
Kickinfj off with "A Dangerous M’eeting", the album starts
off rather slowly. By no means a throwaway track, it's just not
up to par with the rest of the material here.
"-lightraare" is next, and tells of vocalist King Diamond's
first encounter with the supernatural. This song (as v/ell as
the other 8) showcase FATE'S expertise at the tempo change.
Following "Ij>ightmare" is a slovrer, double bass grinder,
"Desecration of Souls", and much to my surprise, only features
two to three tempo changes.
Side one is closed with "Ilight of the Unborn", weaving a
tale of resting souls before a Black Mass.
Side two features the writing talents of King Diamond with
"The Oath" (you can guess what that's about!!) and "Cone to the
Sabbatn" written solely by himself, and "Gypsy", in collaboration
with .lichael Denner. Diamond proves himself as an excellent
writer, with his tunes being my personal favorites. He comes
UT) with some real heavy riffs. Only one comolaint, [Link].
"Come to the Sabbath" has the token Pat Travers riff-steal (vou
may recall hearing shades of "Snortin' V/hiskey" in "Demon Bell",
off "Melissa"). This one being in one of the breaks on "Come...",
the intro to "Stevie" by Travers, My only beef.
"V/elcome Princes of Hell" and "To One Far Away" are the
other tracks from side two. "Uelcome..." nortravs Diamond as a
host of some "Friends" from the underworld*, and "To One Far Away"
is a soft, minute and a half acoustic guitar track, with s. little
electric guitar solo textured in. This would make a good intro
but shouldn't have a title.
"Come to the Sabbath" rounds out the album in a grand dou¬
ble bass fashion yet more tales of Black Masses, excellent all
around!!
MERCYFUL FATE have stepped up their production quite a bit
too, I might add. Gone are the twangy guitars that were a draw¬
back to "I'lelissa", and now they have a good, grinding, dual
6-string attack, featuring some great harmonies between Michael
Denner and Hank Sherraann.
The rhythm section of Timi G. Hansen (bass) and Kim Ruzz
(drums) is one of the most technical around, with Hansen using
his Harris influences well, and Ruzz, while not the flashiest
drummer around, is one of the best.

-17-
 Kin" Diamond, you either love him or hate him. I love his
voice )ut a Iriend pointed out to me that, if* you listen closely,
you'll realize that he does not sing, he chants. His vocals are
nothin;: but chants, and I think they're better than ever. A
Piaster.;*ul lyricist he is as well. Hardcore Satanism at its best!
iJith each effort, tney have improved songv;riting and mu-
Sica lly speaking, tneir latest has me eagerly awaiting the fu ture
to s so \;hat JATF. has in store for us all^...

"Listen!!‘ They sing!! Oh, the coven sings, 'You are

insane, you are insane, you are insane'...."
By G.H.
on €art5
mantas "DSATH by METAL" DEMO
This is a really good 4 track tape from Florida's MANTAS.
The first tune on this demo is "Legion of Doom", the only
studio track (the rest are live) . This is a
song, it starts off slow, sounding a lot like old HELLHAM-
MER, then breaks into a good lead and picks up speed.
"Power of Darkness" ane "Death by Metal" are both fast
thrashing songs. However the best is saved for last in
the form of "Evil Dead". The song starts off with a really
good, haunting intro and then becomes really fast ane heavy.
The chorus is great! The one major thing this tape suffers
from is oroduction, because there isn't any! Still, the
demo is worth searching for. This is definately one of
the heaviest tapes you'll find!

ENFORCER "High Treason" Demo

This a fairly good tape from Chicago's own ENFORCER.

"!Iigh Treason" is the best track here; it is slow and
heavy in the MANOWAR and V/ITCH SLAYER vein. Next up on
this three-song tape is "Salem's Curse", another good
tune. It starts off with an acoustic intro and then tears
into a good heavy part, a bit faster than "High Treason".
This song goes on pretty well for a while,but gets a bit
boring at the end. The last track here is "The Final
Conflict". This is one boring song! lam not against slow
metal, but this song is not heavy at all. Over all, a'
good tape that would have received a better review if it
had only two tracks. By V.R.
-18-
SLAYER "Haunting the Chapel” EP

Last year, if someone had told me that SLAYER could top

their debut album (Show Ho Mercy), ’I would have said, "You're
crazy!" I mean "SUM" was everything you wanted in a pov/er
metal album! But "Haunting the Chapel" (the new three-song EP)
certainly says it all by itself.
"Chemical V/arfare" has killer speed and several tempo
changes,
Side II opens with "Captor of Sin". A slower yet powerful
3ong with great leads.
Finally, "H.T.C." is definitely one of the heaviest ana
best written songs SLAYER has put out. It combines excellent
nounding on the kit with Cronos like vocals and chants.
If you like "SUM", then "HTC" is a MUST to own!!
By [Link].

ZNOVmiTE "All Hail to Thee"

This is the long awaited vinyl debut from Chicago's

ZNOWHITE, called "All Hail to Thee". It proves to be a
good slab of plastic despite the boring cover! The mini
LP features seven tracks, five of them being fast skull-
crunchers, the other two being slow and boring. ZNOV/HITE
slow songs are not heavy at ail. The fast tracks like
"Do Or Die", "Sledgehammer", "Saturday Night" and "Bring¬
ing The Hammer Down" are very good-speedy and short!
Although a bit of heaviness is lost in the speed, this is
still a very good vinyl offering. Next time , leave out
the zlow stuff! By V.R.

METALLICA "Ride the Lightning"

Well, this is certainly the biggest disappointment of the

year. 'Whatever happened to the band that put out the fastest
music on vinyl in 1983? These guys have certainly let their
hardcore fans down.
The only decent track on the album is "Fight Fire with Fire".
It still has some of the speed that they can deliver. Songs like
"Fade to Black" and "Call of Ktulu" have acoustic guitar licks
that reminds one of Randy Rhoads in his OZZY days and makes "Seek
and Destroy" sound like "Metal Militia", I mean it puts you to
sleep. "Trapped Under Ice" is another close to half-way decent
song. But again, gets a bit boring. A couple of those songs rip
off some great EXODUS riffs. This is definitely not an LP to be
bought by hardcore bangers!
By R.N
HIMSX THRASH AND BANG!! !«

Pic by Rick Smith