Is there any mystery left in Olde Metal Hunting? A harsh question perhaps, but to the cynics and sceptics The Corroseum's answer will always be "Yes!" Plenty of features on this site will prove this point, often
dealing with artifacts possibly even more obscure than those presented below. Yet strangely enough, the
US and Canadian Heavy Metal 7"-scene
is still one of the least explored niches in the domain of Old Metal Vinyl Collecting, at least in relation to its size and popularity. Hence forum member and long-time fan & collector of rare American 7"s, Kristian "Khnud" Knutsson has taken on this impossible feat of documentation, making this the 3rd and - surely in the long run - largest Singles-Special of The Corroseum to date...
A note on rarity Most of the releases reviewed herein are to be considered rare, usually released in either 500 or 1000 copies by small independent labels, or by the bands themselves. The rating is therefore an attempt at approximating how often an item shows up for sale.
= Rather common, a copy can most likely be found without too much effort
= Uncommon, still turns up a few times per year
= Rare, you'll most likely have to search a bit before you find one
= Very rare, expect to have to search several years before one turns up
= More or less impossible to find. The number of known copies can be counted with the fingers of one hand
Also, please note that rarity scores might change over time. A good example would be the Hazardous Waste 45, which was once believed to have been released in only 200 copies and was at that point a very expensive and desired item. Many years later another 300 copies were discovered in a warehouse and the item is, at the time this is written, reasonably easy to find at an affordable price.
A note on ratingReviews are subjective. What I think is great, someone else might think is crap. And the other way around. I strongly suggest using the reviews as a general guide and not as a definitive quality indicator.
= Bad. You probably don't need this unless you're a manic completist (like yours truly)
= Ok, but nothing spectacular
= Good, definitely worth checking out
= Great, buy or die!
= You need this more than oxygen...
Finally, I'd like to thank John Haupt, without him this project would never have been possible.
View the 20 latest entries below, or browse by letter:
Wyzdom - Not Afraid To Be Strange / Wake Up The Night
(Wyzdom Records, 1985)Synth rock a-side coupled with a slightly more metallic partner. "Wake Up The Night" is a more than decent, albeit slightly hair metal leaning effort with a rich, warm sound. Not quite unlike the VALIANT 45s also reviewed here. A release that's also noteworthy for coming with (at least) two different picture sleeves - one in full colour (shown here) and one brownish, sepia toned variety. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Vengeance - Rock Revenge / Rock With Vengeance
(Retaliation Records, 1984)One of the best looking pictures sleeves out there for sure, some copes also included an insert. These Chicago, IL, lads play pretty basic uptempo metal with nice sing along choruses, chugging guitars and pounding drums. Not much to dislike, my only complaint is that it lacking a bit of originality. Guitarist David Shankle later became famous for first playing with PARADOXX on two local compilations (Chicago Class of '85 and Chicago Metal Works Battalion #1), and later doing a stint in MANOWAR. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Steeler - Cold Day In Hell / Take Her Down
(Ravage Records, 1982)One of the more well known bands featured in this project. After all, this is the outfit YNGWIE MALMSTEEN moved to the US to play in. But before all this happened, singer Ron Keel & CO released a privately pressed 45 which is completely void of over the top guitar gymnastics, thank God. Of the two tracks, only the a-side got rereleased on their debut LP. Fortunately, this original, much more straight forward version, is much preferable to the LP since it focuses on delivering raw heavy metal rather than a means to display complete mastery of the six string instrument. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Slicker - I'll Make It / Where Did The Boyzz Go
(Coba, 1984)Ultra obscure heavy metal 45 from the greater Chicago (IL) area. It's probably more likely that you'll find a live unicorn than a copy of this in the wild. Both songs contain riffs galore, but they're also slightly lacking in power to be able to claim that coveted "holy grail" title. Still, it's a worthy addition to every collection claiming to be top notch in the field. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Slaughter Haüs 5 - Reckless Endangerment / More Than A Friend
(Latex Records, 1985)Judging by band photos from back in the day, these Seattle lads were probably aiming to be the next biggest thing since KISS. Musically they sound more like TKO, CRYSYS or even early era PANDEMONIUM, which means they deliver some form of tough back alley hard rock/metal hybrid packed with lots of attitude. Also, bonus points for taking their band name from the Kurt Vonnegut novel. Both songs on this single are included in a recent compilation, if you don't feel like paying up for an original copy. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Ruby Cadilac - Ten Seconds To Hell
(Lady In Black, 1986)A part goth, part glam, part hard rock, part heavy metal, and all girl band similar to LUCRECIA. This very pink release couples a snooze fest of a b-side with an infectious title track that sounds like it came right out of some 80's horror b-movie. "Ten Seconds To Hell" is indeed a track to remember, but it's not quite enough to lift this release from the swamp of mediocrity. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Priscilla - Wake Up The Neighborhood / Love In Action
(Five Star Global Records, 1988)Second rate POISON or SKID ROW clones from Cleveland, OH. Featuring two ultra simplistic tracks revolving around the usual glam/sleaze subjects, containing little less than the chorus (about lovin' and partyin') repeated over and over. Prog fans in particular should stay well clear of this one! Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Pawnz - Making The Move
(private, 1983)"With a sleeve looking like that, it has to be good.", I thought. "It's a privately pressed four track EP listed as hard rock/metal, it MUST be good!", I thought. And oh boy how wrong I was... This is plain old rock'n'roll, nothing more, nothing less. And it has saxophone in it. I won't buy something based solely on the cover ever again, I promise. And so, just like the distress signal emanating from LV-426, this review is posted here solely to serve as a warning. To never, EVER repeat the same mistake as I did. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Myzar - Anyway Today / You Think You’ve Got It Made
(private, 1982)More or less some form of American equivalent to JAMESON RAID, featuring a melodic hard rock sound which borders on bloody excellent. "Anyway Today" is the keeper here, if perhaps slightly too drawn out for its' own good. Alas the b-side, while featuring more or less the same sound, is a much more forgettable number. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Myth - Metal To The Pedal / Rock Or Die
(Metal Force Records Inc., 1984)A prime example of US power metal done exactly right. Fast, energetic, driving guitars, pounding drums and no keyboards in sight - an instrument totally overused by the European power metal counterparts as we all know. "Rock Or Die" is the star here, taking off like a rocket and never once losing its momentum. Not as rare as previously thought, the supposed 100 copy pressing seems to have been a typo as most sources now claim the edition was 1000 copies. Regardless, you need to own one of them. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Infrared - Metal To Metal / Give The People What They Want
(Conspiracy Records, 1985)With a song title like this, any discussion as to what type of music contained within these grooves should be completely superfluous. Surprisingly, "Metal To Metal" is more lightweight than you'd expect, featuring distant keyboards and a slightly theatrical vocal performance layered over heavy guitar riffs. The b-side is more of a standard heavy metal song. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Hott Roxx - Point Blank
(Broad Horizons Records, 1987)With a pummelling and somewhat murky guitar sound, this metal four-tracker has a lot going for it. It's held back a bit by below average vocals, but the band definitely makes up for it with a healthy dose of youthful enthusiasm. The songs are pretty nice too, the highlight being "Stargazer". Apparently only some of the copies came with an insert, why not every copy had one is a mystery long forgotten. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
EQ - You're Not Worth It / The Blue Angel
(MCE Records, 1981)What starts off as a decent "Spirit Of Radio" clone quickly degenerates to something that can at best be considered radio friendly hard rock, but unfortunately also contains various very mainstream sounding classic rock moments. Noteworthy for containing both a male and female singer and for being released on a semi collectible label. But that's all folks, the rest just doesn't cut it. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Chyld - Lite The Nite / Ye Morlock
(Chyldysh Music, 1986)Another one of those great starter items which has just about everything going for it (except perhaps the lack of a picture sleeve). It's cheap, it's easy to find, and it's an absolutely superb example of heavy metal done exactly right. I'll stick my neck out and dub this the Canadian answer to LEATHER NUNN. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Anvil Chorus - Blondes In Black
(private, 1982)"Blondes In Black" starts off almost like "Living After Midnight", and the song never lowers its JUDAS PRIEST-y guard. "Once Again" is a much more varied number, venturing into epic hard rock territory with more than a little nod to the prog rock movement while still keeping its metal roots. Both songs stand head and shoulders over many of their contemporaries, and it's no wonder the band members later went on to form or join more well known acts such as HEATHEN, VICIOUS RUMORS and BLIND ILLUSION. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
White Noise - Authorized Criminal / Ripped Off
(Rubber Ball Records, 1986)Dirty and mean hard rock, with just the right amount of rawness to it. Plus, it's got that MISFITS vibe as well, perhaps it's no surprise these guys also hailed from New Jersey. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Twin-wire - Looking For You / One Night Stand
(private, 1986)If you dig DIAMOND HEAD-esque vocals, then this is for you as the singer is a dead ringer for Sean Harris. Music wise we're served an up-tempo and slightly chaotic a-side (the drums especially are sort of all over the place), coupled with a slower number on the flip where the bands adopts a slightly softer approach while still remaining firmly rooted in heavy metal. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Sanction - Are We Forever / Don't F**k With My Stuff
(Nite Records, 1987)Classic US power metal of the finest caliber combining soaring vocals and razor sharp riffs with a gruff no-nonsense attitude. For fans of the less epic songs from the first MANOWAR album. Both songs later appeared on the band's full length album, released on cassette only. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Premonition - Glitter Girl
(private, 1980)The outro of "Glitter Girl" unabashedly copies the bridge from "Before the Kiss, a Redcap" and the very competently performed funk rock instrumental "So What" has Buck Dharma written all over it. So, odds are pretty low that these guys were influenced by BLUE ÖYSTER CULT. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Nite Fire - Tonight / Hold On
(Future Records, 1983)Alas, by this their fourth release, the band has degenerated into feel good high school hard rock. Complete with cowbells, hand claps etc. Catchy, but pretty bland. Quite a disappointment considering their move in the right direction on the excellent "Run From Trouble" 45. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
...and the mandatory, accompanying, downloadable CDR-samplers:
For comments, questions and critique praise of this guide, please visit the designated North-American Heavy Metal 7"s Guide-thread in the forum, or contact The Corroseum (all messages concerning this guide will be forwarded to Khnud)
