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.
Fatal Mistake - Ice Breaker / Hunter
(private, 198?)Nothing screams "privately released heavy metal grail!!!" like having a the skull of a fanged skeleton with an earring in the shape of an axe on the cover. Well, if private metal grail is what you expect then you might be a little disappointed. Musically, this obscure Canadian quintet is quite firmly rooted in AC/DC style hard rock more than anything else. The good news? This single still rawks, dude. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Fatal Sacrifice - Witch Hunt / Eko-Azarak
(Reindeer Records, 1989)The doom/thrash combo must be the most schizophrenic of genres, but it obviously exists. Imagine SLAYER type riffage and Kerry King guitar solo insanity combined with BLACK SABBATH heaviness, and there you go. I bet you these guys were big fans of DREAM DEATH. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Filthy Rich - Taking Time / Searching
(Rich Records, 1987)A lot more polished than their privately released LP, featuring a slick hard rock song on the a-side and a slower but more powerful number on the flip. I'd hate to use the dreaded "power ballad" label but this comes pretty darn close. Still, definitely not bad for an almost power ballad. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Final Dawn - Need Some Action / Running Hard
(G.P. Records, 1987)Straight up mid tempo metal gloriousness. "Running Hard" gives more than one nod to British legends SAXON, blazing with the energy we're all familiar with in "Princess of the Night" or "Dallas 1 PM". Note that there are two cover versions of the sleeve. A simple white one featuring only the band name, and an oversized version (not shown here) which looks more like a folded poster. The latter is considerably harder to find and it's not sure whether or not it was actually issued with the single. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Flying Sixtynine - Scream Queen / On With The Show
(Monster Records, 1986)For being a former comp band to GG ALLIN, there isn't much shock value left in these guys. Sporting KISS-like makeup/outfits and playing a mix of glammy LA style metal with some hints of horror rock thrown in for good measure, it's rather obvious they wanted to become the next MOTLEY CRUE. "On With The Show" does the job reasonably well thanks to a great riff, but in the end the song is a tad too repetitive to make a lasting impact. "Scream Queen" on the other hand is completely forgettable. If I want to listen to a fitting sound track to some generic b-rate 80's horror flick, I'd choose MANIMALS any day of the week. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Flyte - Movin' Faster / Don't You
(private, 198?)80's party hard rock/heavy metal, which basically means you get two commercial songs about wine (or your other favourite alcoholic beverage), partying and women. This band sounds bit like RATT, especially in the vocal department. Great for drinking and partying, perhaps not as great if you want to piss off your neighbours while banging your head and thrashing your apartment. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Foxy Roxie - I'm Partyin' / All Dressed Up And No Place To Go
(Groovage Records, 1988)Quite typical L.A. hard rock of the glammy and sleazy kind. And with a band name and song titles like that, how could you think otherwise? This is basically POISON, but with a female vocalist. Not bad, but nothing too exciting. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Frenchy - Tell The Truth / I Don't Want To Play
(Network, 1982)Tell The Truth is a very good melodic metal song with excellent guitar work throughout, far outshining anything else the band ever recorded (unless an even more obscure, ultra rare, release comes out of the woodwork). Unfortunately the b-side "I Don't Want To Play" doesn't even come close, instead being content to remain firmly in radio friendly rock territory. My condolences. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Friction - Games Of The Nightime / Lightning Clears The Air
(Kamakazi Records, 1982)Perhaps I'm biased, but to me this is very Swedish sounding. Basically it sounds exactly like some of the more lightweight hard rock/power pop stuff you'd find issued by Pang Records. It just has "A suburb in Stockholm" written all over it, even though it looks like this female fronted outfit hailed from somewhere in New Jersey. They would most likely have sold well in Japan, had the band ever managed to get that far. Later re-released with a different b-side before they firmly planted themselves in AOR territory. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Future Reference - Won't Let Go / Life That You Lose
(private, 1987)At first glance, this is pretty ordinary hard rock as the a-side sounds quite a lot like the eponymous RUSH album, albeit with a less unique vocalist. However, the b-side is more metallic, and will actually give most of the contemporary hair metal bands a run for their money. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Future South - Another World / Lady In White
(Track Records, 198?)"Mellow" night be the best description for this very hard to find release from Texas. "Another World" gives more than one nod to the prog/psych genre albeit with a more classic hard rock/metal chorus. The real keeper however, is the flipside with a long epic guitar crescendo that will surely make the mouths of early MANILLA ROAD fans water. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
