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.
Habits - Blondie / Your Car
(Secret City Records, 1980)Another one of those singles that tread the fine line between power pop and hard rock, featuring the mean sounding vocals and heavy riffs you might expect to find in, say BLUE ÖYSTER CULT (the a-side reminds me quite a bit of "Godzilla"), but at the same time this outfit were no strangers to the dreaded "piano interlude" either. But hey, neither were BÖC, right? Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Hatterfox - School Days / Coming Down On You
(Med-Fly Records, 1984)Yet another release by this Alabama gang. This time we are treated to a CHUCK BERRY cover coupled with their own original number. Both songs are reasonably fast paced, energetic hard rock tunes, and both are so short they'll have ended before you've had time to sit your butt down in the couch after placing the vinyl on your record player! Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Hazardous Waste - Half Life / Danger Zone
( Hazardous Records, 1986)Gritty factory-type metal with gruff "tough guy" vocals. While not fast enough to enter speed metal-territory, "Danger Zone" is a great up tempo track and definitely the better song of the two. This single is notable for being once really hard to find, only to become one of the easiest to find later on, due to a large left over stock being found in a warehouse. The picture sleeve is a recent addition, made after this discovery, and therefore is not included here. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Hellion - One Way Or Another / Hellion
(Stampede Records, 1983)Note: this is not the female fronted HELLION, but instead an obscure hard rock/metal act from the NY area. Genre wise they stay firmly in the "melodic metal" field, both songs clearly emphasise song structure and harmonies rather than pure energy. Yeah, these guys were aiming for the big stadiums for sure! While their later LP "Dangerous Maneuvers" is pretty easy to find, this single is one tough cookie to track down, especially with the original sleeve. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
High Voltage - Blazing Rock
(Blazing Rock Records, 1981)It would be easy to dismiss this band as an AC/DC clone considering the name this Rhode Island quartet chose to call themselves. But as a matter of fact, apart from the name they had little common with the Australian lads, choosing to play some form of rather easily accessible hard rock/metal hybrid which is best described as "quite catchy". Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Hot Head Slater - Southside Susie / You're No Good
(Settin' Records, 1979)At the time of writing, Discogs lists this as a heavy metal release. And I fully admit falling into the trap even though this little 45 just screams "It's only Rock'n'Roll, damnit!" when observing it from a distance. And guess what? It's Rock'n'Roll... "You're No Good" is sort of recommended for fans of STEPPENWOLF ballads, but that's as far as I'll go. I suppose I'll write this one down as "taking one for the team", since I decided to include it here so you won't make the same mistake as I did. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Hot Shot - Deep Of The Night / It’s Your Love
(Flaming Records, 1988)If you can live with the vocals (come on, even GEOFF TATE was never this over the top), the a-side is well above average mid tempo heavy metal. I was expecting the mandatory power ballad on the b-side, especially with a song title like “It's Your Love”, but was surprised to find more mid tempo metalry, albeit with a substantial dose of cheese on top. 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:
