recorded albums throughout the 90s they hired Phil Anselmo (Pantera/Down
) of all people (under the name Anton Crowley) to play guitar. Their albums are certainly worth checking out.
. This demo was rereleased with some other demo material as part of a compilation in 2010, although it was remastered so the sound may differ from the original tape rips found here. They're back together now under the original Ghostrider name with a new line-up and released a new album earlier this year titled Return of the Ghost
demo, nuff said. One year before Killing is My Business with three tracks from that album, this is some of the most vicious, ripping thrash they made.
, big Carcass influence here, this sounds somewhere in between Reek of Putrefaction and the Stockholm sound they'd come to pioneer. Heavy, evil and filthy, this is seen as a classic of Swedish death metal for a reason., recorded before Morbid Visions. I think this one was released officially as a demo, plus it has a mean cover of Slayer's Black Magic so definitely check this out.
first demo, showing that when they formed they were just as much into death metal gore as gothic melodrama, fans that like the more "filthier" tracks from their earlier albums should be sure to check this out.
rehearsal tape from Slayer, never officially released but bootlegged since then. The sound quality could be better but as is this is a pretty good display of Slayer's early hunger, they play through the whole of Show No Mercy here. Only recommended to Slayer diehards though.
came out, but in 82/early 83 Metallica hottest thing on the metal underground and is probably the most bootlegged metal tape of all time. Recommended to all metalheads, far and wide.
bootleg collecting all of the most interesting unreleased rehearsal tracks from before Cowboys from Hell
, with plenty of covers. More of a fans only thing for sure as it doesn't really play through as a regular album (playing the same song twice in a row etc.) but how could a Pantera fan turn down an earlier incarnation of the band (and honestly most of the material here sounds like it came from a period in between Power Metal and Cowboys From Hell) covering songs like South of Heaven, Raining Blood, At Dawn They Sleep, Face the Slayer, Children of the Sea, Green Manilishi, Victim of Changes, Metal Gods and Hell Bent for Leather? Plus the rehearsal tracks are really cool with the band goofing around and making inside jokes in between takes, has a real personal, home recording kinda feel. You're hardly gonna stop spinning Vulgar Display of Power
to listen to this, but it's still essential for the hardcore Pantera fans. According to the cover this also featured Kerry King on one or more tracks, but I haven't yet figured out which ones.
, giving us an eye into how they sounded before grindcore, kinda thrashy, metalized, crusty hardcore punk, lots of mid-paced stomps, there are faster parts but this was before the blast beat took over. Pretty cool demo, but for fans of Napalm Death and/or raw 80s crust/hardcore only. They did get a lot more interesting by the time Scum
came out though.
live in Italy, 1994. The band's in full form and Eric Adams is full of his usual over-the-top enthusiasm, maybe even a little too much slightly to the detriment of this as a live album (would have sounded way more appropriate at the actual show I'm sure), plus the sound isn't perfect and some of the talkative crowd members are pretty annoying. But still, worth hearing for the dedicated Manowar fans, with a good long setlist sporting tracks from as early as their debut
through to Kings of Metal
(although no tracks from Triumph of Steel
, which leads me to believe they either don't like that album or that this was recorded early than I have down on record) plus a guitar and (pretty long) bass solo to boot.
self-titled debut
(my personal favourite) and second album
. For long-time Burzum fans only - if you are, this is absolute gold, hearing Spell of Destruction this stripped-down (not even any drums) is amazing, and Channelling the Power of Souls is the most minimal song Burzum has ever recorded, this version way moreso than the version from the album. at least 50 times though this probably isn't for you.
debut
but showing more clearly their NWOBHM roots for those that might not recognise it. There's a definite nod to Iron Maiden here (their self-titled
) and it's not quite as snarly and evil yet so I'd recmmend their first three albums (Welcome to Hell , Black Metal and At War With Satan (especially the first two)) but this is cool for the fans that wanna hear where the band came from. Three tracks here - Angel Dust, Raise the Dead and Red Light Fever.
