Mirage was a heavy metal band that was formed in 1983 from the remnants of two Welsh rock/metal bands, Rough Justice and Exit. The band were based in the valleys of South East Wales. Its members were Richard Morgan (aka "Wretch) on vocals, Richard Price on guitar, Carl Skinner on bass and Gerry Turner on drums. [1] In 1984, they released one track, "Blind Fury", on a compilation album produced by local record company Notepad Productions. This came to the attention of Malc Macmillan, author of the Encyclopaedia of New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWoBHM) who described their track "Blind Fury" as "truly one of the classic tracks of the entire NWoBHM genre". [2] The rare Notepad Productions Volume I album remains highly sought after by collectors – featured in Record Collector Magazine in January 2015. [3] The band has enjoyed some recent attention from High Roller Records who have re-released their tracks "Blind Fury"/"Twilight Zone" on black and white vinyl. The cover features Richard Price's original 1979 Fender Stratocaster guitar alongside a Turner family artefact from World War II.
Fistful of Metal is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in January 1984 by Megaforce Records and Music for Nations internationally. The album includes a cover of Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen". This is the band's only album to feature original frontman Neil Turbin and original bassist Dan Lilker, who were replaced by Matt Fallon and Frank Bello, respectively. Former original guitarist Greg Walls claims that Anthrax "ripped him off" as he claims he wrote the material on the album.
Armed and Dangerous is the first EP by American heavy metal band Anthrax, released in February 1985 through Megaforce Records. The band produced the album with Carl Canedy and Jon Zazula acting as executive producer. This is the first Anthrax release to feature Joey Belladonna on vocals, and the first Anthrax release to feature Frank Bello on bass guitar.
Trial by Fire: Live in Leningrad is the first live album by guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, recorded over several dates in February 1989 in Saint Petersburg, and released on 12 October 1989 through Polydor Records. The album reached #31 on the Swedish albums chart and #128 on the Billboard 200. A VHS video of the concert was released on 11 July 1991 through PolyGram, and a DVD edition was reissued in Japan on 12 December 2006 through Universal Music.
Lightning to the Nations is the debut album by British heavy metal band Diamond Head. The album was recorded in 1980 and released later that year through Happy Face Records, a label owned by the producer Muff Murfin of The Old Smithy studio of Worcester, due to lack of interest from major labels and the band feeling that they needed to get the ball rolling as other bands from the same era, such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, were already becoming big names.
Slaughter of the Soul is the fourth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates, released on 14 November 1995 by Earache Records. It was their last album before their eleven-year breakup from 1996 to 2007. Slaughter of the Soul is considered a landmark in melodic death metal and played a major role in popularizing the Gothenburg scene, alongside The Jester Race by In Flames and The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity. The album was recorded and mixed in Studio Fredman, early 1995.
Angel Witch are a British heavy metal band which formed in London in 1976. Despite never achieving major success, they are known for being integral part of the early 1980s new wave of British heavy metal (NWOBHM) movement, and have been acknowledged as an influence by many bands of the then-emerging thrash, speed, doom and extreme metal genres. Angel Witch have released five studio albums to date, and have undergone numerous lineup changes throughout its 48-year career, leaving frontman and lead guitarist Kevin Heybourne as the only constant member.
Salisbury is the second studio album by British rock band Uriah Heep, released in January 1971 by Vertigo Records. It was produced by Gerry Bron.
Grim Reaper were a British heavy metal band from the new wave of British heavy metal era. The band was formed in 1979 in Droitwich, England, by guitarist Nick Bowcott, and there have been numerous lineup changes over the years, with frontman Steve Grimmett being the longest running member, from 1982 to 1988, then 2006 until his death in 2022. They are best known for several of their 1980s songs, including the respective title tracks from their first three albums: See You in Hell (1983), Fear No Evil (1985) and Rock You to Hell (1987); each of those songs gained notoriety in the 1990s for appearing on Beavis and Butt-Head. After disbanding in 1988, the band reformed in 2006 around Grimmett, and due to legal issues surrounding the rights to the original band name, they went by Steve Grimmett's Grim Reaper. Two albums under that name – Walking in the Shadows (2016) and At the Gates (2019) – were released before Grimmett died in 2022, after which the band disbanded again.
Saxon is the debut studio album by English heavy metal band Saxon, released in 1979.
Blind is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Corrosion of Conformity, released on November 5, 1991 via Relativity Records. The album saw the band change their crossover thrash sound of the 1980s to a more straightforward metal sound.
Bronz were an English hard rock band, formed in Bath in the mid-1970s. The band formed by Chris Goulstone played mainly around the UK and at the 'free festivals' of the time. These included performances at Stonehenge and Glastonbury in 1978.
Smell the Magic is the second studio album by American rock band L7, released in 1990 by Sub Pop. Originally issued as a 12" EP containing only the first six songs, it was reissued on CD in July 1991, expanded to album length with three more tracks: "Packin' a Rod," "Just Like Me," and "American Society." The opening track "Shove" was released as the band's first single.
Home is the second studio album by American rock band Sevendust, released on August 24, 1999, by TVT Records. The album appeared on the Billboard 200, remained there for fourteen weeks and peaked at 19 on September 11, 1999. It was certified gold on May 18, 2000, through the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album features thirteen tracks on the United States release and sixteen tracks on the Japan release, with two tracks featuring artists outside of Sevendust. Three singles were released from the album, two of which appeared on the mainstream and modern Billboard charts.
Christopher Andrew Tsangarides was a British record producer, sound engineer, and mixer of Greek Cypriot origin. He was best known for his work with many heavy metal artists, including Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Helloween, Anvil, Angra, Anthem, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Tygers of Pan Tang.
"N.W.O." is a song by American industrial metal band Ministry, released as the opening track and second single from their fifth studio album Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs (1992). An industrial metal song, it was co-written and co-produced by the band’s frontman Al Jourgensen and bassist Paul Barker, and is widely regarded as a protest against then-President George H. W. Bush, featuring samples from his speeches. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award under the Best Metal Performance category in 1993, and was featured in the soundtrack album of Ralph Bakshi’s 1992 film Cool World. In 1994, the song was used in a Spin Magazine commercial which featured Jourgensen, among others. In 2015, "N.W.O." was ranked #10 in the VH1 "Top 10 Hardest Hitting Heavy Metal Political Anthems" list.
Manic Compression is the second studio album by American post-hardcore band Quicksand. It was first released on February 24, 1995 on vinyl through Revelation Records, before being given a widespread CD release through Island Records on February 28, 1995. The album influenced many post-hardcore and alternative metal bands. It peaked at number 135 on the Billboard 200.
Satan are an English heavy metal band originating from Newcastle upon Tyne in 1979, known as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. The band is considered influential for playing a form of proto-thrash/speed metal that was fairly advanced by the standards of the early 1980s.
Jameson Raid are a British heavy metal band. They are usually considered to be part of the new wave of British heavy metal, following their inclusion on EMI's album Metal For Muthas II, although they were established on the Birmingham circuit as a hard rock band several years before this.
Rock Goddess is the debut studio album by the English all-female heavy metal band Rock Goddess. It was originally released in February 1983, on the label A&M. It was produced by experienced sound engineer Vic Maile.
Hell Hath No Fury was the second studio album by the English heavy metal band, Rock Goddess. All songs were again written and composed by Jody Turner. The American version was published with different cover artwork and 2 different songs, taken from the "I Didn't Know I Loved You " single, instead of songs 2 and 7 of the European edition.