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:
Vikron - Long Cool Woman / King Of The City
(Broccoli Rabe Records, 1986)If you don't mind paying a small fortune for one original song and one cover (yes, that's THE HOLLIES getting a US metal tune up, right there), then I s'pose you could do worse than tracking down a copy of this. Still, I can think of many other private 45s that will do a much better job of pleasing both your ears and your wallet. Yes, you heard me right. Despite its grail like status, it isn't really anything special. Just decent, run of the mill, 80's heavy metal. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Trooper - In The Dark / Devil's Million
(Reindeer Records, 1987)Pummelling, galloping metal that just oozes teenage lust with every panting breath. You'll know what I mean when you listen to the lyrics to "In The Dark", which I'm certain entertained more than one high school metal head about to experience their first ever sexual encounter. "Devil's Million" is a more mature affair, drawing from a diverse palette of heavy riffs, melodic interludes and decent solos. Still, I can't help but to think of "Gimme Shelter" by Mr. Jagger et al when hearing the chorus. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Trinity - Firey Skies / Steal The Wings
(private, 1984)I know I name drop these guys a lot, but there's no doubt this is yet another RUSH clone. On "Firey Skies" (sic), the band try their best "Signals" or "Grace Under Pressure"-era imitation, perhaps forgetting to add keyboards in the process. The flip side has much more of a "Fly By Night" feel to it. While both songs are decent in their own way, they are pretty far off when comparing them with the real deal. And there are indeed some much better clones reviewed here (SABOTAGE come to mind) if you're in the mood (see what I did there?) for some Canadian power trio worship. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Swift Kick - Make Some Noise / Lady Killer
(private, 1982)This outfit from Long Island is perhaps most known for having 2 members who later went on to play in DANGER DANGER. They also released a 4 song EP released two years later but this 45 is way superior to anything else they recorded. "Make Some Noise" has a much richer and more melancholic sound compared to the EP version, but the real gem is "Lady Killer". A speedy, raunchy ripper of a song with great leads and a catchy chorus. You can't ask for much more than that. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Stonehenge - Cats Eyez / Heavy Metal Woman
(Stonehenge, 1985)Great, powerful heavy metal with a slightly maniacal vocalist. The band displays a surprising amount of diversity, especially on the epic "Heavy Metal Woman", nodding more than a few heads to similar mystic metal bands such as WYZARD, IMAGE etc. And interestingly enough, the chorus sounds exactly like METALUCIFER, even though this was released almost a decade earlier. I wouldn't be surprised to find this 45 in certain record collections in Japan. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Rok Sally - Blind Attitude / Head On Strong
(SRA Records, 1988)Pretty generic arena rock/hair metal, you betcha these guys loved KISS and early BON JOVI. "Head On Strong" is actually a quite good track with galloping rhythms and a strong melody, but it could probably do without the over the top whammy bar gymnastics at the end. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Rapid Tears - Headbang / Wonderland
(Chameleon Records, 1982)The second 45 from these maniacs from Toronto, Canada. Unfortunately both songs are identical versions to the ones included on their godly "Honestly" LP, minus the short intro to "Wonderland" that we're left without on this single. I really can't see the need to make a "single edit" of a song that was only 02:45 minutes to begin with but hey, we're still treated to two high octane guitar assaults, both very much in the vein of SAVAGE (UK). There's also a sleeveless version of this, apparently released one year earlier. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Mercenary - She's Evil / Plastic Eyes
(Empire Records, 1982)This is LEGEND mastermind Kevin Nugent's band from the 80's. And to no surprise it's a quite unique sounding affair, at once both progressive, quirky and epic while still firmly rooted in traditional hard rock and heavy metal. And, as expected, it all works out great. Even the long, jazzy, guitar and keyboard interludes fit in perfectly. There's not really another band that sounds similar (except LEGEND, of course), so this is one you really have to hear for yourself. And you should absolutely give this a chance, as both songs are completely stellar. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Mayhem - Flight To The Sea / Just Feeling Fine
(Mayhem Music Inc., 1989)The second of the two singles released by this Missouri troupe. Although the punk influences can still be found lurking beneath the surface this is a lot more pub rock oriented, reminiscent of borderline NWOBHM acts such as LIGHTNING RAIDERS. Still, it makes for some great sing a long choruses, so grab your beverage of choice and get to it. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Lust - Rock It On Out / Long Legged Sally
(No Mountain Records, 1983)No relation to any of the other bands sharing the same name. This incarnation of Lust is pure good 'ole raw, dirty, and mean Texas galloping hard rock, with that special Southern feel to it. It kinda makes you want to grab your bottle of whiskey, put on your boots and Stetson hat, and go fishing with a stick of dynamite. Some copies came with the band name stamped on the sleeve, I suggest you get that one. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Gypsy Child - Sinful / Keep On Rockin'
(LCS Records, 1983)Pretty generic but still capable early 80's era hard rock, notable for being fronted by a (very good) female vocalist with a clear and refreshingly non seductive voice. A rare treat when looking for obscure female fronted hard rock bands, it seems. Recommended for fans of VXN from Canada, or a slightly more light weight ZED YAGO, MALTEZE etc. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
D.T. Roxx - Conversation Piece / Gang Bang
(private, 1990)One of the rarest glam metal 45s from the US that I know of, and for some reason almost every picture sleeve found seems to be beat up in one way or another. Anyway, it's impossible to write this review without mentioning the ever present MÖTLEY CRUE influence, but these lads actually manage to emulate them quite nicely. The sleaze is kept to a minimum and the focus is on performing heavy songs rather than going over the top with the booze/drugs/party attitude. Nice work! Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
China White - Breaking Away / Victims Of The Night
(private, 1985)No relations to the other US metal act with the same name featured here. This band is certainly the greater of the two China Whites, simply because both songs are complete and utter riff monsters which blow most other US metal 45s completely out of the water. My only complaint is that they lack that uniqueness to set them completely apart from everything else, but for fans of HAMMERON, X-CALIBER etc, look no further. And make sure to look for a copy with an info sheet glued on the white inner sleeve. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
China White - Heavy Metal Thunder / Death From Above
(private, 1984)No relations to the other US metal act with the same name featured here. This band is certainly the lesser of the two China Whites, partly because the rather thin production doesn't give much justice to the slow, slightly plodding songs. And to be honest not much of interest happens here. While both tracks are certainly on the heavier side of things, they just tend to rumble along quite monotonously. Next band, please. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
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Abuse - I Wanna Be A Cheerleader / Teacher's Pet
(Thrash Records, 1985)The slightly thrashy, quite punky, seriously catchy and completely tongue in cheek sole release from these Detroit, MI lunatics. Great party music, but do take your time to listen to the rather amusing lyrics. At least once. Much easier to find without the picture sleeve, it looks like not every copy they released came with one. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
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:
...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)
