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.
Gator - Rockin' Man / Free-Wheelin'
(private, 198?)Down tuned and melancholic hard rock, played kinda slow. But there are no doomy elements here, I'm guessing the band aimed for a "morose" sound. I don't know why, but I get the feeling this is how LYNYRD SKYNYRD would have sounded if they hade decided to take their use of downers one step too far. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Gavaldon - Free Me / Induced Current
(private, 1986)Classic US power metal led by the Gavaldon brothers. Unfortunately "Free Me" suffers from below average vocals which makes it sort of a complicated listen, at least for these musically very sensitive ears (just kidding, just don't expect DIO, ok?). However, the band more than makes up for it on the b-side because "Induced Current" is a top notch piece, somewhat similar to early SAVATAGE but with a less murky dungeon guitar tone. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Genocide - I'll Be Around / Let's Go, Tonight's The Night
(Bucksnort Records, 1978)No relation to other bands of the same name, the Genocide moniker seems to be one of the more popular names out there. Another case of starting out softly, and ending with a crescendo. Both songs are quite adept at building up slowly and ending with a bang. "Let's Go..." especially, is a worthy example of late 70's hard rock. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Gunner - Love On The Roxx / Take It Or Leave It
(private, 1985)You really can't make a song that contains twin XX's without being instantly labelled as a glammy Hollywood metal band (although there are exceptions further down in this review section...), and sure enough. There's a clear MÖTLEY CRÜE influence here. "Take It Or Leave It" does a good job of copying "Live Wire" almost to the note, which isn't really a band thing as this rather anonymous outfit (it's not even clear which state they were located in) could have chosen way worse CRUE songs to copy. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
