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.
Impact - Lost Art / Impossible Love
(Future Rock, 1981)Quite heavy hard rock, especially on “Lost Art”. Quirky vocals, especially on “Impossible Love”. Great looking picture sleeve, on both tracks! Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Infrared - Metal To Metal / Give The People What They Want
(Conspiracy Records, 1985)With a song title like this, any discussion as to what type of music contained within these grooves should be completely superfluous. Surprisingly, "Metal To Metal" is more lightweight than you'd expect, featuring distant keyboards and a slightly theatrical vocal performance layered over heavy guitar riffs. The b-side is more of a standard heavy metal song. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Interface - Long Lonely Nights / Your Time Around
(Storm Records, 1987)The force of the 80's is strong with this one. The drums, the synthesizers, the guitars - they're all so incredibly marinated in our favourite musical era, it's hard to not let your mind drift off to your own memories you might have of the decade. At least for us old timers who are old enough... Musically it's nothing special at all, a pretty generic hard rock/metal hybrid. But those conjured memories might be priceless, who knows? Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
Isaiah - Stonecold / First Time
(Lo-Mar Records, 1988)Hard rock / hair metal blend which is pretty sing along friendly and has a decent foot tapping effect. Fans of QUIET RIOT should dig this single a lot, while the more obscüre oriented metal head might find it a tad too commercial. At least the slightly weaker b-side, which suffers from being a tad repetitive. Rating: - Rarity: - Country:
