Hurlant - Demo (1989)

Let's file this under Great Bands That Should Have Been Bigger. From Austin, Hurlant can definitely keep up with the big boys of Texas metal. Playing thrash with a technical proficiency reminiscent of early Dark Angel, this band shows us that good songwriting, a competent singer, and actually being able to play your instrument are a recipe for really good heavy music. Very little information is on the web which is a shame; but do you want to know what is the biggest shame about this band?  Hurlant's whole discography consists of only 5 songs on two demos. Metal fans deserved more and so did the band.

Track Listing

1. Disconnect Society

2. Multiple Contusion Crew

3. What's Your Problem?

Band Members

Art Napoli - Bass, Vocals

Raymond Vasquez - Drums

Amhed Garcia - Guitars

Download

Thanks to Hi50metalmaniac for the rip.

Heather Leather - We Came To Destroy Single (1985)

Another band from San Antonio, Heather Leather is a bit of an oddity. A three piece made up of the Garza sisters, Heather Leather was probably one of the first all-female metal bands ever. Two tracks is a small sampling to know whether a band is any good or not but We Came To Destroy certainly promises a hard rocking time. I'm personally reminded of Manhole (Houston all-female punk band) while listening to Heather Leather. If they had released this in the early 90's I believe that they might have had a better chance at growing a following. 

In 1988, the band recorded a whole album of material but didn't release it. Then in 1995 the group disbanded. Finally in 2005, the members remixed their recorded material and released it as "Princess Leather". Resurfacing with a new line-up in 2006, the band began touring in support of the album. As of now, the band is still active and working on material for a new album.

Track Listing

Side A: We Came To Destroy

Side B: Child Molester

Band Members

Sylvia Garza - Guitars

Ruth Garza-Newcomb - Vocals, Bass

Sandie Garza - Drums

Download

Thanks to BM-80s Metal Blogspot for the rip.

Narita - Demo (1985)

From San Antonio, the great Narita plays a hard rock edged heavy metal. Reminiscent of Saxon or Ratt in parts, Narita would dress the part of the hair bands so prominent at the time yet they keep the rock driving throughout their songs and don't fall into the metal ballad trap so popular with the record labels. The band was formed by Mark Reale (formerly of Riot) under the name the Mark Reale Project before changing it to Narita after Riot's second album title. Soon after recording the demo, Riot re-formed and Mark Reale left to rejoin the band. Thus ended Narita's excellent, promising start before it even began.

Track Listing

1. The Feeling is Gone

2. Liar

3. Thundersteel

Band Members

Steve Cooper - Vocals

Mark Reale - Guitars

Don Van Stavern - Bass

Dave McClain - Drums

Download

Thanks to BM-80s Metal Blogspot for the rip.

Alyis - Demo (1989)

Today we're listening to Alyis from Houston, Texas. A speedy vocal delivery along with a touch of hardcore thrown into their thrash reminds me of another Houston band, the great Dresden 45. While not a true copy of D45, Alyis writes extremely catchy songs that stick in your head. Rough production values keep this demo from achieving true cult status yet it is a gem of a find for metal vinyl/cassette collectors. Alyis would go on to self-produce one more album, Suffer at Birth,  before calling it quits.

Track Listing

1. Inject the Master

2. Autopsy

3. Toxic Drop

4. Beer Fart

5. Why Us

6. Termination Insanity

Band Members

Tino Rodriguez - Bass

Cesar Castillo - Drums

Mickey Alaniz - Guitars

Stephen Hernandez - Guitars

Jesse "Be-Be" Guerra - Vocals

Download

Thanks to Klesch of Metalarea.org for the rip.

Final Assault / Vengeance - Final Vengeance: Within the Realm (Demo Re-Issue)

Today I'm highlighting another re-issue. This one by Texas Metal Underground Records. Final Assault was a speed metal/power metal band formed in 1985. They released a demo called First Warning that same year and the band playing live shows. In 1987, Final Assault attempted to move out to California hoping for more exposure but this led to the band almost breaking up. A few band member changes later, Final Assault recorded and released their second demo, Second Coming. This would be the last recording under the Final Assault name.

Final Assault is high energy metal with Alexander Robles vocals soaring into the stratosphere. Fans of Fates Warning or Sanctuary will be pleased to discover this band. The guitar playing is strong with a technical competence. As a whole, this band should have had a wider following than they had at the time.

In 1988, the band would reform with a new drummer and a new name, Vengeance. This version of the band was more polished in sound and songwriting than the previous band but it amounted to little with the band playing local shows and little recognition. Luckily, Texas Metal Underground Records heard the promise both bands held and re-issued the Final Assault demo (1988) and the Vengeance demo (1989) on one CD.

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Band Members

Alex Beltron - Bass (Final Assault/Vengeance)

David Vela - Drums (Final Assault)

Ace Tyler - Drums (Vengeance)

Ruben Vela - Guitars (Final Assault/Vengeance)

Izzy Munoz - Guitars (Final Assault/Vengeance)

Alexander Robels III - Vocals (Final Assault/Vengeance)

Buy Final Vengeance: Within the Realm at TMU Records

Impeccable - Live on the Rox (1979)

Impeccable from Lubbock are hard rockers with great songwriting ability. Originally known as Axxe, the band members released a single and switched names to Impeccable. Sadly, the band would only release one self-produced vinyl of live material. The singing. The wailing guitar. Everything is in place to push this band into the mainstream of the time. This begs the question of whether this band would have reached a level of success if they had made it into the studio for a professional recording session. As it is, this no-frills album has spread through the vinyl collector underground and has received a strong reputation.

Luckily, Rockadrome Records is planning a re-issue of this nearly forgotten album. The album is to include two bonus tracks released by the band as Axxe. Rockadrome has a reputation for high quality re-issues and I'm looking forward to hearing this music at its absolute best.

Hear are a couple of videos of Impeccable/Axxe in action to whet your appetite for the forthcoming re-issue.

Band Members

Darren Welch - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals

Don Allison - Lead Vocals, Percussion

Richard Rico - Bass

Morris Payne - Drums

Buy the CD at Rockadrome