Texas Metal Powerhouse: September 2015

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Anialator - Demo (1987)

Forming in Corpus Christi in 1986, Anialator released their first demo in 1987 and signed to Wild Rags Records soon after. Surprisingly, the band wasn't able capitalize on the strength of their first label release and quietly broke up in 1989. Some of the members would go on to form Sufferance the next year.

The music is pretty good thrash with catchy riffs and decent production values for a demo of the time. It's encouraging to see that the band has reformed (minus vocalist Marc Arispe R.I.P.) and will be playing reunion shows in late 2015. If you find yourself in Texas and need a good does of 80's thrash, then these guys will provide it.

Track Listing:

1. Anialator

2. Feel the Pain

3. Nuclear Destruction

4. Mission of Death

Members:

Alex Dominguez - Bass

Alonzo Garcia - Drums

Mark Olivio - Guitar

David Cerda - Guitars

Marc Arispe (R.I.P.) - Vocals

Anialator on Facebook

Download

Thanks to Hi50metalmaniac for the rip.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Akasha - Akasha (1989)

Akasha began life in Brownsville, Texas in 1983. Originally known as Bad Habit, the band went through a few line-up changes (and band name changes) before settling on Akasha for their debut album released in 1989.

The band's music is firmly in the big hair metal camp with many similarities to Dokken's earlier works. Rick Del Castillo's guitar work is a real highlight, crisp and clean while not forgetting the importance of showing some flash when needed. The rest of the band fills out the sound well. While not as powerful as some of the era's screamers, Lance Binder's vocals are very competent and clear. He certainly can belt it out. The band is one of those almost forgotten gems of the 80's metal scene. Well worth listening to for those fans of Ratt, Skid Row, and Dokken.

Track Listing

1. All Alone Again

2. You Were The One

3. I'm Hiding

4. Runnin'

5. Dungeon and Dragons

6. Lonely Stranger

7. Coming Back At You

8. Can't Let Go

9. Memories of You

10. The Natives Are Restless

Band Members

Lance Binder - Vocals / Bass / Keyboards

Rick Del Castillo - Guitar / Vocals / Keyboards

Hector Batiz - Drums / Vocals / Keyboards

Download

Akasha on Reverbnation

Thanks to Strappado of Heavymetalrarities for the rip.

About TMP

A little information about this blog. I share this music because I want to make sure that it doesn't disappear. The Texas metal scene of the 80's is legendary and I was lucky enough to go through my teenage years enjoying bands like dead horse, Academy Black, Helstar, Rigor Mortis and many more. These bands worked hard to get noticed. Without the internet and Bandcamp, they had to create physical products to put in the hands of fans, radio stations and record labels to get noticed. Unlike today's bands who can reach thousands of potential fans easily using social network sites, older bands had to rely on hard work to reach those who might make a difference in whether they became a success or not.

I'm not saying that bands today have it easy. They probably have even less chance of making it by sheer numbers of new bands alone. Not to mention the music pirating cutting into the profits made by the records/tapes/CDs. That's why I won't be sharing anything new or that can be bought through a current record label. If you find something on my blog being sold, please email me and I will replace the download link with the URL to buy it. If you are a member of the band and don't want me to share your demo, email me and I will take it down.

All of the music I will be sharing will be from Texas demos and early independent releases meant to be used as advertisement of the band's music. Hopefully this music will find a home with the fans that will demand a new release of the music in a new form. Now enjoy reliving your youth or discover new music.

Demo submissions may be emailed to Phylo666-at-hotmail(.)com.