Stud - Stud (1975)

An ultra-rare psych/hard rock rarity from Houston, Texas. Stud self-released their 5 song demo in 1975.

Description from bandcamp page: With only 200 copies released in 1975, the “Stud” album has become a holy grail for collectors. A mystery for many years (all the band members used pseudonyms on the album credits), many people failed to track the band down…until now!. 

Formed in 1974 in Houston, Stud featured the killer lead guitar of 17-year-old genius Tim Williams, the brutal Rickenbacker bass attacks of Paul Eakin and the solid as a rock drumming of George Lasher. The chemistry was born since they first starting played together and after many rehearsals, they decided they were ready to record their first album. So they entered the Barons Studios in Rosenberg and “Stud” was the result. Powerful hard-rock on songs like “A woman like you” or “Jim/Blues”, killer boogie-rock (“Captain Boogie”), hard-psychedelic jams (the 12+ minutes of “Stud”) and progressive hard-rock on the impressive “The war song”. 

Members:

Tim Williams - Guitar

Paul Eakin - Bass

George Lasher - Drums

Buy/Listen to the whole album on Bandcamp

Boss Tweed - Jacuzzi Murders (1983)

Formed in 1979 in For Worth, Boss Tweed have a good case for being called the godfathers of Texas Heavy Metal. Other hard rocking bands were active in Texas before them but their brand of blues-rock influenced metal is a direct bridge between those who rocked before and those who headbanged after. Fans of Motorhead, Saxon, Raven, etc. will be pleased with these rockers from Texas.

Members:

Scott Wood - Bass

Donny Hart - Vocals

Paul Boll - Guitars

Damon Duperre - Guitars

Lance Williams - Drums

Luckily, Boss Tweed have re-released all their early gems on a 2011 compilation, Die You Bitch which is still available from various sites. Or you could simply follow them on SoundCloud to stream all the Texas metal you need in your life.

Boss Tweed on SoundCloud

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.

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.

Dezark - Dezark EP (1986)

A pure heavy metal band with one eye on being radio friendly, Dezark from Houston, Texas sound like the band playing onstage while you drink and play pool. Nothing too special but this EP sounds good and musically proficient for the genre. This was the only recording by the band which is a shame because time and practice might have shown growth after such a solid start.

Track Listing

1. What To Expect

2. Broken Silence

3. Out On The Streets

4. You Made Your Move

Band Members

Jeff Hains

Ronald Philpott

Rick Armstrong

Dan Warren

Download

Thanks to Schmygel of HMR for the rip.

Syranax - Battalion of Death Demo (1985)

From Austin, Texas, these speed metal thrashers were bringing the evil. Syranax formed in 1984 and released this demo the following year. A quick listen will be enough to realize that these guys were something different from the other bands at the time. With a vocalist hitting the ripping screams and the relentless picking technique, this sort of speed metal was standing out from the crowd, Sadly the band only released one more demo, Annihilation of Civilization, in 1987 with another singer and a new bassist before calling it quits.

Read more about the history of Syranax from an interview with bassist Sean Ross

Interview

Track Listing

1. Pedifile

2. Face the Blade

3. Wheels of Hades

4. The Battalion of Death

Band Members

Rick Lane - Guitars, Vocals

Jamie Ovcaric - Guitars (lead)

Sean Ross - Bass

Ricky Colley - Drums

Download

Thanks to Strappado and Thrasher from HeavyMetalRarities.

Drive - Characters in Time (1988)

Coming out of Houston before moving to LA, the very talented Drive brought the POWER to power metal. Talented guitarists - check. Pounding headbanging rhythms - check. Razor sharp vocals and screams - double check. It's all there. Packaged up and ready to take over your playlist. Sonically Drive are very much in the same vein as FatesWarning, Queensryche, or Helstar. There first album, Characters in Time, received five K's from Kerang! magazine so they should have been looking at a rosy future in the metal kingdom. 

A second album, Diablero followed but in a much more rock radio friendly format. The riffs slow down to metal ballad speed and David Taylor's screams are replaced with vocal melodies. Sadly a label snafu and grunge killed off most of the metal bands of the time and Drive became parked on Forgotten Road. Luckily, both of Drive's albums are available via Amazon as MP3's; with both albums also being easy to score secondhand for a fair price.

Drive - (New Reign) The Phoenix - From the album Characters in Time (1988)

Follow Drive on FaceBook

Characters in Time MP3s from Amazon

Sweet Nightmares - KPFT Radio Show (4-18-1990)

Another 90+ minutes of Bill and Wes spinning some of the best metal available. Being a big supporter of local music, Wes plays a few local songs by Grimace, dead horse, and Krullur. The Krullur song gets cut off right at the end of the song so I left it in rather than editing it out. Learn more about the radio show in this previous post here.

Track Listing:

1. Kreator - As The World Burns

2. Ratos De Porao - Amazonia Nunca Mais

3. Revenant - Distant Eyes

4. Morbid Angel - Evil Spells

5. Grimace (TX) - Jazz Fuse

6. dead horse (TX) - Mindless Zombies

7. Immolation - Despondent Souls

8. Hexx - Fields of Death (Tape Flip)

9. Pestilence - Out of the Body

10. Shades of Gray - Rage of Insanity (Demo)

11. Atrophy - Puppies & Friends

12. Sadus - Good Riddance (Demo)

13. Rest in Pieces - Five Golden Rings

14. Slayer - Reborn

15. Carcass - Excoriating Abdominal Emanation

16. Death - Altering the Future

17. Krullur - This is Gore (Cut-Off)

Download

Torture - Enter the Chamber Demo (1986)

Coming out of El Paso, Torture put out some extremely good heavy thrash. These recording are extra rough so if you want a better listen to what the band has to offer; search out their full-length Storm Alert released in 1989 and later re-issued in 2006 with extra tracks. Regardless of quality, these four tracks give a sample of Torture's particular brand of thrash; fast without tripping into speed metal and growling vocals reminiscent of Venom.

Track Listing:

1. Enter the Chamber

2. Into the Dark

3. Power Metal

4. The Vision

Band Members:

Justin "Drummer from Hell" Dudra - Drums

"Tortured" Tom Hicks - Vocals, Guitars (lead)

Deric Gunter - Bass

J.D. Robins - Guitars

Download

Thanks to RocketScienceRecords blogspot for the rip.

Angkor Wat - Live in San Antonio (1987)

Hailing from Corpus Christi, Angkor Wat brought a punk sensibility to their form of metal. This live recording shows them at a very early stage in their career and they give it their all. With a set that includes a cover of Bad Brain's Right Brigade, this is exactly the kind of crossover/thrash show that made me a fan of Texas metal. 

Track Listing:

1. Meat Eaters

2. Stop and Think

3. Living To Die

4. Tomorrow is Ours

5. Die Young

6. Disease

7. Right Brigade

8. Ricky

9. Give Me a Break

10. Warsaw

11. The Box

12. Burners of the Cross

13. Gone

Band Members:

Dave 'Bambi' Nuss - Drums, Vocals

Danny "Edith Bunker" Lohner - Guitars, Bass

Adam "(King) Bunnie" Grossman - Guitars, Bass, Vocals

Mike 'Titty' Titsworth - Bass

Dave "Dee" Brinkam - Vocals

Download

Thanks to Thrasher for pointing me in the right direction

 and thanks to RAF666underground.blogspot for the file.

Disfigurement - The Pleasure of Disgust (1994)

Today I get to highlight my one Texas gem found while perusing my local shop on Record Store Day 2015. Coming from San Antonio, Disfigurement are extreme metal with a blackened flair. The values are better than I expect from most extreme demos. The songs occasionally devolve into grindcore territory but it's a very good release overall. 

Track Listing

1. Carnal Frenzy

2. Lucrative Entrails

3. Torment of the Pierced

4. Perpetual Desire

Band Members

Chago Gonzalez - Drums

Carlos Rodriguez - Guitars

Fabian Santamaria - Vocals

Joe Romero - Bass, Vocals

Israel Rigal - Guitars

Download

Sweet Nightmares - KPFT Radio Show (Early 1989)

I'm guessing on the date for this show but it should be close. Anyway this is a really good set-list of metal from the guys of Sweet Nightmares. Wes Weaver was really showcasing local metal with songs by Nemesis, Metal Force, Sacred Mission, Equinox, and Arctic Helm. These are the only songs by these bands I have ever heard so this is a chance to hear some really rare cuts of Texas metal. Check out my previous Sweet Nightmares post for more info about the show.

Track List

1. Nemesis - My Desire (???)

2. Metal Force - Onslaughter

3. Sacred Mission - Countdown to Doomsday

4. Equinox - Wings of Death

5. Anthrax - Madhouse

6. Anthrax - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

7. Metal Church - Beyond the Black

8. Metal Church - Metal Church

9. King Diamond - Omens

10. King Diamond - The Possession (tape flip)

11. Arctic Helm - Fallout

12. Infernal Majesty - Skeletons int he Closet

13. Infernal Majesty - Anthology of Death

14. Iron Maiden - Cross Eyed Mary

15. Iron Maiden - Killers (Live)

16. Mercyful Fate - Curse of the Pharoahs

17. Mercyful Fate - Evil

18. Paradox - Paradox

Download the Sweet Nightmares Radio Show

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.

;\

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

Aggressor - There's Metal in Texas Demo (1987)

From Houston, Aggressor (not to be confused with Aggressor from Corpus Christi still active today) came out blazing some really great speed metal. Musically this band is in the technical thrash league with bands like Metal Church or Sanctuary but somehow remind me of Dokken. That's if Dokken was a heavy, fast thrash band without the hairspray. They followed up with a second demo in 1990 and later with an independently released full length "By Any Means Necessary" which is now out of print. Pop over to the band's MySpace page for audio samples.

Track Listing

1. There's Metal in Texas

2. No Time To Lose

3. Solo

4. I Survive

5. We Are Burning Hot

Band Members

Spyder Mike - Bass

Ken Pride - Drums

Scary Larry - Guitars (lead)

Stoney Paul - Vocals, Guitars

Download

Thanks to Motorised at Heavymetalrarities.com for the rip.

Sweet Nightmares - KPFT Radio Show (Nov. 1989)

Another 90 minutes of headbanging metal courtesy of the Sweet Nightmares radio show. This is a great set featuring a couple of demo cuts from Texas locals Watchtower and Morbid Scream. Check out my previous Sweet Nightmares post for more info about the show.

Track List

1. Bolt Thrower - Through the Eye of Terror

2. Morbid Angel - Visions from the Dark Side

3. Exhorder - Death in Vain (Demo)

4. Nasty Savage - Powerslam

5. Demolition Hammer - Infectious Hospital Waste (Demo)

6. D.R.I. - You Say I'm Scum

7. Testament - C.O.T.L.O.D.

8. Kreator - Impossible to Cure

9. Watchtower - Instruments of Random Murder (Demo)

10. Atheist - Room With A View (Tape Flip)

11. Intruder - Killing Winds

12. Bathory - Total Destruction

13. Morbid Scream - The Coming of War

14. Evil Dead - Sloe-Death

15. Indestroy - Senseless Theories

16. Tyrranicide - Drink, Drive and Die

17. Slayer - Epidemic

18. Recipients of Death - Flesh Burn

19. Prime Evil - Reality's Complete (Demo)

Download the Sweet Nightmares radio show