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.

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.

Hellpreacher - Resurrection Demo + Bonus Tracks (1986)

Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, very little is known about Hellpreacher other than the fact that they could produce thrash metal with heavy speedy riffs and needed more vocals in the mix. This demo and bonus tracks is a really lo-fi example of DIY metal. These guys were making metal the old fashioned way... no budget and LOUD! Good stuff.

Track Listing

1. Resurrection

2. Parricidal

3. Inverted Cross

*Bonus Tracks*

4. Black Magic (Slayer Cover)

5. Bloodbath (Rehearsal)

6. Riot of Violence (Kreator Cover)

Band Members

Jessie Lopez - Bass

Javier Villegas - Drums

Roger Gallardo - Guitars

Danny Martinez - Guitars (lead)

Rick Chavana - Vocals

Download

Thanks to Canadaspaceman from Heavymetalrarities.com for the rip.

Rigor Mortis - Demo (1986)

Today's offering: speed thrash gods Rigor Mortis from Dallas, Texas. I remember seeing these guys play with Texas' own Devastation at the Axiom in Houston. Mike Scaccia's extremely fast picking was like a demon fucked surf legend Dick Dale and had a baby. The whole show fucking rocked! There is a ton of information out there about the band and Mike Scaccia's unfortunately early demise so here are a couple of links.

Rigor Mortis on FaceBook

Rigor Mortis on Wikipedia

Casey Orr interview on Noisey

Track Listing:

1. Reanimator

2. Slow Death

3. Die in Pain

4. Foaming at the Mouth

5. Condemned to Hell

6. Six Feet Under

7. The Troll

Band Members:

Bruce Corbitt - Vocals

Mike Scaccia - Guitars

Casey Orr - Bass

Harden H. Harrison - Drums

Download removed at band's request.

Thanks to Thrashcult of Thrashmageddon for the rip.

Rotting Corpse - Demo (1986)

Back with more thrash, I bring you the great Rotting Corpse of Arlington, Texas.

From Texas Metal Underground: Rotting Corpse has been delivering a thrash metal kick to the teeth of the denim and leather diehards for over two decades. Pummeling their way out of the spandex and hairspray infested Dallas, Texas area metal scene of the early 1980’s, Rotting Corpse set off on a collision course to deliver their own brand of neck-breaking thrash metal to an eagerly awaiting army of underground Texas metal fanatics. With a penchant for playing anywhere and everywhere (including an actual garage in Houston) the band perfected a sound that has all the subtleties of a baseball bat to the face. It may not be pretty, but that’s really the whole point.

For a more complete history of the band, check out TMU's page. Also, note that TMU has released a DVD of these great Texas thrashers. Make sure to pick up a copy here... Circus of Fools DVD.

Track Listing

1. Rotting Corpse

2. War on drugs

3. Evil Slaughter

Band Members

Walter Trachsler - Guitars, Bass

John Perez - Guitars (lead)

Jim "Moe" Mulqueen - Vocals

Dave Gryder - Drums 

Download

Thanks to blog.bazillionpoints.com for the rip.