Metal Blade Records
The Metal Blade label was surely one of the most important record labels of the 1980s when it came to promoting metal music and its geographic location was certainly its vital ingredient for its success as well. I’ve often stated in this journal how American metal had suffered throughout the 1970s, this was largely due to their own record labels having no idea or desire to promote them, but this would all change thanks to the vision of Metal Blade founder Brian Slagel who knew that California was a hotbed of metal in the early 1980s. Metal Blade was formed in Los Angeles in 1982 and would largely be associated with thrash and thrash related metal acts, but in reality it would promote any kind of speed metal, power, metal hair metal or traditional metal act out there etc that was California based as demonstrated on its pivotal Metal Massacre compilations which ran between 1982 and 2006.
Metal Massacre 1982 (3rd Pressing)
The nine songs on here start off in great fashion with Black ‘n Blue whose track “Chains Around Heaven” would appear on their great glam metal debut just a few years later. Old Favourite of mine Cirith Ungol popped on this comp as well along with a great track by Pandemonium, but the most notable recording was surely that by Metallica with “Hit the Lights”.
1. "Chains Around Heaven" – Black 'n Blue
2. “Live for the Whip" – Bitch
3. “Captive of Light" – Malice
4. "Octave" (instrumental) – Avatar
5. "Death of the Sun" – Cirith Ungol
6. "Dead of the Night" – Demon Flight
7. "Fighting Backwards" – Pandemonium
8. "Kick You Down" – Malice
9. "Hit the Lights" (version 2) Metallica
Metal Massacre II 1982
There were twelve songs on the second compilation of 1982 and imo it was a better selection, as this one is highlighted by the excellent Armored Saint with "Lesson Well Learned" another favourite of mine from this period and it's one of the real highlights of the comp. There is also some great riffing from bands like Surgical Steel a band that never got beyond a demo and future power metal band Obsession. About halfway through the comp is a song by the much lauded Warlord who may well have been the most talented band at this time on the Metal Blade label, even though a number of aficionados tend to go with Fate’s Warning in this respect. Other tracks include a band that Cliff Burton was in prior to Metallica in Trauma, in fact most of the final tracks tend to be fairly offbeat.
1. "Lesson Well Learned" – Armored Saint
2. "Mind Invader" – 3rd Stage Alert
3. "Rivit Head" – Surgical Steel
4. "Shadows of Steel" – Obsession
5. "Scepters of Deceit" – Savage Grace
6. "No Holds Barred" – Overkill
7. "Lucifer's Hammer" – Warlord
8. "Such a Shame" – Trauma
9. "It's Alright" – Dietrich
10. "Inversion" – Molten Leather
11. "Kings" – Hyksos
12. "Heavy Metal Virgin" Aloha