Obscure Metal: PREDATOR EP

Last Known Line-up

Lar Fraser - Vocals
Jerry Galvin - Guitars
Peter Dickson - Bass
Alan Byrne - Drums

Former Members

John O'Brien - Vocals
Sean (Grover) McBride - Vocals

Niall McGreavy - Guitar

Tommy Whelan – Guitar

PREDATOR were a thrash band from Dublin. They formed in 1987. They recorded a self-titled demo tape in 1988 which led to them getting a deal with Dublin's Solid Records for the release of their ‘Predator EP’ the same year. Also in 1988, they had the track ‘Missing In Action’ feature on a cassette only, Solid Records Sampler Compilation called ‘Solid Citizens’.

They supported ANTHRAX on the Irish leg of the 'State of Euphoria' tour in Omagh, Bangor and Dublin. This tour is remembered for ANTHRAX walking off stage because of spitting from the crowd. They also supported Queensrÿche on the Irish leg of the 'Operation : Livecrime' tour in the SFX, Dublin and Ulster Hall, Belfast. [SOURCE]

Best!

Lagunya bersemangat. Walaupun dilabel sebagai band Thrash Metal namun bunyinya lebih Heavy Metal NWOBHM yang agresif. Di kebanyakan tempat ada rujukan kepada Iron Maiden (album pertama dan Killers) dan juga Helloween zaman Kai Hansen. Suara vokalisnya pun menarik, ada karektor.

Saya bersetuju dengan komen peminat Metal Ireland, bahawa ini adalah Irish's lost gem. Ayuh headbang di dalam ofis beramai-ramai.

Obscure Metal - EXCESS Shut Up Your Face, Open Your Ears [EP] (1992)

The first impression when I listen to the singing was - Earthshaker? Because he sound just like that. The resemblance was an immediate copy. I guess, when this similarity happens, only the best survived, hence, Excess was dead after this was released. They already had one album before this though.

They played melodic hard-rock, not the glam type but leaning more to the Metal side. Good guitar riffs and solos. They have a keyboard player but mostly hidden in the background playing the role as the rhythm. The composition is pretty neat but again the singing was too Earthshaker.

Artist: Excess

Release: Shut Up Your Face, Open Your Ears, EP 1992
Covers: Front | Back

Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: France
Bitrate: 320kbps VBR
►Mediafire

 1.    Pull The Trigger  
2.    I Won't Forget You  
3.    Words I Can Say...

Obscure Metal - DOOM SNAKE CULT - Demo (1989)

I slept early and woke in the middle of the night. What should I do? Yes, discovering more obscure metal. It is Doom Snake Cult time. Picked randomly because I wanted to hear some unknown Doom Metal. I had older My Dying Bride and Anathema in the back of my head, expecting similar but I was hearing something more underground.

Doom Snake Cult was a doom metal band with a very heavy sound thanks to the bass sound with huge distortion which was laid at the front instead of guitars. In fact, guitar solos sounded very far at the back. It reminds me of the bassy Necromantia although this is more straight-forward. The vocal had a strong Death Metal leaning but not so guttural and sounded as if the surrounding was lacking with air to breathe. They managed to released a full album through the legendary JL America in 1992 before calling it a day.

Artist: Doom Snake Cult
Release: Demo, 1989
Genre: Doom / Death Metal
Country: USA
Bitrate: 320kbps
►Mediafire

1.    Enchanted Cerebral Forest   
2.    Tribal Se'ance   
3.    Fertility Rite   
4.    Doomed

[SOURCE]

Obscure Metal - METROZ Brain Explosion [Demo] (1989)

This time I picked this demo simply because of the cover which I think is quite funny if you consider that during this era, Swedish unleashed a wave of brutal and insane Death Metal releases with super brutal cover artwork. Or at least looked brutal despite the amateurish drawing. Instead of following that path, Metroz decided to release a demo with a cartoon artwork.

This demo also reminded us that there was a time when under-powered distortion sound still prevailed among the Death Metal community. The guitar's sound, whenever the guitarist picking the single string, sounded hilarious on today standard. The distortion sounded ancient and lacked of boost. The vocals was in deep growl, as if coming out moulded from a factory to be distributed to all Swedish Death Metal bands. In other words, where the Swedish elites were prospering, Metroz was left to be buried and forgotten. Even the Sodom cover, Agent Orange failed to lift anything (surprisingly the vocal now sounded like Tom Angelripper).

Artist: Metroz

Release: Brain Explosion, Demo 1989

Genre: Death / Thrash Metal
Country: Sweden (Motala)
Bitrate: 320kbps
►Mediafire

The '89 demo of the death/thrashers METROZ from Motala, Sweden. Recorded at Art Serv Studio in Mjölby on December 15 - 17, 1989. Line-up: Stevo Bolgakoff - Vocals (Toxaemia), Tommy Hoppula - Guitar (Salvation), Fredrik - Guitar, Jonny Fagerström - Drums (Lucifer, Salvation, Belsebub), Mikael Andersson - Bass (Lucifer, Thy Primordial, Indungeon, Salvation, Carcaroht, Atryxion). Thanks to master88 for the share!

1.    Brain Explosion (Intro)
2.    Violent Slaught   
3.    Slow Death   
4.    Criminal Defect   
5.    Agent Orange (Sodom Cover)

[SOURCE]

Obscure Metal - AIRBORNE - In United Kingdom [7" EP] (1983)

I picked this up at random. I need a quick fix to write something I love - Heavy Metal. So, I googled and ended up with this band, AIRBORNE (from Sweden) out of so many other unknown bands in the 80s. The name strikes me simply because there is currently another band with the same name, albeit spelled differently. The other band is AIRBOURNE, the Australian pub-rock who already made it big in the international scene.

What we have here is an EP released in 1983 from a Swedish band. Honestly, I have no expectation. In this moment of write up, the only other band I remember is Bathory but no mistake, Airborne is a classic Heavy Metal band. The only resemblance is the satanic overtone. Music-wise, the riffs bring back to the memory of those not-so-good Saxon songs; rockin', anthemic, looped but failed to stick. The vocal is tipical Motley Crue/Ratt wannabe, a better version of Tom Fischer's version of Heavy Metal in Cold Lake (Celtic Frost). Perhaps, they are the more rockier Mercyful Fate, where Airborne lacks of imagination.

3-track 7" EP of AIRBORNE released on the English label Clubland Records in 1983.
Recorded at Fair Deal Studios, London 17-18th August 1983. Engineerd by Alec Hawkins.
Cover by J.O. Runbom and photos by Janne G. Features drummer Stefan Axelsson of JACKWAVE.

AIRBORNE did several reunion gigs in 2010.

Mikael "Abbe" Sjöström - Vocals
Stefan Axelsson - Drums (Jackwave, Airborne, Transylvania, L-RÖ 500)
Christer "Chris" Andersson - Guitar
Jocke Schön - Guitar
Tommy Johnsson - Bass

1. Burn in Hell
2 .Lord Satan
3. Temple of Metal

I think this is interesting. Picking up obscure band at random. Hopefully I will find something worth digging out more - just like in the case of Camel, where I bought their cheap cassette at random and discovered one of the best progressive rock band ever.

Special thanks to this great blog for uploading all of the obscures. I will definitely go back to randomly pick more.