A Gem From a Forgotten Scene!

 

The Band: Mystik.

Patrick Hughes – Vocals.

Ed Miller – Guitars.
Roy Gerstenberg – Guitars.
Joe Kilcoyne – Bass.
Kenny Easterly – Drums.
 

Mystik came from the little known Ohio metal scene. Most of the members came from other great local bands, and it’s a mystery that this part of the US metal scene hasn’t been given more attention. Mystik played an awesome mix of power, speed and thrash. They made 2 albums and that was it, before disappearing.

The Release: The Plot Sickens.

Awesome! Simply Awesome! This is album has to be one of the best of the forgotten metal gems. The songs are all great, and the power metal vocals, mixed with the riffs of thrash, really work. Not much else to be said. It’s just great.

Never re-released unfortunately. Originally it was released on massacre records.

Links:

Just an appetizer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtJnKc8sW44

/FMG

Furious Speed From the Old Days!

 

The Band: Bloodlust.

Guy Lord – Vocals.

Earl Mendenhall – Guitars.
Anthony Romero – Guitars.
Sandy K. – Bass.
Mark E. Guestas – Drums.
 

Bloodlust was formed in 1983 in Los Angeles, California. Opposed to many other bands in the LA scene, Bloodlust played heavier and faster than most of the, mainly glam, bands at the time. They released an album and an EP in the 80s, but that was it. Although they never made a huge impact, the material they released were first class speed metal! Fast furious and aggressive. They are apparently still around.

The Release: Guilty as Sin.

An amazing speed metal album from 1985! Think Savage Grace and maybe Abattoir. The furious vocals really work here. This might be the only album where actual hysterical sounding lyrics work in the favor of the band. Just listen to the ferocity and fierceness of songs like Bleeding for You! Very recommended indeed!

The album was re-released by Roadrunner, and later bootlegged with by Old Metal Records with the EP, Terminal Velocity, as bonus tracks.

Links:

The official myspace page for the band:

http://www.myspace.com/bloodlustla

/FMG

A Forgotten Belgian Gem!

 

 

The Band: Ramses.

Kurt Verschelden – Vocals.

Stefaan Lambrecht – Guitars.
Hans De Bruck – Guitars.
Marc van den Bremt – Bass.
Jochen De Craene – Drums.

 

The band was formed in 1990 in Belgium. This is Hard Rock mixed with Traditional Metal. They released one album and an EP before splitting up. More information about this band is needed, so please contact us if you know more.

 

The Release: Faith in Rebirth.

 

This is a good album that hardly anyone seems to know. The songs are catchy and memorable throughout, though there are not any real standout tracks. There really isn’t much more to say about this forgotten gem.

Released in 1993 (rather late for the style), it was the only release by Pinball Project Records, and one can only think that this might still be a private release on a private label. It has yet to be re-released.

Links:

This is the only sample of the album I could find:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeXVjmRqOPk

/FMG

Highly Technical and Complex Metal

 

The Band: Catharsis.

Scott Fox – Vocals/Piano/Keyboard/Guitars.

Pete Cleary – Bass.
Mike Nielsen – Drums.
 

The band formed in San Diego, California in 1992. They released a single demo, and a debut album, before splitting up. The band plays very technical and progressive power metal, with long songs and interesting compositions.

The Release: Pathways to Wholeness.

The bands only album is a very interesting slap of very progressive metal, with complex time signatures and some very technical instrumental parts. The songs are long, and this might be the only album that seems to make time go slower in a positive way. I don’t know how else to say it. It really has to be heard.

Pathways to Wholeness was only released on an obscure little label from Denmark, called Nordic Metal. It has never been re-released, but maybe it’s time…

Links:

I think everyone will have their own opinion about this album, so hear is a good example of the bands signature sound:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNkY3wsltzQ

/FMG

A Progressive Power/Thrash Gem

The Band: Balckkout.

Richard W. Elliott IV – Vocals/Guitars/Flute/Violin/Keyboards.

Triad – Bass/Backing Vocals.
Jeffrey A. Claus – Drums, Vocals.

This band was founded in 1984 in Saint Petersburg, Florida. After going through extensive line-up changes in the 80s, they finally recorded and released a massive 19 track debut/demo album in 1989, and in 2011 they released an album with a few songs recorded for a follow-up.

The Release: Ignorance of Man.

This release is hard to put into one genre. Sometimes it’s progressive thrash, and sometimes pure power metal. Then mix in violins, flutes and keyboards, and you have Blackkout (and no it’s not a spelling error). This album is long, and sometimes this is not an advantage, as some of the songs flow together a little. Only a handful of songs are really memorable, but every single one is good. I have to say that this reminds me of progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz at times, especially with the use of untraditional instruments.

The album was originally released privately by the band on tape, but in 2010, Arkeyn Records re-released it in a limited to 1000 pressing. The track listing differs a little from the original, as track 18 and 19 are reversed.

Links:

Here is Blackkout live on some TV-show, though not performing a song from this release:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7wKDw0KHHI

/FMG

Short but Perfect!

 

 

The Band: Threshold.

Doug Schumacher – Vocals/Keyboards.

Kicho Forrest – Guitars/Vocals.
Tim Burke – Guitars.
E-Bone Sundseth – Drums.
Tom Smith – Bass.
 

Threshold from Washington, USA, must not be confused with fellow progressive metallers Threshold from the United Kingdom. They play the same style of music, but unlike the UK band, these guys never enjoyed the same success. They only released one EP in 1993, with 5 tracks plus a live track, before disappearing.

The Release: Threshold/Midnight Dreamer.

The original title of this EP was just Threshold, and it was a private release. In 2009 it was re-released by Retrospect Records under the title Midnight Dreamer. The music is slightly progressive metal power metal with slow-moving songs that sound very different from one another. It’s a great little album, and when you reach the end, you just wish that the band did a proper full-length release. This is definitely worth checking out!

Links:

Here is a link to the bands myspace, where you can hear the entire EP:

http://www.myspace.com/thresholdretrospect

/FMG

Votes! Votes! Votes!

After adding the first 4 bands, we will have a little vote located on the right!

Here you can show us which bands you already knew before looking over this page!

Happy voting!

/FMG

P.S: We will have more votes in the future on differen subjects!

A Dark and Powerful Reverb Fest!

 

The Band: Dead Calm.

J.D. Carter: Vocals.

Dave Ray: Guitars.
Chad Desrochers: Guitars.
Carl Gervais: Drums.

This Canadian band was formed in Ottawa in 1989. In 1991 they recorded their debut of 9 tracks. They toured the album from 1991 to 1992, and were repeatedly turned down by record labels. They had very little success selling albums (200 in Europe), and in 1993 the band broke up.

The Release: No Way Out.

Wow! This is a reverb orgy! The production is a little weird, but the album is a masterpiece. From the first to the last note! There is not a weak moment! This truly is one of the most bizarre releases to come out of Canada, but that is what we like! The vocals are the highlight of the album, being high pitched and powerful. There is a certain dark and gloomy feel to the whole thing, and I dare you not to have chills down your spine after the short dialogue intro to the song Mary’s Black Sun! An awesome album and one of my absolute favorites, not only among these forgotten gems, but among all!

The album was re-released in limited 1.000 pressings in 2008 by Arkeyn Steel Records.

Links:

Enjoy a track from these Canadian metallers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=br_oKrDC544

/FMG

Welcome to the Abyss!

 

 

The Band: Zions Abyss.

Mike Plummer: Bass.

Eddy Zern: Drums.

Andy Waitkus: Guitars.

Klaus Whissel: Vocals.

 

Formed in 1990, in Edmonton, Canada, Zions Abyss quickly started recording their debut album the same year. After this the band toured Canada for about 5 years before dissolving. Sadly, guitarist Andy Waitkus was killed in a car accident in 1996.

The Release: T.A.L.E.S.

This is a cool album! Originally only released on tape in 1991, this slap of doomy power metal is not your average release. There is a lot of atmosphere on here. It might not be for every metalhead out there, but surely it should not be missed, if you like metal that’s different.

Steel Legacy Records re-released the album in 2006 on CD and Vinyl in limited pressing.

Links:

Check out this band here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNgVwhjBsEQ

 /FMG

Alaskan Metal!?!

 

 

The Band: Crillson.

Jesse Rezendes – Vocals.

Jesse Dicks – Bass.
Chris Craig – Drums.
Daniel Miller – Guitars.

 

Crillson was formed in 1984 in Glennallen, Alaska. In 1989 they began writing their debut album, Coming of A New Age, which was released in 1993. The band toured Alaska in the 90s and became a popular band in their home state. In 2000 they recorded a second album which was not officially released. The band still jams and writes new material.

The Release: Coming of A New Age

Coming of A New Age is a great power metal record. The vocals are awesome, and the album is filled with cool bass licks and amazing lead guitar work. It is not very speedy, but it hits hard. This is an album that should not be forgotten. A true gem!

The album was re-released by Arkeyn Steel Records in 2012, with the 2000 unreleased album, Metal to Metal as bonus tracks. This release was limited to 1000 copies. The original album was only released in 200 copies.

Links:

The bands myspace page has a few songs from the album. Enjoy.

http://www.myspace.com/crillson1/

/FMG