Venom - "Manitou" 12"

Venom is a band that should need no introduction, and I can't believe I haven't posted any on here up until now. Venom are one of the best bands ever, dirty, raw, evil metal that just flat out damn rules. I would like to take this time to say that if you're remotely into metal and don't know of Venom, then you're really not that into metal. If you even make the claim that you're totally into black metal but don't like Venom, time to hang up the spiked wristbands and take off the corpse paint, because you're just living a lie. Anyways, here is their 1984 3 Song 12", "Manitou". I love this little EP. It's everything awesome about Venom in 3 songs. The tape version of this, if you can find it, has an extra interview with the band, but this is just the 3 songs. Lay down your souls to the gods Venom!!

Venom - "Manitou"

Judas Priest - "Sad Wings Of Destiny"

I was going through my blog posts today and realized that I have never really made mention of my love for Judas Priest, who are my all time favorite metal band. Let me rectify this situation with the following post. Here is my favorite Priest album, "Sad Wings Of Destiny", from 1976. This album is their transitional album, I think, between the more bar rock-friendly "Rocka Rolla" and the excellently metal "Sin After Sin". And, this album has "Tyrant" AND "The Ripper" on it. So there.

Judas Priest - "Sad Wings Of Destiny"

Danzig - Live Bootleg

here's a live Danzig bootleg that ended up mixed in with my cd's. according to the hand-written text on the cd this was recorded on july 7th, 1989, so it is the classic danzig line-up doing 16 tracks from their first 2 albums (plus misfits/samhain songs) and includes an awesome live version of "when death had no name". so get this and rock out!

Danzig - Live 7/7/89 Bootleg

Demons

Here is the soundtrack to Lamberto Bava's 1985 splatterfest DEMONS. Demons is to me one of the perfect party movies. Some parts of it defy all known conventional logic, but thats okay because it is total non-stop carnage propelled by a soundtrack that is equal parts Claudio Simonetti (of Goblin fame) electronic score and equal parts 80's heavy metal and "new wave". Bands included on this soundtrack, in case you didn't know, are Motley Crue, Accept, Saxon, Scorpions, Pretty Maids, Rick Springfield, Billy Idol, Go West, and The Adventures.

Demons - A Non-Stop, Merciless Gorefest. Check it out.

"Smash Everything! Smash Everything!!"

Punchin' Judy - Regional Hardcore Legends.

You know, I've spent the past hour writing and re-writing this little introduction to a band that, if you live around here, should need no introduction. i tried to get my personal life caught up in telling about this band and realized i couldn't do that, because my personal life has nothing to do with this band, and vice-versa.

suffice to say, the first time i saw Punchin' Judy was one of the more violent local shows i can remember. actually, a lot of times i saw P.J. things seemed to get a little out of control. why was that? because, simply put, they were probably the best southern rock influenced new york hardcore band from bristol ever. they would start playing, they would be so loud, people would start slamming into each other and the walls...goddamn. they would play forever too, never letting up on any energy.
i saw them numerous times in kingsport and johnson city during '97-'99, and every time i almost got my ass stomped in a pit. at one point, during the first time i saw them, singer Jef Roberts asked the crowd to catch him when he jumped off the stage. when he jumped, his left foot, encased in size 12 steel-toed Doc Martens came crashing into the right side of my skull, almost blacking my eye and definantly hurting. i staggered but somehow kept going. later on i told him and we was very apologetic, and all i could say was "no problem!". Patrick, the bassist, worked at Back Door Records in Johnson City (which is sadly sadly missed) and was a font of information for all sorts of music. Rick, the guitarist, was an all around good guy who played fucking fierce and looked like he'd kick your ass at any time...the drummer, Scott, i never really talked to, but goddamn was he good.

Sadly, last year Jef was taken from us. He's left behind a regional music legacy that cannot be denied, and cannot be forgotten. Punchin' Judy, for a time, were the undisputed kings of Northeast Tennessee/Southwest Virginia Punk AND Metal..listen to these and you'll see why.

Punchin' Judy - "S/T" (1991?)

Punchin Judy - "Figure IV" CD (1998)

Punchin' Judy - "The Heel Sessions" E.P. (1998)

the picture above is from Punchin' Judy's Myspace page, which is full of good photos.

big thanks to my buddy Ben who ripped the "figure IV" cd at a whopping 320k! that one is a monster people, be warned. also thanks to Keenan, who lives all the way in Pittsburgh, for sending me copies of the s/t first album and the heel sessions ep, which was the first punchin' judy i ever owned. thanks for the help guys!

Monolith - Dawn

Finally, after years of knowing about this tape and hearing it while fucked up at friends house but never having a copy of it, i present to you the long lost Monolith tape. Monolith was like kingsport's answer to napalm death and morbid saint, if N.D. and M.S. were playing at some southern states wrestling event at the civic auditorium. Even though they never achieve N.D. like speed (exceept the last 11 second track), the riffs are very thrash metal and the sound is mean, tough, dark, and very metal. not much is known about this tape other than that it was recorded between '92-'94 somewhere on center street in kingsport...right up the road from me probably. sadly, there is no original cover art, but BIG thanks to Ben for ripping his tape copy of it. the cover included he also made because he's that much of a trooper. this is true appalachian metal. i hope you enjoy.

Monolith - Dawn