Cemetary from Center Line, Michigan (not the more famous version from Sweden) was another short-lived band that only put out this amazing (and now highly collectible) demo in 1985. The band met their unfortunate demise just a year later when drummer George "Sillexx" Selaty died by accidental suicide (although it true metal legend, it is said he died by hanging during a black mass ritual...)
Solid metal tracks with nice guitar work (especially on the final track, Nightmare) and King Diamond-inspired vocals. A great raw (and unfinished) sound on this demo, it would have been great to hear these tracks recorded and produced in a proper studio, but alas, it was not meant to be.
Recently, I have been going down a deep rabbit hole of early 80s underground heavy metal (and its obvious close ties to all things Halloween) and discovered an absolute gem.
Ripper, a band from Houston, Texas, put out an absolute banger of an album in 1986 called "...And The Dead Shall Rise."
Image courtesy of Occult Rock Magazine.
Dual male/female vocalists (bassist Sadie Paine's vocals drawing favorable comparisons to 45 Grave's Dinah Cancer) supported by solid metal guitar work and awesome spooky Halloween and Carpenter-esque soundbites, together with an absolutely incredible costume array and publicity photos quickly puts this on my "must-have" list. How this band was not featured in literally ANY 80s slasher film is beyond me. So classic. So tight. So fun! This one really nails that Halloween/horror/heavy metal sweet spot.
Enjoy!
Truemetalfan has a really great in-depth interview with singer Rob Graves (before his passing in 2016) on all things Ripper. Check it out here!
The underground Heavy Metal scene of the 1980s was just so rad. Case in point is this incredible gem from the (local to me) band, Axemaster.
Now picture it. It's 1986 and you're watching your local horror host on a Saturday night (in this case, it's Cleveland's own Son of Ghoul), ready for another unending roll of terrible-yet-hilarious skits and bad jokes, all enveloping this week's awful horror film. And then during one of the show's breaks, you get the privilege of this added bonus. A one-take "music video" of a local heavy metal band belting it out, complete with astoundingly low-budget video effects and a live "dungeon master" actor, complete with prop axes and a hood, who looks like he's not sure where he's supposed to be. IT IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT.
You just know everyone is having a total blast with this, and that's what makes it so strangely authentic. The band is giving its all on a show that doesn't even take itself seriously. It's a campiness that is painfully missed today and a reason why I love this video so much. Enjoy!
And a silver lining to this video is that Axemaster is still around today, releasing new records and playing shows! True metal will never die!!
Halloween, an amazing 80's dark glam metal band from Detroit. Iconic samples taken from Halloween III: Season of the Witch (long before it became a cult classic). A music video themed around a horror film. A stage that looks like something pulled from an old haunted house. Incredible Halloween masks and costumes.Cheap pyrotechnics. Lots of headbangers. Zero budget.
Mix this all together and you get "What A Nice Place," the greatest music video ever produced. A fun, nostalgic 80's Halloween-themed heavy metal video. This is how metal SHOULD be made. DIY. It must have been an absolute riot to make this.
And the song itself rips! Heavy metal forever! Enjoy.
I have a full day of prop building planned in the garage, so no longwinded posts today! Instead, how about some straight up Cleveland horror metal to power you through your day, too?
VANIK just released their third record, III, and on October 2nd they streamed a live record release show direct from the studio. Featuring Vanik from the band Midnight on guitar and Ed from the band Ringworm on bass, this band is no joke.
I'M BACK (wink, wink) for another installment of Cinema Corona, where I post up a little nugget of Halloween fun to help us all pass the time during our Coronavirus quarantine. I'm keeping it in that glorious wheelhouse of 80s heavy metal cheese horror with tonight's selection. Another so-bad-it's-good gem!!
Rocktober Blood (1984)
Billy's back from the dead
with a message from hell!
So if you haven't seen this one yet, be warned. It's a pretty low budget film all around. With atrocious dialogue spoken by amateur-at-best actors. And a plot that dances along the line of pure absurdity. But that's part of what makes this one SO DAMN GOOD!! Rocktober Blood is the story of heavy metal megaband, Rocktober Blood, and their iconic singer Billy "Eye" Harper. The film starts as the band is in the recording studio, laying down some new music. And right off the bat, you MUST pay attention, because Billy belts out the most hilariously ridiculous, over-the-top, incredible vocal howl while recording the film's title track, "I'm Back." I literally have no idea where that came from. (On a sidenote, all of the film's awesome soundtrack was performed by Sorcery, an actual 70s/80s metal band from Los Angeles - and is the real draw of this film. I'm Back, Killer On The Loose, and Rainbow Eyes make this one worth the watch...err, listen!) Billy then decides to split the studio for a 4 am hook up, only to return a short time later, going on a random, marijuana-fueled killing spree at the studio. The only survivor is the band's backup singer, Lynn. We then cut to two years later to find out that Billy was convicted and executed for somehow killing an impressive 25 people that night. And now Lynn has returned to music, fronting Headmistress (what a great cheese metal band name!), a new band featuring the ex-members of Rocktober Blood. But things don't go so smoothly for Lynn, as for the bulk of the film, is continually haunted by Billy, who has seemingly returned from the dead. SPOILER!! SPOILER!! SPOILER!! It is revealed that this "new" Billy is actually John, Billy's demented, evil twin brother that apparently nobody knew about before. He reveals to Lynn that he actually committed the murders and then framed Billy for stealing and performing his music. Which seems like a bit of a headscratcher, until we get to the film's finale!! The crowning moment of the entire film is the last scene, in which even after Lynn is continually terrorized and characters are continuing to be murdered by Billy/John, promoters agree that the Headmistress concert must go on. And this is where things get REALLY crazy. The band takes the stage, not realizing that Billy/John is actually with them - he secretly replaced Frankie, the band's mascot, to sing the opening track of Killer On The Loose. And at this point you would probably ask, how would they not know it was him? Easy. Billy/John was in costume, complete with an iconic Zagone Studios' "Fang Face" Halloween mask. But it gets even better... Because as he roams the stage singing, he literally starts stabbing the stage girls who are chained up on either side of the stage. He pulls their guts out and then throws them into the crowd, everyone evidently thinking it was all a gag. The final hilarious act happens when he actually cuts the head off of one of the girls and then throws it into the crowd. Simply incredible. The final scene happens when Lynn, who emerged after being sedated in a stage coffin, rips through Rainbow Eyes, to the delight of the crowd. Then, Billy/John removes his mask to reveal himself to the crowd, handcuffs himself to Lynn, and the band then for some reason plays I'm Back. In a moment of cinematic genius, Billy/John is finally stopped when while singing his most famous song, gets hit over the head with an electric guitar and then SOMEHOW gets electrocuted by it, ALL. WHILE. SINGING. HIS. INFAMOUS. HOWL. Yes, the same howl that he belted out in the studio at the very beginning of the film. And so it goes full circle. The end. GENIUS. Enjoy!!
NO, NOT THE ONE WITH SAM!! It's time for another installment of Cinema Corona, where I post up a little nugget of Halloween fun to help us all pass the time during our Coronavirus quarantine. This time, I have found another ABSOLUTE Halloween gem, straight from those glorious heavy metal horror 80s!!
Trick Or Treat (1986)
Sammi Curr is a rock n' roll nightmare.
His fans won't let him die.
He won't let them live.
I LOVE this film, and I cannot believe I found this entire gem on YouTube! And while yes, when most people hear "Trick or Treat," they automatically assume it's the classic Trick r' Treat from 2007, featuring everyone's favorite little jammied Halloween creepy, Sam. But they would be oh so wrong! Rewind the clock back to 1986, and you get this underrated slice of heavy metal horror greatness. Now when this movie was originally released, it was marketed as a movie starring Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne (who together have about 3 minutes of total screentime). It was an easy marketing trick to get people to watch it, but they really missed out on the great things about this movie. First and foremost, it stars Marc Price. If you are old like me, you may remember him better as "Skippy" from the classic 80s sitcom, Family Ties. Starring that one other guy as Alex P. Keaton (or Justine Bateman as Mallory Keaton, depending on why you watched). But Price really shines as teen headbanger kid Eddie in this. Second, this movie slams all of the 80s heavy metal hot button issues of the day. It nails the "Satanic Panic" hysteria, as recently deceased rocker Curr communicates with Eddie through a special record - played backwards. So metal! It also has an amazing soundtrack performed by Fastway (the title track being the absolute standout). If you haven't heard of 80s hard rock band Fastway, you may know singer Dave King. He now heads up Irish punk band, Flogging Molly. True story. And the story itself is pure 80s horror gold. A misfit kid, mourning the shock loss of his heavy metal hero, is continually bullied by the school jocks, gets a very special record from his DJ friend (Simmons), finds out that his rock hero speaks to him from beyond the grave through the record played backwards, receives help from said dead rocker to get revenge on all who bullied him, realizes that it all goes too far only to then have dead rocker materialize from electricity of his stereo, dead rocker then decides that he will continue his plan of revenge on everyone in the school, materializes at the school's Halloween dance, takes over as the singer for the band, performs one of the absolute best concert stage shows I have EVER seen, only to take it one step further by actually shooting students with electric blasts from his guitar, ending in an epic metal guitar solo where he then explodes on stage, setting up the final showdown between Eddie and Curr. And did I mention the scene where a girl is seduced in the back of a car by a fiery demon? It really is everything you could want in an 80s horror film. THIS MOVIE IS EPIC. ALL HAIL SAMMI CURR. METAL WILL NEVER DIE. (And rest in peace to one time Solid Gold dancer Tony Fields, the actor who so brilliantly played Sammi Curr...) I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I do...
So here I am in Ohio, three hours before our mandatory stay-at-home order goes into effect. I'm happy to FINALLY be working from home, but I won't lie... I am getting a bit nervous about the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, people across the globe are doing things to connect and entertain others in any way they can, creating support networks to help us all get through these crazy times. These acts are pretty amazing, and I have been inspired to do what I can to add to it. Especially for our little creepy community of haunters, horror fanatics, and Halloween freaks. So I have decided to open up Cinema Corona, a new feature where I post up the craziest stuff I can find across the internet. A place where you can come enjoy something Halloween- or horror-related, that will take your mind off of things for a while. Some mindless fun in order to turn off your brain for just a bit... If there's something you'd like to see, hit me up in the comments! Now let's have some fun! I hope you guys enjoy this!! (And as always, please be smart and stay safe...)
Black Roses (1988)
My god, where to begin with this one? It has been reviewed many, many times over, so I'm not going to go deep with a review of my own. Basically, an unbelievably cheesy 80s heavy metal band (complete with their own Lamborghinis!) decides to play a series of shows in a quiet, nowhere midwestern town to the dislike of the town elders. (Footloose, anyone?) Mayhem ensues as the town's teenagers are slowly possessed, literally, because as it turns out, the band is actually a group of demons trying to recruit their minions. Literal demons. And the only one who can stop this evil, evil plan is the town's Magnum, P.I. look-alike, the high school English teacher! Enjoy this one with its way-too-catchy 80s metal tracks (the title track, Me Against The World, is a legitimately awesome metal track and is featured at the beginning of the film), incredible 80s hair, an unbelievable scene where a stereo speaker demon eats future Sopranos actor, Vincent Pastore, and the laughably, laughably bad "demon" practical effect sculpts. They are so cartoonish, they look like they were made as a joke. But even with all of that, this gem earns its cult status because it really is a great, late-80s heavy metal horror flick. Give this one a watch quickly, as I have seen it posted before only to be taken down quickly. Just don't watch it with the little ones, as it has some naughty words and some nakey scenes.
Holy hell, does this song kick some ass! I just came across the retro 80s metal sounds of Chicago's Satan's Hallow. I can't believe this song was just recorded! It sounds like it's straight out of a cult classic 80s metal horror movie. So good! PLAY IT LOUD!!
Holy hell, how have I not heard of this one before?? Taken from the same page as other 80s heavy metal slashers such as Trick or Treat, Rocktober Blood is a ridiculous heavy metal horror flick from 1984 in which singer Billy "Eye" Harper returns from the dead to take revenge on his former bandmates. It's pretty straightforward slasher faire, but the standout moments of this film have to be the concert scenes, played by the actual band Sorcery. The absolute high point of this one is when the band takes the stage, unknowingly fronted by back-from-the-dead frontman Billy, dressed in a hilariously cheap latex demon reaper mask. The song is totally awesome, as is the on-stage killing...
I seriously cannot recommend this movie enough. From the scene in the opening credits where the singer unleashes the greatest howl ever recorded in a studio to this crazy concert and then to the final reveal, Rocktober Blood is a hilarious look back at the 80s heavy metal slasher craze. You can see the entire film on YouTube, and then go buy the film's glorious soundtrack that was just reissued on Lunaris Records.
This is it!! We've finally made it!! The high holiday of Samhain is upon us, so go forth haunters and give the best performance that you can. 365 days of planning and building all come down to this... But most important of all, don't forget to have fun!!! This is what we live for, so enjoy every single second of it. Alright, my 5 minute window is up. The props are all up, the audio is cued up, the foggers are full and the lights are all on. It's show time. Time to give the neighborhood the best damn show they have ever seen!! Everyone one have the absolutely most amazing and incredible Halloween that you can. But also enjoy this crazy heavy metal video from days gone by...
Last night, IFC played A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. While watching it, I remembered the film's theme song from 80s heavy metal gods, Dokken and realized how much I loved it!!
It's already time for another Throwback Thursday, where we revisit the soundtracks of classic and not-so-classic 80s horror.
Today, we are going full speed into some serious cheese! Take a band who are actually demons (!), playing their special blend of hypnotizing glam rock, to a small town of kids, with lead singer Damian (Sal Viviano) sporting THIS mullet...
...and you get the cinematic gold of John Fasano's 1988 cult classic, Black Roses.
A film that gently stomps the line between awful and awesome, the true highlight (like similar films of the time) is the heavy metal soundtrack performed by Lizzy Borden. This fan-made video for the track, "Me Against The World" sums it all up greatly...
Welcome to the first installment of Throwback Thursday! Each week, I'm going to take a look back at some incredible music from some classic and not-so-classic 80s horror.
In fact, the whole Throwback Thursday concept came about because I REALLY, REALLY wanted to post this first song. Mix equal parts Satan, hair spray, heavy metal and a guitar that shoots laser beams being played by a rock god who is back from the dead and you get 1986's Trick or Treat.
I won't even bother mentioning that both Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osborne appear in the film, because it is all overshadowed by Fastway's amazing title track, "Trick or Treat," and its even-more amazing video:
A cold, weathered hand pierces the rust-laden earth of a late autumn night. Reanimated decay becomes the evening's guide. Masked faces bask in the fiery glow of a jack-o-lantern's illumination. A lifeless finger points the direction toward the next porch-lit house. For this is the night of ghouls and goblins and tricks and treats. This is the night of Hallowe'en...
