SCRAP METAL VOL. 1 / VARIOUS

By now you're probably familiar with our wildly popular Brown Acid series of rare, lost and unreleased proto-metal and stoner rock singles from the 60s-70s. In the endless pursuit of those glorious gems, we often uncover equally brilliant rarities from the late-70s to late-80s Golden Age of Heavy Metal that also just must be heard, but they don't fit the series' aesthetic. Scrap Metal, Volume 1 collects some of the greatest unknown and lost Heavy Metal tracks, long buried beneath the avalanche of the era's classic output.'We all know the old adage that history is told by the winners. But sometimes the losers tell the best stories. And while none of these bands found fame and fortune, this artifact and the volumes to come are testament to the enduring power of heavy music. You can hear the blood, sweat and beers that went into each of these singles. The recordings may be low budget, but the inspiration and talent is immutable. Not only are the amps turned up to 11, the boyish sexual innuendo is cranked to 69. You can hear the convergence of influences - NWOBHM, thrash, glam metal, doom, etc - colliding at once as the era birthed a wellspring of subgenres.'Many of these singles are self-released and were thus limited to a small run of copies. Those that remain are hoarded by collectors and sold for exorbitant amounts. We've collected the best of the best for you here. As with Brown Acid, all of these tracks are licensed legitimately and the artists all get paid. Because it's the right thing to do.' LINER NOTES: Rapid Tears launch this series with the perfect christening. The Toronto, ON quintet's 1981 single "Headbang" is such the pinnacle of heavy metal madness that it almost sounds like a spoof. There's also enough of the rapid-fire sputum that inspired Metallica to bang the head that doesn't, as such, engage in said practice, to be found on the band's sole full length Honestly. But "Headbang" is a straightforward glammy anthem for the ages.'Air Raid's "69 In A 55" may be lyrically so sophomoric that it's actually pretty clever, but this 1983 Bay Area power metal single is loaded with sleek Judas Priest riffs and interwoven melodies that are downright sublime. The band's sole release, the 2-song Rock Force 7" features a curious band photo in which 3 band members - dolled up in Cr?e makeup and leather - are sexually menacing the lead singer/guitarist tied to a bed. Another low budget highlight is when singer/guitarist Tommy "Thrasher" Merry imitates a delay effect on his vocals as he sings, "tonight!... tonight... night. " Hades' "Girls Will Be Girls" has a real demo cassette feel to it's vastly uneven mix, but the energy to the performance makes this an undeniable keeper. The long running Paramus, NJ quintet's 1982 2- song debut 7" titled Deliver Us From Evil features this blistering thrasher dominated by shimmering leads and confident vocals that show why the band went on to near-fame on Metal Blade Records.'Resless don't need no T to prove that they've got "The Power" with this 1984 driving mid-tempo rocker in the vein of M?tley Cr?e and Ratt. The River Vale, NJ quartet's tight crunch wails all over Bon Jovi posers but it's the band's unique and subtle deployment of background vocals that gives this rager it's staying power.'Pittsburgh, the Steel City, is home to Don Cappa, a band that pays tribute to the burgh, the metal, and the awesomeness of both with "Steel City Metal. " Their lone single, issued in 1987 with only 300 copies released, sounds like the work of some serious steel driving men, with a drummer who might've forgotten to wear a hard hat one too many times on the construction site.'The Beast has more of a punk feel to their aggressive "Enemy Ace" track from the 4-song Power Metal EP from 1983 - something like Dr. Know meets D. O. A. But their look, artwork and lyrics all prove that Heavy Metal is where their hearts lie. And this hook filled monster delivers repeated lines like, "I command them all in my lofty realm," with commendable conviction.'Dead Silence from Denver, Colorado, debut