DEMOndays IV

OKAY. So I've decided to keep the musical theme going here, delving deeper into the 80s death metal sound. Regular listeners of my show will have noticed I've played all three tracks from this demo somewhere in the last 76 shows, which says it all, really. Death metal or DIE!!!

INCUBUS (USA) - Incubus [1987]
1. God Died on His Knees
2. Reanimator's Mutilations
3. Engulfed in Unspeakable Horror

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I am hoping to some degree this post will become "interactive". By this, I mean that most of my files are rips from the internet and some, as killer as the music is, are not very good/high quality recordings. Also, sometimes the artwork is incomplete or low-res. So, what I am asking here is for people to help improve these demos. If you have a better recording, higher-res artwork, info regarding the demo, etc, PLEASE either mail it direct to me here or simply add a link in the comment section. Go on.

DISCLAIMER: If you own the recording and want it removed, please do not be an internet snitch and make a DMCA claim, just email me or leave a comment and I will remove it. Thanks. 

DEMOndays II

ALRIGHT. Following somewhat in a similar vein to last week's post, comes the deathrashing sounds of Melbourne, Australia's Incubus, not be confused with the Brazilian/American band or the great Incubus from Georgia, either.
This is ripping deathrash with pretty Quorthon-esque vocals. Quite what these maniacs were listening to that fuelled this demo is perhaps irrelevant now as this has almost totally vanished into the ether of the metal underworld over the years. I came into contact with this around 2007, not long after the compilation of this released compiling this and the first demo they went on to record under their next guise, Spectral Birth—I will post those at some point as they are both excellent, too.
A few years back, I got in touch with Hushy—who is (was?) part of another great Aussie act, Trench Hell—at his label The Coffins Slave, as they were set to be pressing all three demos to vinyl. Sadly, it never happened and The Coffins Slave is now defunct, so no idea if these will ever see a physical release any time soon, if ever.
So, for now, take a trip into the hellish visions of one of the original Australian bands that surely influenced Vomitor, et al, down to the PERFECT guitar sound. If anyone has a scan of the original cover, please mail it to me!

INCUBUS (Australia) - Sinful Dreams [1987]


1. Demented Lust
2. Retribution
3. Last Agonies
4. Passage of Souls/Sinful Dreams

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I am hoping to some degree this post will become "interactive". By this, I mean that most of my files are rips from the internet and some, as killer as the music is, are not very good/high quality recordings. Also, sometimes the artwork is incomplete or low-res. So, what I am asking here is for people to help improve these demos. If you have a better recording, higher-res artwork, info regarding the demo, etc, PLEASE either mail it direct to me here or simply add a link in the comment section. Go on.

DISCLAIMER: If you own the recording and want it removed, please do not be an internet snitch and make a DMCA claim, just email me or leave a comment and I will remove it. Thanks.

1st Presses, pt. I

Okay, first off, this new series is basically to highlight the glaring differences often heard between first presses and remastered versions more readily available nowadays, where, in most cases, all they've done is turn the bass up loads (hate). If there is anything you are after in particular, please leave a comment asking, but I have several more ready to go, so be patient. Thanks to all the original uploaders of these rips.

Mötley Crüe (USA) Too Fast For Love (1981) Leathür Records [LR/1281-2]

First up, the infamous debut from Mötley Crüe. This was originally released in 81, not 82 like the more well-known version with the red/bigger lettering. That version was in fact remixed and edited, the version here being the Leathür Records original, featuring 10 tracks, tracklisted differently, with an outro on "Come on and Dance", and an intro on the title track. The overall sound is different, with a way more evil (for Crüe) guitar sound ("Piece of your Action" is majestic) and the vocals almost seem to have been totally re-recorded for the 82 press. Yes, some of these 'alternate versions' were included on expanded versions, but the sound on the whole here is way better and closer to what I always imagined these guys making. According to the all-knowing discogs, there were three pressings on Leathür Records—two in 81 and one in 82. But whatever, this is, for me, one of the best metal albums ever. I can't say much for the rest of their discography, but this will always remain classic for me and this version is keeping the flame well-lit.

1.Live Wire
2.Public Enemy #1
3.Take Me to the Top
4.Merry-Go-Round
5.Piece of your Action
6.Starry Eyes
7.Stick to your Guns
8.Come on and Dance
9.Too Fast for Love
10.On with the Show

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Megadeth (USA) Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? [Test Pressing] (1986) Capitol [ST-12526]

Megadeth seem to be the uncoolest band ever for people born in 86 or after. I wasn't aware of this until I got lambasted for wearing a Black Friday shirt recently. For the record, Megadeth did NOT suck. They did shortly after this record and perhaps some of this release isn't amazing, but there is a reason they were/are so big. If they are too mainstream for you then go back to your inaudible Assassin demo, or whatever is 'cooler'. That band sucked, for the record.

Anyways, this was one of the first albums I had as a young wannabe thrasher in about 89 or 90, alongside the obvious things a 10-year-old may have had in 89/90. While I don't have as much time for it these days, it is still ranked as an all-time classic. This version I came across on the godly Lockjaw a few years back and it is, in truth, pretty different to the released version. Four of the tracks on here made it on a remaster in the 2000s, but not all eight, so if you are a Megadeth fan you will appreciate this, if not, then enjoy your Death Angel rehearsal, or whatever (they fucking sucked too). Expect a more 'blackened' sound (if you could call it that), akin to my description of the above record—echoey vocals, harsher guitar sound, more cymbals etc.

1.Wake Up Dead
2.The Conjuring
3.Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?
4.Devil's Island
5.Good Mourning/Black Friday
6.Bad Omen
7.I Ain't Superstitious (Willie Dixon cover)
8.My Last Words

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Incubus (USA) Serpent Temptation (1988) Brutal Records [BR-08959-1]

Incubus were a band who, until semi-recently, always drifted under my radar. That was until I found this vinyl rip of their debut somewhere online and my-oh-my is it an absolute scorcher. The backbone of the band, the Howard brothers, moved from Brazil to Louisiana to form Incubus in 1986. They recorded an okay demo, this album, and another, before remixing this, rewriting the lyrics, re-recording the vocals (really badly), and retitling the tracks for a 1996 reissue. I have no idea why they did this, cos for me, this album is latter 80s thrash perfection. "Sadistic Sinner" is anthemic. But seriously, steer clear of the 96 version, it is unnecessary, at best.

1.The Battle of Armageddon
2.Voices from the Grave
3.Sadistic Sinner
4.Incubus
5.Blaspheming Prophets
6.Hunger for Power
7.Serpent Temptation
8.Underground Killers

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Next month: Canada.