Permanent Records and RidingEasy Records, the curators of the popular and critically applauded Brown Acid compilation series of long-lost vintage, 60s-70s proto-metal and proto-stoner rock have teamed up yet again on a new compilation Scrap Metal, which chronologically continues where Brown Acid leaves off. In the case of Scrap Metal with RidingEasy Records founder Daniel Hall and Permanent Records co-owner Lance Barresi scouring the world for long-lost, rare and unreleased heavy metal from the late 70s through the late 80s.
As Hall and Barresi explain in press notes, in their endless pursuit of material for Brown Acid, “. . . we often uncover equally brilliant rarities from the late-70s and 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 age that history is told by the winners,” Barresi and Hall continue. “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.”
Earlier this month, I wrote about the Kill ‘Em All Metallica-like ripper “Enemy Ace,” by The Beast, an act that featured Scott Ruth, who later played with Dim Mak and Ripping Corpse, and was released in 1983. Boston-based metal outfit Hazardous Waste contributes their 1986 ripper “Danger Zone.” Featuring some scorching riffs, “Danger Zone” is one-part Kill ‘Em All Metallica, one-part Van Halen and one-part Motorhead, delivered with a snarling aggression.