Damien (USA)

[Horex]

Damien - Every Dog Has It's Day (1987)













Year : 1987
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 159 mb

Bio:

No exact date has ever been pinpointed, but some time during the close of the 1970's and the beginning of the 1980's a powerful metal group formed in Toledo, Ohio - they called themselves DAMIEN. Influenced by some of the greatest bands of their day, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, UFO, Scorpions.Their first recording, 1987’s “Every Dog Has Its Day,” was accepted by rock fans and the band recorded videos for it and its follow-up, two years later, 1989’s “Stop This War.” “Stop This War” is an impressive collection of tracks with thoughtful, aggressive lyrics, and unbelievable metal elements from vocals to drums. All of this screams the question, “Why weren’t they bigger?”.Fans hear about the workings of the music industry in various ways from the bands they love and music historians. One thing that Damien didn’t have was a short, snappy song that would have been considered radio-friendly. Thirty years later, this seems ridiculous, but such was important in the 1980s. All of the tracks on “Stop This War” are between two and five minutes long. It seems as if more airplay would not have been out of the question.Another reason for Damien’s near-obscurity might have been their popularity at the end of the decade. In retrospect, by 1987, there were only a few years left of the metal decade. Bands who had been around for years were trying new things, and while Damien’s work was good, maybe it wasn’t as competitive as some industry professionals might have expected. It is difficult to tell.So, maybe timing was Damien’s issue. But people remain excited about the band’s sound, so it does not seem as if the recorded product was the issue. Online comments about the band’s music are overwhelmingly positive, even in 2019. Even though Damien technically broke up in the 1990s, they reformed in the early years of the 21st century and have reportedly played shows as recently as the summer of 2018. The band also appears to be a four-piece group now.The sound of Damien’s “Stop This War” Damien is possibly best enjoyed on vinyl. At any rate, the songs have an urgency that is sometimes lacking in bands for whom traditional success has come easier.The overall soundscape will remind some listeners of the late 1980s Christian metal bands that were popular at the time. Bloodgood, for example. The band manages to craft a big sound and fast rhythms. The vocals never scream at a stratospheric level, but a lower-pitched singing that isn’t operatic is used to bring songs about war and women who might be witches to life.Thundering- -that is a word that is best used to describe the sound of Damien. Songs like “Rising Dawn” offer listeners a sparse guitar and voice only melody before kicking into the unexpected rhythms and general power that govern the instrumentation and vocals. For this song and a few others, Damien inspires comparisons to Iron Maiden.For pure power and aggression, especially in the form of Randy “Wolf” Mickelson’s vocals, “Matilda” is a must-listen. The lyrics are unexpected, too. From the structure of each line, to the placement and choice of each word, the song sounds like a metal masterpiece, and as if it should have been in a horror movie soundtrack.Perhaps Damien will tour again this coming summer. Even if the band that performs is not constituted of all original members, more than likely they will still pull off the sound and style that drew people to Damien in the first place.

Album:

Obscure metal band hailing from Toledo, Ohio.Damien brought out their unique brand of heavy/power metal with mixed elements of thrash and speed metal with their 1988 debut, "Every Dog Has It's Day". The sound is very reminiscent of that of "Hell Bent For Leather"-era Judas Priest mixed with many other influences. The funny thing was that Damien was around a whole SIX OR SEVEN YEARS before the band earned major label backing, and even their label, Select Records (who has ever even heard of Select Records?), was not as major as say that of Atlantic of CBS who signed major artists such as Ozzy (CBS) and to a lesser extent Manowar (Atlantic/Atco).The songs on this recording are very well done and precise. The band has their formula for making smashing songs down and mastered. The songs...some are lethal, biting metal masterpieces such the title track and "Season Of The Arrow". The short instrumental, "Glass City", sounds very Yngwie Malmsteen-influenced, incorporating neo-classical elements to the guitar playing. Vocalist Randy "Wolf" Mikelson has a great set of pipes for the aggressive nature of the music. The vocals them selves change on a moment's notice; they can go from a lower register style to a shrill, bloodcurdling shriek that will evoke images of the mighty metal god himself, Rob Halford. The album also features songs like "Wolf Dreams" which is a mid-paced song that gives the album a pretty good start. Another track worth mentioning is "Possession" which is a bit more commercial sounding, but if only all commercial stuff sounded as good as this, I would promote it.To say the least, there are no real weak songs of this debut. The songs, like in the title track, have chugging riffs and face smashing drums. The dual leads will almost certainly evoke images of Iron Maiden-esque influences. This album is highly recommended for the metal fan who craves the rare and obscure.

Line-Up:

Randy "Wolf" Mikelson - Vocals - See also: Fetish Doll, ex-Wolf Gang
Kevin "Killer" Kekes - Bass - See also: ex-Bones Garage, ex-Chastain, ex-Vainglory
Johnny "Evil" Cappeletty - Drums
Chuck Stohl - Guitars - See also: Stohl-N
Fritz Adamshick - Guitars, Vocals

Tracklist:

01. Wolf Dreams 04:47
02. Possession 03:37
03. Serpents Rising 03:00
04. Give Me a Sign 04:52
05. Every Dog Has Its Day 04:44
06. World Affair 04:43
07. Season of the Arrow 05:48
08. I Play for You 05:21
09. Glass City 01:49 instrumental
10. Race to the End 03:51

+ Video "Every Dog Has It's Day" (Official Video)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Damien - Stop This War (1989)













Year : 1989
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 159 mb

Bio:

No exact date has ever been pinpointed, but some time during the close of the 1970's and the beginning of the 1980's a powerful metal group formed in Toledo, Ohio - they called themselves DAMIEN. Influenced by some of the greatest bands of their day, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, UFO, Scorpions.Their first recording, 1987’s “Every Dog Has Its Day,” was accepted by rock fans and the band recorded videos for it and its follow-up, two years later, 1989’s “Stop This War.” “Stop This War” is an impressive collection of tracks with thoughtful, aggressive lyrics, and unbelievable metal elements from vocals to drums. All of this screams the question, “Why weren’t they bigger?”.Fans hear about the workings of the music industry in various ways from the bands they love and music historians. One thing that Damien didn’t have was a short, snappy song that would have been considered radio-friendly. Thirty years later, this seems ridiculous, but such was important in the 1980s. All of the tracks on “Stop This War” are between two and five minutes long. It seems as if more airplay would not have been out of the question.Another reason for Damien’s near-obscurity might have been their popularity at the end of the decade. In retrospect, by 1987, there were only a few years left of the metal decade. Bands who had been around for years were trying new things, and while Damien’s work was good, maybe it wasn’t as competitive as some industry professionals might have expected. It is difficult to tell.So, maybe timing was Damien’s issue. But people remain excited about the band’s sound, so it does not seem as if the recorded product was the issue. Online comments about the band’s music are overwhelmingly positive, even in 2019. Even though Damien technically broke up in the 1990s, they reformed in the early years of the 21st century and have reportedly played shows as recently as the summer of 2018. The band also appears to be a four-piece group now.The sound of Damien’s “Stop This War” Damien is possibly best enjoyed on vinyl. At any rate, the songs have an urgency that is sometimes lacking in bands for whom traditional success has come easier.The overall soundscape will remind some listeners of the late 1980s Christian metal bands that were popular at the time. Bloodgood, for example. The band manages to craft a big sound and fast rhythms. The vocals never scream at a stratospheric level, but a lower-pitched singing that isn’t operatic is used to bring songs about war and women who might be witches to life.Thundering- -that is a word that is best used to describe the sound of Damien. Songs like “Rising Dawn” offer listeners a sparse guitar and voice only melody before kicking into the unexpected rhythms and general power that govern the instrumentation and vocals. For this song and a few others, Damien inspires comparisons to Iron Maiden.For pure power and aggression, especially in the form of Randy “Wolf” Mickelson’s vocals, “Matilda” is a must-listen. The lyrics are unexpected, too. From the structure of each line, to the placement and choice of each word, the song sounds like a metal masterpiece, and as if it should have been in a horror movie soundtrack.Perhaps Damien will tour again this coming summer. Even if the band that performs is not constituted of all original members, more than likely they will still pull off the sound and style that drew people to Damien in the first place.

Album:

Ohio based band Damien kind of remind me of Malice from Oregan.In that both were mid/late 80's bands that sounded quite a bit like Judas Priest. Malice sound a little more like Priest in the vocal department and Damien sound a little more like them in the music department. Ultimately I prefer Damien to Malice due to more hooks and less repitition. This is their sophomore effort and it's a total of ten tracks. It's certainly not overly original as it has a big dose of Judas Priest and lesser splashes of maybe Accept and Armored Saint. If you are going to copy someone then it should at least be someone good and they have the right influences then. Yet they do manage to keep it lively and heavy with some strong rhythms constantly going. I guess this album would be refered to as "classic metal" now although back then it just would have been called "metal" or maybe even "power metal" as that phrase was just coming into use and hadn't yet just been assigned to mainly European bands. I had a sampler cassette in 1989 that included the track "Rising dawn" from this album and it drew me in. I bought the album based on that one track and wasn't disappointed. There are tracks like "Matilda" and "Corpse Grinder" where the guys ran short on ideas where the lyrics were concerned, but largely it's steady and fairly memorable material. I could easily imagine these guys being a good live act as their songs are strong and roll along well.Another minor complaint might be that if someone played this for me without telling me what year it was made then I might guess about 85 or 86, but you can see up top it came out in 89. That means they were maybe a little behind when this was released and that may have kept them from getting very far. Still I have listened to it three times in the two days since I bought my new copy on cd so that should say something.

Line-Up:

Randy "Wolf" Mikelson - Vocals - See also: Fetish Doll, ex-Wolf Gang
Kevin "Killer" Kekes - Bass - See also: ex-Bones Garage, ex-Chastain, ex-Vainglory
Johnny "Evil" Cappeletty - Drums
Chuck Stohl - Guitars - See also: Stohl-N
Fritz Adamshick - Guitars, Vocals

Tracklist:

01. Stop This War 04:56
02. Break Out 03:37
03. Rising Dawn 05:25
04. Matilda 04:05
05. 30 St. Clair 02:52 instrumental
06. Stormwind 04:56
07. Warlord 03:02
08. Always in Lust 04:37
09. The Priests Are Coming 04:39
10. Corpse Grinder 03:07

+ Video "Break Out" (Official Video)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Damien - Angel Juice (1995)













Year : 1995
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 159 mb

Bio:

No exact date has ever been pinpointed, but some time during the close of the 1970's and the beginning of the 1980's a powerful metal group formed in Toledo, Ohio - they called themselves DAMIEN. Influenced by some of the greatest bands of their day, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, UFO, Scorpions.Their first recording, 1987’s “Every Dog Has Its Day,” was accepted by rock fans and the band recorded videos for it and its follow-up, two years later, 1989’s “Stop This War.” “Stop This War” is an impressive collection of tracks with thoughtful, aggressive lyrics, and unbelievable metal elements from vocals to drums. All of this screams the question, “Why weren’t they bigger?”.Fans hear about the workings of the music industry in various ways from the bands they love and music historians. One thing that Damien didn’t have was a short, snappy song that would have been considered radio-friendly. Thirty years later, this seems ridiculous, but such was important in the 1980s. All of the tracks on “Stop This War” are between two and five minutes long. It seems as if more airplay would not have been out of the question.Another reason for Damien’s near-obscurity might have been their popularity at the end of the decade. In retrospect, by 1987, there were only a few years left of the metal decade. Bands who had been around for years were trying new things, and while Damien’s work was good, maybe it wasn’t as competitive as some industry professionals might have expected. It is difficult to tell.So, maybe timing was Damien’s issue. But people remain excited about the band’s sound, so it does not seem as if the recorded product was the issue. Online comments about the band’s music are overwhelmingly positive, even in 2019. Even though Damien technically broke up in the 1990s, they reformed in the early years of the 21st century and have reportedly played shows as recently as the summer of 2018. The band also appears to be a four-piece group now.The sound of Damien’s “Stop This War” Damien is possibly best enjoyed on vinyl. At any rate, the songs have an urgency that is sometimes lacking in bands for whom traditional success has come easier.The overall soundscape will remind some listeners of the late 1980s Christian metal bands that were popular at the time. Bloodgood, for example. The band manages to craft a big sound and fast rhythms. The vocals never scream at a stratospheric level, but a lower-pitched singing that isn’t operatic is used to bring songs about war and women who might be witches to life.Thundering- -that is a word that is best used to describe the sound of Damien. Songs like “Rising Dawn” offer listeners a sparse guitar and voice only melody before kicking into the unexpected rhythms and general power that govern the instrumentation and vocals. For this song and a few others, Damien inspires comparisons to Iron Maiden.For pure power and aggression, especially in the form of Randy “Wolf” Mickelson’s vocals, “Matilda” is a must-listen. The lyrics are unexpected, too. From the structure of each line, to the placement and choice of each word, the song sounds like a metal masterpiece, and as if it should have been in a horror movie soundtrack.Perhaps Damien will tour again this coming summer. Even if the band that performs is not constituted of all original members, more than likely they will still pull off the sound and style that drew people to Damien in the first place.

Album:

It is common knowledge how the 90's decade turned out to be the darkest time for traditional heavy metal. Although, in 1995, DAMIEN contradicts the current status and puts out its third full length album... And justice must be made: ANGEL JUICE is clearly one of the best US Metal albums of the 90's! Fronted by Scott Miller as vocalist, Rob Brug on drums, together with DAMIEN masterminds Kevin 'Killer' Kekes (bass) and Chuck Stohl (guitars), ANGEL JUICE is a real heavy metal manifesto, full of intense and intricate compositions!Toledo, Ohio, is once again the root of all the metallic forces to be dealt with for the third time. A thousand pieces of silver were once released under the name DAMIEN, but the band simply couldn't be killed. In 1995 bassist Kevin Kekes, guitarist Chuck Stohl and drummer Rob Brug were once again in the rehearsal room without a singer, but soon went looking for a suitable candidate. They found him in the rock club "Roxanne´s" in singing talent Scott Miller. Not much later DAMIEN started another album production. The band went to work freshly in Strawberry Fields, a studio in Swanton, Ohio. But the bad luck still stuck to the boys' boots, because the owner of the studio closed it for over six months because he had cancer. It wasn't until 1996 that Angel Juice was completed.In these supposedly dark times of heavy metal, the sound of DAMIEN also had a touch of darkness. But although the work begins with a slow rhythm in the opener ´Shadows In Darkness´ or continues in ´Death March´, we are dealing with a contemporary and extremely brisk and virtuoso play of the formation. Most of the material shoots out the thunder of heavy metal in a classic manner, and also indulges in some 80s old-school shouts for the traditionalists. Nevertheless ´Angel Juice´ is not an eighties work of the stale variety. The music is very independent, of course in the style of unsurpassed US Metal. METAL CHURCH, some SAVATAGE or VICIOUS RUMORS can serve as a guide."Lost Realm Records" after the ´St. Clair Tapes´ and the ´Candle Of Life´ tape recorded history again and the third work by DAMIEN was re-released, including lyrics, band photos, small biography and live footage from 1996 on DVD.

Line-Up:

Scott Miller - Vocals
Kevin "Killer" Kekes - Bass - See also: ex-Bones Garage, ex-Chastain, ex-Vainglory
Rob Brug - Drums
Chuck Stohl - Guitars - See also: Stohl-N
Fritz Adamshick - Guitars, Vocals

Tracklist:

01. Shadows in Darkness 02:41
02. Silent Rage 03:48
03. The Politics of Pain 04:21
04. The Rite 04:20
05. Broken Neck 02:55
06. Death March 03:29
07. Perpetual Sleep 06:36
08. The Awakening 00:55 instrumental
09. Vlad 03:22
10. Retribution 04:49
11. Turn the Key 03:23
12. The Legend of Trotis 08:50 instrumental
13. Hidden Track




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Damien - Every Dog Has Its Day (1987) (Lost Realm Records Limited Edition 2021)













Year : 1987 (Lost Realm Records Limited Edition 2021)
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 124 mb

Bio:

No exact date has ever been pinpointed, but some time during the close of the 1970's and the beginning of the 1980's a powerful metal group formed in Toledo, Ohio - they called themselves DAMIEN. Influenced by some of the greatest bands of their day, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, UFO, Scorpions.Their first recording, 1987’s “Every Dog Has Its Day,” was accepted by rock fans and the band recorded videos for it and its follow-up, two years later, 1989’s “Stop This War.” “Stop This War” is an impressive collection of tracks with thoughtful, aggressive lyrics, and unbelievable metal elements from vocals to drums. All of this screams the question, “Why weren’t they bigger?”.Fans hear about the workings of the music industry in various ways from the bands they love and music historians. One thing that Damien didn’t have was a short, snappy song that would have been considered radio-friendly. Thirty years later, this seems ridiculous, but such was important in the 1980s. All of the tracks on “Stop This War” are between two and five minutes long. It seems as if more airplay would not have been out of the question.Another reason for Damien’s near-obscurity might have been their popularity at the end of the decade. In retrospect, by 1987, there were only a few years left of the metal decade. Bands who had been around for years were trying new things, and while Damien’s work was good, maybe it wasn’t as competitive as some industry professionals might have expected. It is difficult to tell.So, maybe timing was Damien’s issue. But people remain excited about the band’s sound, so it does not seem as if the recorded product was the issue. Online comments about the band’s music are overwhelmingly positive, even in 2019. Even though Damien technically broke up in the 1990s, they reformed in the early years of the 21st century and have reportedly played shows as recently as the summer of 2018. The band also appears to be a four-piece group now.The sound of Damien’s “Stop This War” Damien is possibly best enjoyed on vinyl. At any rate, the songs have an urgency that is sometimes lacking in bands for whom traditional success has come easier.The overall soundscape will remind some listeners of the late 1980s Christian metal bands that were popular at the time. Bloodgood, for example. The band manages to craft a big sound and fast rhythms. The vocals never scream at a stratospheric level, but a lower-pitched singing that isn’t operatic is used to bring songs about war and women who might be witches to life.Thundering- -that is a word that is best used to describe the sound of Damien. Songs like “Rising Dawn” offer listeners a sparse guitar and voice only melody before kicking into the unexpected rhythms and general power that govern the instrumentation and vocals. For this song and a few others, Damien inspires comparisons to Iron Maiden.For pure power and aggression, especially in the form of Randy “Wolf” Mickelson’s vocals, “Matilda” is a must-listen. The lyrics are unexpected, too. From the structure of each line, to the placement and choice of each word, the song sounds like a metal masterpiece, and as if it should have been in a horror movie soundtrack.Perhaps Damien will tour again this coming summer. Even if the band that performs is not constituted of all original members, more than likely they will still pull off the sound and style that drew people to Damien in the first place.

Album:

Lost Realm Records after four deluxe CD+DVD releases made in 2018 (“St. Clair Tapes”, “Candle Of Life”, “Angel Juice” and “Beyond Apathy”), brings a beautiful deluxe cd reissue of this great album with, a 16-page booklet with lyrics, special liner notes and rare photos, bonus tracks and remastered sound. An edition that no Damien and U.S. Metal fan can miss! Obscure metal band hailing from Toledo, Ohio.Damien brought out their unique brand of heavy/power metal with mixed elements of thrash and speed metal with their 1988 debut, "Every Dog Has It's Day". The sound is very reminiscent of that of "Hell Bent For Leather"-era Judas Priest mixed with many other influences. The funny thing was that Damien was around a whole SIX OR SEVEN YEARS before the band earned major label backing, and even their label, Select Records (who has ever even heard of Select Records?), was not as major as say that of Atlantic of CBS who signed major artists such as Ozzy (CBS) and to a lesser extent Manowar (Atlantic/Atco).The songs on this recording are very well done and precise. The band has their formula for making smashing songs down and mastered. The songs...some are lethal, biting metal masterpieces such the title track and "Season Of The Arrow". The short instrumental, "Glass City", sounds very Yngwie Malmsteen-influenced, incorporating neo-classical elements to the guitar playing. Vocalist Randy "Wolf" Mikelson has a great set of pipes for the aggressive nature of the music. The vocals them selves change on a moment's notice; they can go from a lower register style to a shrill, bloodcurdling shriek that will evoke images of the mighty metal god himself, Rob Halford. The album also features songs like "Wolf Dreams" which is a mid-paced song that gives the album a pretty good start. Another track worth mentioning is "Possession" which is a bit more commercial sounding, but if only all commercial stuff sounded as good as this, I would promote it.To say the least, there are no real weak songs of this debut. The songs, like in the title track, have chugging riffs and face smashing drums. The dual leads will almost certainly evoke images of Iron Maiden-esque influences. This album is highly recommended for the metal fan who craves the rare and obscure.

Line-Up:

Randy "Wolf" Mikelson - Vocals - See also: Fetish Doll, ex-Wolf Gang
Kevin "Killer" Kekes - Bass - See also: ex-Bones Garage, ex-Chastain, ex-Vainglory
Chuck Stohl - Guitars - See also: Stohl-N
Fritz Adamshick - Guitars, Vocals
Johnny "Evil" Cappeletty - Drums

Tracklist:

01. Wolf Dreams 04:47
02. Possession 03:37
03. Serpents Rising 03:00
04. Give Me a Sign 04:52
05. Every Dog Has Its Day 04:44
06. World Affair 04:43
07. Season of the Arrow 05:48
08. I Play for You 05:21
09. Glass City 01:49 instrumental
10. Race to the End 03:51
11. Death March 03:32 (Bonus Track)
12. Fight For Your Life 03:00 (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Damien - Stop This War (1989) (Lost Realm Records Limited Edition 2021)













Year : 1989 (Lost Realm Records Limited Edition 2021)
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 129 mb

Bio:

No exact date has ever been pinpointed, but some time during the close of the 1970's and the beginning of the 1980's a powerful metal group formed in Toledo, Ohio - they called themselves DAMIEN. Influenced by some of the greatest bands of their day, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, UFO, Scorpions.Their first recording, 1987’s “Every Dog Has Its Day,” was accepted by rock fans and the band recorded videos for it and its follow-up, two years later, 1989’s “Stop This War.” “Stop This War” is an impressive collection of tracks with thoughtful, aggressive lyrics, and unbelievable metal elements from vocals to drums. All of this screams the question, “Why weren’t they bigger?”.Fans hear about the workings of the music industry in various ways from the bands they love and music historians. One thing that Damien didn’t have was a short, snappy song that would have been considered radio-friendly. Thirty years later, this seems ridiculous, but such was important in the 1980s. All of the tracks on “Stop This War” are between two and five minutes long. It seems as if more airplay would not have been out of the question.Another reason for Damien’s near-obscurity might have been their popularity at the end of the decade. In retrospect, by 1987, there were only a few years left of the metal decade. Bands who had been around for years were trying new things, and while Damien’s work was good, maybe it wasn’t as competitive as some industry professionals might have expected. It is difficult to tell.So, maybe timing was Damien’s issue. But people remain excited about the band’s sound, so it does not seem as if the recorded product was the issue. Online comments about the band’s music are overwhelmingly positive, even in 2019. Even though Damien technically broke up in the 1990s, they reformed in the early years of the 21st century and have reportedly played shows as recently as the summer of 2018. The band also appears to be a four-piece group now.The sound of Damien’s “Stop This War” Damien is possibly best enjoyed on vinyl. At any rate, the songs have an urgency that is sometimes lacking in bands for whom traditional success has come easier.The overall soundscape will remind some listeners of the late 1980s Christian metal bands that were popular at the time. Bloodgood, for example. The band manages to craft a big sound and fast rhythms. The vocals never scream at a stratospheric level, but a lower-pitched singing that isn’t operatic is used to bring songs about war and women who might be witches to life.Thundering- -that is a word that is best used to describe the sound of Damien. Songs like “Rising Dawn” offer listeners a sparse guitar and voice only melody before kicking into the unexpected rhythms and general power that govern the instrumentation and vocals. For this song and a few others, Damien inspires comparisons to Iron Maiden.For pure power and aggression, especially in the form of Randy “Wolf” Mickelson’s vocals, “Matilda” is a must-listen. The lyrics are unexpected, too. From the structure of each line, to the placement and choice of each word, the song sounds like a metal masterpiece, and as if it should have been in a horror movie soundtrack.Perhaps Damien will tour again this coming summer. Even if the band that performs is not constituted of all original members, more than likely they will still pull off the sound and style that drew people to Damien in the first place.

Album:

Lost Realm Records after four deluxe CD+DVD releases made in 2018 (“St. Clair Tapes”, “Candle Of Life”, “Angel Juice” and “Beyond Apathy”), brings a beautiful deluxe cd reissue of this great album with, a 16-page booklet with lyrics, special liner notes and rare photos, bonus tracks and remastered sound. An edition that no Damien and U.S. Metal fan can miss! Ohio based band Damien kind of remind me of Malice from Oregan.In that both were mid/late 80's bands that sounded quite a bit like Judas Priest. Malice sound a little more like Priest in the vocal department and Damien sound a little more like them in the music department. Ultimately I prefer Damien to Malice due to more hooks and less repitition. This is their sophomore effort and it's a total of ten tracks. It's certainly not overly original as it has a big dose of Judas Priest and lesser splashes of maybe Accept and Armored Saint. If you are going to copy someone then it should at least be someone good and they have the right influences then. Yet they do manage to keep it lively and heavy with some strong rhythms constantly going. I guess this album would be refered to as "classic metal" now although back then it just would have been called "metal" or maybe even "power metal" as that phrase was just coming into use and hadn't yet just been assigned to mainly European bands. I had a sampler cassette in 1989 that included the track "Rising dawn" from this album and it drew me in. I bought the album based on that one track and wasn't disappointed. There are tracks like "Matilda" and "Corpse Grinder" where the guys ran short on ideas where the lyrics were concerned, but largely it's steady and fairly memorable material. I could easily imagine these guys being a good live act as their songs are strong and roll along well.Another minor complaint might be that if someone played this for me without telling me what year it was made then I might guess about 85 or 86, but you can see up top it came out in 89. That means they were maybe a little behind when this was released and that may have kept them from getting very far. Still I have listened to it three times in the two days since I bought my new copy on cd so that should say something.

Line-Up:

Randy "Wolf" Mikelson - Vocals - See also: Fetish Doll, ex-Wolf Gang
Kevin "Killer" Kekes - Bass - See also: ex-Bones Garage, ex-Chastain, ex-Vainglory
Chuck Stohl - Guitars - See also: Stohl-N
Fritz Adamshick - Guitars, Vocals
Johnny "Evil" Cappeletty - Drums

Tracklist:

01. Stop This War 04:56
02. Break Out 03:37
03. Rising Dawn 05:25
04. Matilda 04:05
05. 30 St. Clair 02:52 instrumental
06. Stormwind 04:56
07. Warlord 03:02
08. Always in Lust 04:37
09. The Priests Are Coming 04:39
10. Corpse Grinder 03:07
11. I Need to Roll 03:23 (Bonus Track)
12. Only the Strong 03:42 (Bonus Track)
13. No More Time 03:43 (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/