Racer X (USA)
Posted: 24 Nov 2025, 15:26
Racer X - Second Heat (1987) (Japan Edition 1991)
Year : 1987 (Japan Edition 1991)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 88 mb
Bio:
Racer X was an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The group went through a hiatus and a few lineup changes, with bassist Juan Alderete being the sole constant member. They were signed to Shrapnel Records.The band split-up in 1989 because of other members involved in their own activities. Guitarist Paul Gilbert joined forces with Billy Sheehan (of Talas and David Lee Roth fame) to form the popular hard rock supergroup Mr. Big and drummer Scott Travis joined forces with Judas Priest. They did, however, reform around 1997 and are back together once again, although the members are still involved with their own activities.Guitarist Paul Gilbert first gained recognition when he was featured in Mike Varney's Spotlight Column in the February 1983 issue of Guitar Player magazine.Gilbert was 16 years old and was living in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He later moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), part of the Musicians Institute.After graduating from GIT, Gilbert was hired as an instructor and recorded the album "Trouble in the Streets" with Los Angeles metal band Black Sheep, released on Enigma Records in November 1985.While at GIT, Gilbert met fellow student Juan Alderete.Searching for a drummer, Alderete and Gilbert first turned to Scott Travis, who was living in Virginia at the time, but he turned down the offer due to his commitment to the band Hawk.Travis was receiving a salary from Doug Marks, the band's lead guitarist, and would not turn down the income. Alderete and Gilbert instead sought the services of fellow student Harry Gschoesser.After acquiring Gschoesser, Gilbert, with the help of Varney, recruited Jeff Martin of the Phoenix metal band Surgical Steel.Martin, who still lived in Phoenix and could not regularly write songs with Racer X in Los Angeles, began writing lyrics immediately for demo tapes that Gilbert had sent him.Recording for their first album began quickly. The band began the recording process in 1985, and Racer X's debut album Street Lethal was released on January 1, 1986, on Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label.With the release of Street Lethal, Paul Gilbert entered the mainstream as one of the members of the Neoclassical genre, popularized by Randy Rhoads and Yngwie J. Malmsteen.While Racer X was not playing neo-classical pieces as frequently as Rhoads or Malmsteen, Gilbert was often mentioned alongside Malmsteen and Rhoads in many guitar and music magazines. Gilbert acknowledged his debt to Malmsteen on the Street Lethal album with the neoclassical instrumental "Y.R.O.". The title is an acronym for "Yngwie Rip Off".He would repeat such a reference on a later song, "B.R.O.", which stands for "Bach Rip Off".Racer X was rapidly becoming a popular live act on the Sunset Strip. Around this time, Gilbert secured an endorsement deal with Ibanez guitars, which continues to this day.The song "Getaway" received limited airplay on Los Angeles' heavy metal radio station, KNAC.After the release of the first album, Gilbert was still teaching at GIT for a steady income. One of Gilbert's students, Bruce Bouillet, gained his attention. Gilbert asked him to join Racer X, and the two guitarists would soon work out synchronized harmony passages that would redefine Racer X's sound.In 1986, Racer X's drummer Harry Gschoesser's visa expired, so he returned to his native country, Austria.He was initially replaced with Todd "Vito" DeVito, who had played on Black Sheep's Trouble In The Streets LP alongside Gilbert, but was soon replaced by Scott Travis.DeVito went on to become a drum technician for Mikkey Dee of Motörhead.The band headed to Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati to record their second studio album. Second Heat was released in February 1987 by Shrapnel Records, and solidified Racer X's style of double-lead guitar solos using techniques such as fast alternate-picking, two-handed tapping, string skipping, and sweep picking. The album also has two tracks written by other artists. "Moonage Daydream" was a David Bowie cover, and "Heart of a Lion" was a Judas Priest song dropped from the Turbo album.The song was a birthday gift by Rob Halford, who had befriended Jeff Martin in the band's early days. Halford later recorded the track with his band, Halford.Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California (the performance actually took place at the Sheraton Park Hotel ballroom next to the convention center), with a line-up consisting of Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin, and Juan Alderete.On October 13, 2009, the video game Brütal Legend was released. The game's soundtrack featured two Racer X songs: "Y.R.O." from Street Lethal and "Technical Difficulties" from Technical Difficulties.In 2020, bassist Juan Alderete got into a cycling accident.In support of him, Paul Gilbert finished and released an outtake from the Technical Difficulties sessions: a cover of the Partridge Family song "I Think I Love You", the first Racer X song in 18 years.In 2024, Martin and Gschoesser would form the band Lethal X, whose debut album 90 Tons of Thunder featured Gilbert as a guest musician on several tracks.
Album:
Second Heat is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Racer X, was released on February 11, 1987, through Shrapnel Records.In a contemporary review, Rock Hard defines Second Heat "a thoroughly convincing piece of work, which can also boast an unusually impressive production" and predicted that Paul Gilbert would be "the first Shrapnel guitarist, who will make a name for himself beyond the circle of guitar freaks."Andy Hinds at AllMusic considered Second Heat superior to its predecessor and described it as having "some of the most amazing dual-guitar work ever recorded" thanks to the addition of second guitarist Bruce Bouillet in accompaniment with Gilbert. The rhythm section of drummer Scott Travis and bassist John Alderete was also praised as being "one of the most formidable around." Highlights listed included "Hammer Away", "Living the Hard Way" and the instrumental "Scarified". However, criticism was directed at the band's cover of "Moonage Daydream" by David Bowie: Hinds dismissed it as a "backdrop for (you guessed it!) more shredding" at the expense of "all the charm and subtlety of the original".Canadian journalist Martin Popoff found the album "hobbled by the rudimentary, cloddish, New Jersey rock club tones" and cited as the "most memorable thing about this album" the cover of Judas Priest's "Heart of a Lion", "apparently given to the band by Halford without Downings's or Tipton's knowledge."In 2005, Second Heat was ranked No. 480 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
Line Up:
Jeff Martin - Vocals (1984-1989, 1997-2009) - See also: Blasted to Static, Lethal X, ex-Black Symphony, ex-Leatherwolf, ex-Dokken (live), ex-Surgical Steel, ex-Bad Dog, ex-Badlands, ex-Blindside Blues Band, ex-Michael Schenker Group, ex-Paul Gilbert, ex-Red Sea, ex-UFO
Paul Gilbert - Guitars (1984-1988, 1997-2009) - See also: Mr. Big, Paul Gilbert, ex-Black Sheep, ex-Amazing Journey (The Who tribute), ex-Cygnus and the Sea Monsters (Rush tribute), ex-Giant, ex-Hammer of the Gods (Led Zeppelin tribute), ex-pintSIZE, ex-Scotland, ex-The Electric Fence, ex-Yellow Matter Custard (Beatles tribute), ex-G3 (live)
Bruce Bouillet - Guitars
John Alderete - Bass (1984-1989, 1997-2009) - See also: Omar Rodríguez-López, Zavalaz, ex-Big Sir, ex-Marilyn Manson, ex-The Mars Volta, ex-The Scream
Scott Travis - Drums (1986-1989, 1997-2009) - See also: Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, ex-Fight, ex-Elegant Weapons, ex-Hawk, ex-Animetal USA, ex-The Scream
+ guest:
Mike Mani - keyboards (tracks 4, 6)
Production:
Recorded At – Prairie Sun Recording Studios
Mastered At – Fantasy Studios
Artwork [Cover Photo Airbrush Art] – Guilty And Innocent Productions, Guy Aitchison
Engineer – Steve Fontano
Engineer [Assistant] – Dino Alden
Executive-Producer – Mike Varney
Guitar – Bruce Bouillet, Paul Gilbert
Liner Notes [Lyrics Translated By] – Marie Nishimori
Mastered By – George Horn
Musical Assistance – Dino Alden
Photography By [Back Cover Band Photos] – Alex Solca, Dan Starr, John Vincenti, Steve Graham (10)
Photography By [Front & Back Cover] – John Vincenti
Producer – Steve Fontano
Written-By – B. Bouillet* (tracks: 4, 7, 10), J. Martin* (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10), P. Gilbert* (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 9, 10)
Tracklist:
01. Sacrifice 04:02
02. Gone Too Far 02:55
03. Scarified 02:40 instrumental
04. Sunlit Nights 03:35
05. Hammer Away 03:44
06. Heart of a Lion (Judas Priest cover) 04:04
07. Motor Man 03:46
08. Moonage Daydream (David Bowie cover) 03:30
09. Living the Hard Way 03:34
10. Lady Killer 04:00
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
Year : 1987 (Japan Edition 1991)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 88 mb
Bio:
Racer X was an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The group went through a hiatus and a few lineup changes, with bassist Juan Alderete being the sole constant member. They were signed to Shrapnel Records.The band split-up in 1989 because of other members involved in their own activities. Guitarist Paul Gilbert joined forces with Billy Sheehan (of Talas and David Lee Roth fame) to form the popular hard rock supergroup Mr. Big and drummer Scott Travis joined forces with Judas Priest. They did, however, reform around 1997 and are back together once again, although the members are still involved with their own activities.Guitarist Paul Gilbert first gained recognition when he was featured in Mike Varney's Spotlight Column in the February 1983 issue of Guitar Player magazine.Gilbert was 16 years old and was living in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He later moved to Los Angeles and enrolled at the Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT), part of the Musicians Institute.After graduating from GIT, Gilbert was hired as an instructor and recorded the album "Trouble in the Streets" with Los Angeles metal band Black Sheep, released on Enigma Records in November 1985.While at GIT, Gilbert met fellow student Juan Alderete.Searching for a drummer, Alderete and Gilbert first turned to Scott Travis, who was living in Virginia at the time, but he turned down the offer due to his commitment to the band Hawk.Travis was receiving a salary from Doug Marks, the band's lead guitarist, and would not turn down the income. Alderete and Gilbert instead sought the services of fellow student Harry Gschoesser.After acquiring Gschoesser, Gilbert, with the help of Varney, recruited Jeff Martin of the Phoenix metal band Surgical Steel.Martin, who still lived in Phoenix and could not regularly write songs with Racer X in Los Angeles, began writing lyrics immediately for demo tapes that Gilbert had sent him.Recording for their first album began quickly. The band began the recording process in 1985, and Racer X's debut album Street Lethal was released on January 1, 1986, on Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records label.With the release of Street Lethal, Paul Gilbert entered the mainstream as one of the members of the Neoclassical genre, popularized by Randy Rhoads and Yngwie J. Malmsteen.While Racer X was not playing neo-classical pieces as frequently as Rhoads or Malmsteen, Gilbert was often mentioned alongside Malmsteen and Rhoads in many guitar and music magazines. Gilbert acknowledged his debt to Malmsteen on the Street Lethal album with the neoclassical instrumental "Y.R.O.". The title is an acronym for "Yngwie Rip Off".He would repeat such a reference on a later song, "B.R.O.", which stands for "Bach Rip Off".Racer X was rapidly becoming a popular live act on the Sunset Strip. Around this time, Gilbert secured an endorsement deal with Ibanez guitars, which continues to this day.The song "Getaway" received limited airplay on Los Angeles' heavy metal radio station, KNAC.After the release of the first album, Gilbert was still teaching at GIT for a steady income. One of Gilbert's students, Bruce Bouillet, gained his attention. Gilbert asked him to join Racer X, and the two guitarists would soon work out synchronized harmony passages that would redefine Racer X's sound.In 1986, Racer X's drummer Harry Gschoesser's visa expired, so he returned to his native country, Austria.He was initially replaced with Todd "Vito" DeVito, who had played on Black Sheep's Trouble In The Streets LP alongside Gilbert, but was soon replaced by Scott Travis.DeVito went on to become a drum technician for Mikkey Dee of Motörhead.The band headed to Prairie Sun Studios in Cotati to record their second studio album. Second Heat was released in February 1987 by Shrapnel Records, and solidified Racer X's style of double-lead guitar solos using techniques such as fast alternate-picking, two-handed tapping, string skipping, and sweep picking. The album also has two tracks written by other artists. "Moonage Daydream" was a David Bowie cover, and "Heart of a Lion" was a Judas Priest song dropped from the Turbo album.The song was a birthday gift by Rob Halford, who had befriended Jeff Martin in the band's early days. Halford later recorded the track with his band, Halford.Racer X performed at the 2009 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California (the performance actually took place at the Sheraton Park Hotel ballroom next to the convention center), with a line-up consisting of Paul Gilbert, Scott Travis, Jeff Martin, and Juan Alderete.On October 13, 2009, the video game Brütal Legend was released. The game's soundtrack featured two Racer X songs: "Y.R.O." from Street Lethal and "Technical Difficulties" from Technical Difficulties.In 2020, bassist Juan Alderete got into a cycling accident.In support of him, Paul Gilbert finished and released an outtake from the Technical Difficulties sessions: a cover of the Partridge Family song "I Think I Love You", the first Racer X song in 18 years.In 2024, Martin and Gschoesser would form the band Lethal X, whose debut album 90 Tons of Thunder featured Gilbert as a guest musician on several tracks.
Album:
Second Heat is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Racer X, was released on February 11, 1987, through Shrapnel Records.In a contemporary review, Rock Hard defines Second Heat "a thoroughly convincing piece of work, which can also boast an unusually impressive production" and predicted that Paul Gilbert would be "the first Shrapnel guitarist, who will make a name for himself beyond the circle of guitar freaks."Andy Hinds at AllMusic considered Second Heat superior to its predecessor and described it as having "some of the most amazing dual-guitar work ever recorded" thanks to the addition of second guitarist Bruce Bouillet in accompaniment with Gilbert. The rhythm section of drummer Scott Travis and bassist John Alderete was also praised as being "one of the most formidable around." Highlights listed included "Hammer Away", "Living the Hard Way" and the instrumental "Scarified". However, criticism was directed at the band's cover of "Moonage Daydream" by David Bowie: Hinds dismissed it as a "backdrop for (you guessed it!) more shredding" at the expense of "all the charm and subtlety of the original".Canadian journalist Martin Popoff found the album "hobbled by the rudimentary, cloddish, New Jersey rock club tones" and cited as the "most memorable thing about this album" the cover of Judas Priest's "Heart of a Lion", "apparently given to the band by Halford without Downings's or Tipton's knowledge."In 2005, Second Heat was ranked No. 480 in Rock Hard magazine's book of The 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time.
Line Up:
Jeff Martin - Vocals (1984-1989, 1997-2009) - See also: Blasted to Static, Lethal X, ex-Black Symphony, ex-Leatherwolf, ex-Dokken (live), ex-Surgical Steel, ex-Bad Dog, ex-Badlands, ex-Blindside Blues Band, ex-Michael Schenker Group, ex-Paul Gilbert, ex-Red Sea, ex-UFO
Paul Gilbert - Guitars (1984-1988, 1997-2009) - See also: Mr. Big, Paul Gilbert, ex-Black Sheep, ex-Amazing Journey (The Who tribute), ex-Cygnus and the Sea Monsters (Rush tribute), ex-Giant, ex-Hammer of the Gods (Led Zeppelin tribute), ex-pintSIZE, ex-Scotland, ex-The Electric Fence, ex-Yellow Matter Custard (Beatles tribute), ex-G3 (live)
Bruce Bouillet - Guitars
John Alderete - Bass (1984-1989, 1997-2009) - See also: Omar Rodríguez-López, Zavalaz, ex-Big Sir, ex-Marilyn Manson, ex-The Mars Volta, ex-The Scream
Scott Travis - Drums (1986-1989, 1997-2009) - See also: Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, ex-Fight, ex-Elegant Weapons, ex-Hawk, ex-Animetal USA, ex-The Scream
+ guest:
Mike Mani - keyboards (tracks 4, 6)
Production:
Recorded At – Prairie Sun Recording Studios
Mastered At – Fantasy Studios
Artwork [Cover Photo Airbrush Art] – Guilty And Innocent Productions, Guy Aitchison
Engineer – Steve Fontano
Engineer [Assistant] – Dino Alden
Executive-Producer – Mike Varney
Guitar – Bruce Bouillet, Paul Gilbert
Liner Notes [Lyrics Translated By] – Marie Nishimori
Mastered By – George Horn
Musical Assistance – Dino Alden
Photography By [Back Cover Band Photos] – Alex Solca, Dan Starr, John Vincenti, Steve Graham (10)
Photography By [Front & Back Cover] – John Vincenti
Producer – Steve Fontano
Written-By – B. Bouillet* (tracks: 4, 7, 10), J. Martin* (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 10), P. Gilbert* (tracks: 1 to 5, 7, 9, 10)
Tracklist:
01. Sacrifice 04:02
02. Gone Too Far 02:55
03. Scarified 02:40 instrumental
04. Sunlit Nights 03:35
05. Hammer Away 03:44
06. Heart of a Lion (Judas Priest cover) 04:04
07. Motor Man 03:46
08. Moonage Daydream (David Bowie cover) 03:30
09. Living the Hard Way 03:34
10. Lady Killer 04:00
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/