Demons 2 (1987)

I started off my movie reviews with Demons, a brilliant, gory, horror film with a Heavy Metal soundtrack to boot! Its sequel is no slacker. It holds up just as well as the original. While I personally prefer the original this one is an amazing film that you REALLY need to see if you like gory horror flicks.

Title - Demons 2

Year - 1987

Country - Italy

In the second Demons the action takes place in a 10 story apartment complex called “the Tower.” We’re introduced to shitload more characters then there were in the first film (which is fine because that means more Demons). A security guard, a lonely woman and her dog, a family, a little boy, a gym full of body builders and a trainer played by the same guy who played the pimp in the first demons, a student and his pregnant girl (these two, somehow, end up the heroes in the end), a guy and a chick who are really horny, a bunch of party goers and most importantly, a bitch named sally who’s having a birthday party. Much like the first film there’s a film within a film involved. This time though is on TV in the apartment building. Apparently they only have one channel, or there’s just nothing else on because all of the characters just happen to be watching it. In this (made for TV) film within a film four teenagers go to the “Forbidden Zone” which is apparently the town that was infested by demons in the first film. Short story even shorter, a demon gets resurrected in this “Forbidden Zone,” comes back and kills the luckless teens just like any good film should. Our bitch friend Sally is off alone in her room because she’s having her period or some shit  Ok, so she’s watching this TV right and the demon in the movie FUCKING SEE’S HER FROM WITHIN THE TV AND COMES OUT! Yup, that shit actually happens. Sally is attacked and transforms into a DEMON. Just as the time to sing happy birthday comes she comes to blow out her candles and transforms right over the cake! Sadly, the cake is ruined =( Oh and she totally attacks every one at the party and turns them all into demons. And from there the demon infestation begins! The rest of the movie, just like the first, involves every one in the building trying to stay alive. Though unlike the first film where most of the main characters are all together this film has them all on there own through most of the film. Their stories tend to flip flop around until the final act when there are only like, two people left… The Demons seemed to gain a new ability; they now have acidic blood it seems. For some reason their acid blood ends up shorting all the power in the building out. This also traps them all inside because, apparently, the doors can only be opened with electricity? Later on we’re introduced to another four assholes in a car that, much like the original four, seem to serve little purpose then to take up screen time.

Great movie! The plot is good despite the awful way they had the outbreak starts. The characters actually get a lot more attention in this one then they did in the first but it doesn’t distract from the demon slaughter thankfully. Special effects are awesome as one would expect coming from the makers of the first film. The make up effects for the secondary demons leaves a bit to be desired though, the “major” demons that get a lot of screen time look amazing but the others looks like generic zombies as opposed to the gruesome looking demons you would expect. There’s actually more suspense in this film then the first due to the isolation of characters. Demon make up looks pretty good. The transformation scenes are awesome as usual; I thought the one in the original was better done though. We also get to see a dog turned into a Demon Dog! It looks cool as shit. The dog’s transformation is also pretty sick looking! We also get to see a little kid demon, who gets a chest busting scene where a gruesome looking REAL demon rips out of the kid and attacks the pregnant chick. This scary little shit looks awesome! Just think Gremlins but a bit more gruesome. There are lots of scares in this one to make you jump! Like the first film, lots of great gore effects. The acting is basicly the same as the original; hard to judge due to it being a dubbed film. The movies ending is a tad bit nonsensical but so is the rest of the film so you can forgive it. I was actually expecting a twist like in the first, but unfortunatly it was pretty straight forward. Sadly there’s no Metal in this movie =( Instead we’re treated to 80s British Wave Bands… Eh, could be worse. The theme song though, is bad-ass much liethe first films theme was.

Overall, a great movie that’s right up to par with the first. It’s a very fitting sequel to a great movie. I highly recommend this movie to everyone who likes horror and gore. If you’re a fan of the fist, you need to see this one! Oh, and if you’re slacking and haven’t seen the original, HURRY THE FUCK UP! Watch them both back to back!

Possessed - Seven Churches

Possessed is an immensely influential band in the genre of Death Metal. They’re sometimes called the first Death Metal band and that’s pretty much the truth. Their 1985(!!) Album Seven Church’s is a monster of an album. Not just because of the music, but the year in which it was released; in 1985 there was NOTHING heavier then this album. It predates Death’s Scream Bloody Gore by 2 years making Possessed the first death metal band and this album, the first Death Metal album. I’m not counting demos here, as both Death and Possessed had demos out in the span of 1983-1987 when Deaths debut came out.

Band - Possessed

Album - Seven Churches

Year - 1985

Genre - Death/Thrash Metal

Despite its huge influence to the Death Metal genre by basically kicking the whole thing off, this album is still mainly rooted in good old fashion Thrash! You can hear lots of Venom worship in this album. The album kicks off with the Exorcist, a high speed tune with awesome riffs. Though most of the songs on this record can be described as such. It’s a good example of the rawness of the record during the verse the guitars sound like buzz saws or something due to the massive distortion.  During the bridge/solo area the riffs clean up and are more defined, the solo here is a bit of wah abuse mixed with some good old fashioned shredding and that’s true for most solos you’ll hear here. Jeff Becerra sounds beastly here and defines death metal vocals all in one swing. Pentagram starts off with some backmasked vocals then breaks into a nice mid tempo riff. Lots of cool lead bits in this song! It breaks into a really thrashy bridge section that last for more of less the rest of the song. Once again, plenty of cool lead stuff in this song. The Lyrics on this album are mostly Satanic/Anti-Christian and death related in nature. This is the standard for a lot of old school death metal as opposed to lots of the gore lyrics that would later be popularized by Cannibal Corpse. Burning in hell is a fast, thrashy tune with a mid Tempo part about halfway through. The title Track has a lot of cool lead bits in the middle of it as well as some truly bad ass riffage! Satan’s Curse has a nice, long solo I dig!  The trem picked riff in the middle of Holy Hell drags on a bit to long for my tastes, but all the other sweet riffs make up for it. Fallen Angel’s intro is epic as fuck! It starts with like bells… then the guitar comes in with the bells. After that’s finished up with it goes into thrashing mayhem mode! Great song! The song Death Metal is probably one of the best, simply because it does great justice to the genre named after it.

Most of the songs on this album are short and sweet with the longest song being 5:10 and the shortest being 3:10. All the tunes on this one are simple yet engaging. Despite its huge influence to the Death Metal genre its still strongly rooted in Thrash, which is fine by my, that’s how I like my Death Metal. It’s a bit of a Riff factory, this album. The riffs are a mix of more traditional thrash riffs and driving, trembelo picked riffs. As a matter of fact this might be another example of a first. Trem picked riffs in Thrash, not sure it it’s a real first though. Vocals are brilliant, they fit the music perfectly. They’re harsh and abrasive and probably the most aggressive vocals of 1985. Every extreme metal vocalist probably owes there style to Jeff from Possessed. The lead work is commendable, not so much for the solos but for all the cool lead bits after verses and whatnot. Not to say the solos are nothing special, they’re awesome! You can definitely hear the influence these solos have on Death Metal bands that came later on. The drums are pretty simple but they do their job. Fast, aggressive and pounding drumming is what you can expect here. No crazy technical shit just all the band needs to sound as aggressive as possible.  As for bass, you can barely hear it except for a few places but its fine I suppose, its following the guitars. This album is pretty much essential to anyone who even, kind of like extreme metal. If you dig Death or Thrash Metal then you need this if you don’t already have it. I hope you do ;)

Here are some tunes to give you an idea of the albums sound. Not one sub par song is present on this one!

Edit: For some reason I put the number seven instead of the word in the title... Stupic mistake on my part haha

Demons (1986)

I figure Dario Argento's classic horror film Demons is as good as any to start with here on Heavy Metal horror. It’s really what blog is all about! It’s a great horror film, with lots of gore and a predominantly Metal soundtrack! Read on... IF YOU DARE! Muwahahahahaha

Film - Demons

Year - 1986

Director - Lamberto Bava

Producer - Dario Argento

Country - Italy

The movie starts out with the female lead on a train full of 80s clichés. The Demons theme song is the definition of cheesy awesomeness, but more about the soundtrack later. After getting off the train, our female lead is stalked by some weird cyborg looking dude. He catches up to her and it turns out he was just trying to sell her a movie ticket. She meets up with her friend, they decide to skip class ad go see the movie instead. At the theatre we meet our cast of assholes. A pimp and his two hos, a dickhead husband with his wife, two teenage lovebirds, a blind dude and his horny niece, two typical 80s preppy dudes(who are the love interests of the two female leads) and a creepy usher chick. In the lobby there's a motorcycle and a silver mask. One of the pimps ho, being predictably stupid, decides to horse around and put the mask on. This earns her a dirty look from creepy usher chick and a cut on the face. The movie within a movie starts, the acting in this little movie within a movie feature is pretty horrendous not that the main feature is the most brilliantly acted piece of cinema but still... The characters in the MWM are looking for the Tomb of Nostradamus or some shit. They find it and with it the same Demon mask hanging up in the Lobby. Hmm wonder what that could mean... A character in the MWM puts the mask on gets a cut on the face just like the one hooker did! She obviously, gets a bit concerned about this after another character in the MWM says that whoever wears the mask will become a demon. Our friend, the ho-bag runs to the bathroom to check on her cut, it turns into a lovely festering boil! It bursts in a tasty display of special effects goodness. The other ho goes to the bathroom to check on her friend, only to find the bathroom empty. She checks a stall and her friend, now a DEMON, pops out and attacks her, sending her running. Oddly, the Movie within a movie is more of a slasher flick but the film itself isn't it has more in common with a zombie movie. All it takes is a scratch to transform into a Demon. Next we're treated to a transformation scene of the second hooker chick turning into a demon. Then the rest of the movie is basically characters getting killed off and trying to avoid getting their asses killed. Later on four more characters are introduced. They're some cokehead punks, whose only purpose seems to be taking up screen time, snorting coke and playing crappy, generic 80s music. Oh and Billy Idol.  

AMAZING special effects, the demon transformation scenes are amazingly well done. The demon make up looks fucking awesome! Lots of nice gore effects, this one chick get’s scalped and it is SWEET. There’s some blood vomit, regular vomit, gouged out eyes, crushed skulls, fingers getting ripped off' decapitations, little demons bursting out of peoples backs and lots of bloody, demon inflicted gashes! They even manage to throw in some nudity. Just one nipple though... what a gyp! This is an Italian film with English dubbing so the acting is predictably affected by this. However the dubbing is far better then some other dubbed films. The soundtrack of this film is noteworthy; it’s almost all from Metal bands. It features songs from Accept, Motley Crue, Pretty Maids and Saxon as well as some pretty awesome original synth music from Claudio Simonetti. The Demons theme song in particular is a strong point from the sound track. The plot is simple, but still good and engaging. That doesn’t stop the big rather large plot hole of the cyborg dude (who appears again at the end of the movie) It’s like... what the fuck? What’s up with that dude? Where does he figure into the plot? Despite that, the plot is very good. It may SOUND stupid, but it really isn't once you actually sit down and watch it. Oddly there’s very little in the way of character development or back stories or really, anything that makes the characters much more then vague personifications of personalities to get killed by demons. Not that it’s a bad thing, as this movie probably wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining if they had wasted time doing such things. There’s a hero and there’s a female lead. All the other characters are just cannon fodder. Besides the female lead being the first character we see, we never know who the hero is going to be till the very end of the film. The only reason he’s the hero, is because he’s all we have left! This is interesting, because a lot of movies have a designated hero. Even slasher flicks tend to have someone designated to be the last living character. They’re usually developed to be the least douchbaggy characters from the start. But Demons barely develops any character; this isn’t a character driven story.

I highly recommend this film. If you like Gore, Metal, Horror or any combination of the three you'll probably love this movie. It’s not that hard to find on DVD, your best bet is online. The film also appears to be uploaded to YouTube as well if you would like to watch it there. I suggest purchasing a DVD copy though.

Pantera: Power Metal

When you think Pantera what’s the first thing that pops in your mind? Cowboys from Hell? Walk? Cemetery Gates? Obnoxious tough guy lyrics and sub par riffs with awesome solos to make it a tad bit better? Well all those things are true, but you may have also heard that Pantera were a “Glam” band in the 80s and that’s true, to an extent. I’ve never really put much time and effort into listening to their other 80s output. However, I will tell you that their 1988 album Power Metal is NOT a Glam album. Come to think of it, it’s not a power metal album either… Maybe they should of called it something else =/

Band - Pantera

Album - Power Metal

Genre - Heavy/Speed/Thrash Metal

Year - 1988

Country - USA (Arlington,Texas)

This album sounds like a lovechild of Metallica and Judas Priest! A very good sound in my book! Phil Anselmo is sounding very unlike himself. He stays in a screechy high range throughout most of the album. This is Phil’s first album with the band and in my opinion one of his best performances. This album defiantly stands out among the other Glam bands of the era and would stand up very well against speed metal bands of the era as well. Though they still have too many commercial and glam tunes to make it among thrash bands of the time.Hell, I mean look at the album cover. They look pretty damn metal to me!  You can also hear some grove riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on some of the later albums. Lots of shredy solos and thrashy riffs, this album is probably the closest they came to being pure Thrash but they don't quite make it. The lead guitar work is amazing on this record. Dimebag is shredding it up like no ones business. His riffs are awesome as well. Far better then a lot of his awful "Famous" Riffs like Walk. Seriously, fuck that song.

The album starts off with Rock the World, a typical commercial rocker. It's, notably, a little heavier then the standard for commercial rockers. Great vocal melodies! Nothing special though. Solos are great, but it’s Dimebag so you should expect as much. The speed metal assault really kicks in once power metal gets going. The title track is the best example of what this album is. A great mix of fast, heavy riffs and plenty of melodic elements. The title Track is blazing, unapologetic, speed metal. Phil sounds awesome here, shame he doesn’t sound like that now a days. We’ll meet again is a power Balled. One again, standing out from the rest of the glam pack it’s a very good song. It’s a tad bit cheesy but it’s not a stinker like so many other ballads from the late 80s. Unlike their peers, this song still has the balls to make it scream METAL! Over and out is a thrash tune with a heavy riff. Proud to be loud is another one of the more Commercial tunes very catchy so it does its job well and as always great guitar work. Death Trap is another Thrashy tune, mid paced for the most part but a real headbanger. When Hard Ride came on I had to do a double take, I thought someone put Priest's Turbo on when I wasn’t paying attention. It’s another Commercial tune. But it’s still heavy and driving, as opposed to most of the Shitty glam bands of the era who put out fifty thousand Ballads an album. Though hard ride sounds a tad bit more commercial then the rest so hat makes it a weak point for this record. Burn eh sorry… Burnnn is another fast one; it has more of the Priest sound as opposed to the thrashy sound of a few of the other songs. As usual great shredding from Dimebag. P.S.T 88 is one of the best songs here, it’s sung by Dimebag and he sounds damn good! I hate to keep comparing this to Metallica but he sounds a bit like Hetfield and it’s basically, a Thrash song. I love the little lightning fast lead thing he’s doing around 1:30 sounds AMAZING! I know he’s just showing off, but DAMN! Oh and these Lyrics are great too, its one of those "I wanna get laid/I get more pussy then you" songs.

Overall a very good album. Very under-rated. When Pantera buried all their pre Cowboys from Hell material they really should have kept this one out in the light. This album has aged well and stands up just fine among the Heavy/Speed Metal acts of the time. Since they buried this awesome album that makes it a bit hard to find. If you dig it the whole album is up on YouTube and it shouldn’t be difficult to find a place to download it online. Some personal favorites are Power Metal, We’ll Meet Again, Death Trap and P.S.T 88

Here are four songs to check out.

Edit: Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on Cowboys from Hell, just Most of Vulgar Display of Power and pretty much everything hat came after that. I dig Cowboys just a little less as I do this album

Metal Church: Metal Church & The Dark

Metal Church was an amazing band that, sadly, were far less know then they should of been. Their first album is pretty much an essential album for anyone who digs classic Heavy/Speed Metal.

Band - Metal Church

Album - Metal Church

Year - 1985

Country - USA (Seattle, Washington)

Genre - Heavy/Speed Metal

Metal Church's 1984 debut album is, rightfully, a classic. Vocalist David Wayne(R.I.P) soars on this album with his unique, badass vocal style. Its aggressive and melodic. His style is difficult for me to describe you'll just have to hear it for yourself. The riffing is also superb. Lots and lots of juicy Speed Metal riffs and plenty of slower, heavier yet melodic riffs. The drumming is excellent, its never boring but never distracting either. Lots of juicy fills after equally juicy riffs and vocal lines. I simply love the drumming on this album, especially in the title track. So many amazing fills in that tune. The lead work is, unsurprisingly, brilliant. Lots of dual guitar attacks on this one, once again the Title Track is a good example of the amazing leads you'll find on this album. The bass, well the bass does its job. There are some moments that the bass shines though. Like in Gods of Wrath during the main verses and several other places throughout the album. Speaking of Gods of Wrath, its a good example of the variety of this album. Gods of Wrath is, for all intents and purposes, a power balled. Not the really lame late 80s glam power balled though. Its the really awesome, well played clean parts building up to heavy parts and a sweet bridge section solo thing, kind of power balled ;) You also get to hear some totally clean singing from Wayne. Hes really good at that as well.

On this album, you'll find a good mix of the heavy, intense tunes like Beyond the Black and Metal Church, blazing speed metal tunes like Hitman as well as the proto power metal song Battalions. A power balled in the form of Gods of Wrath and the instrumental Merciless onslaught. The rest of the songs on the album are somewhere in between. Oh, and there's even a cover of Deep Purples highway star to boot!

Here are my four favorite songs from the album

In closing, an amazing album from an amazing band. Nearly flawless, the only tunes on this album that are particurly forgetable (and even then they're still pretty good) are Merciless Onslaught and In the Blood. The guitar work, vocals nd drumming are amazing. The bass work kicks ass too! Can't recomend this album any higher to fans of Classic Heavy/Speed metal

BUY THIS ALBUM! Its pretty easy to find online and its even not that hard to get in stores. I got my CD versions in retail stores.

Band - Metal Church

Album - The Dark

Year - 1986

Country - USA (Seattle, Washington)

Genre - Heavy/Thrash Metal

Metal Church's second album is another great release. Its starts off strong with the thrashy yet melodic Ton of Bricks. Next it goes into the mid paced Start the Fire. Wayne makes use of dual vocal tracks on a lot of the songs on this album, there are plenty of places here where he would be singing in more of a mid range and hes tracked himself singing in a high screech in the background. These songs are actually a lot more melodic then many of the songs on the first album. The riffs here are a lot more Thrash Metal oriented then the blazing speed metal sound of the first record. Not to say there aren't any fast songs of this album, there are plenty. I meant that they're more typical Thrash riffs as opposed to the sound of sped metal. As usual the guitar work and riffs are great. The vocals are amazing as ever. David Wayne wails and sings his heart out just as he did on the debut. Sadly, he left the band shortly after this album. The drums and bass take a bit of a hit from the previous album. They don't really stand out as much as they did on the previous album. The drums are a lot simpler and the bass is pretty much limited to following the guitar and getting rather buried in the mix.

Its a good release, however its not quite up to the level to the debut, however its a solid listen. Stand out tracks include Ton of Bricks, The Dark, Psycho, Start the Fire, line of Death, Burial at sea and Watch the Children Pray. I recommend picking this one if you liked the debut, its definitely different from the first but its not a bad kind of different.

Here are four of my favorites off this album

After the departure of David Wayne he was replaced my Mike Howe. I'll feature the Mike Howe era of the band another time. Damn this was a long ass post.

Happy Listening!

Introduction

Hello all, welcome to the Heavy Metal Horror blog. The purpose of this blog is mainly to educate budding Metal Heads about the old school and promote bands that may of slipped through the cracks of time or I feel are vastly underrated. Whether you're a life long metal fan or just starting out I'm sure you can appreciate some of my musings.

The other purpose is to feature horror films (primarily from the 80, just like most of the featured music) that I think way more people should be made aware of. Most of my movie features will probably take the form of reviews.

I may also use his blog to promote my band at times, But I won't go overboard on that, those posts will be few and far between my features on Classic metal bands and horror films.

So that's the premise of the blog. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions feel free to either comment this post or send me a message. Expect a feature on the first two Metal Church albums either tonight or tomorrow. There's also a Heavy Metal Horror logo in the works, its looking cheesy but I like it!