Fifth Angel

Fifth Angel was a Seattle Power Metal group formed in 1983 by James Byrd (lead guitarist); alongside him were fellow band members Ted Pilot (vocals), Ken Mary (drums), Ed Archer (rhythm guitar) and Kenny Kay (bass). Taking their cues from fellow Seattle band Queensrÿche, they concentrated on songwriting and perfection, rather than playing gigs extensively waiting for a record deal to fall into their laps. This resulted in a demo somewhere between 1983/1984, consisting of four songs: "Fifth Angel", "Wings of Destiny", "In the Fallout", and "Fade to Flames". This resulted in the band getting noticed by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records and signed them up for a record deal. Their self-titled debut was released in 1986. The album received a lot of positive reviews, with the media claiming the band to be "the next best thing", thus far as the metal scene was concerned.
An interesting note: though Kenny Kay is pictured on the album, he didn't actually play bass on it. On the original demos, the bass was done by Ed Archer, and on the other five songs that recorded for the album, the bass was done by Randy Hansen, a Jimi Hendrix impersonator.

Under claims of "losing interest" in playing music, Kenny Kay departed from the band; his replacement was John Macko. To support the album, a "Riding on the Wings" tour was planned, but due to band-related and external factors, the tour never came to be.
CBS/Epic records took notice of all the attention the band was getting with their debut album, and signed them on a seven album record deal along with a new management team led by Derek Simon (who also managed Dream Theater during their first release).

James Byrd left the album soon after they signed the deal; possibly due to conflicts with the contract. Kendall Bechtall replaced Byrd, just as the band was getting to write/record material for their second album Time Will Tell. Terry Date was originally going to take over the engineering and production, but due to scheduling conflicts, the band opted for Terry Brown instead. Time Will Tell follows the style in which the band played on their debut, and like their debut, it proved to be a very solid release; a music video was made for the title track, and the album even featuring a cover of UFO's Lights Out. Unfortunately, before the band was revved up for an actual tour, the pressure became too much and the band dissolved; shortly after the second album hit the shelves.

Some of the group members went on to careers very different from what they were trying to make of themselves in the 1980s; Ted Pilot went on to dental school (he inherited his father's dental practice, and is a endodentist (root canal specialist); Ed Archer still remains in Seattle, working for a tech company; and John Macko left Seattle in favor for Florida, where he owns a computer firm company. Kendall Bechtall formed his own band (ATOM) after the band's demise; Ken Mary became a touring drummer after the band's split, and is now a successful recording engineer and owns his own production business called Sonic Phish. Founding member James Byrd continued in the music scene as a solo artist.




Fifth Angel (1986)
1. In the Fallout
2. Shout it Out
3. Call Out the Warning
4. Fifth Angel
5. Wings of Destiny
6. The Night
7. Only the Strong Survive
8. Cry Out the Fools
9. Fade to Flames



Time Will Tell (1988)
1. Cathedral
2. Midnight Love
3. Seven Hours
4. Broken Dreams
5. Time Will Tell
6. Lights Out (UFO Cover)
7. Wait for Me
8. Angel of Mercy
9. We Rule
10. So Long
11. Feel the Heat

Death Metal

Yes, its been a while. Busy as hell. But I've been looking around, and in the process, I came up with an idea. Instead of having this post dedicated to one band, I figured to dedicate it to five bands. I figured that all these bands had too short discogs (some having just one album), so I figured to just loop them with other bands. Enjoy.

Crystal Age:
Swedish Death Metal band that featured bassist Fredrik Larsson, now of HammerFall. The former vocalist of Ceremonial Oath, Oscar Dronjak, started this band in 1993. In 1994 they recorded a cover of Metallica's "Damage Inc." for a tribute album titled Metal Militia, which was released in 1994. one year later, they released their debut Far Beyond Divine Horizons through Vic Records. Unfortunately, Fredrik joined HammerFall, which became his main priority, and the band was put to rest.

Discarnated:
A Death Metal band from Australia, apparently Christian themed. Not a whole lot known about these guys, though vocalist Robert Harm did go on to create the group Virgin Black after this band split. They released a promo/demo in 1992, and their debut (Deus Misereatur) was self-released a year later.

Dissect (Hol):
Brutual Death Metal from the Netherlands. They released a total of three demos (1991, 1992, and 1997) and one album in 1993 called Swallow Swouming Mass. If its of interest, after they broke up, all the members save for the bassists formed a Progressive Death Metal band called Xenomorph.

Doomstone:
I've heard them before, and they're a pretty good bunch. If Doom/Death Metal is your thing, you'll like these guys. They're not all that Doomy, its a bit sped up. During their time, all the band members had stage names, some of them very humorous. Two albums were released during their career, Those Whom Satan Hath Joined and Satanavoid. A compilation album featuring both albums was released in 2003. Two of Deceased's members were a part of this band: Vocalist/bassist/drummer Kingsley Fowley (Cross Turner Upside Downer) and Les Snyder (Keeper of the Brazilian Death Metal Albums). Grand Belial's Key's bassist Demonic was also in Doomstone, but at that time he was on the keyboards.

Magnus:
Another Death/Doom band, but these guys were from Texas. This band was an early group of Proscriptor McGovern (Russley Randel Givens) and Daviel Athron Mysticia (Dave Ward), who later went on to form Absu. Magnus never released a full album during their short-lived (six months) career, just an studio/live demo EP entitled Ruminations of Debauchery. It was later released on a compilation album by the same name by Elegy Records in 1997, and re-released on CD in 2003.




Far Beyond Divine Horizons (1995)
1. Act I: The Proclamation - Far Beyond Divine Horizons
2. Fortune and Glory
3. Act II: Being Lead Astray - The Beauty of Evil
4. Son of Time
5. WindWalker
6. Act III: Deities Overthrown - Crystals of the Wise
7. On Blooded Wings
8. Act IV: Rage of Vindication - Tempt Not Thy Maker
9. Star Destroyer
10. Act V: The Conclusion, The War Endeth - Retaliation



Deus Misereatur (1993)
1. Season of the Witch
2. Dancing Insane
3. Misery Guts
4. Gutted and Skinned
5. Black Cancer
5. Deus Misereatur
6. Violate the Grave



Swallow Swouming Mass (1993)
1. Vanished into the Void
2. Exterion Tumours
3. Gals of the Eternal Solstice
4. Z-Day
5. Presage to the Eternity
6. Swallow Swouming Mass
7. Pulsating Blood
8. Growls of Death
9. Spontaneous Diarhoea



Those Whom Satan Hath Joined (1993)
1. Doomstone/Transvection
2. Lord
3. Sores of the Wicked
4. Unholy Rosaries
5. Christian Burial
6. Possessed Cemeteries
7. Rosemary's Baby
8. Tales of Voodoo
9. The Twilight People
10. Twisted Priest
11. See You in Hell (Grim Reaper cover)
12. Those Whom Satan Hath Joined
13. Infestation, Obsession, Possession



Ruminations of Debauchery (1997)
1. Debauchery
2. Icons of Gods
3. Rumination (...of Nature)
4. The Magnus
5. Reflections of the Dark (Carbonized cover)
6. Hexacles (Outro)

X-mas Project

Merry Christmas everyone; can't say you didn't see this coming. =)

X-Mas Project was this little fun project in 1985 between some members of German Thrash/Speed Metal bands. In case the band's name isn't obvious enough, the band's songs are Christmas tunes, revamped in a Metal style.
The same year that the project began, an sampler EP (Bangin' Around the X-Mas Tree) was released and then the self-titled debut. Ten years later, with some line-up changes, the project returned with X-Mas Project Vol. 2. In 1998, a compilation of both albums was released.
The last known line-ups were
X-Mas Project:
Vocals:
Thorsten "Toto" Bergmann (Living Death, later in Sacred Chao)
Reent Fröhlich (Fact, Crossroads)
Peter "Peavy" Wagner (Rage (Ger), Avenger (Ger))
Sabina Classen (Holy Moses, later in Temple of the Absurd)

Guitars:
Axel Rudi Pell (ex-Tom Angelripper, Steeler (Ger))
Thomas Eder (Steeler (Ger))
Andy Classen (Holy Moses)
Frank Fricke (Living Death, Mekong Delta)
Reiner Kelch (Living Death, Mekong Delta)

Bass:
Martin Bork (Lion's Breed, Scanner)
Ralph "Björn Eklund" Hubert (Mekong Delta)

Drums:
Jörg Michael (Rage (Ger), Saxon, Stratovarius, Grave Digger, Running Wild, Mekong Delta,
Unleashed Power, Headhunter (Ger), ex-Avenger (Ger))

X-mas Project Vol. 2:
Vocals:
Andreas "Gerre" Geremia (Tankard)
Thorsten "Toto" Bergmann (Living Death, Sacred Chao)
Sabina Classen (Holy Moses, Temple of the Absurd)
Peter "Peavy" Wagner (Rage (Ger))

Vocals & Guitar:
Mike Tirelli (Messiah's Kiss, Burning Starr, Holy Mother)
Adrian Hahn (Capricorn (Ger), ex-Nemesis (Ger), Grinder (Ger))
Reiner Kelch (Mekong Delta, Living Death)

Guitar:
Frank Fricke (Mekong Delta, Living Death, U.D.O.)
Spike Francis (Holy Mother)
Axel Rudi Pell (ex-Tom Angelripper, Steeler (Ger), ex-Roland Grapow (Guest))
Thomas Eder (Steeler (Ger))

Bass:
Randy Coven (Ark, C.P.R., ex-Yngwie J. Malmsteen, MCM, ex-Holy Mother, ex-Riot, John Macaluso & Union Radio)
David (Capricorn (Ger))
Ralph "Björn Eklund" Hubert (Mekong Delta)
Martin Bork (Lion's Breed. Scanner)

Drums:
Jim Harris (Burning Starr, Holy Mother)
Stefan Arnold (Capricorn (Ger), Grave Digger, Wallop, Grinder (Ger))
Jörg Michael (Rage (Ger), Saxon, Stratovarius, Grave Digger, Running Wild, Mekong Delta,
Unleashed Power, Headhunter (Ger), ex-Avenger (Ger))




X-Mas Project (1995)
1. Mary's Little Boy Child
2. Jingle Bells
3. Leise Rieselt Der Schnee
4. Winter Wonderland
5. Oh, Tannenbaum
6. G.K.W. (Great King Wenzeslaw)
7. Silent Night, Holy Night
8. White Christmas
9. Alle Jahre Wieder



X-Mas Project Vol. 2 (1995)
1. Alle Jahre Wieder
2. Sleigh Ride
3. Run, Rudolph, Run
4. Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht
5. Christmas (Baby Come Home)
6. Rockin' Around the X-Mas Tree
7. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
8. The Christmas Song
9. Oh, Tannenbaum
10. Jingle Bells
11. Leise Rieselt Der Schnee
12. Silent Night, Holy Night
13. Mary's Little Boy Child

Neptune Towers

Been a while, I know; school is getting exciting and whatnot.

Anywho, there's not a whole lot of into on this group, aside from that it was a side-project started by Darkthrone's Fenriz in 1993. It was an Ambient project, a first for this blog. There was supposedly a third album planned, but Fenriz didn't like how it sounded, so it was never released.
If you're into some mind-drifting music, you'll enjoy this a lot.




Caravans to Empire Algol (1994)
1. Caravans to Empire Algol
2. The Arrival at Empire Algol



Transmissions From Empire Algol (1995)
1. First Communication. Mode: Direct
2. To Cold Void Desolation

Hexx (US)

I've been wanting to do these guys for a long while, but never got around to them.


Originated in 1978 in San Francisco, they were originally called Paradox, then later changed their name to Hexx in 1983. On their 1984 demo and their first album No Escape the line-up was Dan Watson on guitars, Dave Schmidt on drums, Bill Peterson on bass, and a guy going by the name Manzo on vocals. Manzo had a typical heavy/power metal vocal style; high-pitched and a big range, that sort of thing.
Unfortunately, Manzo didn't last too long, for he was replaced by Dan Bryant on their next album Under the Spell; they also recruited guitarist Clint Bower at this time. During those two years, they played a Power/Thrash style, leaning more towards Power; on their first album, Manzo's vocals fit perfectly; on their second, Bryant's vocals sounded like certain heavy metal vocalists going for a Thrash style, which is nicely done.

For some reason, Dan was ejected from the band, and Clint Bower became his replacement. A demo (dubbed 'Help Yourself') was recorded in 1987-88, which showed the band's style had changed once again, this time into a more Death/Thrash style. Two EPs were released, Quest for Sanity in 1988 and Watery Graves in 1990. Watery Graves featured the title track, which was one of the songs on Morbid Reality, as well as re-recorded versions of "Edge of Death" and "Under the Spell" .1991 saw the release of their final album, Morbid Reality, and as success had never followed the band no matter what style they played, they broke up sometime after it's release.

Fear not though, for a couple of the band members are still in the music business; Dan Bryant resurfaced sometime in 2004 in the band Hell n' Back (as lead vocalist of course), and Clint Bower is currently the guitarist for Death Metal bands Abscess and The Ravenous.


Demo '84 (1984)
1. Terror
2. Invader
3. The Other Side
4. Night of Pain
5. Live for the Night



No Escape (1984)
1. Terror
2. Invader
3. The Other Side
4. Look to the Sky
5. Beware the Darkness
6. Night of Pain
7. No Escape
8. Live for the Night
9. Fear No Evil



Under the Spell (1986)
1. Hell Riders
2. A Time of War
3. Edge of Death
4. The Victim
5. Under the Spell
6. Out For Control
7. Suicide
8. The Hexx
9. Fever Dream
10. Midnight Sun

Demo 1987 (1987)
1. Twice As Bright, Half As Long
2. Sardonicus
3. Fields of Death
4. Racial Slaughter
5. Mirror of the Past



Quest for Sanity (1988)
1. Twice As Bright, Half As Long
2. Fields of Death
3. Mirror of the Past
4. Racial Slaughter
5. Sardonicus



Watery Graves (1990)
1. Watery Graves
2. Edge of Death
3. Under the Spell



Morbid Reality (1991)
1. Morbid Reality
2. The Last Step
3. Birds of Prey
4. Blood Hunter
5. Fire Mushrooms
6. Persecution Experience
7. Watery Graves
8. Spider Jam

Mutilator (Bra)

I haven't updated this blog in two months, as I've been too busy with personal things and mainly busy with my other blog. I had a Mutilator album lying around, so I figured I'd make them the next band on The Well of Souls; hell, I really needed to have something that resembled an update.


The band started out in 1985 originally under the name Desaster; they later changed the name to Mutilator when Sílvio SDN (a roadie for Sepultura) was enlisted as their vocalist. The rest of the line-up was Ricardo Neves on guitars, Rodrigo Neves on drums, Kleber on bass, and Alexander "Magoo" on guitars. Their first two demos had more of a Death/Thrash sound to them, which changed to simply Thrash on their debut.
Cogumelo Records picked them up and had them record two songs for the split album Warfare Noise, released in 1986. Warfare Noise was a split album with 4 bands contributing to it, and alongside Mutilator, there were tracks by Chakal, and two more recognizable bands, Sarcófago, and Holocausto.

Silvio SDN departed from the band in 1987, which forced Kleber to take over vocals. They released Immortal Force the same year, and, as I said before, their style changed compared to their demos, as they switched from a Death/Thrash style to simply Thrash; some say it's still Death/Thrash, but it doesn't sound like it to me.

In 1988, the band underwent a completely different line-up, replacing the Neves brothers with Holocausto drummer Armando and MX guitarist CM. They released Into the Strange before splitting up.




Grave Desecreation (Demo) (1985)
1. Mutilator
2. Evil Conspiracy
3. Visions of Darkness



Immortal Force (1986)
1. Memorial Stone Without Name
2. Bloodstorm
3. Butcher
4. War Dogs
5. Mutilator
6. Brigade of Hate
7. Immortal Force
8. Tormented Soul
9. Paranoiac Command



Into the Strange (1988)
1. Raise the Strange (Instrumental)
2. Vanishing in the Haze
3. Greetings (to the Deads)
4. Lost Words
5. Fighting in the Past
6. Into the Strange
7. Five Minutes Beyond the Walls (Instrumental)
8. A Place to Go

Speed Metal Hell Compilations

Hello everyone! I'm not going to be doing a lot in terms of updating for a while, so I figure I'd upload an entire compilation set; no, not Metal Massacre, but close enough.

From 1985-1987, New Renissance Records released three compilation albums going under the name Speed Metal Hell. Each album features an array of different metal bands; some who didn't get far in their career (some only appearing on the corrisponding album) and most who did and are still around today.

If anyone has any information regarding the Unknown track in the Speed Metal Hell III compilation, let me know.



Speed Metal Hell Vol. I (1985)
1. Savage Grace - Master of Disguise
2. Medieval - World War Four
3. Attila - Lucifers Hammer
4. Shinning - Black Winged Snake
5. Battle Brat - Henchman
6. Artillery - Hey Woman
7. Savage Grace - Fear My Way
8. Midnight Vice - Vice Squad
9. Stiletto - Through the Night
10. At War - Eat Lead
11. Executioner - Victims of Evil
12. Whiplash - Thrash till Death



Speed Metal Hell Vol. II (1986)
1. At War - Rapechase
2. Mayhem - Loving Tribute/Burned Alive
3. Samhain - Plague of Messiah
4. Anvil Bitch - Neckbreaker
5. Savage Thrust - Crown of Thorns
6. Deaththrash - Buried Alive
7. Aggression - Metal Slaughter
8. Tempter - Don't Get Mad... Get Evil
9. Flotsam and Jetsam - Hammerhead
10. Wargod - Day of Atonement
11. Outrage - Cracks Under the Ice
12. Post Mortem - Ready to Die



Speed Metal Hell Vol. III (1987)
1. Papsmear - Die Killing
2. Wehrmacht - Night of Pain
3. Necropolis - Silent Scream
4. Dream Death - Method to Madness
5. Regurgitation - Pesticide
6. Necrophagia - Power thru Darkness
7. Unknown - Unlisted Track (?)
8. Blood Feast - The Suicidal Mission
9. Prong - Disbelief
10. Metal Onslaught - Primal Scream
11. The Kill - Kill or Be Killed