Normally I try to avoid unofficial releases of actual albums. I’m fine with picking up a live Led Zep record from a show in the in 1970s, but I wouldn’t buy some bootleg copy of Houses of the Holy. The former gives me access to something that the band themselves never put out. The latter […]
Category: Metal
Chainsaw – “Massacre” (1984)
I’ve written many times before that it’s often the cover of a record that makes me pick it up in the store, especially when I’m flipping through the used bins. In the case of Chainsaw’s record Massacre it wasn’t the front cover, but the back cover that really drew me in: There’s a lot to […]
Mötley Crüe – “Shout At The Devil” (1983)
I know there are a lot of people who don’t like blogs or reviews that contain a heavy dose of the writer’s personal experience. I get it – sometimes you just want the information. But Life In The Vinyl Lane is as much about my relationship to music as it is about the music itself. […]
Mayhem – “Dawn Of The Black Hearts” (1995 / 2023)
TRIGGER WARNING! Some parts of the Mayhem story are just plain awful. So here’s your chance to opt out. The story of the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem has been widely told, including being turned into a film called Lords of Chaos (starring Macaulay Culkin’s brother Rory, and Val Kilmer’s son Jack). The film was […]
“Speed Metal” Compilation (1987)
“Speed Metal” is the term used to describe a new form of heavy metal that has changed the course of this music. Herein lie the masters of this genre. So, strap yourself down and listen to some classic speed!(From the back cover of Speed Metal) Does speed metal even exist as a concept any more? […]