Equinox - Auf Wiedersehen (Live 1989)

3 Inces of Blood - Sect of the White Worm EP (2001)

3 Inches of Blood is a Canadian heavy metal band from in Vancouver, British Columbia, formed in 1999.The band was highly influenced by the bands involved with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their sound is also very thrash-influenced and contains major elements (namely, vocals) of early death metal and black metal bands. Before 3 Inches of Blood, members Cam Pipes and Justin Hagberg were in a black metal band named Allfather.
The group initially performed with only Jamie Hooper on vocals before the addition of Cam Pipes. Hooper, Sunny Dhak, and Bobby Froese got together to do a one-off reunion gig for an old group of theirs; however, things went so well they decided to continue under a new moniker. Pipes heard their demo EP at the house of Hot Hot Heat keyboardist Steve Bays, a longtime friend and former bandmate. He was originally asked to add some vocals to the band's already-recorded demo, Sect of the White Worm, and was welcomed as a permanent member after the results proved to the band's liking. Their debut album Battlecry Under a Wintersun was recorded in 2002 and released in cooperation with the Teenage Rampage and Fashion Before Function labels. It was later remastered and re-released by the band under their own label entitled Minion Music. This release went by almost unnoticed until the band's UK distribution label decided to put them on as a support slot for a tour with platinum rock band The Darkness. This exposure gained them much critical attention and acclaim in the world of underground metal, and they were signed up by major label subsidiary Roadrunner Records in 2004.
The bands over-the-top lyrical style and high-pitched Rob Halford-esque vocals, combined with the appearance of some band members in their first photo shoot after signing for Roadrunner Records (which owed more to modern pop punk fashion and clothing labels such as Atticus) has led some to dub them as a parody of the classic heavy metal acts they claim to seek to give tribute to. When questioned on this, vocalist Cam Pipes gave the following statement: "Just because we're a bunch of young guys singing about the greatness of heavy metal doesn't mean we're some joke band." More recently the band have been seen to dress more in the fashion one would expect of a heavy metal band (see Heavy metal fashion). This is most likely down to the individual choice of the new band members that have joined 3 Inches of Blood on tour, none of whom appeared in the promo photos for Advance and Vanquish.
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. Onward to Valhalla, 2. Screams of Despair That Stain the Ice, 3. Conquerers of the Northern Sphere, 4. Tonight We Rejoice, 5. The Sun Rises Over the Fjords.
Download (15 Mb): Rapidshare

3 Inches of Blood / 3IoB @ Myspace / 3IoB @ Wikipedia

Mötley Crüe - Looks That Kill (1984)

One of the first music videos I can remember seeing - and to this day both my favorite video and one of my all time favorite hair metal bands!

Mastodon - Crack the Skye [Score] (2009)

Mastodon's fourth album "Crack the Skye" was released on March 24, 2009 as a normal version and a deluxe version (which includes all songs in instrumental versions as well as their normal versions). The album is produced by Brendan O'Brien and Scott Kelly of Neurosis returns as a guest musician on the title-track. While the lyrics have been reported to explore topics relating to Czarist Russia, the band has denied the album is about Grigori Rasputin. These rumors started after a drawing of Rasputin was featured in merchandise. The band had debuted three new tracks at the Bonnaroo Music Festival, but did not play anymore live before the album's release, due to fears of internet distribution and wanting to play the songs to the right audience. In a MusicRadar interview, guitarist Bill Kelliher confirmed the album is about an "out of body experience," and looks at the concepts of astral travel, wormholes, Stephen Hawking's theories and the spiritual realm. Drummer Brann Dailor has a section of vocals on the song "Oblivion" following the intro and chorus. The band has announced they will play the album in its entirety incorporating a stage show on their upcoming tour.
Mastodon is a Grammy-nominated heavy metal band and are one of the most notable bands in the New Wave of American Heavy Metal. They formed in 1999 in Atlanta, Georgia by Brann Dailor, Bill Kelliher, Troy Sanders, Brent Hinds and original vocalist Eric Saner. They have released four full-length albums and have toured worldwide, achieving increased album sales and an ever expanding fan base with each new release.
Mastodon was formed in late 1999 when drummer Brann Dailor and guitarist Bill Kelliher moved to Atlanta and met bassist/singer Troy Sanders and guitarist/singer Brent Hinds at a High on Fire show. They discovered they had a mutual appreciation of sludge metal bands Melvins and Neurosis and '70s hard-rockers Thin Lizzy, and shortly thereafter formed Mastodon.
They recorded a demo in 2000, which featured the band's first lead singer, Eric Saner on vocals.[10] Saner left the band for personal reasons after just a couple of months. After recording a four song demo and a 7-inch picture disc through Reptilian Records, Mastodon landed a record deal with Relapse Records in 2001.[10] They released an EP, Lifesblood in 2001 and their first full-length album, Remission, was released in 2002, with the single "March of the Fire Ants."[10] (which also featured on Tony Hawk's Underground) On the first three of Mastodon's full-length albums, the last track of each relates to the Elephant Man.
Mastodon has gained additional mainstream exposure with the explosion of rhythm-based home video games. "Sleeping Giant" was made available as a downloadable song for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, and "Colony of Birchmen" was included on Harmonix's Rock Band 2. "Blood and Thunder" will also be part of Guitar Hero: Metallica. Mastodon also contributed a cover version of Harry Nilsson's "One" for the video game Army of Two's advertisement campaign. The band members are fans of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and in 2007, Mastodon performed the opening song of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, "Cut You Up with a Linoleum Knife".
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. Oblivion, 2. Divinations, 3. Quintessence, 4. The Czar (I. Unsurper, II. Escape, III. Martyr, IV. Spiral), 5. Ghost of Karelia, 6. Crack the Skye, 7. The Last Baron.
Download (110 Mb): Megaupload

Mastodon Website / Mastodon @ MySpace / Mastodon @ Wikipedia / Crack the Skye @ Wikipedia

Mastodon & Thin Lizzy - Emerald (2009)

Mastodon's Bill Kelliher & Brent Hinds performs the amazing 'Emerald' with Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham at Gibson Studios, London UK.

Body Count - Body Count (1992)

"Body Count is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1990. The group was founded by Ice-T, best known for his contributions to the hip hop genre. Ice-T founded the group out of his interest in heavy metal, and took on the role of vocalist for the group, writing the lyrics for most of the group's songs, while the music was written by lead guitarist Ernie C.
Body Count is the eponymous debut album of American heavy metal band Body Count. "Cop Killer" was originally intended to be the album's title, as evidenced by the tattoo on the original cover. Released on Sire Records in 1992, the album material focuses on various social and political issues ranging from police brutality to drug abuse. The album presents a turning point in the career of Ice-T, who co-wrote the album's songs with lead guitarist Ernie C and performed as the band's lead singer. Previously known only as a rapper, Ice-T's work with the band helped establish a crossover audience with rock music fans. The album produced one single, "There Goes the Neighborhood."
Body Count is best known for the inclusion of the controversial song "Cop Killer," which was the subject of much criticism from various political figures, although many defended the song on the basis of the group's right to freedom of speech. Ice-T eventually chose to remove the song from the album, although it continues to be performed live. Although the album received mixed reviews, it was ranked among the Village Voice's list of the 40 Best Albums of 1992, and is believed to have helped pave the way for the mainstream success of the rapcore genre, although the album itself does not feature rapping in any of its songs.
The album encountered controversy before its original release. It was originally set to be distributed under the title Cop Killer, named for the song of the same name, which criticizes violent police officers, and was interpreted as an attack against the entire police force. At a Time-Warner shareholders' meeting, actor Charlton Heston stood and read lyrics from the song "KKK Bitch" to an astonished audience and demanded that the company take action. Sire responded by changing the title to Body Count, but did not remove the song. In an article for the Washington Post, Tipper Gore condemned Ice T for songs like "Cop Killer," writing that "Cultural economics were a poor excuse for the South's continuation of slavery. Ice-T's financial success cannot excuse the vileness of his message [...] Hitler's anti-Semitism sold in Nazi Germany. That didn't make it right." The Dallas Police Association and the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas launched a campaign to force Warner Bros. Records to withdraw the album. CLEAT called for a boycott of all products by Time-Warmer in order to secure the removal of the song and album from stores. Within a week, they were joined by police organizations across the United States. Ice T asserted that the song was written from the point of view of a fictional character, and told reporters that "I ain't never killed no cop. I felt like it a lot of times. But I never did it. If you believe that I'm a cop killer, you believe David Bowie is an astronaut," in reference to Bowie's song "Space Oddity".
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. Smoked Pork, 2. Body Count's In the House, 3. Now Sports, 4. Body Count, 5. A Statistic, 6. Bowels of the Devil, 7. The Real Problem, 8. KKK Bitch, 9. C Note, 10. Voodoo, 11. The Winner Loses, 12. There Goes the Neighborhood, 13. Oprah, 14. Evil Dick, 15. Body Count Anthem, 16. Momma's Gotta Die Tonight, 17. Out In the Parking Lot, 18. Cop Killer.
Download (110 Mb): Megaupload/Rapidshare

BodyCount.com / Body Count @ Myspace / Body Count @ Wikipedia / Body Count (album) @ Wikipedia / Cop Killer (song) @ Wikipedia

Mötley Crüe - Saints of Los Angeles preview @ Amazon.com

Amazon.com just made my day! As a fanatic Mötley Crüe fan I nearly wet my pants when I found out that Amazon has put up previews of all 13 tracks of their coming masterpiece "Saints of Los Angeles". The Crüe has been one of my favorite bands since I was 12 years old - I can't help it :)
Listen to the previews HERE!

"Mötley Crüe (IPA pronunciation: /'mɒtli kru/) is an American glam metal/heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981.
The band was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx (who was, at the time, in a band called London) and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars (whom Sixx first met at a liquor store, before they met again through a classified ad) and singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 72 million album copies worldwide, including 25 million copies in the US alone. The band has often been noted for their hard-living lifestyles; all members have had numerous brushes with the law, spent time in jail, suffered long addictions to alcohol and drugs, had countless escapades with women, and are heavily tattooed. Their ninth studio album entitled Saints of Los Angeles is due to be released on June 17, 2008, while a film adaptation of their best-selling band autobiography The Dirt, is due to be released sometime in 2009".
Source: Wikipedia

Mötley Crüe / Mötley Crüe @ MySpace / Mötley Crüe @ Wikipedia

Vio-Lence - Oppressing the Masses (1990)

For all you metal heads and Machine Head fans out there, here's a hard to find album by Vio-Lence featuring both Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel on guitars.
"Vio-Lence was a thrash metal band formed in 1985, that released a few demo tapes, one EP and 3 LPs between 1985 and 1993.
After establishing a secure line-up with Phil Demmel and Robb Flynn on guitars, Dean Dell on bass, Perry Strickland on drums and Sean Killian on vocals, they released a demo tape on Mechanic Records in 1986 .
Soon after releasing their demo tape they entered the studio to record their debut album, called Eternal Nightmare, a seven track album released in 1988. Eternal Nightmare suffered in lack of promotion despite being well accepted by the (thrash) audience and critics.
Together with the band Forbidden, they were labelled the new promises of bay area thrash and in 1989 they struck a deal with Megaforce Records to release their second album, titled Oppressing the Masses. Around that time, Perry Strickland substituted Tom Hunting of Exodus, yet only for a few shows, denying the possibility of staying permanently.
Finally in 1990, Oppressing the Masses was launched on Megaforce Records with better distribution and marketing than their debut, Eternal Nightmare. A video for the song "World in a World" has also been filmed.
In 1991 they released an EP bearing the name Torture Tactics, which included three studio songs (old songs from the demo era which were recorded during the Oppressing The Masses sessions) and one live track from the Oppressing The Masses tour.
Internal conflicts in 1992 resulted in Robb Flynn's departure from the band. He, along with Adam Duce, Logan Mader and Tony Constanza formed the seminal groove metal band Machine Head. Vio-Lence started to record their third and last studio album aptly titled Nothing to Gain, which was released in 1993 and was followed by Perry Strickland's departure, the result of the drummer's decision being the dissolution of the band.
Phil Demmel, Dean Dell, Ray Vega and Mark Hernandez formed a half-thrash band called Torque which disbanded after releasing a studio album and playing several live shows. Demmel then went to form Technocracy. Robb Flynn remains active in the metal community as the guitarist and singer of Machine Head. Phil Demmel is now in Machine Head and has been since before the release of Through the Ashes of Empires".
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. I Profit, 2. Officer Nice, 3. Subterfuge, 4. Engulfed By Flames, 5. World In a World, 6. Mentally Afflicted, 7. Liquid Courage, 8. Oppressing the Masses.
Download (95 Mb): MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Vio-Lence Official Site / Vio-Lence @ Wikipedia

Saint Vitus - Born Too Late (1987)

"Saint Vitus is known as one of the first doom metal bands, starting out as early as the late 1970s. The band first used the name Tyrant, with Scott Reagers (vocals), Dave Chandler (guitar), Mark Adams (bass), and Armando Costa (drums), but soon changed their name to Saint Vitus. Their main influences were Black Sabbath and Pentagram.
Under this line-up Saint Vitus recorded 2 albums (Saint Vitus & Hallow's Victim) and an EP (The Walking Dead). After The Walking Dead Reagers left the band and was replaced by The Obsessed frontman Scott "Wino" Weinrich (at this time, The Obsessed had only released one 7"). Wino recorded three studio albums (Born Too Late, Mournful Cries & V), a live album (Live), and an EP (Thirsty and Miserable, featuring the Black Flag cover of the same name) with Vitus. He left the band in 1991 to reform The Obsessed after Vitus's label, Hellhound Records, released an album of older Obsessed recordings. Christian Lindersson (of Count Raven) left his band to fill in on vocals. He would record only one album, C.O.D. before being replaced by original Vitus vocalist, Scott Reagers. Reagers recorded vocals for the band's final album, Die Healing."
"Born Too Late is the third album by the American doom metal/stoner metal band Saint Vitus, which was released in 1987. This was the first Saint Vitus album featuring former Obsessed singer Scott "Wino" Weinrich. All the songs except "The War Starter" are featured on the compilation album Heavier Than Thou.
In 1990, SST released Born Too Late on CD and included the Thirsty and Miserable EP tracks. "Thirsty and Miserable" is a Black Flag cover."
Source: Wikipedia

Tracklist: 1. Born Too Late, 2. Clear Windowpane, 3. Dying Inside, 4. H.A.A.G., 5. The Lost Feeling, 6. The War Starter, 7. Thirsty and Miserable, 8. Look Behind You, 9. The End of the End.
Download (65 MB): MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Equinox - Skrell EP, Nuh! EP & Live @ Blitz '89

Here's the rest of what I was able to dig up from the Norwegian thrash kings Equinox - the two EP's "Skrell" & "Nuh!", and a live recording from Blitz in Oslo, Norway, October 13th 1989. Don't miss the chance to get these legendary albums - they aren't available anywhere else! Huge thanks to NXP for helping me out with these!
"Equinox is a thrash metal band from Fredrikstad, Norway that started in 1987. The initial band members were Grim Stene (guitar/vocals), Ragnar 'Raggen' Westin (drums) and Skule Stene (bass) who were all ex-Rebellion members. In 1988 Tommy Skarning joined as a second guitarist".
Source: Wikipedia

Equinox - Skrell EP (1990)(21 MB): 1. Skrell, 2. Loven slår (Hærverk), 3. Too Drunk to Fuck (Dead Kennedys).
Download: MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Equinox - Nuh! EP (1992)(32 MB): 1. Nuh, 2. Let There Be Rock (AC/DC), 3. Drug Me (Dead Kennedys), 4. Succumb to the Law.
Download: MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Equinox - Live @ Blitz, Oslo 13.10.1989 (84 MB): 1. Lost Control, 2. Stop!, 3. Auf Wiedersehen, 4. Realm of Darkness, 5. Pharaoh Dance, 6. Dead By Dawn, 7. Too Drunk to Fuck, 8. Let There Be Rock, 9. House of Wonders, 10. The Floating Man, 11. Inner Self, 12. The King.
Download: MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Equinox @ Myspace

Equinox - Labyrinth (1994)

And here's Equinox' fourth and final studio album!
"Equinox's fourth and last disc is a bit more experimental than any of their other discs, although no less heavy and menacing. To label this disc is almost criminal, but if I had to I would say it was progressive thrash metal. Because of this fact, and the fact that I enjoyed this disc so much on the very first listen, I thought I'd do one of those track by track descriptions. "Sandlove" starts things off in traditional Equinox fashion; a fast and brutally heavy thrash song. "Time Again" slows things down a bit, but only the tempo, not the intensity level. This song is a slow, heavy, doom metal track with a ton of muscle and bite! "But" picks things back up with yet another fast and heavy thrash track. "Angst" begins the more experimental tracks. This song experiments with mixing some smooth jazz like guitar playing with some heavier grooves. This track reminds me a bit of something Voivod might have written. A bizarre but cool song. The title track continues in the Voivod, experimental mode. 'Labyrinth' is dynamic and super technical with tons of rhythm changes. The intro to the song features some smokin' bass work from founder Skule Stene. The majority of this song is heavy but right in the middle of the song there is this cool flamenco-like acoustic guitar solo. "Lies" slows things down again, with some more experimentation with some mellower, clean guitar parts, some heavier mid-paced guitar riffing and an occasional fast mosh rhythm. "Hope Is Green" returns back to the more traditional Euquinox thrash-groove mode. This song has a killer riff that once again reminds me of something Voivod might do. "Poor Kelly" is a clean, almost ballad like song; although ballad is really the wrong word to describe this song as thoughts of Winger and Warrant may pop up. This song, however, has more of an atmospheric, jazzy quality with the vocals almost coming across as a tribal chant, rather than some sugary ballad. The lyrical theme on this song borders Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" which is a pretty bizarre theme for a ballad. "Catharsis" is a speed metal instrumental that sounds a bit more like other Equinox discs. "Dedicated" is freaky! This song starts off as an acoustic song, yet it's a thrash song at the same time. Picture a Ventures riff played at full speed on an acoustic guitar and this will give you an idea of the opening few measures of this song. The song picks up into a full throttle metal number but returns to the acoustic part in some other parts. This song rules! Can't say that I have ever heard an acoustic guitar come across so heavy. "Millennium" resumes the roller coaster ride and returns to the heavier mid-to-fast paced groove, once again retaining a sort of Voivod-Dimension Hatross/Nothingface vibe. This song also features some fast double bass work by drummer Jorn Wangsholm. Lastly we are given an acoustic version of the first song off the band's debut 'Auf Weidershehen', which serves as sort of an album outro and a fitting end to the band's four album career. Overall, while this album is not the pure thrash assault that was "Auf Wiedersehen" or even "Xerox Success ," it's still an excellent CD, especially for those who enjoy more experimental metal bands like Voivod".
Source: No Life 'til Metal

Tracklist: 1. Sandlove, 2. Time Again, 3. But, 4. Angst, 5. Lies, 6. Labyrinth, 7. Hope Is Green, 8. Poor Kelly, 9. Catharsis, 10. Dedicated, 11. Millennium, 12. Stop!
Download: MegaUpload

Equinox @ Myspace

Equinox - Xerox Success (1991)

"Equinox play a brand of thrash born and bred in bands like Testament, Metallica and Exodus. Despite the fact that they are from Norway, which is much closer to German bands like Kreator and Destruction, Equinox's roots are most assuredly in the American Bay Area thrash movement. This being the case, I was immediately hooked on this disc. I can't get enough of that style. The blend of heavy, fast riffing and catchy, hook laden song writing is undeniable. 'Xerox Success' was the band's third disc and undeniably should have sold like gangbusters in '91 when this style of music still was doing well. Obviously the band had poor marketing or poor label support because this cd is practically unheard of. Too bad 'cause songs like "Souls At Zero," "Lost Control," "Now!" and "My Sweet TV" are great technical thrash songs. There is one stinker on this disc, however, in the bizarre song "Jabbermouth." Perhaps this was suppose to be a joke song, but I don't get it. Mosh it up!"
Source: No Life 'til Metal

Tracklist: 1. Xerox Success, 2. Souls At Zero, 3. Lost Control, 4. Jabbermouth, 5. My Sweet TV, 6. Now!, 7. Slave to the Whim, 8. Nothing At All, 9. Damned, 10. Succumb to the Law.
Download: MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Equinox @ Myspace

Equinox - The Way to Go (1990)

"Equinox's sophomore release continues in the same aggressive thrash metal mode as their first album, only slightly more technical. "The Way To Go" is every bit as good as their first album, and as with that album I cannot understand why they didn't become underground metal heroes. The production is stepped up a bit from the debut as well, being a bit more clear, yet not losing a bit of the aggression. Unlike the band's debut, which was more concerned with speed and aggression, I think the songs begin to have a more immediate hook. Songs like "Godamadog", "Flower Power" and opener "Fine By Me" had me banging my head almost immediately".
Source: No Life 'til Metal

Tracklist: 1. Fine By Me, 2. Inner Self, 3. Skrell, 4. Godamadog, 5. Quest For Fire, 6. Conveyer of Truth, 7. Flower Power, 8. What It Is Worth.
Download: MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Equinox @ Myspace

Equinox - Auf Wiedersehen (1989)

My shortlived quest to get my hands on the complete discography of the Norwegian metal band Equinox (1988-94) has come to an end, and starting today with their 1989 debut "Auf Wiedersehen" I'll be sharing all my findings with you all. All of their albums are currently out of print and impossible to buy, and the record company (RCA/BMG) probably never will reissue these albums either. Huge thanks to NXP and TCH for helping me get these treasures!
"After making a very good performance in the Norwegian equivalent of Battle of the Bands in 1988, the band went ahead and played the length of norway for the next five years. Anyone interested in geography and a fair knowledge of Norwegian climate and winter roads will nod knowingly, and mutter "wow, that's impressive". For the rest of you, who couldnt care less, Norway is that long stretch of coastline fending of winter hurricanes for the Swedes, making Swedish climate relatively pleasent, and enabling swedish bands to survive long enough to enter the international arena.
After recording and releasing the latest album (Labyrinth) during the year of the Lillehammer Winter Olympics, surviving band members agreed to take some time off to pursue other, less strenous, interests and to convene at a later stage when climate and times were more relaxed.
The music draws influences form early Metallica, AC/DC, Motorhead, Led Zeppelin, Voivod without making it obvious. Music is written out of what the artist experiences and aquires from his surrounding. The band themselves were always reluctant to ever cathegorize its music, but the term "Progressive Thrash" was probably the most non-committent term that anyone could agree on."
Source: Norwegian Bandindex

"One of the hidden gems of thrash metal without a doubt. I can't imagine why these guys weren't much more well know than they are. In 1989 thrash was all the rage, and certainly "Auf Weidersehen" is a thrash metal assault that would have any denim and leather clad headbanger pumping his fist and moshing around in circles. After a short acoustic intro, from song one to song nine, the intensity never lets up. "Auf Weidersehen" is thrash metal in the purest sense of the word. While the songs are fast and furious, there is also careful attention paid to technical song craft, although not overly technical, and good production. Think on the lines of Believer's "Extraction From Mortality" or Kreator's "Terrible Certainty". The lyrics unfortunately seem to be a bit dark and cliché, although the vocals are sung in such a way that the actual words are not as important as the intensity of the delivery. Overall, as I said, Equinox are one of the hidden gems of the second wave of thrash metal. "Stop!", minus the acoustic intro, was re-recorded as an acoustic track for the band's final album "Labyrinth"."
Source: No Life 'til Metal

Tracklist: 1. Stop!, 2. Auf Wiedersehen, 3. The King, 4. Pharaoh Dance, 5. Violins, 6. The Floating Man, 7. House of Wonders, 8. Realm of Darkness, 9. Dead By Dawn.
Download: MegaUpload / Rapidshare

Equinox @ Myspace

Request: Equinox - Auf Wiedersehen, The Way to Go & Skrell EP

When all other options fail I'm forced to make a request on my own blog; Does anyone out there own the albums Auf Wiedersehen, The Way to Go & Skrell EP by the Norwegian metal band Equinox?
I really need to get at least a digital copy of these! I thought I still had these albums on cassette, but they've gotten lost along the way. So if you have these - and maybe their other two albums - please contact me.

LiveMetallica.com

After their battle with Napster our friends in Metallica now does anything to please their fans - except releasing good new material... but the live shows from the good old days still sound great!
Over at LiveMetallica.com - their webstore for official live recordings - they offer tons of shows for download. While most of them only are available for buying, they currently offer 17 shows from 1982-2003 as free downloads.

Some of the highlights:
18.10.1982 Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA
18.12.1983 Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
15.03.1985 Kabuki Theater, San Francisco, CA
24.05.1986 Arena Building, Cape Girardeau, MO
29.07.1986 UTC Arena, Chattanooga, TN
21.09.1986 Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK

You'll have to register - free - to download the shows.

3 Inches of Blood - Goatriders Horde (Sneek Peek)

3 Inches of Blood - Sect of the White Worm EP (2001)

The Canadian metal band 3 Inches of Blood formed in 2000 in Vancouver, initially performing with only Jamie Hooper on vocals, before the addition of Cam Pipes. Pipes was initially asked to add a some vocals to the band's already recorded demo EP and was welcomed as a permanent member after the results proved to the band's liking.
Their debut album 'Battlecry Under a Winter Sun' was recorded in 2002 on the Teenage Rampage label. This release went by almost unnoticed until the band's UK distribution label decided to put them on as a support slot for a tour with platinum rock band The Darkness. This exposure gained them much critical attention and acclaim in the world of underground metal, and they were signed up by big-label subsidiary Roadrunner Records in 2004.
In 2004, original drummer Geoff Trawick and bassist brother Rich left the band. Matt Wood of Vancouver doom/sludge/noise band Goatsblood, and Brian Redman replaced them. Original guitarists, Sunny Dhak and Bobby Froese left the band shortly after recording in around July of 2004. They were replaced by Justin Hagberg and Shane Clark. Roadrunner put out an advertising blitz, and the track 'Deadly Sinners' from the band's sophomore release 'Advance and Vanquish' appeared on numerous sampler CDs, compilations and even a video game (Tony Hawk's Underground 2) creating a huge press hype for the band that caused their popularity to skyrocket, with a slot on 2005's Road Rage tour gaining them many new fans.
The bands over-the-top lyrical style and high-pitched, Rob Halford-esque vocals, combined with their appearance in official photos, which owes more to modern pop punk fashion and clothing labels such as Atticus, have lead some to dub them as a parody of the classic heavy metal acts they claim to seek to give tribute to. When questioned on this, vocalist Cam Pipes gave the following statement: "Just because we're a bunch of young guys singing about the greatness of heavy metal doesn't mean we're some joke band." Interestingly, when performing live, the band dresses far more in the manner you would expect of a heavy metal band (see Heavy Metal fashion). This is most likely down to the individual choice of the new band members that have joined 3 Inches of Blood on tour, none of whom appeared in the promo photos for Advance and Vanquish.
The band has occasionally (and erroneously) been labelled as a metalcore band. In fact, the band draws far more influence from pre-1985 heavy metal such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and other members of the N.W.O.B.H.M. In fact, one of the main tenets of the band's philosophy is that of a reaction to the contemporary popularity of genres such as nu-metal, metalcore and screamo. It is ironic then, that the label to which they are signed is one of the biggest for these genres. This is probably best summed-up in the words of vocalist, Jamie Hooper:
"We're kind of in a weird position, considering the more modern leaning line-up of that label," says Hooper. "We're nu-metal's greatest enemies, so it's a weird juxtaposition for us. But let's just say that we fit in very well with their back catalogue - Annihilator, Pestilence, King Diamond, Suffocation. We're very pleased to be a part of that."
There is often confusion over which of the band's two vocalists performs each style of singing: Cam Pipes sings in falsetto style and Jamie Hooper provides the metalcore-style screams.
Source: Wikipedia

'Sect of the White Worm' is the first, self-released, demo EP by 3 Inches of Blood. It was released in April 2001. Their new album, 'Fire Up the Blades' (produced by Joey Jordison of Slipknot), will be released on June 26th.

Tracklist: 1. Onward to Valhalla, 2. Bloody Screams of Despair That Stain the Ice, 3. Conquerers of the Northern Sphere, 4. Tonight We Rejoice, 5. The Sun Rises Over the Fjords.

Download - MegaUpload
Download - Rapidshare

King Diamond - New song available for free download

A brand new King Diamond song, entitled 'Never Ending Hill', is available for free download at the Download Punk website. The track comes off the group's long-awaited new album, 'Give Me Your Soul... Please', which will be released in North America on June 26 via Metal Blade Records. Massacre Records will issue the album in Germany on June 29.
Revolver magazine recently reported that King Diamond's new album was inspired by a painting called 'My Mother's Eyes' which the band's distributor in Denmark stumbled across while surfing the net (and which Diamond has since bought for the new CD cover).
The more Diamond looked at the image of a battered blond girl with blood covering her white dress, holding out palms affixed with protruding eyeballs, the more it captivated and inspired him. 'I can feel the energy of the front cover in all the songs we wrote, and it will definitely affect my lyrics,' he promised.
King Diamond guitarist Andy La Rocque recently returned home to Sweden after 'a very heavy and intense mixing session' in Dallas, Texas with King Diamond on 'Give Me Your Soul... Please'. 'It's definitely the best songs and production we've had in years!' Andy told Blabbermouth.net. 'A rollercoaster of atmospheres and horror is a good way of describing' the new CD.
Source: Blabbermouth

Tracklist:
1. The Dead
2. Never Ending Hill
3. Is Anybody Here?
4. Black of Night
5. Mirror, Mirror
6. The Cellar
7. Pictures In Red
8. Gimme Your Soul
9. The Floating Head
10. Cold as Ice
11. Shapes of Black
12. The Girl in The Bloody Dress
13. Moving On

Download 'Never Ending Hill' here!

Trivium - The Rising (2007)

Trivium's brand new video for 'The Rising' of their latest album 'The Crusade'.