Isn’t blogging a nice thing? I just had posted my want list on the main page, when I received an email, offering me some original demo tapes. Thanks so much Dave! And now I’m passing one of the pearls onto you.
I was living in a shitplace myself, out of time, out of place, when in 1984, I ordered the second MEDIEVAL demo after I had heard the band’s immense theme song on “Metal Massacre IV”. One must say that this was and is the sound of the province, in a good sense. Dirty, raw, simple and with an original twist. I could relate to the songs immediately. Sure, my bike was a only a small moped and back then, it took one beer to knock me off my socks. But hell, MEDIEVAL with their regular guy looks and kinda laid back force, roaring like a heavy machine, were the shit!
Unfortunately, over the years I had lost or given away many of my original tapes, among them was this babe (I kept the 2nd one and the Mini-LP). So bloody happy I got this back after 20 years!!!
Although MEDIEVAL became notorious for a very sludgy, doomy sound (Bob M. of “Kick Ass” called it “Sludge Metal”) when they released the Mini-LP and the LP, this demo still has much of a Punk’s drive. Great uptempo parts mixed with crushing molten metal (haha) and perfect vocals. What is especially great is the overall 70s feeling and the bluesy bits and parts – that’s the way I wanna roll my rock and I will be damned if some of you out there won’t fall in love with this Motörheadian bikers soundtrack. Grab a beer, light a fag and enjoy! And pay the band a visit! They have a great website there with audio files and all.
Hell is full.mp3
All Knobs to the Right.mp3
Black Assasssin.mp3
All I got.mp3
Burnt Fuck
Blood and Anger
World War IV.mp3
I can’t leave you without this (from the first demo, appeared on “Metal Massacre IV”, where I ripped it from):
26 Comments
thank you for this. the best metal band that i have heard so far!!!! very very very crunchy guitar and a great vocalist. i’m very impressed! is the 12″ that is currently on ebay any good?
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I wouldn’t call this “Metal”. It’s just very raw music. And very very great! Congratulations on yet another essential dug up!!
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yes YES YESSSSSSSS!!!!!! post the lp!!!!
the 12″ on ebay is very good. buy it!!
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Sounds like good shit but it seems there’s some (temporary?) problem with your server or something so I can’t literally listen to the tracks. I assume you know about this so will try again later.
Meanwhile:
http://medieval-kills.com/images/FauxpasRocks5.JPG
Nice shirt. Very metal.
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seems to be working now. after one track it’s safe to say this is some of the best metal i ever heard!
PP
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Excellent post! I remember reading about these dudes in Kick Ass magazine or Sledgehammer Press long ago. Never did get around to ordering the tape.
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this is so great! i guess if the guys would have released the records just a little later and on a bigger label they would have gained much more popularity. massive, impressive, phantastic!
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All Knobs to the Right!! Could have been a song written by BAD NEWS!!! I´m down on the floor like Gregor Samsa, laughing hysterical!! Good comedy…. Is it about placing the tackle?
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A really great one, as a hc/noise maniac i really appreaciate that kind of metal (if that’s what it is…)
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Do NOT pay attention to the description of this band as “sludge metal”!!! I never picked up anything by ‘em back in the 80′s because of it and am sorry now. This is just GREAT METAL period. There is nothing slow or boring about these bastards at all. 1st rate metal/punks!
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Killer band!!!!They were a huge influence for me to start my own band in the 80′s.I listened to my Medeval kills tape for about 15 years and finally in 2002 my band at the time did a cover of “the Plague” check it out at http://www.myspace.com/subsanity
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I have this demotape and its one of my favourite, very underrated nwobhm/doom band. I need the first casette album really bad. Someone has it??
unfortunately the new song Old School isnt so promising….
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NWOBHM? Doom? You oughta be kidding.
I’ll rip and post the first one someday soon.
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Hmm, ok a bit too fast for doom. But it reminds me bit of Witchfinder General.
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Dennis! C’mon! Witchfinder General – what are you talking about?!
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Bob RIP
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Thanks, Pär, for mentioning Bob Muldowney. As you said, he died recently. Hell’s getting a better place now. Read more here: http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=30457
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what’s so wrong comparing medieval to doom/nwobhm.you write like if I compared cher to witchfinder general.
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Thanx a bunch for putting up these old tapes I missed out on the 1st time around; I was looking for these
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When I donwloaded it, the name of the tracks “Black Assassin” and “All I Got” were switched in the files, I don’t know if you fixed it.
One of my favorite demos ever! And personally I think that the songs “All Knobs To The Right” and “Blood And Anger” have a NWOBHM thing going on, in the vein of Tank. Also, World War IV remionded me of Venom, who you can call a NOWBHM band.
I guess the Witchfinder General thing that someone thought he heard is something the vocalist does mainly in “Blood And Anger” that sort of reminded me of Witchfinder’s rocking songs like “No Stayer”, but I wouldn’t name them as reference to describe Medieval’s sound.
Am I the only one who thinks that “Black Assassin” sounds a bit like Slaughter (Can) (the slower tracks, like Incinerator) and early Blacktask? And “Hell Is Full” also reminded me of the metal bulldozer style of bands like Black Death from Cleveland.
Such a fuckin’ great demo, one of my favorites ever!!!!
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“all knobs to the right has become a weird hit in my house… even my roomates who don’t listen to metal love it and one of them uses the title for a refrain in a rap song that he wrote… strange days, indeed… but I love that bands that might have been forgotten are getting another go due to peole with good taste and internet space. thanks,
alex.
ps. this shit rules.
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blood and anger is right now my number 1 song. i just love it!
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Very nice! Thanks!
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Holy crap! awesome demo!
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You know, I remember when this came out, and a tape trading friend of mine bought the demo or got a dupe of it. To us at the time, sludge metal was a perfect description, we loved it. Listening to it again now, it’s just so much goddamn fun, it makes me want to slam against the walls in my garage. These guys truly captured an energy and spirit that you can still hear loud and clear, while being way catchier than it has any right to be. Metal? Punk? Garage Rock? I prefer the genre that these .mp3s are tagged with: “Go Fuck Yourself!” Many thanks for putting them up.
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>>shreds so hard<<
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