SLAYER "SOUTH OF HEAVEN" ALBUM AD (RIP MAGAZINE #10, 1988)

 

IRON MAIDEN (TRAMPLED DOWN UNDER #4, 1985)

 

TYPE O NEGATIVE "SLOW, DEEP AND HARD" ALBUM AD (1991)

 

BIFF BYFORD ABOUT THE "STRONG ARM OF THE LAW" ALBUM (SWEDEN ROCK MAGAZINE #10, 2022)

Sweden Rock Magazine is a still very much active Metal Magazine from Sweden, written in Swedish. But here is an interview translated to English.

SAXON (UK)

BY DAVID NOAKSSON

Hardly had "Wheels of Steel" been released before Saxon began recording "Strong Arm of the Law". The record company considered the band a fad, says Biff Byford, who here publishes the lyrics for this classic album from 1980.

HEAVY METAL THUNDER

- We wrote "Strong Arm of the Law" inside a friend's barn in Norfolk, says singer Biff Byford. We had a four-channel Revox reel-to-reel tape recorder to help us. We wrote, recorded, listened, rewrote, recorded again and so on. My suggestion to name the album "Heavy Metal Thunder" was voted down by the record company. In their ears, "Strong Arm of the Law" was the given single. Therefore, the album should also be called that, they argued. Now that song never became a big hit. 

They should have listened to you. "Heavy Metal Thunder" is one of the strongest opening songs ever.

- Yes, and that's also the idea of ​​the song. We wanted to open with something idiotically fast. In fact, we scrapped the first take because we didn't think it was fast enough. The final version is three or four bpm faster. That's not an insignificant difference. There's not much to say about the melody. It's simple but conveys the message effectively. We wrote the song based on our experiences as the opening act on the Motörhead tour in 1979. Our task was to get people on their feet and raise the motivation of the audience. Which we also succeeded in.

Paying tribute to the heavy metal culture and your own place in it is something of a parade branch for Saxon.

- Yes, "Heavy metal thunder" and "Denim and leather" are the crowd songs above all others. The lyrics give voice to an entire generation. The chorus is extremely strong. "Fill your heads with heavy metal thunder" and so on.

Did you get the title from Steppenwolf's "Born to be wild"?

- I don't know if that's where the phrase was coined, but it's possible. Something tells me I'd also come across it in a book about the American Civil War, in a poem of sorts.

TO HELL AND BACK AGAIN

- The opening is a bit reminiscent of "747 (Strangers in the Night)" from "Wheels of Steel". You're thrown right into the song and the theme riff. An unusual beginning. We had some weird things going for us then. Like "747 (Strangers in the Night)" kicking off with a guitar solo. "To hell and back again" is definitely about a prisoner awaiting his death sentence.

It's worth noting that this is two years before Iron Maiden's "Hallowed be thy name".

- That's what happens when you listen to each other. We ourselves were into Judas Priest and Wishbone Ash and were certainly colored by it. The story in "To hell and back again" is based on a letter we received from an American prisoner who wanted to tell us how much he liked the "Wheels of steel" album. It got my thoughts going. I tried to imagine what it would be like to be innocently sentenced to death.

You sing "to hell and back again". How should that be interpreted?

- I imagine a scenario where the person is taken from their cell and taken to the execution room, but at the last moment they are told that the sentence will be reconsidered. Many in the American prison system are in that situation and would probably prefer to just get it over with.

STRONG ARM OF THE LAW

"Stop, get out/We are the strong arm of the law" - where were you stopped?

- In the middle of London Bridge. The police winked at us. Just sliding around in an American was suspicious in their eyes. A common trick at the time was to sneak a pillbox or something like that into the door pocket and then pretend to find it: "Well, look at you, what have we got here then?" The purpose of the charade was to provoke a confession. A dirty trick that didn't work on us. By the way, we had nothing to seize. We weren't dealing in any harder drugs than weed. We left that part to the pros in Motörhead.

The police thought you were easy prey?

- Yes, that's what they thought about everyone with long hair and jeans. We fit their image of a thug. At the police station they probably had a profile of a perpetrator who looked like me or Steve Dawson (bassist in Saxon 1977-1986). It certainly didn't look like Joe Elliott (Def Leppard). In the 70s we had police checks here and there.

Have you received comments about the song from professional traffic police officers over the years?

- Yes, actually. We have a lot of fans in the police force and that particular song is especially loved there. It's almost considered an anthem in their circles.

TAKING YOUR CHANCES

- Our least played song from the album, you say? Yes, but we've ripped it off as part of a medley. The lyrics are about throwing things away and trying your luck. A theme that recurs in many Saxon songs. I don't think it's about any specific person. As is often the case, it is a mixture of autobiography and fiction.

I like the clean, reverb-drenched plucked guitar in the chorus the best, which creates depth effects.

- It's certainly lovely. We were experimenting quite a bit with guitar sounds around that time. For "Strong Arm of the Law" we had both more time and resources to test our ideas.

But having said that, you started recording the album the month after "Wheels of Steel" was released in April 1980.

- I think the record company and management saw us as a fad with a lifetime on a single album. The consensus was that we should squeeze out another album before people forgot about us. Talk about narrow-minded. Nothing wrong with a high production rate, but we should have toured harder for "Wheels of Steel", in the US but also in other parts of the world. If we had done that, the album would have had a greater impact globally. Both albums were recorded in the Who studio Ramport over a three-week period. Maybe even three and a half weeks for "Strong arm of the law".

20,000 FT

Here we have a song where the tempo really matches the theme.

- Yes, the fact is that I attach great importance to that aspect, that riff and lyrics go hand in hand. If I'm going to write about a fighter pilot in a wild flight, I need something fast-paced. Supersonic even. In the US I had read a newspaper article about a certain pilot who took LSD up in a fighter plane. Or a former pilot, if I remember correctly. Probably a war veteran who wanted to have some fun. The story was so fascinating that I wrote lyrics about it.

Did you read "Biggles" as a child?

- I certainly did. "Biggles" was great as a cigarette. I also liked black and white war films. The Korean War was exciting because it was largely fought with early jet aircraft models. They were also stylish, with decorative thunderbolts on the sides I think. Nigel Glockler (drums) is actually a bigger aviation fan than I am. He has been up in such planes at least a couple of times. For me, "20,000 ft" is mostly a cheesy story.

Yes, because you compare breaking the sound barrier to having sex.

- Yes, exactly. There was something about sitting high up in the sky in his little hole. In the song he is 20,000 feet above the ground instead of the more reasonable 30,000 and that's because it simply sounds better. I don't know why. Another example is "747" which sounds better than "737".

Have you always had an ear for words and their different denominations and phonetic qualities?

- Absolutely. In a song lyrics, words and syllables are everything. If I hear a melody in my head, I immediately start figuring out how to put it into lyrics. What kind of words fit into the structure and so on. As a rule, it is a crucial part of the process.

HUNGRY YEARS

- Here I am singing about ourselves. The band that comes from the north down to London to try their luck. Although it could really be about any band. It is a classic rock'n'roll story about going to a minor, getting scammed out of money and encountering one boring thing after another.

Although it ends happily with the lines "they've left the hungry years". When did you turn that corner with Saxon?

- Yes, it was around that time. If we really left it behind us. I'm not so sure. After all, it's just a lyric. Both "Wheels of steel" and "Strong arm of the law" were great albums by all accounts. They gave us a lot of credit in terms of songwriting.

You guys dusted off the song for the "Thunderbolt" tour that started in 2018, right?

- Yes, it's one of those songs that we pretty much never play but that really gets people going. "To hell and back again" also falls into that category. In terms of the number of plays and downloads, it's a fan favorite, but it's far from always the case that we manage to fit it into the set.

I haven't thought about it before, but the guitar loop that appears halfway into the song feels like it could have been the model for Metallica's "For whom the bell tolls".

- Absolutely. There's a lot of Saxon in Metallica. Stealing? Not at all, they're just influenced by us. Take "Seek and destroy" for example. The riff is Saxon to the core. But that's how influences work.

SIXTH FORM GIRLS

Now we're stepping down into the rarities room.

- Yes, this song had been around for a while before we put it on tape. A rascally boyish story about how 17-18-year-old schoolgirls sneak out of a dormitory window to have fun with the working-class sons in town. The inspiration comes partly from the film series "St Trinian's". It's bush humor of the same brand as the "Carry on" series. If it even passes as humor today. It's not very good.

Both musically and lyrically it deviates from the Saxon formula.

- Yes, but it has a punk energy. The closest reference is the band Heavy Metal Kids, if you're familiar with them? Their music was characterized by a cheeky and punk attitude but at the same time had pop qualities. We actually toured together in the 70s during the Son Of A Bitch years. "Sixth form girls" is a direct result of that.

DALLAS 1 PM

- The assassination of John F Kennedy was a monumental event in the 60s and I remember the impression it made on my young teenage self. I had never seen anything like it before. Not that there was much moving image of the actual assassination. The FBI was very secretive. In "Dallas 1 PM" we get on the conspiracy trail with three shots fired. What really happened we will probably never know, but it is common knowledge that FBI Director J Edgar Hoover and Kennedy hated each other. We actually visited the assassination site during the US tour for "Wheels of steel".

To be Saxon at this time it is an uncharacteristically epic song. Almost two minutes pass before the vocals enter.

- It's a massive build, yes. With two riffs played in each speaker. I know that Kiss are big Saxon fans and that the bassist, what's his name again?

Uh, Gene Simmons?

- That's right, yes. He's produced quite a bit in his day and I happen to know that he often plays "Dallas 1 PM" for his protégés as an example of successful songwriting. That it's possible to have two riffs going at the same time.

DIO (HIT PARADER, SEPTEMBER 1984)

 

STONE (FIN) (RIP MAGAZINE #10, 1988)

LIERS IN WAIT (SWE)

 

DEEP PURPLE (KERRANG #82, 1984)

TURBO (UK) "ANGELS BURNLEY, UK" (APRIL 7, 1981)

A real treat for you NWOBHM nuts!!!. This has been in storage since in was first recorded over 40 years ago. It has not been heard by anybody (including even the band themselves) ... until 2023.

MORRIAH (US)

NILE BEFORE NILE WERE NILE

Karl Sanders - Guitars

Chief Spires - Bass

Pete Hammoura - Drums

Sonny Stafford - Vocals

SIRENS YELL (SWE)

 

SARGATANAS REIGN (SWE) "HELLUCINATION" EP AD (2001)

DAVE MURRAY ON THE FRONT COVER (METAL FORCES #1, 1983)

 

ONSLAUGHT UK TOUR AD (1988)

 

SEPULTURA

AC/DC "ISSTADION, MALMÖ, SWEDEN" (FEBRUARY 9, 1986)

 Audience audio recording with pretty good sound. At the bottom of the post you can download it in flac format if you're a Patreon member.

SETLIST

1) Fly on the Wall

 2) Back in Black 

 3) Shake Your Foundations 

 4) Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 

 5) Sin City 

 6) You Shook Me All Night Long 

 7) Jailbreak 

 8) The Jack 

 9) Shoot to Thrill 

 10) Highway to Hell 

 11) Whole Lotta Rosie 

 12) Let There Be Rock 

 13) Hells Bells 

 14) TNT 

 15) For Those About to Rock 

From the Swedish Newspaper Expressen the day after the show.

Angus Young is in a Good Mood

By FIA PERSON

MALMÖ (Expressen). His teachers hated him but his audience loves him. His name is ANGUS YOUNG and he is the guitarist in AC/DC - one of the world's most popular hard rock bands.

I always asked why. I have never been able to accept that someone tells me that it is this or that, but I always want to find out the facts myself, says Angus Young a few hours before the concert in Malmö.

- I have never been able to copy other guitarists, but have always tried to find my own way. If there was an easy one, I haven't managed to find it, Angus continues and laughs.

He is in a good mood, AC/DC has been on a European tour for almost a month and everything has gone well so far.

For AC/DC, the audience is most important, the critics snort Angus indignantly at.

- The media, he says and sounds like he was talking about shitty smelly sewer rats who have never understood what people really think. They think people like all these pop groups that are on the charts. The hard rock crowd thinks for themselves and is not so easily influenced. That's why they come to our shows and if they like it they come back. They don't need anyone telling them what to think.

In addition to touring, AC/DC has recently been busy making the music for horror master Stephen King's film "Maximum Overdrive"

-I don't really like that kind of thing but Stephen wanted our songs and we liked the idea, Angus concludes.

===============================================

...and AC/DC is in top form

CONCERT

AC/DC

Ishallen, Malmö

Superb, AC/DC!

AC/DC's first concert on Scandinavian soil (on this tour) bodes well for the rest of the tour. There wasn't much news, but the performance has become even better than before.

AC/DC started in top gear with "Danger" which then moved on to a good version of "Shake your Foundations"

In Jailbreak, Angus Young got his first big chance for a solo and he made the most of it. When he finally took off his shirt and jacket and performed a striptease dance that would have pleased a nightclub manager, the happiness was total. Good rock music, good showmanship and good distance to it all. You can't ask for more.

All that remained for AC/DC was to play the rest of the concert home. Brian Johnson gave nice vocal contributions in "Long way to hell" and "Let there be rock" before it was time for the big finale with "For those about to rock (We salute you)".

Don't miss AC/DC's other concerts in Sweden. On Friday (14/2) they are in Stockholm and on Saturday (15/2) in Gothenburg.

FIAPERSSON

DOWNLOAD THE CONCERT IN FLAC
FORMAT IF YOU'RE A PATREON MEMBER

ABAZAGORATH (US)

 

MEGADETH "MIAMI ARENA, MIAMI, FL, US" (JULY 14, 1991)

Last show of the Clash of the Titans '91 US tour. Audience recording with really good sound and picture for being a bootleg of the early 1990's.

As one commented on YouTube: "No in ears, no click track, no backing tracks, no bullshit, no assholes holding phones up the whole set or checking in on social media because telling everyone you're there is more important than actually being there."

Setlist
00:07 (Intro)
02:47 Wake Up Dead
06:12 Hook In Mouth
10:39 Hangar 18
15:36 The Conjuring
21:26 In My Darkest Hour
27:16 Dawn Patrol
28:57 Tornado Of Souls
34:13 Holy Wars... The Punishment Due
40:46 Peace Sells
Encore:
47:16 (Dave talks/Band Introduction)
48:34 ANARCHHHHHYYYYYY!!!!!!!
51:38 (Ending)

Info

July 14th, 1991
Venue: Miami Arena
Location: Miami, FL, USA
Audience Recording
Video Quality: A
Sound Quality: A-
Tour name: Clash of the Titans
Other acts: Alice in Chains, Slayer, Anthrax

Source
Media: 1 Blu-ray Disc

Version: Will Salas / PagArn
Filming type: Audience
Filmer(s): Will Salas
Generation: Master
Video format: NTSC
Aspect ratio: 4:3

Transferred by: markit aneight
Authored by: PagArn

Notes
I've deinterlaced and upscaled video by using Hybrid from 480i-29.97i to 1440p(2K)-59.94fps (with QTGMC, in Avisynth mode) to preserve quality as much as possible.

ASSASSIN (GER)

EXCITER (MUSIC FOR NATIONS PROMO BOOKLET #2, 1996)

 

ACID (TOTAL BLUR #3, 1984) < TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH

Total Blur was a fanzine from Belgium, written in Dutch. But here is an interview translated to English.

ACID (BEL)

Following the release of their second LP, we also had a chat with the Bruges-based band Acid.

WHO FOUNDED THE GROUP AND IS THE LINEUP STILL UNCHANGED?

Kate (vocals), Demon (lead guitar), and T-Bone (bass) used to be in another band, with which they'd only played a few gigs. We then looked for a suitable drummer, whom we found in Anvill. We rehearsed with this lineup until mid-'81, and after a while, we noticed that our sound lacked a second guitarist. Dizzy Lizzy eventually signed up for this challenging position, and that's how things slowly started to get going in our camp.

WERE DEMOS RELEASED FOR THE SINGLE? 

No, but we did record a demo once with the songs 'Heaven Devils' and 'Demon,' but this tape disappeared without a trace and later ended up on Mausoleum Records. How this happened remains a mystery to us.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE REACTION TO THE FIRST LP? IT WAS OFTEN COMPARED TO VENOM.

This was perhaps partly because we were the opening act for these three guys at the time.

HAS IT BEEN DIFFICULT TO MAKE A FOLLOW-UP TO THE DEBUT?

No, because we all have very creative minds, and that's why we already had all the songs ready before recording 'Maniac.'

HOW DO YOU REVIEW THE DEBUT LP, IN COMPARISON WITH MANIAC? We consider the first LP more of a first studio experience, as we'd never actually been in a real studio before. This is partly why the sound quality isn't that great.

A single was also released for the second LP (LUCIFERA/GHOSTRIDERS). 

HOW WAS THIS SINGLE AND NEW LP ACTUALLY RECEIVED?

Very positive; we've already received good reactions from both Belgium and abroad. We believe this is because the LP is much more readily available, as Carère now distributes it throughout Belgium. Other companies do this abroad. An estimated 15,000 copies have already been sold, and all of this only in the Benelux (since February). Official figures won't be available until March.

THE FIRST LP WAS MAINLY ABOUT SATAN AND HIS HELPS. WHY IS THE SECOND LP DIFFERENT FROM THIS?

Look, Demon is responsible for the lyrics, and if he wants to write about drinking, he does. He's also inspired by lyrics from interesting books. Incidentally, the next LP will again address the Satanic subject.

IS THERE A NEW SINGLE COMING?

Yes, "Black Car" will be released as a single in early March, and a maxi album with "Black Car" and three new songs in mid-March.

WILL YOU CONTINUE WITH THE MANIAC SOUND IN THE FUTURE?

Yes, but of course we want to play even harder and faster and surpass Maniac. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST SONG YOU'VE MADE?

"Black Car" and "Max Overload" are very good, but we especially like "Bottoms Up." This is because it's a fast song and difficult to perform live. By the way, this song also has great lyrics, which is always a bonus.

IS IT EASY FOR YOU TO GET PERFORMANCES?

It's difficult, because the crisis has also hit the concert world. But generally speaking, things are starting to improve for us, because at the end of February we'll be doing a few shows in the Netherlands, and there are also plans to tour Antwerp, Hasselt, Ghent, and other cities. This will probably happen in May-June.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF OTHER SINGERS LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, BETSY FROM BITCH?

Sexy!!! It's a shame that in some groups, this quality takes precedence over their vocals. They show their "body" more than their singing talent.

LATELY, A LOT OF BELGIAN GROUPS HAVE BEEN SETTING UP, DO YOU NOT FEEL ANY COMPETITION YET? 

We don't think so. Acid has a more distinctive sound, while other bands imitate others. Currently, there are some very good bands in Belgium, such as Crossfire, Killer, etc.

VOMITORY (AMPUTATION #8, 2001)

 

SLAUGHTER LORD (AUS)

JON NÖDVEIDT OF DISSECTION

 

SAXON (1980)

Saxon's classic original line-up from 1977-81 - guitarist Graham Oliver, guitarist Paul Quinn, drummer Pete Gill, singer Biff Byford and bassist Steve "Dobbie" Dawson. This photo is taken from backstage at Monsters Of Rock on August 16, 1980. A performance which, as loyal fans know, inspired the song "And the bands played on".

OZZY OSBOURNE (KERRANG #70, 1984)

SLAYER "SOUNDTRACK TO THE APOCALYPSE" DVD

In 2003 Slayer released a compilation box of mainly rare recordings. Included was a DVD they called "Shit You've Never Seen". Here it is 'remastered'.

TRACKLIST

01 - 00:00:00 - Die by the Sword (Live 1983 - California)

02 - 00:04:08 - Aggressive Perfector (Live 1984 - California)

03 - 00:07:50 - Praise of Death (Live 1984 - California)

04 - 00:12:40 - Haunting the Chapel Live 1985 - Netherlands)

05 - 00:16:28 - Necrophobic (Live 1986 - New York)

06 - 00:18:57 - Reborn (Live 1986 - New York)

07 - 00:22:03 - Jesus Saves (Live 1986 - New York)

08 - 00:24:55 - War Ensemble (Live 1991 - Michigan)

09 - 00:30:12 - South Of Heaven (Live 1991 - Michigan)

10 - 00:34:33 - Dead Skin Mask (Live 1991 - Michigan)

11 - 00:40:18 - Gemini (Live 1996 - California)

12 - 00:45:00 - Kerrang Magazine Award 96

13 - 00:48:26 - EPK for Diabolus In Musica

14 - 00:55:31 - Stain Of Mind (Live 1998 - Japan)

15 - 00:59:06 - Bloodline (Live 2002 on ESPN)

16 - 01:02:36 - Disciple (Live 2003 - France)

17 - 01:06:19 - God Send Death (Live 2003 - France)

GOD DETHRONED (AMPUTATION #7, 2001)

 

BLACK WIDOW (BEL)

 

DARK ANGEL (IT'S ALL OVER FANZINE #3, 1985)