GENRE: Heavy Metal
COUNTRY: US (Hawaii)
OPINION: This is a prime example why I never get tired of looking for obscure stuff from around the globe. I have been listening to metal since the early 80’s and never heard of this band until the second vinyl reissue in 2018. Rat Attack from Hawaii only release this album in 1983 and only on tape, but it’s real fantastic stuff and they deserved another destiny. To quote Cult Metal Classics: The music contained here is killer U.S. heavy metal at its best, with razor sharp riffs, unpredictable rhythm changes and raging singing.
YEAR: 1983
STAND-OUT TRACK(S): Fast Get Away, Holocaust, Rat Attack
STAND-OUT TRACK(S): Fast Get Away, Holocaust, Rat Attack
Heavy Metal band from Honolulu, Hawaii, US, founded in 1982, and played straight ahead metal. Rat Attack was short lived. They recorded a 2-song instrumental demo ("Ride the Sphinx" and "Hail Hail") in 1982. It was used to audition drummers and bassists, not officially released. They had plans to do a second official recording, "Curiosity Killed the Cat," but this didn't come to fruition. Songs included "Knight Gallery," "Human Zoo," "Masters of Reflection," and "12 O'Clock in London Square" (which "Hail Hail" from the '82 recording had evolved into). But their only recorded output was this one, a 1983 self financed album/demo which became regarded as an early speed/power metal classic. This self titled release was later re-issued on cd with bonus tracks and on vinyl
1982 Leslie Ripp met guitarist/singer Tom Azevedo, and formed the metal band Rat Attack. Rat Attack would be Leslie’s first experience at composing original music and the first band that would be dedicated to playing only originals. In 1983, with the addition of Paul Schofield on drums and Marc Chambers on bass, the band self-produced, and released a demo album cassette titled Rat Attack, which included eight original songs written and recorded exclusively by the band. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered, at Rendez-Vous Recording in Honolulu, Hawaii, a popular local studio owned and engineered by Pierre Grill.
At the time of the original cassette release the band could only afford to have the J-cards printed in black and white, so each copy had the color individually hand-drawn in. The album was distributed to several local and mainland radio stations, and quickly gained popularity and developed a following with the metal scene of the 80's.
Rat Attack was unfortunately short lived, and split up shortly after, when their guitarist/vocalist Tom Azevedo moved to Los Angeles, California, the band he played in there during the late '80s, Liquid Mirror (which also featured R.A. drummer Paul Schofield) played some Rat Attack songs live. A few of these were featured as bonus tracks on reissues of the 1983 album/demo.
Surprisingly to this day, the album is well recognized as a cult metal classic, and is still gaining a lot of new fans and followers world wide.
The original Rat Attack cassettes are rare and highly sought after collectors’ items, they sell for about $150-200. Leslie has claimed that even he doesn’t own one himself. The vinyl reissues are also in high demand and sell from around $60 and upwards.
 |
| From the metal fanzine Metal Chaos #1 (1983 |
OPINION: This is a prime example why I never get tired of looking for obscure stuff from around the globe. I have been listening to metal since the early 80’s and never heard of this band until the second vinyl reissue in 2018. Rat Attack from Hawaii only release this album in 1983 and only on tape, but it’s real fantastic stuff and they deserved another destiny. To quote Cult Metal Classics: The music contained here is killer U.S. heavy metal at its best, with razor sharp riffs, unpredictable rhythm changes and raging singing.
Please report dead links!
LINKS: