Exodus – From Darkness Into Light

Exodus
From Darkness Into Light
1984 (no label)
West Columbia, South Carolina, USA

Lonnie Smith – Vocals, keyboards
Tony Feliciano – Guitars
Duane Dennis – Vocals, guitar

1. Choice of the Realms
2. Don’t Run
3. Live for Eternity
4. Metal from the Rock
5. Shadows
6. Show Me the Light

There have been many heavy bands called Exodus – not to mention the famous thrash band that most people would associate the name with now. This is more of a traditional metal band with power metal leanings. If you think early to mid-80s heavy metal, this band was right on track with that. This band was originally known as New Horizons Band in 1980. They changed names to Stairway in 1981 and then to Exodus in 1982. In 1984 they finally settled on Alliance released the less metal Spiritual Battle EP in 1986. But Lonnie was the only member from this demo that was still around for that.

Peter York – Close to the Bone

Peter York
Close to the Bone
1983 (no label)
Melbourne, Australia

Peter York – Vocals, guitar
Graham McCoy – Guitar
Les Price – Keyboards
Duane Mitchell – Bass
Martin Zammit – Drums
Jordie Young – Flute, vocals

Rowan Shinkfield – Double bass on “Willie’s Blues”
Peter Fiddler – Electric guitar on “Blow Your House Away”

Side 1:

1. Key to My Heart
2. I’m Alone
3. Lovely Smile
4. It’s All Right
5. On This Day

Side 2:

1. Noonkanbah
2. Close to the Bone
3. Blow Your House Away
4. Willie’s Blues
5. So Good to Be Alive

This is another Australian release that you can find free online (as well as on YouTube). But this is not the drummer Peter York, nor is it the long-term CEO of Sparrow Records and Capitol Christian Music Group. This is the one from Australia that has 10 albums. I know that the Discogs entry for this release says this Peter York is the one that ran Sparrow. But compare the story of that Peter York with this Peter York. Stylistically there is a lot of variety here. There are some adult alternative leaning songs, rock songs, folk songs, etc. They work well together, and if you like those styles you will probably enjoy them. The next album I can find by York is 1995’s There You Are – but it is listed as his 5th album, so I am assuming there are others in between.

The Hurting Kind – EP

The Hurting Kind
EP
1989 (no label)
Brighton, Brisbane, Australia

Andrew Harris – Lead vocals
Paul Dean Harris – Guitars, vocals
John D. Allen – Guitars, vocals
Rachel Johnson – Piano, keyboards
Paul Taylor – Bass, vocals
Craig James – Drums

1. Past Memories Of You
2. Now That You’re Not Around
3. Hurting Kind
4. Dancing on the Edge
5. Down on the Brisbane Line

I’m not totally sure if this tape belongs here, but in researching an upcoming tape transfer of Under New Management’s Dancing on the Edge, I see that this was a later band featuring former members of Under New Management (Andrew Harris, Paul Dean Harris, and John D. Allen). So at least adjacent? This is described as jangle pop by a label that re-released this tape in 2019. Jangle pop often appeals to fans of 80s alternative rock, but sometimes it doesn’t – so just a heads up on that front. You can listen to the whole thing on YouTube below. If you like that style of music, you can see why LCMR re-issued it.

Dancing on the Wire – Dancing on the Wire

Dancing on the Wire
Dancing on the Wire
1987 (no label)
Adelaide, South Australia

Gerry Holmes – Vocals, keyboards
Steve Daughtry – Vocals, drums

1. Try Again
2. Hold on to Simon
3. Don’t Even Think About It
4. Dance on the Wire
5. One Step
6. Just As I Am
7. Phoenix
8. Keep It Personal

I’m not totally sure if this was ever a cassette release. The cover seems to have two lines on the left side that make it look like it was. Plus the release date was when most people did cassettes. Since it probably was, and its free online, and it has former members of The Puppets, I will include it here. This is more of a techno / new wave / synth pop / etc duo where all instruments are electronically generated. Except for maybe some drums? Different people have different lines drawn between those styles, but the band calls themselves electro-pop so I will go with that. It’s a fun listen for those that enjoyed new wave-adjacent styles in the 80s.

The Difference – Demo

The Difference
Demo
1989 (no label)
Virginia, USA

K. Poynter
Rick Henretty
M. Sumpter
C. May

1. Reach Out
2. Hold On
3. Make the Choice
4. My Heart Cries
5. Words Are Weapons

From what I can find online, this band has nothing to do with Michelangelo and the Difference. But the name sounds like they are maybe alternative, so I gave it a shot. And after an intro made of found sound and some noodling, they do breakout in a driving late 80s alternative rock sound. U2 being a noticeable influence, but they also mix in a louder progressive rock style as well. Kind of like Springchamber did a few years later. But not like that as well. They have a familiar take on alt rock, but also one that is unique as well. But this is all I know about the band.

Missing Information: Who played what?

Joyful Noyz – Run

Joyful Noyz
Run
1992 Tangent Records
Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Todd Underwood – Guitar, vocals
Paul Smith – Bass, vocals
Tommy Corbin – Drums, vocals

Side One:

1. Run
2. Here to Stay
3. It’s Yours
4. To Be with You
5. 10th Century Reasoning

Side Two:

1. Greater Is He
2. UR
3. Waiting to Talk to You
4. Only One
5. Love That Goes On

The first time I saw this tape, I thought it was a pop album due to the band name and colorful clothes. There is also a rap group with the same name from about the same time. But a closer look at the band photo it seems they might be taking more of an Enuff Z’Nuff or Living Colour style approach. The transfer I was sent is ROUGH and hard to hear (if anyone can get a clearer rip from a better tape, please let me know), but I do hear a kind of funky soulful take on hard rock that would be a good mix of those two bands with a hint of King’s X thrown in. Also reminds me slightly of Lovewar at times. So probably a bit less glam rock than Enuff Z.Nuff, and a bit less eclectic than Living Colour. There is variety to the sound though – they dip into rock and a couple of ballads as well.

Scepter – Scepter

Scepter
Scepter
1984 (no label)
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Wendell Koop – Vocals, rhythm guitar
Joseph Madden – Lead guitar, rhythm guitar, Vocals
Darrell Reimer – Bass guitar
Gilbert Vielfaure – Drums

Side 1:

1. Eye in the Sky
2. Presence
3. Nero
4. Hang On

Side 2:

1. Physical Evidence
2. Forgiven Again
3. Star

This is not the same Scepter that released a soft rock album on Star Song in 1982. It’s also not any of the bands named Sceptre. It is the band that became The Keep later this same year and released Never Surrender on Tunesmith Records. “Eye in the Sky,” “Nero,” “Hang On,” and “Forgiven Again” were re-recorded for that album. Their full-length album is hard rock and rock that almost borders on heavy metal at times. This is mostly a rock album with three hard rock tunes. But it is still a good demo, so you can see why they were signed.

Testify – On Enemy Ground

Testify
On Enemy Ground
1994 Royalty Records
Anaheim, California, USA

Steven Urenda – Lead vocals
Eric Turner – Guitar, vocals
Jimmy Ray – Bass, vocals
Danny Peck – Drums

Side 1:

1. Lift Him Up
2. Praise His Name
3. Lord of All
4. Receive Him In
5. Just Believe

Side 2:

1. Accept Him
2. Walk With Me
3. Jesus
4. The Way

Testify is another of those band names that I am surprised was not taken by more bands out there. This is a well-produced and played commercial metal, so one might wonder why they are mostly unheard of and this demo wasn’t really digitized until now. Well, that is because this was released in 1994, and this style was dying out. The tape underground had mostly been taken over by alternative rock, modern metal, and other 90s sounds. The lead singer has a slight Sunset Strip rasp to his voice. There is really only one ballad on the whole tape at the very end. But that is about all I know about this band.

Smash Alley Underground – Demo

Smash Alley Underground
Demo
199? (no label)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

David A. Walker – Guitars, Vocals
(others?)

1. (Blind Men Lead the Blind)
2. (No Parties in Hell)
3. (Unspeakable Evil)
4. Back Alley Shadows
5. Chased by the Enemy

This demo by Smash Alley Underground has a lot of stuff on the cover – but apparently no release date or track names in all of that text. So song titles in parenthesis above are a guess. Some of the songs have weird vocal effects when the chorus would be (like a robotic effect or devil effect), so it’s hard to make out what is being said. The cover compares them to Pantera and Metallica, and that is a good guess for some of the songs on here based on the early 90s sound of both of those bands. So I guess that was when this came out. They don’t stick with just the Pantera thing, though. Some songs have flute and saxophone. The third track has doom-ish parts. The last two tracks are different versions of songs on their 1995 CD Rising From the Shadows. But that CD is mostly a commercial metal album. There is also a guy that gives a short mini-sermon at the end of each song. While he sounds very sincere, I’m not sure the points he is making would really convince many people to change their mind.

Eric A Peterson – Wishbone

Eric A Peterson
Wishbone
1994 (no label)
Chesterfield, Missouri, USA

Eric A Peterson – Everything, except:

Brian Keithly – Drums
Joel Puttcamp – Bass on “Sacred,” “Absence,” and “Epitaph”
Jimmy P. Brown II – All vocals on “Absence of Reality” and “Sacred”
John Effinger – Harmony vocals on “Cry”
Marty Warren – Last guitar solo on “Wishbone”
Dan Henderson – Cello on “Strings”
Nick Misra – Violin on “Strings”
Dave Heard – Viola on “Strings”

1. Absence of Reality
2. Strings
3. Wishbone
4. Sacred
5. Cry
6. Epitaph

Just to get this out of the way, this is not the same Eric Peterson that is in Jesus Freaks. It is the same Erik Peterson that was in Poesis. Their demo was alternative rock. This album jumps out of the gate with a mid-90s thrash metal style song with none other than Jimmy P. Brown II of Deliverance on vocals. The second track is a more mellow instrumental song and then a more thrashy instrumental song. I wonder if the Marty Warren on this tape is the same one that was in Shadoworld who worked with King’s X? Then there is a thrash-style ballad with Brown on vocals. This is followed by an acoustic track and a thrash song, both with Peterson on vocals I believe? Petersen’s Poesis bandmate joins him for bass on three songs. But this demo came out about two years before the Poesis demo. From what I have found, Peterson has another demo called End All that might have been from 1993. The songs were sent to me in a different order than they appear on the j-card. I put the order that they were given to me above. I could really use a full scan of the j-card and tape as well.