In the second half of the 1980s, everyone loved Metallica, Maiden, Megadeth, and Priest, but in the small corner of Erlangen, in West Germany, there was another band we loved almost as much: Madhouse.
Of course, they weren't as technically proficient as those bands, and their equipment was a lot cheaper, but they were OUR band, in OUR scene, and they showed us how great a few of us 16-year-old kids could be if we got our shit together and wrote a few songs. And in 1988, they released their first "professional" demo, if you can call it that, entitled First Damage.
Madhouse was a small band, but they had big riffs and a strong lead guitar. The songs stick in your mind, and the guitar solos are not just well executed, but truly memorable. The singer is a bit shouty, but his English pronunciation should warm the heart of any Euro metal fan. But for me, the star of the show is the humbly-credited "keyboard", a Casio run through a distortion pedal, which sounds absolutely apocalyptic here.
After carrying the tape around for a couple of decades, in the early 2000s, I decided to print up a vinyl edition of the album, with the authorization of the band and producer. I was genuinely concerned about wearing out my tape, and even if I couldn't sell any, i wanted to be able to proselytize. As you can see, I still have copies.... and this record scratches that itch more decisively than that $100 rarity you've been eyeing on Discogs!
- Metal Theologian
www.youtube.com/@metaltheologian
released February 7, 2023