Delbert

The lead singer of this band, Frank Uvegas is also fronting another New Jersey band named JAINA.   Both of these bands have recorded demos in the late 80's that are really killer.   Obliviax had a limited edition LP and CD that included these 6 demo tracks plus an additional 5 tracks.  The CD came out around 2015 if I recall correctly and was on a Greek label.   It's listed on discogs.

Thanks for the post and heads up on the source........definitely something that I am interested in checking out.....

Awesome collection of tunes Russ......keep 'em coming.   You're posting bands that most of us have never heard before!!

Definitely agree....Who would have thought of all the great bands coming from Baltimore area???    L.A. was the hot spot, but Baltimore certainly had it's share.    As the others have said, thanks Russ for your hard work and knowledge.

On 2/3/2022 at 10:28 AM, Delbert said:

As we discussed, the postal system is going to hell in a hand bag......Sitting in Greensboro, North Carolina since January 11 ???????   23 days now!!!!!

GREAT NEWS!!!   The package has arrived safely today almost 1 month after mailing!!!!!!   The tracking number was smeared because it got wet and apparently the postal system couldn't track it.......   I'm starting on them now!

On 1/31/2022 at 3:14 PM, AlphaMale said:

I hope those tapes finally reach you man.

As we discussed, the postal system is going to hell in a hand bag......Sitting in Greensboro, North Carolina since January 11 ???????   23 days now!!!!!

Killer Russ....keep 'em coming!!!

Looking forward to my copy arriving of this release.   I've had their demo tape for many years and now, finally a real CD with even more tracks than I already have.   A good Sunset Strip band.....

5 minutes ago, headbanger4life said:

I had picked this up back in 2006 when Retrospect Records put it out but I found out from someone at Metallic Blue Records that it wasn’t authorized by the band and is a bootleg. I will probably be picking up the newer version. Especially since the Retrospect one was a cd-r release and this one has some bonus material.

Plus you'll pick up 2 additional tracks not on the Retrospect version.....

I’ve just received a copy of the new VAMP CD release from Metallicblue Records and I have to say, I was totally surprised.  For those unknowing, this is the band that later became known as HARLOT with a few personnel changes and the addition of a keyboardist.  This release is enough to drive any AOR/melodic rock lover wild and is a remarkable effort by these musicians.

From the very beginning they quickly deliver an anthemic tune titled “Telephone Love Affair” which is the title of the album.  Once the initial riff takes over, it becomes inevitable to turn up the volume and become submerged in the musical delight this album delivers through it’s entirety.

The tracks “Addicted” and “Ready To Rock” are perfect examples of the band’s ability to put out melodic eargasm tracks with a feel good vibe to it and surely to become fan favorites.  Of course, every great AOR album has mid tempo tracks that hypnotize the listener with their mellow sound.   “Heard You Cryin” is one of those and the listener is treated to two different versions of this ballad on the album.  

There are a total of 16 tracks on this CD.   The first 10 tracks are studio recordings and the final 7 are live recordings.   I must say, I am generally not a fan of live tracks, but, there are exceptions and this is one of them.   When listening to these live tracks, the listener is not exposed to the constant screaming and noise in the background.   These are excellently recorded live tracks directly from a sound board which was a pleasure to my ears.

Overall, “Telephone Love Affair” has a stadium rock vibe, displaying excellent musicianship with brilliant riffs, atmospheric keys, and dazzling guitar work, that shows without any doubt that the name of the game here is simple: high-quality melodic rock.

I've just finished giving the new Metalic Blue Records release, HARLOT "Positively Downtown" a good listen and what an enjoyable listen it was.  The overall sound of this album is melodic hard rock with a bluesy vibe, although not every track has the blues focus.  The very first track, "Strip" is a great in your face song with huge guitars, killer grooves and lots of attitude.
By the time I got to track 3,"Comin Home", the bluesy sound kicked in with a harmonic sounding affair in the vein of something you would hear from bands such as CRAZY JOE or JUNKYARD complete with harmonica.  Track 4 and 8  are the only two heartfelt ballads with "Legends" being a beautiful acoustic sounding affair.
Track 5, "Let 'em Ride" was one of my favorites.  It's a midtemp song that's not just formula songwriting.   The vocals are razor sharp and glammy sounding in the vein of POISON.  
By the time I got to track 9, "Fooled By Love" I was hooked on this album.   This track is a mid tempo song that is in the ghostland between melodic hard rock and harder rock roots which is well performed with imagination.  Track 10 , "Kiss Kiss (You're Dead)" is another track that really pulled my chain.  Larry Dee's shrill voice delivers some mile high vocals that are sharp and melodic.
Winding up the 11 track album is a song filled with blistering guitars and plenty of hooks titled "Hand Full Of Hell".  It combines some cool backing vocals for those who enjoy melodic metal loud and in your face.   I should make note that there was a bootleg version of this album on CDR a few years ago.  The first 9 tracks of that version are on this album which includes two additional bonus tracks.   Three of the tracks on the bootleg version are to be released on the VAMP album coming from Metalic Blue Records.   Harlot was originally formed in 1986 under the name of VAMP and a name change occured in 1988 to Harlot at the suggestion of a major label considering signing the band.   Although the signing never materialized, the band continued as Harlot until breaking up in 1995.   By picking up both the HARLOT and VAMP releases I have all of the tracks that were recorded by this Utah based band during their time together.

One of my passions is symphonic melodic rock and melodic power metal. Here is an outstanding band that released a CD last year titled "Rise Of The Beast". It was a private release (not on a label) and is a solid killer album. There's not a filler track on this album. The band is working on a new CD which will most likely appear next year. In the mean time, here is a taste of THE LIGHTBRINGER OF SWEDEN to prepare you for this great band....

Great post.....thanks for the info

If you loved the Clint Eastwood movies as I do, especially, The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, then watching this orchestra performing the movie theme will be very interesting to you.

Most supergroups pale miserably in comparison to this...a true supergroup.

1 minute ago, Stefan said:

Ahhhhhh  it's another avenue of exploration.    I have found some killer stuff on there that I did not have in my collection and would not have know about otherwise.       Say a prayer for me Stefan.....

It's been awhile since I've been on the main site actually posting.   I only posted comments about albums I liked and basically stayed mute about those that didn't pull my chain.   I do use the main site as a reference very often when searching for albums I've missed over the years.     As far as the forum is concerned,  I've actually not posted much although I am a regular reader.   The main site is a fantastic collection of music that really isn't available elsewhere except possibly discogs, but what you have are two different formats there.   Within the forum, there is more interaction and exchange of ideas.   I belong to some of the Facebook groups and I notice one outstanding thing......this forum is actually more informative.  

Perked my interest.......one tidbit of advice to the band......don't post all your tracks on youtube.   In this day and age we have people who will just download the youtube tracks and not buy the CD which is very sad to say because it kills the incentive for musicians.   Just my personal opinion!!

Thanks for the heads up Russ.......sounds very interesting to me

Looks like something that has potential....waiting for some sound samples

I bought the European release of this one.   I originally was looking to get the Japanese pressing with the bonus track then discovered it was just an acoustic track.   I hate it when they provide one of the standard release tracks in acoustic form.   Nothing really new there.....

I pre ordered this one some time ago based on some of the previews I saw and heard.    We shall see........

On 2/4/2021 at 5:38 AM, CureTheSane said:

I've given this a few spins now and I fucking love it.
Not sure why more people aren't raving about it, but give it a listen if you like 80's sleazy rock with nice hooks and melodies.

Well, you can add me to the fans list of this killer release.    I had to get the Jap copy with the bonus track.   This is melodic metal that is a breath of fresh air over the endless AOR bands with the same sound.

JESSE STRANGE is an excellent hair metal band with lots of big, clean, cranking guitars which reminds me of ROXY BLUE and HEAVEN'S EDGE.   Filled with catchy hard rock hooks, big choruses and those gang-style backing vocals.  I love the wall of sound and lots of attitude in the vein of HARDLINE, DANGER DANGER and BLUE TEARS. An excellent release which includes the hot rocker "Raise A Little Hell" and a couple of powerful ballads, "The Last Goodbye" & "Love On The Telephone".

I was let down on the last release "Feel The Burn"......this first track is very inspiring and I hope is a sample of things to come from this band.  Love Pekka's vocals and still missing Emppu