DARK AGE-SELF TITLED-CLASSIC THRASH ALBUM-ORIGINAL-1984

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27

COLLEGE RADIO STATION COLLECTION

HERE IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO ADD SOME RARE PIECES TO YOUR COLLECTION. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS I WILL BE LISTING A TON OF RECORDS OBTAINED FROM A LOCAL COLLEGE RADIO STATION. MOST ARE PROMOTIONAL PIECES FROM VERY OBSCURE ACTS. MOST OF THESE HAVE BEEN PLAYED BY THE STATION.

I HAVE SOLD MANY PIECES OF THIS COLLECTION WITH GREAT RESPONSES FROM THE WINNING BIDDERS.

• MOST OF THE JACKETS HAVE THE STATIONS CALL LETTERS WRITTEN ON THEM IN BALLPOINT INK, SOMETIMES THERE IS A NOTE WRITTEN ABOUT THE BAND. ALSO SOME OF THE COVERS HAVE A WHITE LABEL ON THEM FOR ORGANIZATIONAL PURPOSES.SOME OF THE LABELS HAVE TRACKS STARRED OR UNDERLINED. SOME OF THE JACKETS SHOW EDGE WEAR.

• CONDITION VARIES FROM PIECE TO PIECE, I AM NOT A RECORD GRADER, THAT IS WHY ALL OF THESE RARE PIECES HAVE A STARTING BID OF ONLY $3.99. PLEASE DO NOT BID IF YOU ARE EXPECTING AN ABSOLUTELY MINT PIECE, ALTHOUGH MOST ARE IN VERY GOOD SHAPE, AND WOULD MAKE AN EXCELLENT ADDITION TO ANY COLLECTION. ALOT OF THE VINYL HAS NOT BEEN PLAYED.

SHIPPING COSTS:

THESE WILL BE SHIPPED IN STRONG LP MAILERS, MADE SPACIFICALLY FOR THE ALBUMS. NO PROBLEM COMBINING SHIPPING FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS.

DOMESTICALLY: $4.99

INTERNATIONALLY: $10.99-14.99

ARTIST: DARK AGE

ALBUM TITLE: SELF TITLED

LABEL/YEAR:GNARLY(1984)(GNARL1001)

VINYL LOOKS NICE!

ORIGINAL PRESSING!!!

Now, if only Dark Age could've released a full length album with material like this. The slightest disappointment here is obviously the length but for an EP out of the 80's, a little over 20 minutes worth of music here isn't that bad at all. The production quality itself is above and beyond, it sounds just as good as top notch full length releases at the time. These talented musicians are another group that were lost among a blind shuffle and as I always like to say with bands such as these guys, that's a damn shame.

Griffin were one of the more technical power metal acts out of the US from the very early 80's and I can probably say Dark Age were even a bit more virtuous in their skillful work with the guitars or perhaps more aggressive. As the former reviews have stressed, the leads throughout these songs are downright mesmerizing and more than just impressive. Though Dark Age has an interesting style going here, this sounds like the perfect combination of old aggressive NWOBHM molded into a thick US power metal glove, a absolutely perfect match that the group completely nailed and delivered. Vocalist Robert Stevens isn't some average guy himself, displaying a monstrous range that seems completely endless. The diversity in his singing really adds a lot to this entire EP, he seems to change up his style on almost every single track - and just when you thought you heard his shrieking peak, he transcends that limit and hits even higher notes track after track. This who enjoy classic screaming introductions are in for a treat with Warrior and Viper!

All in all this is simply one of the best classic EP's I've stumbled across and I'll rank it higher than plenty of full length albums out there. The style alone makes this worth hearing because while I can easily compare this to Helstar's debut, early Liege Lord, Griffin, and so forth ... the mixture of NWOBHM and power metal elements here is truly remarkable. Tracks like Metal Axe and Rock Revelation are perfect examples of this combination, very uplifting and powerful songs filled with galloping rhythm's, insane solo's, and vocals that always impress. Tales of Medusa is for the most part a slower more creative track with quite a moody and majestic vibe to it, extremely mysterious. Messenger to Ascheron (along with it's instrumental intro Intro the Execution) is similar to the first two songs I've mentioned but there's several segments where the track is completely controlled by these odd melodies and dual harmonies like something I've never heard before, it's insanely original and the outcome is incredible. If the quality wasn't already there by now, both Warrior and Viper shatter barriers and take the end of this EP to an unreachable epic peak.

If you took away the thrash influences from Mysty Dysto's debut, this is probably what they would've sounded like. Very comparable to Helstar's debut with mindblowing solo's that you could rank up to Liege Lord's masterful guitar work on Burn To My Touch and Master Control. Of course, as I've stated previously Dark Age had a sound and style of their own. This is absolutely essential to anyone who considers themselves a classic US metal fan.