SEEDS OF INSPIRATION

Lots of people who like modern heavy music worship at the altar of Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Wino's output has never thrilled me, and I think SAINT VITUS left their best work in the dust when original vocalist Scott Reagers departed in 1986, but his influence on the world of doom, stoner and heavy modern psychedlic rock cannot be understated or ignored. Bands like THE OBSESSED, THE HIDDEN HAND, SPIRIT CARAVAN and the current SHRINEBUILDER all seem to get people's panties moist, and I suppose I can see why, even though they all leave me rather uninspired...but this tape isn't about Wino's music: this tape is about the music that inspired Wino to make Wino's music. Wino made this tape for a dude named Edd (who I do not know) and then Edd copied it for my pal and fellow shitworker Andrew (who I do know). Andrew loaned it to me, since he knows that I like rock and roll, he knows I like cassettes, and he knows that the combination of the two, with the added stamp of cultural credibility that can only be given by a bona fide superhero, was too sweet to not share here on The Escape.

SIDE OLD

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Side Old opens with early '70s UK rockers THREE MAN ARMY (opening track "Polecat Woman" is a total burner worth the whole tape on its own - even with the infrequent but unfortunate warbles towards the end of the song, and "Butter Queen" is an unfukkntouchable driving number); DUST ("Suicide" from Hard Attack is surely an oft shared jam, but it is also one of the best...a future RAMONE and that mind melting bass solo in the same song and I am helpless to resist); UK's QUARTZ had some scene crossover with late '70s era SABBATH, and with these two tracks as an introduction and considering the band released their first record the same year SABBATH released Technical Ecstacy, I'd say that QUARTZ deserved to move into the spotlight. Crank up Eastern Ohio's LEFT END, Florida's BANG (1971's crushing debut LP is well worth tracking down), and more unsung genius from more SABBATH proteges NECROMANDUS and the side starts to draw to a close. DAEMON are evil sounding, but they still boogie (an important quality in all '70s rock bands of note), while TRAPEZE take boogie-ing to lofty heights (this unsung band was a virtual training camp for UK hard rock band members, with personnel eventually joining the ranks of SABBATH, WHITESNAKE, DEEP PURPLE, JUDAS PRIEST and others) and CACTUS pound out the killer title track to their second LP. Escape alumni CAPTAIN BEYOND close out the first side of the tape with the same two tracks that close out the first side of their debut, and clean guitars have never sounded heavier.

SIDE NEW

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Side New starts off with two Wino collaborations, the first with former DEATH SS guitarist Paul Chain (and again, the first track here is a spaced out crushing groove well worth the whole 60 minutes), and then with New Orleans sludge supergroup CLEAR LIGHT (the excessively psychedelic "Veiled" is my favorite tune on the side by far). ABDULLAH and MAMMOTH VOLUME close out the side and make me think about how much fun it must be to name new stoner rock projects.

SEEDS OF INSPIRATION

Andrew for Terminal Escape and Terminal Escape for you...