THE UNKOWN METAL STRIKE

A quick post today. So I give you something that is fairly obvious, but still fun to put up.
Gotham City vs. Helvetets Port.

Both bands Swedish, both bands heavy metal. Gotham City was formed in 1980 and was hard rockin' with swords and chains till '87. First effort to be released was "Black Writs" in '83, followed by their full length we have here (below), "The Unknown" in '84. Gotham City stayed a pretty obscure band for years, until today, when people hail them as one of Sweden's finest.

Helvetets Port is a band from Gothenburg (at least nowadays) who have followed Gotham City's footsteps since day one, and have done so well. Formed in 2001, a demo was first made in 2004 called "Metal Strike", and then later a single called the same in 2006 which we see below.

As for the artwork. Inspired. You got the sketched warrior (though HP got a one plus, obscure dude hugging his v), red and yellow background, tiny bit similar logo, and title in lower right corner.
So besides using an iron pumped drawn warrior, we get another tribute in the picture as well. Both muscle packs got their warlords initials on their bucket belts. GC to the left, HP to the right.
I mentioned that the logo's are similar. Yes, I think so, but not stolen at all. No letter is the same, but the feel is! The only thing borrowed, if, is the cross we see in Gotham's G and Port's T. But even those crosses aren't really the same. And then the background. Same color, not the same drape. Gotham City have a cross fade of colors coming downwards, whilst Helvetets Port have a two pallet thingy crossing the cover... and their logo is green.........



As you can see, this is a cover well done. Nothing to bitch about at all. I salute the idea! To wrap things up; listen to both bands. The music is as good as these two album covers!

WARLOCK PENTAGRAM

Not really the same. But I can't help think Warlock Moon thought a little of the classic Pentagram cover when finalizing this release. Definitely inspired.

ADAM AND THE HEAVY METAL GAMBLER

Yes, we all know Michelangelo would have been into heavy metal if he lived today. All great minds would. So this adaptation of his great art piece from 1512 is by no means blasphemy. Buzzard was a Belgian Speed Metal outfit who released "Gambler" in 1984. When it came to artistic greatness they were spot-on on several levels. In my dreams I wish there was a full size adaptation of this cover art! Adam finger cuddling with a studded stud.



I guess it would have looked something like this:

THE ROMANTICS X2

Sometimes when it's time to release yet another mind-blowing single, the art department choose to just flip the previous cover. Why? Because it's not confusing for the customers! It's settling.

THE SAD WINGS

We are all familiar with Judas Priest, but we aren't all familiar with the Mexican band Abril (April). Apparently they begun their journey through rock history in 1984 and released their self-titled debut record in '88, four years after formation. Abril played very synthesizer driven hard rock with a few cool tunes I quite dig! But they also managed to play a few horrid notes as well, at least on the album in focus today: "Testamento", their second record, which took another six years to perfect.

So in 1994 Abril asked a person to do a nice cover for them, and so that person did! The cover for "Testamento" is great! Winged death holds a naked child, who just wants to rock with his guitar, in his hand, probably offering him the journey of his life.. Or more sadly; of his death.



But as you can see, I'm guessing the cover artist wasn't that confident about painting wings, so he thought it would save him some trouble borrowing the shape from Judas Priest's record "Sad Wings of Destiny" from 1976. No shame in that. It's not a total rip, I mean mostly just the shape right? Who ever did the cover did it good and should be proud. Actually the whole sleeve is great but unfortunately I couldn't find any version who could do it justice quality-wise on internet, but this will do:



You get the picture!

JACULA

Ever heard of a band named Jacula? Now days a lot of underground folks have, but did you know that a Italian erotic horror magazine also did exist with that same name, and that the (also) Italian prog-group borrowed their logo from that magazine!? You might as it is pretty easy to google. But now its official.

POWER FROM CHOCK

Let's head back to the comics department! Have you ever heard of a band called Onslaught and their cult record "Power from Hell"!? Yes you have! Or damn should!!

Apart from being an early thrash/death effort in the same vain as many other angry teens at the same time, Onslaught did something in the year of '85 only one other band did that year. They named a song "Death Metal". Who was the other band? Possessed of course! Funny thing though. Possessed has been, by many people, referred to as the first Death Metal band mostly for one reason only; they did a song called "Death Metal". Like with Venom's '82 gem "Black Metal". If it says "***** Metal" then it is "***** Metal"! Right? But the thing is "Seven Churches" was released in October '85 whilst "Power from Hell" was released in February '85 with a back cover that did not only have the mentioned song in the track list but also stated in big letters "Death Metal" and also sorted up the A side and B side by calling them "Death Side" and "Metal Side". What? So wait! Was Onslaught the first Death Metal band? No, probably not, but I wanted to state the obvious and now we are side-tracked because this is an completely different topic which will in the end as always be somewhat pointless.

And for the sake of it we should also name drop Vulcano and remember that they did a track called "Death Metal" too, but in '86, one year before their country men in Cova did the same on a demo. 

The album art for "Power from Hell" is one of those I would think to be original, but really shouldn't because they seldomly are.

 

As you can see it has some finesse to it. The axe carrying demon of the original has on Onslaughts cover a cozy little cloud of smoke emerging from the pentagram below. My example to the far right is from a Swedish horror magazine which published foreign comics. The one in the middle is the original which was probably featured in one of the comics which CHOCK re-published for us in the country of Bathory cavaliers.

...should also be mentioned that Suffocation used the whole image in 1990 for their first demotape.