๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ - ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ย ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ & ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐โฆ
On this day (June 14) in 1983, Exciter released their debut full-length studio album โHeavy Metal Maniacโ via Shrapnel Records.
โExciterโs โHeavy Metal Maniacโ was one of the very first vinyl records that I ever purchased with my own, hard earned money when I was a 6th grader in Jr. High. This album did not leave my turntable for months after I purchased it. I still listen to it on a regular basis. And, now that I think about it, I do believe this is the album that started on the path towards bands like Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica & Anthrax.โ - E.N. Wells
Background:
Founded as Hell Razor in 1978 by guitarist John Ricci. Ricci later recruited vocalist/drummer Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson. After changing their name from Hell Razor to Exciter in 1980, the band sent their first demos to Shrapnel Records founder Mike Varney, who included the track "World War III" in 1982's โU.S. Metal, Vol. 2โ, then inked them to a one-album deal. Issued in 1983, the band's first effort, โHeavy Metal Maniacโ, was among the first Thrash/Speed Metal albums, and brought them to the attention of Jon Zazula's Megaforce Records (the home of Metallica and Anthrax), which signed Exciter to a three-album deal.
Here, John Ricci gives a little background information about Exciter during the time the band released the seminal record โHeavy Metal Maniacโ:
โFor many years, we rehearsed in a very large warehouse with the entire stage show. Every practice was like a live show. We still do that today, but in a smaller rehearsal hall.โ
โShrapnel actually got in touch with us in 1982, after I sent them the WWIII demo, and signed us. They asked us if we had anymore new material, and we told them we had just recorded a 9 song demo, so we sent it to them. They completely freaked out. They loved it! They wanted to release it just the way it was - raw and HEAVY.โ
โBefore Shrapnel released โHeavy Metal Maniacโ, there were advance orders of 10,000 copies in the first scheduled week of release. This is because we had mailed this demo all over the world and it was in circulation. So when it was announced that the LP would be released, everybody wanted a copy of it. On this record, Dan Beehler and Allan Johnson wrote the lyrics, which were mostly about death and destruction (which are a very common theme for Heavy Metal music), and I wrote most of the music with contributions form Dan and Allan. When we wrote the songs for โHeavy Metal Maniacโ, we were trying to copy bands from the 70โs that influenced us, like Priest, Saxon, Motorhead and Sabbath, but in some musical way, we came up with our own style."
โThe title for the โHeavy Metal Maniacโ LP was Dan Beehler's idea. The cover concept was created by our friend/artist/road crew member Andy Brown.โ
"The sound of the record was very raw. We used very low quality studio equipment and it was recorded in the basement of our sound engineer's house. The guitar sounds out of tune in some spots because I play the strings very hard and it wouldn't stay in tune. The bass, for the most part, was in tune during the recordings.โ
โDan Beehler's voice was the trademark of the band. He has a unique vocal style and screams. This is something that will always be evident, no matter what band he's playing in.โ
"Dan Beehler sang and played drums because we could not find a singer who could sing aggressively. Yes, a singing drummer was very unusual at that time, but he was like a drummer/frontman, so it worked.โ โ JR
The band themselves were heavily influenced by a variety of music styles, including such bands as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Deep Purple, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Motรถrhead, RUSH, Jethro Tull and Grand Funk Railroad. Despite many changes in personnel, as well as two breakups (first in 1989 and again in 1993), Exciter has managed to keep a small but dedicated following over the years.
Here, John Ricci talks about the bands influences:
โExciter's main influences were, and still are, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Motรถrhead, Iron Maiden, etc... I tihnk it's great that Rob Halford is back with Priest. He is an original and pioneer of the art of Heavy Metal vocals. Once a vocalist achieves greatness, like Halford has, everything he does with or without the band is considered the highest quality of talent.โ
โHeavy Metal Maniacโ was re-issued by Megaforce Records in 2005.
Personal Note:
What made me check out Exciter was because I had heard that they took their name from Judas Priestโs song โExciterโ, and being that Priest were (and still are) my favorite Heavy Metal band, I just had to see what they were all about! The rest is history! - E.N. Wells
Critical Reception:
Heavy Metal Maniac was inducted into the Decibel Magazine Hall of Fame in a special issue regarding the Top 100 Old-School Metal Albums of All Time.
Links to Artists, Albums, and Music Videos:
Click this link to listen to โHeavy Metal Maniacโ via Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/heavy-metal-maniac/932622754
Click this link to follow Exciter on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/excitercanada
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