Hard as Rock (1981)
Crysys were a band from Portland, Oregon
who released this one fine hard rock / metal album and then disappeared
without a trace. Though released in 1981, they were clearly following
along the same path as others of that American late 70s restless breed
like Riot, Granmax, The Rods, Bad Axe, and Alkana. Judas Priest were
certainly an influence, perhaps even early Van Halen. There's some
sophistication in the arrangements, and all the tracks rock hard with
plenty of metal riffing, and remain interesting throughout the length.
It's from the era where the blues still played a major role in
everything hard rock, and there's traces of that here within the
songcraft. The psychedelic cover and hair metal styled moniker doesn't
do the band any favors with an expected audience that never appeared,
despite two LP pressings and covers. For late hard rock / early metal
fans, this is an historical gem not to be missed. Excellent.
Ownership: 1981 Long St. Records (LP)
The original is on Long St. Records and features the cool psychedelic cover. The Metalworks issue (1983) usurped a photo from the back cover of the original and blew it up for their front cover. I can understand that, given the audience it was trying to lure in. Though perhaps a fantasy warrior cover may have been more appropriate.
As an aside, Metalworks was a sublabel of importer/label Jem Records, who were clearly trying to tap into the burgeoning heavy metal market. As far as I can tell, this is the only full length album to be released, before abandoning the project. They certainly had the right idea, and one has to look at their execution as an example of poor business judgement. Time has proved they made a costly mistake, and Jem ultimately ended up bankrupt in 1988 (for various reasons).
Ownership: 1981 Long St. Records (LP)
The original is on Long St. Records and features the cool psychedelic cover. The Metalworks issue (1983) usurped a photo from the back cover of the original and blew it up for their front cover. I can understand that, given the audience it was trying to lure in. Though perhaps a fantasy warrior cover may have been more appropriate.
As an aside, Metalworks was a sublabel of importer/label Jem Records, who were clearly trying to tap into the burgeoning heavy metal market. As far as I can tell, this is the only full length album to be released, before abandoning the project. They certainly had the right idea, and one has to look at their execution as an example of poor business judgement. Time has proved they made a costly mistake, and Jem ultimately ended up bankrupt in 1988 (for various reasons).
8/27/16 (review / new entry)
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