FIGHTER (1982, 2010) RETROACTIVE RECORDS

In 1982 the band Axes entered the Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, together with renowned producer Tom Allom (Judas Priest, Def Leppard), to record their debut album for A&M Records. The boys were merely 19 years old, and thought they had the world at their feet. Unfortunately they were under the mercy of a manager that A&M Records didn't want anything to do with. They shelved the album until the time they showed up with a different manager. The band spent almost 3 years trying to get out of their contract with him, and ended up having to file for bankruptcy. Also the name Axes had to be scrapped. When the band reappeared as Mass, A&M Records were no longer interested, and their debut album remained shelved for almost 30 years!

During the early '80's two distinct metal movements emerged. In England you had the NWOBHM scene, and in the US you had the Sunset Strip and the hair metal movement. When Mass recorded 'Fighter' in 1982 the latter scene was about to burst! Mötley Crüe had just released their debut, 'Too Fast For Love', and every major label were looking for similar bands. Soon Ratt, Dokken and Great White ruled the airwaves with songs about long legged blondes and partying all night long! There is no doubt in my mind that Mass would have been one of these pioneering bands if 'Fighter' had been released back in 1982, when it was recorded. Not only would it have been one of the first albums in the genre released via a major label, it is also, in my book anyway, one of the best albums of it's time!

Yes, this heavy metal album is nothing short of a masterpiece, filled to the brim with hooks, melodies, shredding guitars and distinct vocals. The production is raw and alive, letting the band shine instead of the producer. Many of these songs are really heavy when compare to contemporary, similar artists. As usual with Mass, the title track sticks out as a favorite with it's infectious chorus and massive melody. Louie's passionate vocals is what sets this band apart from the masses (pun not intended). The 2010 reissue was remastered my J. Powell of Steinhaus Mastering. It brings vital life to the old songs, without loosing the raw energy of the original recording. At least 4 of the songs were later re-recorded for the bands official debut, aptly entitled 'New Birth'. Here they appear in their original form, written by these teenagers from Boston! 'Fighter' is the best melodic metal album you've never heard!

Killer tracks: Watch Her Walk, Too Far Gone, Voyager (Look For The Edge), Fighter

'84 UNCHAINED (EP) (1984, 2010) RETROACTIVE RECORDS

After spending over 2 years in court to get out of the bad management contract Mass signed during their formation years, the band was eager to get some new tunes out there. They went into the studio and recorded 4 new songs, and released them as an independent, self titled EP.

The EP became the bands first public release, and it sold very well. In fact the thousands of copies sold secured the band a new contract with major label RCA in early 1985. And listening to this 2010 reissue from Retroactive Records, it's quite easy to understand why. Mass had a very unique sound, but at the same time they were creating music that gained massive popularity to bands like Ratt, Stryper and Dokken, to name a few. My favorites here include "Pedal To The Metal" and "Holy One", both songs whom were resurrected for the bands 1988 EP, 'Take You Home'. 3 of the 4 songs from the 'Mass' EP were later added to their 'Best Of' CD in 2000.

In 2010, Retroactive Records reissued the entire EP under the new title, ''84 Unchained'. The reissue, remastered by J. Powell at Steinhaus Mastering, came with new artwork, lyrics, liner notes by Lois St. August, as well as a previously unreleased bonus track. The song in question, entitled "Bones", was recorded by the band in 1995, but never put on any of the bands official albums. J. Powell has done a great job in making the songs sound sonically similar to the original 4 tracks. Mass have delivered a whole slew of bonus tracks on all their reissued over the years. Perhaps an odds and sods compilation CD, similar to Malice's 'The Rare And Unreleased' would be an even better way to give the fans all these unreleased songs? OK, that was a digression. I'm so happy to have this gem available in a sonically superior CD release. After all, this was Mass history in the making.

NEW BIRTH (1985, 2007) RETROSPECT RECORDS

In 1985 Mass finally landed another record deal, this time with RCA. A new album was recorded, with 4 songs from their shelved album resurrected. It was time for a 'New Birth'.

'New Birth' is another little goodie I never knew existed before I got on the internet. Originally released as Mass' debut album, it was only available on vinyl until Retrospect reissued it in 2007. Mass were a band of it's time sounding very similar to bands like Dokken, Ratt and the whole hair-metal scene at the time (mid 80's). And the Boston quartet didn't stand anything back compared to any of their musical brethren from the Sunset Strip. They were a very good melodic metal band, and are very much worth checking out. 'New Birth' didn't have the polished production the band would be criticized for on later occasions. So here we get the real deal. 'New Birth' is a great album, containing everything from the poppy "Do You Love Me" to the really heavy title track. This band has to be one of metals best hidden gems! The reissue comes with lyrics, photos, and some additional liner notes from Louie St. August (vocals). They also added an unmixed song that was recorded during the same session, but never made it to the final album.

Killer tracks: Time, New Birth, Day Without You

TAKE YOU HOME (1988, 2008) RETROSPECT RECORDS

Another very hard to find Mass release. This EP was originally released on Medusa Records, a division of the better known Enigma Records. For the longest time it was nearly impossible to find a copy of this EP, and whenever it appeared on eBay it sold for ridiculous amounts of money. Finally in 2008 Retrospect Records reissued this gem, complete with a previously unreleased bonus track.

'Take You Home' contains more great Sunset Strip metal from Boston. Here Mass still had that raw and relentless sound that unfortunately got polished away on their follow-up release. I really dig it, and track number 2 sums it up nicely: "Can't Get Enough"!! The awesome "Holy One" is easily my favorite track from this release. But there are plenty of other choice cuts here as well. And if you like bands such as Mötley Crüe, early Stryper, Ratt and Dokken, then Mass is definitely for you! 'Take You Home' contains 2 tracks that also appeared on the bands first 4 track EP ("Pedal To The Metal" and "Holy One"). But the versions here are remixed, with added harmonies and lead solos. Since this was originally only a 6 tracks EP, I wish Retrospect Records would have reissued it with the entire first 4 track EP as a bonus.

''Under The Gun" is a bonus track, originally recorded in 1994. Mass have over the years recorded several demos with songs that never appeared on any of their albums. While I think it's cool to hear all these songs from the vault, this particular one doesn't exactly fit in with the original 6 tracks.

VOICES IN THE NIGHT (1989, 2008) RETROSPECT RECORDS

I remember getting this album on vinyl, when it was first released. Originally issued by Enigma, the same record company that hosted Stryper and Barren Cross, this was said to be the next big white metal band. Michael Sweet from Stryper even produced the album, making Mass sound like Stryper's "little brothers". But apparently Mass wasn't even a white metal band, but rather a band with a couple of Christian members, and with positive lyrics. I loved this album, and I almost wore it out. Today I know that the band underwent quite a change of sound, going from an unpolished Sunset Strip metal sound, to the more radio-friendly hair metal on 'Voices In The Night'. But with melodies as strong as this, what's not to like? Their brand of melodic metal can also be likened to Fifth Angel and maybe Ratt. My cousin owned this album on CD, and it bugged me that it contained a bonus-track (the bonus track is a bluesy hard rock tune that doesn't seem to have the same production quality as the rest of the album, making me wonder if this is a demo of sorts). So getting this on CD was great. I still love the album, and think these guys are almost as good as Stryper, and better than Guardian (my cousin and I always quarreled about that). It took me over ten years before I discovered that this was not the only album these guys ever released. Through the internet I found out that this was their 2nd full-length album, and that they had also released 2 EP's prior to 'Voices In The Night'.

Retrospect Records reissued this classic in 2008, following re-releases of both 'New Birth' and the 'Take You Home' EP. 'Voices In The Night' comes with another bonus track. 'Stevie' was recorded in 1994 (I guess the band did a demo that never got release back then). The song is a mid-tempo tune that fits in nicely with the rest of the material on the CD. "Still Of The Night" served as a bonus track on the original Enigma Records version of 'Voices In The Night'. It was originally recorded and released for the bands self titled EP in 1984. I believe this is a remixed version of the original recording.

Killer tracks: Voices In The Night, Reach For The Sky, Chance To Love, Carry Your Heart, Call Out Your Name

BEST ONES (2000) FORE REEL RECORDS

Mass never went away, they just went off the map for a while, all the while playing local concerts every now and then. Then in 2000 a compilation CD saw the light of day. 'Best Ones' is a 16 track career spanning anthology.

This compilation delivers songs from all of Mass' releases, even the (at the time) hard-to-find EP's. Heck, "Bad Man's Reputation" is a song the band recorded for an album set for release in 1982, back when they were still named Axes. This album got shelved, so this is the first time any of the songs from this album are available for the fans. Many of these tracks are also available for the first time on CD here, like the 3 songs from the bands first EP from 1984. The 2 last tracks are brand new, and put here as a sneak preview for a new album the boys were working on at the time. Now we know that this album was never finished, so this is the only place to hear these tracks.

The whole album flows very well, considering the time span of the material. Mass play melodic metal, the way the big boys did it on the Sunset Strip. Not bad, for a band from Boston! (haha) Seriously though, I've always enjoyed their brand of edgy metal with smooth vocals. Songs like "Pedal To The Metal", "Holy One", "Take You Home" and "Voices In The Night" are all huge favorites of mine. Mass always gets me in a good mood!

SEA OF BLACK (2010) ESCAPE MUSIC LTD

Mass have been around since 1981, and recorded their first album as early as 1982. Still, 'Sea Of Black' is only the bands 4th full-length studio album. It has been 3 years since the last one, but it was not to be the bands last release in 2010!

Mass' last album, 'Crack Of Dawn', was released in 2007, and was a minor disappointment to this listener. The band tried to a more modern rock approach, and I didn't think it suited them all that much. Luckily on 'Sea Of Black' they are back at writing "old school" melodic metal again. The bands strongpoint was always Louie's distinct vocals, and their knack of writing memorable songs with killer hooks. And on 'Sea Of Black' they are already reeling it in from the start, with one of their strongest songs ever in "Falling From Grace". The album toggles between delivering up-tempo melodic metal numbers, slower hard rockers and the obligatory ballads. One strong song follows the other, until you sit back with a full albums worth of killers. There is rarely a weak spot on 'Sea Of Black', and every fan of melodic metal, written and performed the way it was done in the genres prime, then you could do much worse than to buy this CD. The only giveaway that 'Sea Of Black' was recorded in 2010, and not 1988, is the guitar-tone. I suspect that Gene has downtuned a bit here to get a heavier sound, but since I am no guitarist, don't take my word for it. Other than this, 'Sea Of Black' is as '80's sounding as they come, even down to the production.

It's great to have one of the most underrated bands from my youth back again delivering music as good as it once were. 'Sea Of Black' is such a killer album, it actually rivals 'Voices In The Night' as my favorite Mass album. It's certainly going to be on my top 20 albums from 2010 list.

Killer tracks: Falling From Grace, The Right Side, All That I Needed, Sea Of Black

A VERY MERRY X-MASS (2010) DUNBAR ENTERTAINMENT

2010 was a busy year for Mass. They released a brand new album ('Sea Of Black'), they finally saw the release of their, until now, shelved 1982 debut album ('Fighter') and they also reissued their 1984 debut EP (''84 Unchained'). To round the year up nicely, the band released this limited edition Christmas single, with all proceeds going to Toys for Tots.

This 2 track single, wrapped up in a cardboard slipcase, comes with 2 tracks to celebrate the Christmas holiday. 'Jingle Bell Rock' is a metalized version of this Beal/Boothe penned classic, made popular by Bobby Helms. "Grown Up Christmas List" was originally composed by David Foster (music) and Linda Thompson-Jenner (lyrics), and originally recorded by Foster (with singer Natalie Cole on vocals) for his 1990 non-holiday album, 'River of Love'. However, it is Amy Grant's version from 1992, with her own altered lyrics added, that is the most known version. I am not sure what version is covered here, but I can say that this is a beautiful ballad that is very well sung by Louie.

'A Very Merry X-Mass' is a cool collector's item, worth it's price not only for the cool music, but also for the good cause it serves. The picture below also serves as a link where you can read more about the donations.