The Ways We USED To Find New Metal Artists

[Slammed]

Well their prices didn't help. In the 90's they could charge $35 for an imported album, it sucked but most people didn't want the hassle of importing shit like that themselves. By the time e-comm arrived and you could get the album even a few bucks cheaper by doing it yourself the writing for shops like Missing Link etc was on the wall.

 

[jimmy101]

Well their prices didn't help. In the 90's they could charge $35 for an imported album, it sucked but most people didn't want the hassle of importing shit like that themselves. By the time e-comm arrived and you could get the album even a few bucks cheaper by doing it yourself the writing for shops like Missing Link etc was on the wall.

Bloody oath. $35 in the 90's is outrageous!

By the way, I forgot to ask if you managed to have a little convo with the two Daves when you met them back in the day?

 

[Slammed]

Nah they barely even said boo, it was crowded and they were only there to sign autographs. Even at Soundwave when Megadeth played and we watched the show from side of stage we didn't get to talk to Dave, although we were working that day so we were lucky to even get to see the show.

 

[Burkhard]

I used to discover most of my favourite metal bands by album reviews I read in metal magazines (sometimes also fanzines). And while I might have liked some of theses albums less than I had expected after reading the review, I can't remember any case in which I really disliked an album I had bought based on a review.

From the middle until the late eighties, I also used to listen to several metal radio programmes (the "Monday Rock Show" and the "HM Show" on BFBS, "Scream" on the German radio station WDR and "Vara's Vuurverk" on the Dutch radio station Hilversum 3) and it was in one of these programmes I made the probably most important discovery (as I might have already mentioned several times before) when I heard Metallica's "Fight Fire with Fire" being played on BFBS (I'm quite sure it was the "Monday Rock Show") somewhere in autumn 1984, because this got me really hooked on metal and especially thrash metal. (As regards metal in general, I had already been enjoying Lita Ford's "Dancin' on the Edge" for a couple of months at that time, but "Fight Fire with Fire" as well as the entire album "Ride the Lightning" was like a musical revelation and taking things to a completely different level.) I also remember that I discovered Death when I heard "Primitive Ways" being played on "Vara's Vuurwerk" somewhere in 1988, but I'd say that these two examples (and maybe a few others which I don't recall anymore) were exceptions to the rule that I usually bought new albums based on reviews I had read in magazines without having heard any songs from them.

And there's only one band I "discovered" at a live concert, namely Coroner. I surely had read reviews of their first three albums, but it was only after hearing them live at a concert on their co-headlining tour with Watchtower that I began buying their albums.

 

[jimmy101]

Nah they barely even said boo, it was crowded and they were only there to sign autographs. Even at Soundwave when Megadeth played and we watched the show from side of stage we didn't get to talk to Dave, although we were working that day so we were lucky to even get to see the show.

Bastards. How dare they act aloof around the Megaplebs!!

 

[Slammed]

Like most instore appearances of the day they were only a marketing thing by the stores and labels. It's not like anyone who organised it gave a shit about crowds lining the street, who actually got in the store, or how organised it was. They were only after sales, that was proven by the fact that Virgin Records metal section tripled in size for the event then the following day it was back down to three rows of tapes CD and LPs. The Megadeth instore was poorly run but so was a lot of things back then.

 

[jimmy101]

Still spins me out that store such as that used to have a creditable amount of metal in stock back in those days. From my experience, apart from specialist alt shops & 2nd hand shops, you'd get next to nothing. Maybe a Metallica CD if you're lucky. Even now, most JB Hifis have a singular shelf with metal & punk all thrown in together.

 

[Slammed]

Most JB stores these days suck, there is very few good ones left, but it's more profitable to sell a fridge than it is music. But back in the 80's and 90's JB, Virgin, Brashs and Allens were all good sources of metal that was on major labels with local distribution. Missing Link, MFM, Gaslight, Au-Go-Go, even Rare Records were good sources too get shit that wasn't on local release or wasn't popular enough for the mainstream stores. The later ones were also good for music in general, past and present, not just metal.

Side note: Missing link got fined $750 for displaying the Too Drunk To Fuck album cover in the window.

 

[Sirjack]

You guys remember Metal for Melbourne before it was in Banana Alley? When it was just over the other side of Swanston St where it first started? Or Extreme Aggression in fuck me l don't remember alley behind the mall but closer to Flinders st?
Also Collecters Corner was pretty cool for metal before it sold it's soul

 

[Slammed]

I remember something in Swanson St but I don't remember it being called MFM, mind you I struggle to remember what MFM changed it's name to before it shut down too. I remember EA as well, its the one I've been trying to think of for the last few days but couldn't remember. EA was probably better than Missing Link for me because ML had been around since the very early 70's (as Archie and Jughead or something very similar), and they had a niche in obscure shit and a lot of punk where as EA were more into the heavy emerging metal scene. Back then I used to use markets and second hand stores for obscure stuff but I was more into metal only.

I don't remember visiting Collectors Corner often but I remember visiting something with a similar name out in the burbs, Rignwood I think it was.

 

[Sirjack]

Nah it wasn't ON Swanston St it was Flinders St but the MCG side of Flinders St. Just over the road from Flinders St Station there used to be a small collection of shops and that was where the first MFM started. Then it moved to Banana Alley and then it moved on to Elizabeth St and sucked. Missing Link was very cool also tho not so much for metal - more punk, alternative etc. Extreme Aggression got busted for the Obscene Act l remember, early 90's, around about the time Pungent Stench toured and Earache records in the UK and several other places got busted for upsetting all us little fanboys for scaring and scarring us with their nasty covers and titles. What a joke. But yeah EA was a tiny little shop front filled with super cool Euro trash and underground black and death that you'd only read about. You remember Smoke Dreams? The bong shop on Flinders St? Pretty sure that started selling loads of extreme metal before also being shut down because of drugs and Matty Skitz.

Collectors Corner was really good for metal cause they didn't know what they had and their cliental were really not metal. You could find some amazing bootlegs and t-shirts etc. l got a white Death Leprosy t-shirt there in 89, never seen it before or since. Although it did cost me $40.

 

[Slammed]

Didn't MFM change name before moving out of Banana Alley?
I had a mate who spent megabucks at ML on GNR bootlegs. Every trip to Melbourne he'd buy at least one bootleg and pay anything from $50 to $200 for them. They were the kind of thing that only came out from under the counter, some sounded like they were recorded on a pocket tape deck, others sounded ok but none were worth what he paid for them.
Yeah I remember Smoke Dreams but it wasn't a place I frequented, I know they were selling music at one stage but the times I went there it was stuff I could get elsewhere.

Dixon's Recycled were good for second hand records and tapes and they usually had reasonable prices and a good range but the guy who ran the Dandenong store fucked us up in the early 90's because he actually worked out what things were valued out. Before then we picked up some great bargains, my cuz scored a huge collection of signed LP's of various 60's and 70's bands and didn't pay more than $10 a disc.

 

[Sirjack]

l remember Dixon's in Fitzroy but yeah, by then they had knowledge. l mainly remember Missing Link for my older brothers music - The Smiths, Cure, obscure American stuff. l was looking for Necrodeath and you'd just find Saxon
The name change? Yeah you might be right - l can't really remember although l know it was either the same people orm they used the name. Somewhere down the road from JB HiFi.

Anyway l'm from Bendigo mate, we'd get a train down when we had some dosh. lm not familiar with Melbourne suburbs too much although, there were 2 good stores towards Reservoir that you'd chance upon. Good times!

 

[Slammed]

I seem to remember MFM changing name to something boring but I reckon that was probably late 90's by which time I'd pretty much stopped going there anyway. After Banana Alley became gyms they did move but I don't know if that was still the original owners or not. I know the original owners started MFM label (which was backed by Central Station) to kick start bands like Virgin Soldiers and that closed down before the shop moved. But I had a feeling the original owners got out of MFM before it shifted from Banana Alley, maybe before the name change but that was a long time ago so I could be wrong.

I grew up in Melbourne but moved to Gippsland in '84, from there I went back and forth between the city and country until I moved back to the burbs in the mid 90's. I lived in Noble Park, then Reservoir for about 12 months, just north of Ruthven Station off High St, then Noble Park again, then Sydney, then back to Gippsland, Oakleigh and back to Gippsland

 

[Satanstoenail]

I used to listen to the metal shows on community radio and record songs with my boombox, then head to the record stores when I had some cash. My local in Frankston was called Platos, I spent heaps of time in there. Once a month or so I'd head into the city to go to Metal For Melbourne, Extreme Aggression and Missing Link.

You guys remember Metal for Melbourne before it was in Banana Alley? When it was just over the other side of Swanston St where it first started?

Before my time, it had just moved into the Banan Alley vault the first time I went there. It was in the old Gas & Fuel building complex I think, which is now fed square.

Or Extreme Aggression in fuck me l don't remember alley behind the mall but closer to Flinders st?
Also Collecters Corner was pretty cool for metal before it sold it's soul

Extreme Aggression was run by a German guy called Daniel who also ran a distro called Modern Invasion Music. Most of the old vinyl I had was imported by him.
Missing Link was still going until pretty recently, it ended up merging with Collector's Corner and they had a shop upstairs on Bourke Street.

 

[Slammed]

I used to watch MTV just to see her do the news!

 

[Bloopy]

What was your favorite way to discover new music?

Gotta back what you said about file sharing. I got into Metallica in '97 when I was 13 as it was a rare exception to hearing nothing said about metal at my high school. But otherwise I was too shy and awkward to ask to listen to stuff at a shop or shit like that, so I barely heard another metal band until mp3s came along. I'd been very clumsy and oblivious when it came to discovering music, so they changed everything.

Now there's so much at our fingertips and we can flick through it almost instantly rather than at dial-up pace. It's almost too much. I feel like I should do a deep dive into particular subgenres on Bandcamp, but I never get around to it.

 

[Sirjack]

I used to listen to the metal shows on community radio and record songs with my boombox, then head to the record stores when I had some cash. My local in Frankston was called Platos, I spent heaps of time in there. Once a month or so I'd head into the city to go to Metal For Melbourne, Extreme Aggression and Missing Link.


Before my time, it had just moved into the Banan Alley vault the first time I went there. It was in the old Gas & Fuel building complex I think, which is now fed square.







Extreme Aggression was run by a German guy called Daniel who also ran a distro called Modern Invasion Music. Most of the old vinyl I had was imported by him.
Missing Link was still going until pretty recently, it ended up merging with Collector's Corner and they had a shop upstairs on Bourke Street.

haha l can't believe you found those clips! Yeah l forgot the name of the building but that was the first MFM l remember going to. And to be honest it kinda sucked when it moved to Banana Alley. That place was tight and crammed and Banana Alley felt too big for the stock they had.
You don't remember when MFM moved on to Elizabeth St no? Maybe @Slammed is correct and it was just another metal shop? l remember it didn't last long...
Daniel from Extreme Aggression used to post me vinyl i'd buy by mail-order from Bendigo, forgot his name too. And yeah loads of my vinyl has that Modern Invasion yellow triangle sticker on them.

 

[Sirjack]

Metal Mayhem & Smoke Dreams both used to be valuable anti-mainstream stores. Sadly, since they both closed down nothing really popped up to fill the void.

Metal Mayhem? Yeah man that ring's a bell but where was that?
there were 2 Smoke Dream's too huh? One on Swanston and the other across from Banana Alley? Or am l just thinking of a bong shop on Swanston? l remember the Flinder's St Smoke Dream's started to sell loads of metal cd's around 2001 or so...

 

[Slammed]

I have this memory of a shop on Elizabeth, down near where Minatour Books is/was that sold music but I can't remember the name of it. Otherwise the only other memory I have of a music shop in on Elizabeth was JB up the top end but that wasn't until the mid 90's I guess.

I've still got my Morbid Angel t-shirt for the Morbid Obliterations Of Downunder Grindart tour '92 with the Modern Invasion tag line at the bottom of the shirt. "The Modern Noise Makes Modern People" I saw both Melbourne gigs at the Palace in St.Kilda, the first night with Christbait and Necrotomy and the second night with Acheron and Corpse Molestation and I ended up with one of David's bass strings from the second gig.