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EXCITER
1983 - Heavy Metal Maniac.
1984 - Violence & Force.
1997 - The Dark Command.
more EXCITER.
way more Helter Skelter.

June 14, 1983 - 2023: 40 years of: Heavy Metal Maniac.

Canadian carnage.

The peaceful land of Hockey and Maple-syrup gets into the game of rough heavymetal. Not actual thrashmetal, but an overcharged heavymetal, the genesis of a genre later to be known as: Power-Metal. Ladies and Gentlemen, long live the loud, please welcome into the arena of fast-picking, the martial law of EXCITER.

The "Holocaust" eerie-intro sets the mood for some serial-killings, as fully displayed on the arrogant "Stand Up And Fight". Power and might, strikes again with the loud and proud title-track "Heavy Metal Maniac" ...NONE SHALL DEFY !

The hell razors are at peek metal performance on the trailblazing "Rising Of The Dead". Still possessed by rage, these barking "Iron Dogs" bites down hard and rolls on the highway at 100mph with the fast "Under Attack".

Those to blame:
- Dan Beehler: vocals + drums
- Allan Johnson: bass
- John Ricci: guitars

Disgruntled Ottawa teens, angry and fueled by NWOBHM rebellion, they are: EXCITER !
Taking their name from a 1978 JUDAS PRIEST track, these rabids are: HEAVY METAL MANIACS !

Released on the young Shrapnel Records, the label wasn't at that point a shredder-only company. Let the Marshall bleed as more thrash, speed and burn shall ascend with 1984's Violence & Force LP.

*
Heavy Metal Maniac = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgrptWi83Tw&list=OLAK5uy_lPk96ql1sYDeIJdyQoCipbHs_Udu9IciM
Radio interview in 1983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpHQcAQXmDA

February 1984 - 2024: 40 years of: Violence & Force.

The iron dogs swarms.

After the holocaust, a new breed of underground metal-warriors propagated. Forever morphing away from the late 70s Eurometal signature, the heavymetal maniacs of EXCITER, provides a new pulse into this new hybrid genre: powermetal / thrashmetal.

Thick red blood drips as pure "Violence & Force" decimate everything above sea-level. A thrash speed burn assault of the mightiest vigor. Definite thrashmetal riffing abounds on "Scream In The Night" and "War Is Hell" ...a genre that was still in it's infancy.

Headbangers unite under the primal calling of "Pounding Metal", while the precise slicing of "Swords Of Darkness" rips both skin and Marshall-cabinets into shreds.

As bold metallians, forcefully breaking doors and violating eardrums with colossal metal, the Red & White Canadian pride was officially on the map. The terrifying EXCITER trio would come back with even more dominating might on 1985's Long Live The Loud LP.

*
Violence & Force = full LP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uRX7AmO8rg&list=OLAK5uy_lsVFfi54lukq0N3BRnUtV3vT9rpSJQhj0
Interview in 1984
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3KzwofvIAA
Live in Ottawa in 1984
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfmaY0Hn3p4

November 5, 1997 - 2022: 25 years of: The Dark Command.

The 11th Commandment.

In shitty knee-deep 1997 nümetal, while thrashmetal was back in the garage, deathmetal was rotnroll and a tidal-wave of blackmetal bands were sweeping the underground ...the classic heavymetal that was set back for the last 6-7 years was finally ready for a triumphant return to form. 1997 is the first step in heavymetal's revival. No, not RAMMSTEIN's Du Hast dance-floor single, not MÖTLEY CRÜE's industrial reunion and not the revamped teeny-bop Walmart-version of the MISFITS.

Four events secured 1997 into heavymetal's history-books:

After EXCITER's initial 1983-to-1985 moderate success, they slowly disintegrated and stopped altogether in 1993. Finally in '96, Ottawa's axe-man John Ricci re-activated the band and was now paired with new frontman, Sept-Iles born hell-child Jacques Bélanger.

The CD bursts wide-open with the killer title-track "The Dark Command", a fast song with rolling bassdrum and aggressive riffs. Yet the excitement reaches a higher level when the vocals kicks-in: pure raw-power with furious falsettos and King Diamond-like high pitched screams. Bélanger delivers heavymetal and EXCITER are back !

"Aggressor" and "Assassins In Rage" are top speedmetal / powermetal exhibitions, while the massive "Burn At The Stake" is another take-no-prisoner-kill-on-sight track ...they want your blood and they'll have it ! The razor-like guitars attack with fierce on "Sacred War" and the rawness of "Executioner" will immediately please old-fans. The album closes with the impressive, high-octane fueled "Screams From The Gallows" were Bélanger banshee-like screams reeks classic Rob Halford Painkiller-era uniqueness.

The Dark Command is a lethal heavymetal / speedmetal album filled with violence and force designated for the true heavymetal maniacs. Not a wasted second is found on this glorious return from the Gods that created the goods way back in good ol' 1983. The time is now: old-school vibe in the new-school era, revived and fully charged with pounding-metal. The Dark Command is a strong class-act release. The only minor drawback is the ultra cheesy design used for the artwork and the fact that they were signed to blackmetal-specialist Osmose Productions, that unfortunately could offer limited marketing support.

1997's now modernized and adrenalized heavymetal, was now labeled: Power-Metal. For reference, please cue you tapedecks to the following new European breed: PRIMAL FEAR, IRON SAVIOR and HAMMERFALL ...and on the US-side, established acts like ICED EARTH, SYMPHONY X and JAG PANZER where already shaking the ground.

The Ricci + Bélanger collaboration would craft more power and more hate: 2000's angry Blood Of Tyrants CD. So, dust-of your leather jacket, hop in your denim pants, fine tune your Flying V, let the Marshalls bleed and let the real heavymetal flow ...long live the loud !

*
The Dark Command = full CD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZU730cKRGM
Interview in 1997
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6IMmcUhzAE
Live in Germany in 1997
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX9Z_jtd92g

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