#bitches sin

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[A logo with a headphone wearing skull and cylindrical microphones (?) on top of a black circle with text underneath reading “KUSF 903FM”]

A MUST FOR ALL HEADBANGERS

THE RAMPAGE RADIO HEADBANG SHOW IS EXPANDING!!!! Stay up all night with KUSF on Saturday nights where all the best headbanging hard rock and heavy metal bands annhilate over the FM air waves! Beginning October 2nd, Rampage Radio will be on the air from 2:00 AM to 8:00 AM for weekly demolition of eardrums all over the Bay Area! No Journey! No Foreigner! and none of that REO Shitwagon crap!! 

The only show in the United States that dares to play Accept, Venom, Scorpions, Motorhead, Riot, Weapon, Girlschool, Bitches Sin, Judas Priest, Angelwitch, Iron Maiden, Anvil Chorus, and many more British, European, American and even Japanese metal monstrousities! Ron Quintana will be co-hosting when he returns from Europe but in the meanwhile, Howie Klein, ace DJ at KUSF, will be handing the helm on over to Metal Maniacs Gigi Sample and Ian Kallen. Currently, a similar show is being aired on WBCN in Boston. Hosted by Tony Beradini (formerly with KTIM), this all metal show comes on every Sunday night. Could this mark the beginning of a spreading phenomenon? Well, just remember it all started here in San Francisco, where else but on KUSF 90.3 FM. 

If you know of a good local band (or any real good metal bands) that has a quality tape made, send a copy of all vinyl and taped material to the Metal Mania offices for consideration of airplay. All metal and hard rock tapes are welcome: progressive metal, thrash metal and even pop metal.

RAMPAGE ONLY ON KUSF 90.3!

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Chris FUCKIN’ Tsangarides

One moment of silence for the, 

GREATEST Heavy Metal Record Producer n’ Engineer

Thanx 4 such a Magical Albums.!!! 

Rest in Power

Praying Mantis: “Cheated” / “Thirty Pieces of Silver” (1981)

One of the most melodic bands to emerge out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, London’s Praying Mantis wove twin guitar harmonies worthy of Thin Lizzy or Wishbone Ash, and they probably taught Def Leppard a thing or two about chorused vocals.

Originally formed as Junction, back in 1976, by brothers Tino (vocals/guitar) and Chris Troy (bass/vocals), they’d added Steve Carroll (guitar/vocals) and Dave Potts (drums) by the time they were playing Neal Kay’s famous Heavy Metal Soundhouse, alongside Iron Maiden, Angel Witch and other fledgling N.W.O.B.H.M. acts.

Late ‘79 saw the release of their first single, “Captured City” (a.k.a. The Soundhouse Tapes Part 2), and in ‘80 they were featured on the influential Metal for Muthas compilation, before signing to RCA’s GEM imprint for another, “we have arrived” single called “Praying Mantis.”

Clearly, good things were happening for the group, and as they readied to release their debut full-length, Time Tells No Lies (this one through BMG’s more prestigious Arista imprint), the 40-year-old single you see here was unleashed in early ‘81 to whet fans’ appetites.

And Praying Mantis couldn’t have chosen a more immediate song for hooking music fans than “Cheated,” with its catchy choruses that suggested straight-up AOR, if not for Tino and Steve’s aggressive guitar solos and an ending minor key shift that’s a truly metallic coup de grâce.

For its part, B-side “Thirty Pieces of Silver” clearly illustrated why the heavy metal faithful were willing to stand by Praying Mantis, thanks to ominous words about “Judas men on chariots” and its Judas Priest-like staccatos, which wrapped the band’s persistent melodies in barbed wire.

Even better, this package included a free bonus single that showcased the band in their natural element, London’s Marquee Club, sharing another pair of infectious head-bangers with fans, in the morbid “Flirting with Suicide” and anarchic “Panic in the Streets.”

Unfortunately, the “Cheated” single made it no higher than No. 69 on the U.K. charts, and the band was persuaded to add lead singer Bernie Shaw (ex-Grand Prix) in a bid to increase their commercial appeal ... uh, whatever.

But all this accomplished was to precipitate a business dispute with their management that barred the band from touring or recording for almost a year, by which time Arista had declined to pick up Praying Mantis’ option.

Though they ultimately found new backers in Don Arden’s Jet Records for ‘82’s Turn the Tables EP, and even landed a slot on that year’s Reading Festival bill, the Praying Mantis was now in free fall and would go their separate ways by the end of ‘83.

However, many years later, in a Spinal Tap-ish twist of fate, the band found itself enjoying a small renaissance in Japan, prompting a 1990 reformation (with ex-Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno!) that yielded the Live at Last LP, and sparked an on-and-off- studio recordings and tours by multiple line-ups.

All of which will most likely leave you feeling “Cheated” (sorry, hard to resist), when compared to the glory days captured by this wonderful single -- to say nothing of its imagination-fueling cover art, courtesy of Rodney Matthews (also Diamond Head, Tygers of Pan Tang, Bitches Sin, Nazareth, Magnum, etc.).

Ritual: Widow (1983)

As well as giving rise to dozens of new bands captained (or “pirated,” if you prefer) by hungry Young Turks in the 1980s, the New Wave of British Heavy Metal also provided a tolerant platform for numerous groups that had been struggling to launch their careers for much of the '70s. 

These ranged from eventual superstars like Iron Maiden (formed Christmas Day, 1975), to middle-of-the-pack favorites Raven (1974) and, of course, plenty of long-forgotten relics such as London’s Ritual (1973).

Led by the ridiculously named vocalist and guitarist ‘Gypsy’ Re Bethe, backed by bassist Phil Mason and drummer Rex Duvall, Ritual’s first, self-released single, “Into the Night,” was quickly buried amid the N.W.O.B.H.M. cacophony of 1981.

And then, when the trio finally accumulated the funds to record ‘83’s full-length Widow, what few people managed to find a copy in stores, were left scratching their heads, because Ritual’s moniker was mistakenly left off the cover!

Making matters worse, the album’s threadbare production (to put it kindly) did a major disservice to metallic stompers like “Rebecca” and “Never for Evil,” while the sullen, doom-laden séances (think Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, etc.) conducted by Bethe were largely at odds with the time’s heavy metal trends.

But, if you’ve made it this far, you may as well check out the eight-minute title track and the sinister “Morning Star” (both of which poach their rolling bass lines from Black Sabbath’s “Heaven and Hell”), as well as more compelling, vaguely psychedelic occult rock stylings of “Journey” and the re-recorded “Burning,” which remind me of Witchfynde and Pentagram, respectively.

And, not only did High Roller Records helpfully, finally slap the band’s moniker to this reissue (thanks, chaps), they further enticed inveterate N.W.O.B.H.M. collectors like yours truly with a four-track 7-inch, featuring the original “Into the Night” and a wonderfully raw head-banger called “House of Secrets.”

Still, please heed my warning: Ritual’s Widow isn’t for everyone (or even most anyone), and neither was the group’s belated sophomore long-player, Valley of the Kings, released in 1993, but at least the band’s name was clearly displayed on that album’s cover.

p.s. -- Some of these words came from my All-Music Guide review of Ritual’s Widow.

Cloven Hoof: Cloven Hoof (1984)

With the puffy-chest posing, cornball stage-sets, and all around theatrical presentation hinted at on this, their 1984 long player (and even more so in this deluxe reissue), Cloven Hoof looked like the demon-spawn of Kiss and Venom, but they sounded like Iron Maiden’s little brothers.

And with good reason, because singer David Potter, guitarist Steve Rounds, bassist Lee Payne, and drummer Kevin Pountney had enlisted in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal army as far back as 1979; they simply took a little longer than most to get their act together -- and what an act!

From their home-base of Wolverhampton, deep in the English Midlands, the group seemingly put as much time into developing their occult image and themes as they did their music, even going so far as to name themselves after each of the four elements: water, fire, air and earth, respectively.

But the music did eventually start coming together on a few demos and 1982’s now very collectible The Opening Ritual EP, earning Cloven Hoof a deal with Neat Records (home to Venom, Raven, Tysondog and many more) that delivered the long-player you see here ... better late than never.

Or was it?

Because biblical head-bangers like “Cloven Hoof,” “The Gates of Gehenna” and the nine-minute “Return of the Passover” (sounds like an interminable family holiday to me!) were ultimately just highly competent elaborations on the works of elder statesmen like Diamond Head, Demon and, of course, Maiden. 

But give Cloven Hoof a little credit for at least staying true to N.W.O.B.H.M. sonics instead of selling out like Def Leppard, even when they dropped those belabored arrangements on more accessible singles like “Nightstalker,” “Crack the Whip” and the exceptional fist-pumper “Laying Down the Law.”

Unfortunately, the militaristic instrumental “March of the Damned” was one Maiden gimmick too many, and the group’s ballyhooed stage production (see above) looked fit, not for arenas, but Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood!

Fair to say, Cloven Hoof’s worst enemy was time, as the N.W.O.B.H.M. gave way to newer styles like Thrash and Hair Metal, so after a brief tour of the European mainland, the band’s world-conquering masterplan was dealt a major blow when vocalist Potter suddenly defected to French rockers H-Bomb.

A 1986 sophomore LP called Fighting Back was recorded live but was very much dead on arrival, and despite intermittent activity over the past few decades, band leader and sole stalwart Lee Payne has merely eked out a career in the Heavy Metal underground. 

p.s. -- Some of these words originate in my Cloven Hoof bio and album review in the All-Music Guide. 

Tune du Jour: “Sounds of Silence” – Simon and Garfunkel THE CLASH of Cover Tunes: Bobaflex vs. Celtic Thunder vs. Bitches Sin vs. Puddles Pity Party VOTE, COMMENT, then DO SOMETHING NICE FOR YOURSELF CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog CoverMeImpressed.blog Everybody’s Dressin’ Funny … Cover Me Impressed! The word “masterpiece” can sometimes be overused. Definitely NOT the case…

Artist: Bitches Sin

Title: Always Ready (For Love)

Album: Always Ready (For Love) single

Played on: Thu Dec 04 2025 08:30:36 GMT-0600 (Central Standard Time)