The Arizona Dry Hate compilation 85-92  

showcasing the best thrash scene in the world !

We had such a unique thing among us, all around us and its aftershocks are still felt today…the Arizona thrash metal scene of the mid to late 80s. This project was started as the result of a discussion in the Facebook group, Arizona Thrash/Death/Grind Metal Scene Nostalgia Page (1985-1995).  This tribute is divided into 3 parts, a blog, YouTube video and a DIY CD.

(if you watch it on youtube there are clickable indexes in the description box)

It's 1985…if you are the average radio listener, you are either listening to George Michael (#1), Madonna or Glenn Frey.  Some of us were listening to Metallica, Metal Church and Exodus...the bands of the thrash metal movement.
Metal Blade records releases the Metal Massacre series of compilation albums. Appearing on Metal Massacre VII is Flotsam and Jetsam - I live, you die. This event puts the Arizona thrash metal scene on the map. Record companies sign Flotsam and Jetsam, Sacred Reich, Atrophy and others to smaller deals.
(Edit: Surgical Steel appears on Metal Massacre II, Sacred Reich appears on MM VIII, Pedifile appears on MM IX and Tynator appears on MM XI)

Arizona thrash exploded from 1984-1992.  We have a compilation here of 24 bands, all playing fast aggressive thrash/punk/metal crossover. No thrash scene in San Francisco, Seattle, New York or Florida can produce 24 quality demos out of possibly 50 or 75 bands playing the heavy shit, only in Arizona where the sun burns so hot, the lizards run for cover.  We had the best guitar players, the best drummers. The bands were really writing songs and trying to be the best at what they did all the while within the realm of being a supportive scene. Shows with thrash bands could bring in an audience of 500 people, at least 100 would be in the mosh pit.  Mosh! Moshing was different back then.  You would crowd up, the music would start and everyone would run in a big circle, pushing each other forward in the circle.  You would pick a brother up if he fell.  Then when the music would slow down, the circle would slow down.  It was a unique art form, the fast / slow mosh.  They didn't tell you what to do, the music dictated what to do, and everyone could play along.  Modern mosh pits SUCK
(These are the opinions of the author, and I don’t care what anyone thinks. ;-) dd

The music on this comp ALL Predates CD and the internet. All copied from cassettes.
 all songs posted with permission from band members.

Here you can download the material used in this tribute and burn your own Data CD , cover, poster.

The Songs
The Photos
The Cover as a Poster
Print your own CD cover

Some people who were around the PHX 80s thrash scene have been asked a list of questions , here’s what they had to say.

1) having been in the phoenix scene from that time , what do you think of people saying that LA or Seattle or NY was the best scene for heavy rock/metal bands ?
2) tell a story?
3)what's the biggest mosh pit you ever saw ?
4) what did you think of the guitar playing in the phoenix scene vs san fran or seattle or LA?

 

 (George , now and then)

from George Bryan , guitarist of Soothsayer , Third Power,  Black Curtain

There are so many, but the night Soothsayer opened for Slayer was probably the weirdest night of my life. It was at Studio West. I remember sitting at our practice pad watching the local news on the TV the night before the show. "The Palladium in LA has had a riot and the streets have been blocked off at the Slayer concert. I guess people had broken down the doors. I knew opening for them was a big deal for us, but I really didn't give danger a second thought until that very moment.. I mean we had already fronted Megadeth in Tucson and did well. But this one suddenly felt a bit scary to me really. Then when we finally went on the next night it was mayhem. Tons of the hardest core metal fans AZ had to offer up. Most of the crowd seemed to enjoy our music. They were mostly awesome. However, there was a small percentage that wanted nothing to do with us. I especially remember the dude who stood right up front directly in front of me flipping me off for the duration. After the show, we were out back behind the club in the loading area giving an interview, when the main back doors flew open. Slayer had already started into their set at this point, but there was no music playing. Just the biggest bouncer being tossed out of the club by the other bouncers. He was crazed and tried to ram his way back in but they finally sent him on his way. Turns out this bouncer cold cocked a crowd surfer and Tom Araya didn't approve and did something to piss the bouncer off enough to jump up on stage at punch Araya in the mouth. The band had left the stage and guess what the crowd was chanting??? Yep, "Riot" "Riot" "Riot". That nearly blew up. Slayer came back out and the show went on. We left right about then and had a whopping party of our own back at our studio. Our manager at the time was also the promoter of that show. He told us afterwards that there were stabbings and several injuries that required 4 ambulance calls to that show. That was the last time Studio West ever had a metal show. That was one crazy night.

(Chris, now and then)

From Chris Cannella Guitarist of Kyrin, N17, Autumn's End

what do you think of people saying that LA or Seattle or NY was the best scene for heavy rock/metal bands ?
Back in the 80s and early 90s for sure the scene sure seemed like you had to be in CA NY and FL (death Metal)..an amazing man by the name of Brian Slagel took notice of the AZ scene. He actually with Gloria (Cavalera) put AZ on the MAP. they noticed the talent pool was huge and professional. There was a different style of aggression maybe it was from the heat or whatever but it stood out and truly had a sound. That sound got dialed in even more with the magic Of Bill Metoyer producing bands like Sacred Reich and Flotsam and Jetsam. So yes back then it was much easier to get noticed if you were those areas even Seattle with bands like Queensryche Metal Church and Sanctuary but AZ wasn't and still isn't afraid to take it to another level.

tell a story? It was Halloween night 1987 and me and a couple buddies went to go see Flotsam and Jetsam with Abattoir and Mighty Sphincter at the Metro in phoenix. We were so excited to be a part of that scene and watch some of our local heroes. Now remember the internet wasn't active and information took over 30 days to transfer out in print magazines. They were killing it then in the middle of the set AK announced that Newstead would be leaving the very next morning to join Metallica in Japan for rehears etc! All of our jaws dropped! Metallica? Wow man one of our own is bringing AZ once again on a global level bigger than before. We were really sad to see him go but stoked to see him grow.

what's the biggest mosh pit you ever saw ? On a local level i would say Sacred Reich with Soothsayer i believe at the Prism's and/ or the Jar. They really brought out the pits in the day. relentless songs from start to finish.

 what did you think of the guitar playing in the phoenix scene vs san fran or seattle or LA?
Thats a double edged sword. in a way the guitar players were a little advanced because We didn't have a night life like LA or Seattle for people to hang or whatever. we just had shows or shitty bars and if you weren't of age you weren't doing crap but looking for house parties. So there was much more time from my perspective to practice more and more. I remember so many of us would just congregate to others rooms to listen to records compare what tapes you got from the back of magazines and show off your new shred licks.

(Micha, now and then)

from Micha Kite – Guitarist of Psychic Pawn , Ripsaw

Tell a story?

We played a show down in Tucson one night to a packed house. After words we attended a party that was very girl friendly, meaning it was pretty much chick on chick without many other dudes other than ourselves. At one point we were all getting a little frisky when someones "girlfriend" got pissed and pepper sprayed the entire party. You didn’t see it coming... you just felt it in your lungs, thus we evaded the premises. On the way back to Phoenix we stopped at a 7-11 to grab some food. They happened to have a deli sandwich shop inside in which we all ordered. I threw my change from my rations I had earned that night into the bag (somewhere less than $100). Driving down the freeway and finishing my sandwich I did the dastardly deed of throwing my trash out the window along the highway. Including my change which was inside the sandwich bag... god we loved Tucson!

what's the biggest mosh pit you ever saw ?
I believe it was at The Silver Dollar Club (if that’s what it was called). It was Pawn, H8 INC and The Generiks. 2500 people... was an awesome site. I smoked some weed right before I went onstage so I was beyond freaked out. BAD decision, LOL!

what did you think of the guitar playing in the phoenix scene vs san fran or seattle ?
I think Phoenix had and has a lot of killer guitar players. I mean, we're a dime a dozen for sure. I would’ve liked to live in LA at that time just to see how it would've challenged me. I later went on to live off Sunset and played every major club on the strip. The competition wasn’t the same but I had a lot of fun. Believe it or not Phoenix has far superior musicians then Los Angeles.

(Brian with Eddie Van Halen, Brian's cool ass US flag jackson V)

from Brian Mcdonald – Legendary International phoenix guitar guru -

I started getting into thrash sometime in late 1984, early '85.  I'm not even sure I knew it was called thrash at that time, it was just a time when Ozzy, Scorpion, Twisted Sister, Ratt, Motley Crue, etc ruled the metal world.  They didn't look like us, especially at the time, and that probably didn't matter until I saw the back cover of 'Kill 'em All'. Hey, these guys were denim and have pimples like us, hahah! Then, when I heard Phantom Lord and Seek and Destroy, it was over. Looking back, that was a golden era of underground metal. Things were happening FAST!  It's hard to look back at think of how incredible it was to hear bands like Venom, Metallica, Motorhead and Voivod in the context of only having heard what was released before it. As my appetite for something heavier and fast was growing in the summer of 1985 my personal favorite, Killing Is My Business, would came out.  At that point, thrash was a category and Megadeth was the newly crowned king in my book. Louder, faster, ruder.  Right after Peace Sells came out Megadeth played a matinee show at Rockers - of course, Dave took a few (hilarious) shots at opening local band Surgical Steel... they were definitely next level and I think his sentiment was shared by local metal fans. 

Getting back to Flotsam & Jetsam 'Metal Shock' and the local scene. So much happened between '84 and '87, it's almost unbelievable.  We had really strong bands, even beyond the two that went on to gain national attention -  Flotsam and Sacred Reich. When Jason was hired by Metallica, it seemed to justify the scene and looking back, it could have been and early-90's Seattle scene, but for whatever reason, it didn't happen hanging at the Golden Eight Ball and being amazed that there were so many people into the same underground scene. Just a few memories from the early days of thrash in the desert...
Brian out

(Nikos now and then)


Nikos Michas - Guitarist for Mizery , TwinGiant

1) having been in the phoenix scene from that time , what do you think of people saying that LA or Seattle or NY was the best scene for heavy rock/metal bands ?

In my opinion, the only reason the LA and NYC scenes were more popular is because of their sheer size and epicentric locations.  Phoenix at that time was just a desert outpost.  People that weren’t from here thought that cowboys and Indians still existed in Arizona like in the movies.  The scene that was most impressive to me was the Bay Area.  That’s where thrash grew up and what many bands in Phoenix were trying to replicate at the time. 

2) tell a story?

This is more about the fans of the scene in general and not so much the bands.  There was a Death Angel show at a VFW hall and I think Knights of Bloody Steel might have been the local opening band?  I’m not too sure about that so don’t quote me.  Anyway, one of the bands on the tour was Rigor Mortis from Texas.  The crowd thought they were awful.  Phoenix in its own unique way decided to protest them.  The first ever, and probably only Duck, Duck, Goose Pit was formed.  Yes, you read that correctly.  There was a weak pit for them and myself, a shit ton of my friends, including Dana Bujnowski (R.I.P.), took over the pit.  We all started to sit down in a circle in the middle of the floor and proceeded to play Duck, Duck, Goose.  It was epic.  More people started to join in and if I remember right, the singer of Rigor Mortis finally said something, by that time it was too late.  If there were cell phones back then, it would have gone viral. 

3)what's the biggest mosh pit you ever saw ?

Probably at a Sacred Reich show at the Americana Ballroom.  It was their first local show after they released Surf Nicaragua.  If you remember that venue, it could hold about a thousand people or so.  I remember that pit containing 75% of the crowd that showed up.  It was haboob sized. 

4) what did you think of the guitar playing in the phoenix scene vs san fran or seattle or LA?

This is a difficult question.  I think that if you go with the bands that were on labels at the time and having Sacred Reich, Flotsam and Jetam and Atrophy represent AZ, it would still be SF for sure.  San Francisco set the bar for the thrash universe at the time.  Just Forbidden alone set the tone.  If you dug deeper into the unsigned bands, there were smoking guitarists in the Phoenix scene bands such as Reckless Abandon, Pedifile and Psychic Pawn that rivaled any of signed bands in those other cities.  Hopefully with this comp coming out, they’ll get some deserved recognition now.

 

(Tom, then and now)

Tom Reardon - Religious Skid , Hillbilly Devilspeak, N.S.K, P.T.W.K.A.F., Father Figures

1. I've always thought the Phoenix scene was as strong as any scene out there. I am definitely biased, but the caliber of bands and shows we had out here was (and still is) amazing.

2. The last show my band Religious Skid ever played was with Dr. Know and Soothsayer at, if I remember correctly, a VFW hall in Guadalupe. I was already a big fan of Soothsayer, but Mike "Bam Bam" Sversvold was playing drums for Soothsayer at the time and to be playing a show with him and get to watch him from the side of the tiny stage was truly a moment where I felt like I had arrived. Then Religious Skid imploded and it was about 2 years of no band for me until we started Hillbilly Devilspeak in 1992.
3. The biggest mosh pit I have ever seen was for Metallica and Faith No More at Compton Terrace. I think it was the And Justice tour. I was in the general admission section and when FNM played War Pigs, it was just nutty. It seemed like the pit was about 40 yards across, maybe more. Then for Metallica, it was even bigger and constant for their whole set.
4. Again...Phoenix has always has always had some of the best guitar players. I'll put our dudes up against any scene anywhere. As a bass player, I'd say the same thing, as well. My favorite guitar player from this scene has always been Jason Rainey. To me, he held Sacred Reich together and provided that ridiculously tight rhythm that always got me pumped.

0:00  - 5:09 Alowicious Toole - Who's the Judge
5:10  - 10:32 Atrophy - Rest in pieces
10:33 - 13:24 Divergence - Forget not our eagle
13:24 - 20:03 Dover Trench -Acid test
20:04 - 21:16 Execration - Erskine's Fish
21:16 - 23:05 Execration - Meat
23:06 - 26:23 H8INCorporated - Aggression
26:28 - 31:52 Knights of Bloody Steel - Resinated
31:53 - 38:01 Kyrin - Swimming in Sunshine
38:02 - 43:55 Kyrin - Tribal Fear
43:56 - 47:59 Lurch Killz - God of all
48:00 - 51:26 Lurch Killz - Lashing out
51:26 - 58:04 LVI - Images
58:05 - 1:02:25 LVI - Let us pray
1:02:26 - 1:05:15 Mighty Sphincter - 120 days of sodom
1:05:16 - 1:08:48 Mister Charlie - MullicaHill
1:08:49 - 1:13:55 Mizery - Generations
1:13:56 - 1:18:06 Mizery - Malignant ecosystem
1:18:07 - 1:20:30 Nuclear Death - Necrobestiality
1:20:31 - 1:23:44 Nuclear Death - The third antichrist
1:23:45 - 1:27:39 Pedifile - The Definitive Apology
1:27:40 - 1:33:25 Psychic Pawn - Perils of Deformity
1:33:26 - 1:41:00 Psychic Pawn - Temporary Existence
1:41:01 - 1:45:14 Reactor - EOD
1:45:15 - 1:53:24 Reckless Abandon - In the dead of winter
1:53:25 - 1:58:18 Reckless Abandon - Once upon a one legged legend
1:58:18 - 2:01:05 Ripchord - IntroI'm too tired
2:01:06 - 2:03:46 Ripchord - Maggots
2:03:46 - 2:10:09 Soothsayer - High on Rebellion
2:10:10 - 2:13:31 Soothsayer - One Foot in the Grave
2:13:32 - 2:19:02 Third Power - Question of morals
2:19:03 - 2:22:54 Troll - So what do you think of hell
2:22:55 - 2:26:20 Troll - Sometimes i feel
2:26:21 - 2:30:14 Tynator - Seed of descent
2:30:15 - 2:35:40 Tynator - What am i doing here
2:35:40 - 2:40:40 V.T.H  - Lost souls
2:40:41 - 2:44:47 V.T.H  - Population Cut

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