In Washington DC in the early 80's, there was a thriving Punk and Hardcore scene, but the regular Rock club scene was permeated with a lot of uninteresting cover bands. Good Metal club shows were really somewhat few and far between in those days. There were a handful of bands in the VA/MD/DC area that were going out of their way to play original music. Bands in the local metal and HC scene such as Death Row (a/k/a Pentagram), The Obsessed and Hellion often played shows together. In fact Hellion guitarist Norman Lawson had even played axe in both The Obsessed, Overlord, Pentagram and later Chained Lace. Hellion drummer Stuart Rose would also play on Pentagram's 'Day Of Reckoning' LP.
Hellion's demo 'You're Not Welcome Here' was recorded in Gizmo studios in Mclean Virginia in the fall 1982. This was the same studio where Death Row would later record their first demo, using the same engineer.
Straddling the line between Metal and Punk , the bands musical style was influenced groups as different as Dead Boys and Black Sabbath. Other noticeable influences in the Hellion sound were bands such as The Stooges (Raw Power Era), Plasmatics, Stiv Bators, NWOBHM and Motorhead. This was Metal with a serious attitude problem. Now, 29 years later, the band was able to access these original master demos from those 1982 sessions. Maniacal Records is pleased to have exhumed this local piece of HM History. These are tracks that deserve to be heard around the world, from the Metallic intensity of the instrumental opener 'Hellion', to the snotty Punky Metal of the title track, this Hellion delivers a potent mix of Metal , Punk and even what would later be termed doom.
Considering this was 1982 they were delivering a very aggressive, heavy and morbid style that was quite unique. For this LP release , 2 tracks had to be omitted from the original sessions: 'No Recourse' and 'Profits of Doom'. These tracks will hopefully be included in the CD version of this release. On the actual original 'You're Not Welcome Here' tape that was released, neither 'Death Masters' nor 'Bloody Murder' were included, nor was 'Profits of Doom'. 'No Recourse' had to be omitted from this vinyl version, due to time constraints.
HELLION (DC) You're Not Welcome Here LP w/ bonus 7" track listing:
Side A
1. Hellion
2. Can't Close Your Eyes
3. You're Not Welcome Here
4. The Way To Go
5. Morbid Fascination
Side B
1. Living In A Sewer
2. Lip Service
3. Monolith
4. Stop Living In Fear
5. Love Lust
HELLION (DC) Death Masters 45
Side A
Death Masters
Side B
Bloody Murder (33RPM)
In the pantheon of DC and US Heavy metal and Doom, Hellion's stuff still hits hard 28 years later. Their time may have been somewhat short lived, but their contribution to the Metal scene and the history of music here in Washington DC shouldn't be forgotten. This album is strictly limited to 300 copies.
-Mike Pritchard, Maniacal Records