PARALEX, White Lightning (1980, Reddingtons Rare Records)

The skull:
This is the first of several Worried Skulls in the Skullection. Looks like he’s fretting about something, perhaps because he forgot an umbrella, which he’ll need for that oncoming storm behind him. Super-crude artwork lacking all imagination, although there’s a nice bit brightness in the skull’s eyes, making his worried self look just that little bit more paranoid.

The music:
If I found this 12″ EP cheap, I’d buy the shit out of it and immediately re-sell it for big money.This is the kind of junk that New Wave of British Heavy Metal collectors uphold and praise, but probably because of its rarity rather than its musical quality. These three songs are what the British might call “naff”: trashy music, stumbling vocals, generic song writing. Maybe would have sounded dark and heavy in 1980, but it can’t compete with the stuff that was already around in 1980 and already 100 times better (Angel Witch, Iron Maiden). As obscure NWOBHM bands go, there are way better. The perfect pairing: a big dumb skull, big dumb music.
— Friar Wagner