If famed musicologist Alan Lomax were reincarnated as an '80s metal aficionado, he might compile a release of field recordings like Lehigh Valley Rocks! The Best of 1984-1994. This two-disc compilation captures in loving detail the sounds of 27 bands from an almost forgotten frontier of the spandex nation. Is it really any surprise that Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley—a blue-collar region long synonymous with steel production—birthed a raucous cast of independent heavy metal and hard rock groups throughout the '80s and early '90s? While nearby Philadelphia spawned gold and platinum acts like Britny Fox and Cinderella, this neglected corner of the Keystone State gave rise to "could've beens" such as Shok Graffiti, Sweet Tequila and Vicious Barreka. Disc one offers a parade of bands that might have easily enjoyed airplay and MTV support in their era. From the saccharine strains of Omynus' "Don't Ever Say Goodbye" to the lusty bravado of Teeze's "Party Hardy," Lehigh Valley Rocks! shows that unsigned hair metal is just as good (or bad, depending on your perspective) as the corporate stuff. Elsewhere, Sweet Tequila take a salty romp through Black Crowes-inspired territory on "I Won't Be Cryin'" and Idle Threats blend a galloping sound reminiscent of early Queensrÿche with pop-friendly hooks on "Find a Way." Washed's epic and nuanced "Guilty," meanwhile, treads experimental territory and proves that you don't have to be Ravi Shankar to rock a sitar. Disc two digs even deeper into the underground to spotlight the Lehigh Valley scene's heavier side. Groups like Vicious Barreka and Leviathen unleash the primitive ferocity of thrash metal, while Atom West is a crossover act in the vein of D.R.I. or early Corrosion of Conformity. A welcome moment of demented comic relief comes in the form of Vic Missy's "Terror/Cartoon Lady." The tune's disjointed song structure and menacing soundscapes evoke the creepiness of Mike Patton's Mr. Bungle project. The compilation's carefully researched liner notes—featuring brief band bios/lineups, songwriting/publishing credits and the bands' current websites or MySpace pages—also deserve kudos. Lomax would be proud. Review By: Theodore Thimou

The 1980’s were without a doubt the most fruitful period for bands dabbling in the AOR, melodic (hard) rock, glam and sleaze genre and it was at times hard to keep track of all the new bands that sprang up like the proverbial mushrooms. Not surprisingly many of them-although talented in all the necessary departments- never got past the demo stage and so there music was only heard by a limited number of people. And this is exactly the reason why long time friends Butch Malony and Tom Lefevre poured their heart and soul into putting together this here compilation of bands from the Lehigh Valley area that were active (and some of them still are very much alive to this day) during that most exciting period. Featuring an impressive 31 tracks by no less than 27 bands this 2 disc set offers the listener everything from glam, melodic hard rock, AOR, power metal to some genuine Bay Area styled trash and speed metal. Personally I find the first disc the most interesting as it focuses on the melodic side of the Lehigh Valley scene. Kicking things of in true party style are glamsters Teeze (who later changed their name to Roughhouse and went to record an album for Columbia Records) with the apptly titled “Party Hardy”, an ode to those much in demand good times. Up next are Sweet Tequila whose sound is a combination of AC/DC, Black Crowes and Cinderella and are sure to get thumbs up by those who favour a dose of sleazy rock ‘n roll. The most impressive tracks however are delivered by a foursome called Washed who serve up a most tasty mix of elements of Leatherwolf, XYZ, Cry Wolf, a touch of vintage Crimson Glory and even a hint of “Rage For Order” era Queensrÿche. Damn this is good stuff and one can only ask himself why these guys never got to sign a major record deal. Now I could continue going over every track included on both disc 1 and 2 but that would easily take up a whole page and probably send you off to sleep before reaching the end. Instead I’ll mention the tracks that have made an impression on yours truly and are surely worth checking out: “Find A Way” by Idle Threats (excellent US styled melodic hard rock with Chris Capozza’s impressive vocals as the focal point), “Don’t Ever Say Goodbye” by Omynus (keyboard driven, radio friendly AOR inspired by the likes of Journey), “So Long” by Dirty Blond (glam-edged melodic hard rock in the vein of Wild Boyz), “Say It’s True” by Fantazy and both cuts by The Mob (melodic hard rock bordering on metal with excellent guitar work). The second disc gives us a taste of the heavier bands that were active on the scene and although I too had my share of speed and trash metal in the ‘80’s none of the tracks-except for the melodic hard rock of “Whenever I’m Near” by Kings Chamber- were able to send my pulse racing. That said however I can only congratulate the gentlemen responsible for this here release cause it offered a hair metal addict like myself a chance to discover some really excellent acts. (PS) 5 Stars out of 6

 ’Lehigh Valley Rocks’ is a 2-CD compilation produced by good friends Butch Maloney and Tom LeFevre. Their dedication and hard work paid off to bring together all the talented groups/artist whom performed about the Lehigh Valley Hardrock scene of 1984-1994. Thirty tracks in all with music that will take you back to a music scene with an unquestionably exorbitance of talent. IN FACT, many of the artists THEN have moved on NOW to become national touring artist. So where was Lehigh Valley and who are these artist? No where close to Sunset, that I will tell you. How about Allentown/Bethlehem Eastern Pennsylvania? And just like Sunset-Hollywood, Lehigh Valley and their 80’s hard rock metal bands where tearing up the streets too. Bands like TEEZE “Party Hardy” a hit song that sold over 20,000 copies! SWEET TEQUILA featuring Scott Marshall/Lead vocalist-guitarist, "I Won't Be Crying". WASHED with two great songs, “Guilty” and “Alone”. DESTROYER and the track "When Morning Comes" Mike Myers/lead vocalist-guitarist and Mark Bennett /drums are currently performing in the band Slik Helvetika. OMYNUS had an extremely popular draw in the clubs with their song "Don't Ever Wanna Say Goodbye" from the year of 1990. Some of you Southern California’s may recognize band member Bobby Richards/drums, (Hand Over Fist, Youth Gone Wild, Wood and now THE CAUZE). SAPIENT, MIZERY and, DIRTY BLOND, whom released 3 albums that are doing very well over seas. JOLLY ROGER with “I Won’t Be Cryin”, FANTAZY, THE MOB, and UNCLE REMUS with former WASHED drummer, Phil Mahr. ROCK HEAVEN, featuring bass player Matt Boyden of Treblehook. KINGS CHAMBER with Jeff Baker/bass vocals. Jeff is now performing with the classic metal tribute band DENIM AND LEATHER that features members of Metal Church, Lizzy Borden and Leatherwolf. LEVIATHEN, KRAKEN, ENDZONE, VIC MISSY, CHASER, RED OCTOBER, APATHY and SLIK HEVETIKA. You eighty metal lovers will want to add this to your hard rock metal music collection! You won’t be disappointed. GET YOUR COPY TODAY! Visit www.lehighvalleyrocks.com. I hear Butch & Tom are also working on an upcoming DVD, a documentary based on the Lehigh Valley music scene. Maybe even a few more surprises, keep us posted guys! “Thanks” Lehigh Valley for “Keeping Local Music Alive”

Long time friends, Butch Maloney and Tom Lefevre put together a project of the best unknown hard rock and metal bands that the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania could provide, during the height of this music’s popularity. This area has produced members of great acts like Poison, Megadeth and Mr. Big, but there were hundreds more that never got the recognition that they deserved. Thanks to Maloney, and Lefevre, we get a stellar, 2 disc, 30 track collection of all of the best glam, sleaze, metal, thrash and progressive rock, that the Lehigh Valley had to offer. There are far too many stand out tracks to mention in this collection. My current favorites are the Skid Row like Party Hardy, the Poisonish Lickety Split, both Guilty and Alone by Washed and So Long by Dirty Blond. Sweet Tequila’s, “I wont be crying” has a great Cinderella meets AC/DC quality about it. Rage by Uncle Remus is infectious as hell. This disc reminded me of all the reasons why I came to love this style of music. If you are a fan of the Big Hair era of Rock and Metal, you owe it to yourself to pick this disc up now. It is currently available through CD Baby and at Lehigh Valley Rocks! Rating: 8.75 Flying V's Out of 10