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ARAGON formed in Levittown, NY when high school friends Mike Pope (guitar) and Gerry Holz (drums) joined forces with Vinny Ciminera (bass) and Rob Andersen (vocals). Initially inspired by the classic sounds of Maiden, Priest, Sabbath, etc., the four-piece gradually gravitated toward the burgeoning thrash style being fostered by future legends such as Metallica. The initial result of such efforts was "Dreams of Hell," intended for the Arctic Records Presents compilation in 1986, though ultimately unreleased at that time.
 

Formed in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada in late-1989, CATSCAN's members—Alan Goddard (vocals, bass), Sean Horodyski and Brian Erfle (guitars), and Todd Pitts (drums)—combined their individual influences into an interesting and unique take on techy, thrash-leaning metal that wouldn't draw immediate comparisons to any of their contemporaries. Also of note is the lyrical direction having been influenced by Alan's Christian faith—especially interesting in that the rest of the band didn't necessarily agree with such concepts.
 

Hyper-obscure Pennsylvania thrash metal outfit DEMENTIA formed in 1988 and endured a number of lineup shifts during the band's infancy. Led by guitarist Bill Schaeffer, an instructor at Hawk Music known locally to be an impressive shredder, many of the ideas that would ultimately make up The Insanity Chronicles were in place from the start. Initially inspired by the likes of SLAYER, VENOM, IRON MAIDEN, and KING DIAMOND, Bill's songwriting fragments were pieced together by the members as they practiced two to three times a week, honing their skills with the hopes of securing as many live shows as possible.
 

Forward-thinking Philadelphia area thrash act DOMINANCE formed from the ashes of cult heroes Anvil Bitch during the late-'80s. The core of the band—John Plumley on guitar, Dave Carr on bass, and drummer Chuck Stadulis—hooked up with vocalist Chuck Miles and guitarist John Hebert to explore a darker, more rhythmic form of vicious thrash metal; even becoming early adopters of experimenting with the addition of samples into their compositions.

Lesser-known thrashers FALLEN ANGEL formed in Örebro, Sweden during the late-'80s, founded by vocalist/guitarist Johan Bülow and drummer Fredrik Linden. The group debuted with a five-song demo in 1988, rumored to have been issued in as little as 30 copies, before—having secured Joacim Persson (guitar) and Gustaf Ljungström (bass)—recording the four-song Hang-Over demo at Eagle One Studios in 1989. One track from Hang-Over, "Etanolic Intoxication," appeared on a four-way split 7" with Appendix, Nirvana 2002, and Authorize the following year; after which—with new bassist Matte Hedenborg in tow—the quartet returned to Eagle One to track a seven-song EP, which they self-released on 12" vinyl in 1991.

The tale of prolific and longstanding metal outfit HOSTILE RAGE began in a New Jersey bedroom back in 1985. Initially called Rampage, the group issued its debut five-song demo, Vol. 1, less than a year after solidifying the lineup and rebranding itself under the banner of HOSTILE RAGE. The following year, these recordings were re-released alongside four new songs as the extremely rare Vol. 1 + 2; while the now-classic "Dead Meat" found its way onto New Renaissance Records' Thrash Metal Attack II compilation. Another five-song demo—the aptly-titled On the Rampage—saw the light in 1989, followed by the blistering Adrenalin Flow in 1990. The future looked bright, but as 1991 approached, the surrounding musical landscape began to shift, so despite the band's writing continuing to progress, momentum slowed and there would be a four-year delay before HOSTILE RAGE presented two final demos during the mid-'90s.

Rockland County, NY thrash act OUT OF DARKNESS formed in 1990 when three-fifths of the lineup of Sadistik Ritual—guitarists Jon Ciorciari and Greg Paravati with drummer Forrest Leighton—soldiered on with ex-Prowler bassist Sean Weiss and former Torment vocalist Ron Roshong. As OUT OF DARKNESS, the quintet further progressed their foundation into an even more interesting brand of thrash metal that combined quirky and technical riffing with both melody and hard-hitting crunch.

LAST REMAINS took shape around 1989/1990 after guitarist Adam Tranquilli parted ways with New Jersey thrashers Blood Feast, joining forces with former Killigy drummer Adam Kieffer, Bob McLynn on bass, and initial vocalist Rich Caputo. The group set out to develop a heavy-yet-melodic sound that would remain powerful without venturing toward the "balls-out speed thrashing" Tranquilli had explored with Blood Feast.

Second press! Gatefold sleeve, and vinyl in "comet torrent" vinyl effect!!