Sudden Death – Suddenly… 1995 (USA, Heavy Psychedelic/Hard Rock)

Hailing from Pasadena, this heavy rock proto-metal group recorded just one demo record in 1972 that wasn’t released until 1995 by Rockadelic Records. Originally formed by John Binkley (bass), Tim Lavrouhin (drums) and Joey Dunlop (guitar). Shorty afterwards Greg Magie was recruited as singer. But Lavrouhin abruptly quit and a new drummer, Charlie Brown, took his place. With influences that included Cream, Hendrix, The Doors and Blue Cheer, the band always had big problems playing in all the hips clubs due to the excessive volume given off by their amplifiers. However, a gig at The Beach House in Venice Beach caught the attention of Kim Fowley — who, together with Blue Cheer/Bang producer Michael Sunday, was looking for «America’s answer to Black Sabbath». After hearing Sudden Death rehearse, Fowley and Sunday invited them to recorded a professional demo at Columbia Records studio on Sunset Boulevard in March 1972. The session lasted nearly six hours, with the band essentially playing live in the studio. Infortunately the long-awaited contract never materialized, leaving Sudden Death’s album in the can until Rockadelic Records acquired the tapes in 1995. Within a year of the Columbia session, Sudden Death had mutated into LA club band Skyfire.