African American heavy metal from the dawn of the 1980s
From the cut-out bin of history, an on-going exploration of lost and forgotten rock ‘n’ rollers. Today’s discovery: Sound Barrier.
There were a lot of heavy metal bands in Southern California in the 1980s but in a crowded field of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest wannabes, one band stood out, not so much for their sound as for the color of their skin. In a scene dominated by white kids, African American chord crunchers Sound Barrier were as disorienting a sight as watching blonde bomber Wayne Cochran channel James Brown. This was the real black metal.
After two years of playing the L.A. club scene, Sound Barrier signed a
Sound Barrier’s records are out-of-print but used copies are available here. The band’s music is not barrier-breaking. It’s serviceable and solid metal from a group who might have benefited from locating to the East Coast and spending some time around
Posted by Marc Campbell
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