Demorabilia was released 17 March 1999
(24 votes, average: 8.88 out of 10)
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| Catalogue | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Cat No. | Label | Country |
| CD | PCCY-01342 | Pony Canyon | Japan |
| HQCD | PCCY-50023 | Pony Canyon | Japan |
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| Additional Information | |
|---|---|
| Studios | Engineering |
| •Various | •Various |
| Mixer/Producer | Artwork |
| •Various | •Taka Shibayama Tino Troy drew the Family Tree |
| General Notes | |
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This is a two cd set of demos (hence a lower standard of sound quality) that mainly features the vocals from Uriah Heep’s Bernie Shaw era’s of Escape and Praying Mantis. The packaging on this one is really nice and it contains a family tree of the band written out by Tino Troy himself.  |
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I have been a Praying Mantis fan since I first heard "Captured City" on Metal for Muthas. Time Tells No Lies has always been on of my favourite albums and I was overjoyed when I first discovered it was out on CD. I didn't know what had happened after the first album until in about 1994 I discovered "A Cry For The New World". I was worried about getting it as I thought it had to be a disappointment but I was wrong. I loved it and have followed the band and maintained this website ever since.
From Burn Magazine In Japan. Translated for me by Yoko. (Thanks)
Demorabilia – Praying Mantis
This is a double CD of unreleased songs that the Troy brothers had. It also
includes demos of not only Praying Mantis but also Escape (Stratus). A band
the Troys started with ex-Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr and ex-Grand Prix vocalist
Bernie Shaw. You can’t expect much of the sound production as these are demos.
This album is not just worth it for the demos but also for the packaging which
contains rare photos etc. This album will be a treasure for Praying Mantis fans.
Eventually The Horn on Disc 1 and Battle Royal on Disc 2 saw the light of day
on “Predator In Disguise” which was Praying Mantis’s first studio album after
their 1990 NWOBHM reunion. As you can guess “Time Slipping Away” on Disc 2 is
the original of “Time Slipping Away”
Another double CD from Japan, not cheap at all, but worth the money for EVERY AOR-fan. With on the whole 27 ESCAPE tracks (the name the band called itself for a short time after their debut, before they then changed it in
STRATUS, released an album and then finally turned it into PRAYING MANTIS again) and PRAYING MANTIS tracks which have not been released before, beautifully packed in a dark, noble hardcover, in which there is a jewel case inside with the two CDs. A very thick booklet with all texts, an oversized extra-booklet with many photos and an endlessly fold-out pedigree with all line-ups of the band. A paradise for all melodic lovers. The sound of
these demo tracks is – of course – not that good, since they ARE demos. But when you behold that these old songs of the beginning of the 80s have been moldering in a cellar you really have to wonder that the latest JACOB’S
DREAM doesn’t sound better either…
Well this may sound evil, but it is rather a bonus for PRAYING MANTIS hehe..
The song material itself is non-stop top-class. You can’t compare it to “Time Tells No Lies”, but the band never sounded like that again 😉
It goes rather in the ways the last studio albums were. But stop: Who is reminded of the old days by the first 8 tracks is true: These are the ESCAPE-tracks. They sound rougher and a bit more like NWoBHM than the rest of the
material. Strange that I like the PRAYING MANTIS songs even better afterwards.. More melodies, more plausibility. However, the right music to relax, to
snuggle, to listen to while doing other things, cleaning, writing reviews…er.. listen to it! He who liked the last studio albums won’t make a mistake with that. And who does not like the price: take a look at the play
time, two single albums also cost that much, and that bit of money more is spent with joy for those extensive corollary material (2 booklets, pedigree)!
music: 8,0-9,5
sound: 5,5-7,5
time: 45:49 (CD1), 55:19 (CD2) (THE MIGHTY SCI!)
Demorabilia
These are a bunch, well, quite more than a bunch raw recordings which never saw the light, and now they were rescued to please us 🙂
The material here is most sung by Bernie Shaw -at least the songs i like most-, though there are several singers and different line-ups…
However you can find here some of the best NWOHM gems which never got enough appreciated.
Enough is enough, Nightmares, Raining in Kensington (absolute outstanding power ballad), the Story, The Horn (which would make Predator in Disguise), Top of the mountain, Heat of the moment (not the cover)…
I got it finally 2 years ago in ebay, so i am glad i could complete finally my mantis collection 🙂
9/10 great to have