Mezmerist, The

***Very few obscure relics of early-1980s U.S. heavy metal are as storied as those of THE MEZMERIST, a band long shrouded in a mystique that is befitting of its name. Under the creative direction and songwriting of founder/guitarist/vocalist TOMMY MEZMERCARDO, The Mezmerist recorded two EPs and a short demo between 1983 and 1989, but it wasn’t until a 2013 compilation CD release from Shadow Kingdom Records that the band’s music became more readily available to the general public. Prior to this reissue, one would have had to pay exorbitant amounts of money on the collectors’ market to obtain an official copy of the band’s first and most fabled EP, The Innocent, The Forsaken, The Guilty. The most noteworthy contributing factor to the rarity of this EP was the fact that the percussion on it was performed by none other than BILL WARD, one of the original four grandfathers of heavy metal, and his contract with his “other” band precluded him from publishing a work with another artist that overtly recognized his involvement. Thus, the collaboration was largely kept in secret, aside from the discreet mention of his name in the credits of a record that was pressed in only five hundred units in 1985, approximately two years after its recording in 1983. As a split release with Shadow Kingdom Records, Nuclear War Now! is proud to present a vinyl LP compilation of both EPs, featuring audio taken from the original master reels, a layout that appropriately mirrors that of the original EP, and an additional insert with a rare band photo, lyrics, and liner notes.