Heavy metal was down and out when October 31 formed all the way back in 1995. Death metal and black metal were in; heavy metal was for dads that never outgrew their Saxon records, so hopelessly behind the times that they weren’t even worth paying attention to. Enter October 31: King Fowley (Deceased) and Brian Williams formed a traditional heavy metal band to help bring the sound and genre back to the forefront of underground music.

Though October 31 has become widely known in the decades since for King’s characteristic rough-and-passionate vocal style and sometimes for his drumming, King’s original vision of the band actually called for a five piece with a more melodic and traditional singer behind the mic. That’s where Tony Taylor came in, who is best known as the lead singer on the first few Twisted Tower Dire records as well as the singer for Isen Torr. Though Tony ended up leaving October 31 a couple years after joining to focus purely on his main band, there was a brief stint from 2000 to 2002 where October 31 had Twisted October Dire members bassist Jim Hunter (who remains with October 31 to this day), guitarist Scott Waldrop, and Tony Taylor all in their ranks- and that short-lived period was pure magic.

No studio material aside from a single 7” remains from this period of the band, but today Nameless Grave Records is proud to reveal something just as good: a high-quality live recording taken at the soundboard of a show remastered by Andrew Lee (Ripped to Shreds) and as vicious and ripping as any live album has a right to be! Through the long playtime- which includes a mixture of classic original October 31 tunes and killer cult classic covers from bands like Witchkiller, Judas Priest, Saxon, and Grim Reaper- the band is on fire and you can almost hear yourself screaming along to Tony’s wailing at the Spotlight.

This is a special look at an alternate history where October 31 fit King’s original vision of the band: perhaps not better, but certainly welcome as an addition to both October 31’s legacy and to the sadly deceased Tony Taylor’s. Featuring more than an hour of music and for the first time the entire 2001 demo that Tony sang, this live CD and anthology is the perfect and ultimate tribute to the greatest heavy metal band in the history of Virginia.

For fans of Twisted Tower Dire, Saxon, and Anvil.