Fools Are Never Alone

There really wasn’t a lot for this four-piece to go on (and how many thought August Redmoon was a guy in the band), considering ’81 (when their privately-pressed version came out) was pretty damn early for most conventional metal, and since they were from CA they couldn’t even seek inclusion into the new English sound that was sailing across the Atlantic, though it was almost impossible not to glean some sort of influence from it. Redmoon is just straightforward heavy metal with a commercial perspiration – no real flash, no gimmicks, no sauntering, just plain ‘ol marketable tradition.

The title cut and “Jekyll ‘N’ Hyde” are uncomplicated in their delivery, the former occasionally lightly-strummed until it's just kind of there, doing little to tear my interest away from the re-run of Quantum Leap I’m watching, meanwhile the latter disguises a Ramones-y backing vocalled chorus with a more updated veneer. The start of “Bump in the Night” is probably as heavy as the most lethal Killer Dwarfs track, but this potent impact deadens as commercial shadows darken the end with a poppy, happy-go-lucky chorus. The most dominant creature in “We Know What You Want” is Ray Winslow’s solo that tries to overshadow the bopping main rhythm I can really do without. The ’82 Metalworks reissue features one additional track and the most direct injection of nwobhm with “Don’t Stop Me”, inching out “Bump in the Night” for top tune.

August Redmoon would later have a track on Metal Blade's Metal Massacre IV compilation. They'd then change their name enough times to confuse and alienate anybody who cared, and then ultimately die the death of many of these early obscure groups. The cover harks back to simpler times, and it’ll run you about $30 for the Metalworks version, more for the indie release if you can find it (I haven't yet).