Hedstone - Out Of The Crypt

Band: Hedstone

Album: Out Of The Crypt

Out: October 16th 2020

 

Brothers, Kurt and Scott Slavik were the nucleus of Hedstone. Kurt started playing guitar at the age of 12. He never really played seriously until the age of 18 when he finally got a decent guitar. Scott took an interest in music and wanted to play guitar. Kurt encouraged him to learn bass, telling him that every band was looking for a bass player.

 

In the early 80’s, Scott started playing with friends and wanted Kurt to join but they were heading in a punk direction and they really didn’t want Kurt. So Kurt and Scott started playing together in their bedroom with really crude equipment. They finally started getting to a place where they wanted a complete band so they added Scott Muzzey on drums. They played in the basement, finding their direction.

 

Muzzey left the band so they took out an ad in the Illinois Entertainer. From there they added Greg Cisco on guitar and Wayne Powell on drums. They called themselves Black Knight. While Kurt and Scott were content to just jam, Wayne opened their eyes to playing the bar circuit. Greg left the band and was replaced by Mike Cooper on guitar. Mike Cooper was then replaced by Steve Reedy for a heavier sound. The band was told by many that they needed a front man so Kurt decided to drop the guitar and concentrate on vocals. They brought Steve’s friend John Martin on for the second guitar. At that point, the band was renamed Hedstone and became more focused on a heavy metal direction. They started writing original songs and mixing them in with cover songs in their set list. They covered songs by the Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Metallica, Ozzy and others in that vein of metal.

 

Scott Muzzey rejoined the band and replaced Wayne Powell on drums. At that time, they were asked to be on the "Chicago Metal Works, Battalion 2" compilation album. "Air Raid" was recorded at Tanglewood Studios in Brookfield, Illinois. It was engineered by Frank Papalardo. It was the band’s first time in a professional studio and they were a little intimidated. While they were reasonably happy with the recording, they really wanted a heavier sound.

 

Prior to the band recording "Air Raid" at Tanglewood, they recorded a few songs at Sunset Studios. This was a small studio in the Chicago suburbs. Unfortunately, those tapes were lost.

Mike Ward replaced Scott Muzzey as drummer for a brief period of shows. Eventually, Clay Yoksas replaced Steve Reedy and Michael Albin replaced John Martin on guitars. This would be the final line up for Hedstone with a very young Tim Bulut as the final drummer for the band. However, personal issues caused the band to turn to Nick Forchione as Tim’s replacement. Tim can be heard on Air Raid (re-recorded) and Nuclear Winter. Nick played drums on all other songs.

 

There was a demand for more recorded music after "Air Raid" was released on the Chicago Metal Works album. In 1987, when Clay and Mike joined the band, they changed their rehearsal space to Clay’s basement. Clay had a 4-track cassette recorder and experience recording. They set up a makeshift studio and decided to record six songs and release them on cassette for friends and fans. The cassette was called “Six from the Crypt”. The songs include "Hell on Her Side", "Break the Spell", "The Black Knight", "Mind over Metal", "Rest in Peace" and "Lady of the Night". These songs were written over the past three years. Clay and Kurt engineered and mixed the songs. The lineup consisted of Clay Yoksas and Mike Albin on guitar, Scott Slavik on bass, Nick Forchione on drums and Kurt Slavik on lead vocals. This cassette was never sold to the public.

 

The band continued to write and wanted to produce a four song demo in 1988 which would include songs written and arranged by the current lineup. The songs included are "Believe in Us", "Only in Fear" and "Nuclear Winter". They wanted to re-record "Air Raid" so this was added to the demo. This was their best effort so far. The lineup remained the same as the first cassette with the exception of Tim Bulut on drums for "Air Raid" and "Nuclear Winter". Again, these tapes were never sold and only handed out to band members, fans and the local radio station.

 

As already mentioned, the band recorded most of their music in Clay’s basement on a 4-track cassette recorder, mixing tracks down to a regular cassette recorder and then back to the 4-track. The 4-track version of "Air Raid" was sent to a nationally syndicated radio station in the US called Z-Rock. That song won the Shredder of the Week contest and the band got to hear their music played on the radio throughout the week. Hedstone songs could also be heard regularly on the local Downers Grove North High School radio station during the 80’s.

 

The live tracks on this CD are from The Thirsty Whale which was located in River Grove, Illinois. This was one of the band’s regular places to play. The band did many shows around the Chicago area and incorporated props into their show. They placed headstones at the front of the stage and sometimes used a casket for Kurt to come out of at the beginning of the show. This final line up of the band was the strongest for writing original songs and was moving in the direction that Kurt and Scott had longed for. Clay’s writing was a perfect match for the brothers. Unfortunately, this renewed enthusiasm was relatively short lived as medical issues caused Kurt to step away. Scott also left the band at that point. Clay would go on to form Seventh Omen and then Clayborg and currently Tarot Woman. Clay is still very actively recording. Steve Reedy would go on to play with Shockhaus.

 

The live songs were recorded (unknowingly) at The Thirsty Whale in 1987, thanks to Jim Tsciouris, the in-house soundman. Jim was probably the best soundman we ever knew. These songs were never heard by anyone outside of the band.

The band had written other songs but they never were recorded. Those songs include "Misery Loves Company", "Come Alive", "Intoxicated" and a few others they can’t remember.

 

The members still keep in touch through social media. Although the band seemed short lived, they made great memories and had a lot of good times playing together. It always amazes them when they hear about someone listening to their music on the other side of the globe.

 

The band would like to thank Kostas Athanasoglou and Arkeyn Steel Records for their renewed interest and the technology to greatly enhance and remaster the songs they recorded. Hedstone would like to remember George Yoksas (Clay’s dad) who managed us. Rest in peace, George. We would also like to thank Andy Ermel for always being there and Ed Pope for lights and everything else.

 

Track listing:

1. Hell On Her Side

2. Break The Spell

3. The Black Knight

4. Mind Over Metal

5. Rest In Peace

6. Lady Of The Night

7. Air Raid*

8. Believe In Us

9. Only In Fear

10. Nuclear Winter*

11. Air Raid#

12. The Black Night (Live)

13. Nuclear Winter (Live)

 

1-6 Six From The Crypt (Demo 1987)

7-10 Four Song Demo (1988)

11 Chicago Metal Works, Battalion 2 (1986)

12-13 Live @ The Thirsty Whale, River Grove, Illinois (1987)

 

Line-up:

Kurt Slavik - Vocals

Clay Yoksas - Guitar

Mike Albin - Guitar

Scott Slavik - Bass

Nick Forchione – Drums

 

Tim Bulut - Drums*

Scott Muzzey - Drums#

John Martin - Guitar#

Steve Reedy - Guitar#

 

1-6: Recorded at Clay’s Basement, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1987

7-10: Recorded at Clay’s Basement, Downers Grove, Illinois, 1988

Produced, Mixed, Engineered by: Clay Yoksas, Kurt Slavik

11: Recorded at Tanglewood Studios, Brookfield, Illinois, 1986

Produced, Mixed, Engineered by: Frank Papalardo

12-13: Recorded Live at “The Thirsty Whale”, River Grove,

Illinois, 1987. Engineered by: Jim Tsciouris

Remastered by: Kostas Scandalis

at: Infinity Studios - Thessaloniki, Hellas, Sep 2020

Cover Artwork: Eddie Garcia

Cover Edit, Layout, Pics Restoration:  Kostas Athanasoglou