Year : 1985 (Minotauro Records Limited Edition 2023)
Style : Heavy Metal , Power Metal
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 166 mb
Bio:
Heavy metal quartet from the Houston, TX, suburb of Pasadena. Reportedly formed in 1983, Mox Nix somehow parlayed their small local following and a well-recorded cassette demo (1984's six-track All Access) into a deal with France's Axe Killer Records, which released the band's first and ultimately only album in 1985. This self-titled affair featured Johnny Duff (vocals), Bruce Tousinau (guitar), Robert Fernandez (bass), and Joe Vernagallo (drums) performing a rather unremarkable style of American metal with hard rock tendencies. However, the album went virtually unnoticed within the metal community at large, Mox Nix were quickly dropped, and their next label went bankrupt before the completion of a proposed second album to be called Red Planet, leading to their breakup.
Album:
Reissue of their first and only release with 12 bonus tracks.Mox Nix? Who are those guys? Those guys existed? Those are the questions that probably raced through your mind since Mox Nix never really made much of a niche for themselves after the release of their first and only album, their self-titled debut. They pretty much disappeared after that, hence why Mox Nix will never get the recognition they deserve, and that's really a shame, since they've actually crafted some very cool stuff.What you'll find here is some of the finest power metal ever to come out of the 80's. They can be on par with Leatherwolf and Marshall Law since some of their songs like "Fight Back" and "Kill or be Killed" contain the powerful speed and aggressive riffing. They're riffs that are powerful, but they're not really aggressive enough to equal that of thrash metal. "Kill or be Killed" can also be an example of the skillful riffing and soloing using a bit of a classical influence, which is very common in power metal, even in the 80's when it first came out. We even get a bit of harmony in the solo, which must have been two solos mixed over each other since the band only had one guitarist. Had Mox Nix continued with their career, Bruce Tousinau could've been more recognized as a great power metal guitarist. Granted, he's not as good as Michael Romeo of Symphony X, but he does get close. We also got a trace of thrash metal in the song "Scream for Mercy", as it seems to carry and even more aggressive, chugging riff than the others. The thrash influence can also be found in "Never Again", which is kind of ironic since the lyrics deal with a breakup."Fight Back" is one of my favorite tracks, for it, like "Kill or be Killed" contains harmony in its riffs and solos. It's a very fast-paced song that is actually fast enough to be on par with thrash metal, but it's also got the elaborate riffing of power metal. There's also the fact that it begins with an energetic intro that has a very heavy riff that builds up to the speedy tempo. Also containing a great intro is the song "Lost Sierra". That one has is more complicated than that of "Fight Back", since it's played softer and has more individual notes on the guitar. It also has a very dramatic, yet aggressive chugging main riff that goes together with a dramatic lead vocal performance. We've also got some songs that are more rock-based and radio friendly, but despite that, they still manage to be good. "Steal the Show" has kind of that peppy feel that most hard rock and NWOBHM bands have, but it's also got a very driving tempo which moves it along nicely. The main riff isn't as basic as most hard rock songs are, either, for it's got a complex chugging rhythm. The solo of that song even contains some of that classical influence that empowered the solos of other songs. Not only that, it also mixes a rock influence too.The only complaint I have with Mox Nix is the song "Stand Alone". It's more of a cliched, radio-friendly hard rock song than anything else on the album. It begins with a light and hollow guitars playing a dramatic, but more plain riff and the melodies that are sung by the lead vocalists are also somewhat generic. Sure we get some of the power metal soloing, but the song kind of suffers from the fact that it doesn't really kick into gear until two minutes in. It's like half of the song is soft and mellow guitar and the other half is generic hard rock. It's a song that's basically a sign of the times, a song that might not be on the same level as, say, Autograph. Far from it, actually, it's not really cheesy and stupid, it's just more radio-friendly than usual, that's all. It's only one track on the album, so it's very easy to ignore in favor of the songs that are actually great.I've already said this, but it bears repeating. It's a shame and a crime that Mox Nix never got the recognition they deserved. They could've created some more albums that could've been some of the great power metal albums, like Liege Lord's "Master Control". Instead, they split up and vanished forever. They're one of the many forgotten bands that deserve to be looked into more, for what little they did release is truly remarkable.
Line Up:
Johnny Duff - Vocals
Bruce Tousinau - Guitars
Robert Fernandez - Bass
Joe Vernagallo - Drums (R.I.P. 2018)
Production:
Engineer – Steve Ames
Photography By – Ken Monfort
Producer – Joe Moses
Tracklist:
01. Fight Back 02:51
02. Ready or Not 03:10
03. Reckless 03:03
04. Lost Sierra 03:50
05. Never Again 02:45
06. Steal the Show 03:40
07. Scream for Mercy 02:04
08. Make It 04:04
09. Kill or Be Killed 03:07
10. Stand Alone 04:56
11. Rescue Me (rough mix) 04:52 (Bonus Track)
12. A Hard Place to Rock (rough mix) 02:32 (Bonus Track)
13. Cut Throat (rough mix) 03:47 (Bonus Track)
14. Don't Push Your Love 03:36 (Bonus Track)
15. Don't Use Me (rough mix) 02:48 (Bonus Track)
16. Fool's Game 03:03 (Bonus Track)
17. Lightning Without Thunder (re-recorded) 03:49 (Bonus Track)
18. Red Planet (re-recorded) 04:00 (Bonus Track)
19. Steal the Show (re-recorded) 03:28 (Bonus Track)
20. Ready or Not (demo) 03:40 (Bonus Track)
21. Scream for Mercy (demo) 03:19 (Bonus Track)
22. Never Again (demo) 02:15 (Bonus Track)
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