Put to tape in 1987, the six tracks that make up the studio-recorded portion of Reactor’s The Real World are a classic metal obscurity that comprises the best of the day’s heavy elements with just a touch of doom groove underlying. The band was born of the Maryland scene with lineup connections to Pentagram (most notably Joe Hasselvander who was in and out of the band on guitar), and their until-now-forgotten songs make their way out thanks to the fine work of Pittsburgh’s Shadow Kingdom Records.

I’ve made no bones about the fact that I find Shadow Kingdom’s ethic of unearthing bands like Reactor to be incredibly noble in the past, nor will I now. The Real World isn’t about to make anyone rich. It’s not a “Special 10 Year Anniversary Reissue” of something still in print. This is an original compilation of a lost metallic gem, put out because the label feels passionate about it. Because it sounds cool. Because how awesome would it be if 20 years from now someone came to you and wanted to put out your band’s original demo? This is love of metal in its purest form.

The songs themselves are pretty barebones metal, and it’s pretty clear from listening to the simple, punk-like structures of “Meltdown,” “Terrorist” and “Greenhouse” that Reactor was just getting started. “(When Your) Number’s Up” and “Real World” are a little more complicated, but the unquestionable high point of The Real World is the memorable “War Machine,” which most effectively blends the catchy, upbeat tone of the earlier material with Cold War-era social worry and a touch more complex melodicism. The chorus of, “The war machine is hungry/Feed the war machine,” says more than it even means to about the time in which it was written.

Included with the studio tracks — because if you’re going to press a disc, you might as well get the most out of it — is a full live show from Virginia in 1985. “Real World” and “War Machine” are the only repeats, and songs like “Death by Electrocution” and “Waste Not – Die Not” prove just as impressive as their studio-recorded counterparts. The recording is raw, obviously, but what you get is an old school bootleg feel that winds up involving you in the moment all the more. Just imagine picking it up out of a crate of cassettes at your local (probably now out of business) badass record store.

Like Shadow Kingdom’s reissues of Death Mask, Wolfbane, Old Yron, Asylum, Ritual, Dragonslayer and others, Reactor aren’t about to blow up and conquer the world, but for heads interested in metal history or who are just sick of hearing new bands who all sound the same, The Real World is like a prize at the bottom of the cereal box of life. Another quality release given new and earnest appreciation. You can’t ask for more than that.

Shadow Kingdom Records

Tags: Maryland, Reactor, Shadow Kingdom

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 1:13 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.