Griffin (10) – Protectors Of The Lair
Label: |
Steamhammer – SH 0050 |
|---|---|
Format: |
Vinyl
, LP, Album
|
Country: |
Europe |
Released: |
|
Genre: |
Rock |
Style: |
Speed Metal |
Tracklist
| A1 | Eulogy Of Sorrow / Awakening | 2:02 | |
| A2 | Hunger | 4:11 | |
| A3 | Infinite Voyage | 5:06 | |
| A4 | Cursed Be The Deceiver | 4:37 | |
| A5 | Tame The Lion | 6:00 | |
| B1 | Entity / Watching From The Sky | 4:25 | |
| B2 | Sanctuary | 5:19 | |
| B3 | Truth To The Cross | 4:17 | |
| B4 | Poseidon Society | 7:11 | |
| B5 | Eulogy Of Sorrow (Reprise) | 1:23 |
Companies, etc.
- Record Company – SPV
- Licensed From – Griffin Records
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Griffin Records
- Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Steamhammer
- Copyright © – Griffin Records
- Copyright © – Steamhammer
- Published By – Brotherhood Of Griffin Music
- Recorded At – Banquet Sound Studios
- Mastered At – Fantasy Studios
- Pressed By – Sonopress
- Distributed By – SPV GmbH – 08-1887
- Distributed By – EMP Musikvertrieb
- Distributed By – Disctrade
Credits
- Cover [Front Cover Art] – Lionel Baker II*
- Drums – Rick Wagner (2)
- Engineer – Mark Lyon (2)
- Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Twelve-String Guitar, Bass Guitar – Rick Cooper
- Lyrics By, Vocals – William Rodrick McKay
- Management – JM Enterprises
- Photography By [Cover And Inner Sleeve Photography] – Joe Martino (3)
- Sleeve [Inner Sleeve Art] – See-Shell's Graphics
- Written-By, Producer – Griffin (10)
Notes
Released in a semi glossy sleeve with a printed inner sleeve.
Some copies came with a 'SPV Mid-Price Series' sticker on the front sleeve.
℗ & © 1986 Steamhammer
Track A1 and B5 is wrongly spelled on the labels as 'Enlogy of Sorrow'.
Some copies came with a 'SPV Mid-Price Series' sticker on the front sleeve.
℗ & © 1986 Steamhammer
Track A1 and B5 is wrongly spelled on the labels as 'Enlogy of Sorrow'.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Rights Society: GEMA
- Label Code: LC 9002
- Pressing Plant ID (Center label side B, embossed): Bass clef
- Matrix / Runout (A-side, etched): SPV 08-1887 A1 RE1 (A)
- Matrix / Runout (B-side, etched, first A is crossed out): SPV 08-1887 AB1RE1 (A)
Other Versions (5 of 10)
View All| Title (Format) | Label | Cat# | Country | Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
New Submission
|
Protectors Of The Lair (LP, Album, Test Pressing, White Label) | Steamhammer | SH 0050 | 1986 | |||
|
New Submission
|
Protectors Of The Lair (CD, Album) | Steamhammer | SPV 04-7551 | , Austria, & Switzerland | 1988 | ||
|
New Submission
|
Protectors Of The Lair (CD, Album, Reissue) | Old Metal Records | none | US | 2000 | ||
|
New Submission
|
Protectors Of The Lair (CD, Album, Reissue, Unofficial Release) | Eclipse Records (26) | ECL 1030 | UK | 2019 | ||
|
New Submission
|
Protectors Of The Lair (2×CD, Album, Reissue, Remastered, O-Card) | Hellion Records | HEL 1475AB | Brazil | 2021 |
Recommendations
Reviews
-
Hidden metal gem from the mid-80s
Griffin sprang from the Bay Area of northern California with their first album, FLIGHT OF THE GRIFFIN, debuting in 1984, just before the thrash craze. As such, it was a mixture of non-commercial metal bands that were gaining momentum in the early 80s, like early Priest, Maiden, Queensryche and MF (minus the goat-sucking buffoonery).
PROTECTORS OF THE LAIR was their second and final full-length from 1986. Only the vocalist, the drummer and one of the two guitarists stayed. It’s similar to the first opus, but they understandably upped the ante with speed/thrash elements. The first two albums by Overkill are good comparisons, but I prefer Griffin (although Overkill went on to become equally great in the 90s). The song “Sanctuary” features vocals reminiscent of Steve “Zetro” Souza.
The album is full of memorable songs, like the epic “Poseidon Society,” which sounds like it was inspired by the movie “The Fog.” “Tame the Lion” has a great opening and stop/start verses, not to mention a potent acoustic close. Other greats include “Hunger” (aka “The Final Command”), “Infinite Voyage,” “Cursed by the Deceiver” and “Truth of the Cross.” But, really, the entire album is pretty awesome from beginning to end and holds up to this day.
Twenty-five years after this album, singer William McKay resurfaced in 2011 to do a show at Keep It True Festival in . While his backing band were not the original , I saw the show online and they sounded exactly like Griffin did back in 1984-1986. As of 2023, McKay is still keeping the band’s legacy alive (I guess with occasional live gigs, I’m not sure).
The ten tracks clock-in at 44:53.
GRADE: A -
All of the same qualities heard on their first excellent release are here again, albeit played here with a much faster tempo and a slightly harder edge. One could surmise that they may have taken notice of their Bay Area contemporaries at the time and sped things up to compete? Regardless, this remains a top-notch Metal classic though I think I may slightly prefer their first release to this.
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