Last summer, the Daily News featured a story on the Canyon Country band "Merciless Death", shortly after they signed a three-album record deal with Heavy Artillery Records. Daniel Holder, Cesar Torres and Andy Torres make-up the trash metal group that lives, breathes and plays 80s thrash metal music.

Although they had self-released their first album, "Evil in the Night" in late 2006, Heavy Artillery offered to do an official release of the album, using the original production.

They hired noted artist Ed Repka, who is known for his artwork on albums for Megadeth, Evil Dead, Nuclear Assault, and others. He worked with the band to get their concept of the cover just right, and the collaboration proved to be a very successful one. Every review of the album has included rave reviews of the artwork.

Since the album's release, several metal magazines, both online and print versions, have interviewed the band (go to www.metal-rules.com for the most recent), and the album has received critical acclaim across the board, such as this from www.themetalforge.com: "These guys ARE a Thrash band through and through and they would unquestionably fit within the ranks of the 80's Thrash movement. It's all here - the biting vocals, buzzsaw guitars, thrashing riffs - even the artwork by Ed Repka and the photo collage inside the booklet are straight out of the scene from back in the day. Make no mistakes. These guys are the real deal, and it shows. For the old guard Thrash fans, and even those who are over a lot of what passes for Metal today, this one is for you." The label had 200 limited edition vinyls pressed for release, along with the standard CD's that are available.

Heavy Artillery is now releasing "Speed Kills...Again"; 12 tracks inspired by the legendary 80's "Speed Kills" compilation series...' featuring exclusive material from six of the world's leading up and comers in the Thrash/Speed Metal revival...including Merciless Death '. A limited number of collector's edition vinyls are on sale now.

Merciless Death headed out on their U.S. tour on Sat., Aug. 11, with their first stop in Phoenix. They will play their way across the south, north to N.Y.C., and back out west - 25 shows in 32 days over a few thousand miles. A grueling schedule, to be sure; but how many of us would grab the opportunity to pack up a van, travel with friends, and, best of all, get paid to do the one thing we love most - in this case, get up on a stage and pound out the music that has become our passion? Next year: Europe!

For more info on Merciless Death go to www.myspace.com/mercilessdeath and www.myspace.com/heavyartillerymetal.