The roots of speeding thrash metal stretch out to the early and mid 80?s. It did not take long for the waves arising from the shores of California, central Europe and the United Kingdom hit Finland hard as well. The guiding light of Finnish thrash metal from that era was Stone from Kerava, but the entire scene that was bubbling beneath the surface was surprisingly vivid for such a small country. As the old saying goes, in the late 80?s there was not a single town in Finland without a speed metal band. These dozens ? or hundreds, to be more precise ? of vivacious bands formed by the long-haired youth didn?t just stay in the basements of their parents? houses. Soon the youth centres of every county and open-minded venues such as the legendary Lepakko in Helsinki would arrange wild speed and thrash metal gigs. Studios run by more experienced musicians such as Timo Tolkki from Stratovarius were fully booked by hungry young bands eager to record their future metal classics. Many bands released 7? singles and demo tapes by themselves or with support from a record company, yet most of them permanently stayed at the demo stage through the golden era of the eighties. Here's a great compilation of the absolute top tunes culled from these sought-after, long-lost demo tapes and singles on vinyl and CD in October. No Future, No Past ? Finnish Speed & Thrash Metal Explosion combines the strongest, rarest, and most obscure Finnish metal tracks from the years 1986-1992.