Primevil - Smokin' Bats At Campton's (Reissue) (1974/2006)

Primevil was a short-lived hard rock combo from Indiana, comprised of vocalist Dave Campton, guitarists Larry Lucas and Jay Wilfong, bassist Mark Sipe, and drummer Mel Cupp (Moe Whittemore contributed synthesizers in the studio) -- most of whom were barely out of their teens when they recorded their sole long-player, Smokin' Bats at Campton's, in 1974. Produced at 700 West Studio, in New Palestine, Indiana, the album had no record company to back it, and therefore achieved only regional exposure in the Midwest at the time of its release. But its gritty brand of bluesy hard rock and metal, spiked with discreet nods to prog and psych, would eventually earn Primevil a cult following among latter-day stoner rock enthusiasts, who began exchanging rare vinyl copies online for hundreds of dollars, and eventually prompted the disc's belated reissue on CD in 2006.