MIRIAH
Condition Red LP RED

Miriah was formed in Thurmont, Maryland (USA) by Shawn Vickers (guitar), Jerry Magallanes (vocals), Cragg Entwistle (bass) and Jeff Martines (drums). The foundation of the band began to form in the late 1970s when Cragg and Jeff came together to play in a cover band called Hat Trick. After this experience ended, the two set out to find a guitarist more aligned with the heavier rock style they wanted to play. Subsequently, the duo found Shawn Vickers, a 23-year-old, self-taught, flamboyant guitarist native to Germany. He had arrived in the US four years prior and immediately hit the Maryland music scene. His progressive and neo-classical influences, inspired by Randy Rhoads, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Alex Lifeson, did not go unnoticed. Now a trio, they formed a cover band called XS, then thy decided to start writing original material. With this shift in direction came a new band name: Higher Archy. However, the trio felt something was still missing and decided they needed a lead vocalist and frontman. After a short search scanning classified ads in local papers, they came across 25-year-old Jerry Magallanes. Heavily influenced by singers such as Steven Tyler and Ronnie James Dio, Magallanes proved to be an energetic and ambitious vocalist who brought the professionalism of an experienced musician to the group. Once the band became a foursome, the name was changed one last time to Miriah. The band took nearly a year to refine their songs and sound before playing their first gig at a battle of the bands. They took second place in the contest, introducing Miriah as a strong new contender on the circuit. Several shows followed with some of the biggest acts on the East Coast club circuit at the time, such as Mystic Force, Wrathchild America, Child's Play and Heaven’s Edge. Miriah rode the circuit for just a few years between 1988 and 1992. Within that short time, the band developed a solid professional relationship with Bob Yesbek and Omega Sound Studios in Rockville, Maryland, where they recorded most of their demo material. The band's buzz continued to grow locally, making them one of the biggest live attractions in the local hard rock and heavy metal scene, particularly in Baltimore. Plenty of local news articles and radio airplay helped boost the band’s reputation despite an inevitably changing musical climate. The band also ventured regionally into neighboring states such as Pennsylvania and New York. They shopped their demos to several record labels, gaining some interest, but nothing more came of those efforts. It was becoming increasingly difficult for hard rock and heavy metal acts to score a record deal in the early 1990s. In 1991 Magallanes exited the band. The remaining members found a replacement vocalist and pushed forward. Entwistle also left and with a new lineup Miriah recorded some additional demos. However, this attempt to carry on was short-lived and the band eventually called it a day. In 1994 the original lineup of Miriah briefly reunited for a couple of shows. "Condition Red" is a compilation of the Omega Studios recordings from 1988/89, remastered from the original master tapes. Most of these tracks were previously unreleased (except for four tracks from the "Miriah" demo tape released in 1989). The CD was released by Heaven & Hell Records in 2023; the same label kindly licensed this vinyl reissue.

Tracklist:
CONDITION RED
DARKSTAR
ROCKING THE WORLD
TIME WILL TELL
LIGHT OF DAY
DANGER COMES TO CALL
ANOTHER DAY
DOORWAYS
LADY
RUTHLESS
THE EVENING
UNIVERSAL STRENGHT