THIS WEEK I’M LISTENING TO…VARIOUS ARTISTS – Essential NWOBHM – The Best Of Neat Records Vol 2 (Golden Core)

Lovingly compiled by metal guru and NWOBHM uber-fan Neudi for his Golden Core Records, ‘Essential NWOBHM – The Best Of Neat Records Vol 2’ does exactly what it says on the tin. Over the course of 79 minutes the CD romps through 21 hot picks from the Neat Records’ catalogue and although there’s no surprises here the material has all been remastered by him exclusively for this release. There’s no point asking someone like me for the highlights as the Neat roster was a cornucopia of delights as far as I, and many others, was concerned, but when you’re presented with the likes of Venom’s ‘Angel Dust’ (the superior ‘Lead Weight’ version), Satan’s ‘Blades Of Steel’, Crucifixion’s ‘Green Eyes’, Lone Wolf’s ‘Nobody’s Move’, Black Rose’s ‘Nightmare’, Raven’s ‘Wiped Out’ and Warfare’s ‘Burn Down The King’s Road’ it’s impossible to decide what’s hot and what’s not.

Warfare's Evo smiles for the camera...

There’s nothing here that’s not been released before, but it’s nice to have it all in one place and Neudi has pulled together a beautifully coherent running order from a range of very diverse material. It’s a very definite thumbs-up from me.

John Tucker June 2026