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STUTZ – CHAMPIONS: DEMO ANTHOLOGY 1979–1987
RARE OHIO HARD ROCK & HEAVY METAL — FINALLY UNEARTHED!
18 TRACKS • OVER 76 MINUTES • LIMITED TO 500 HAND-NUMBERED COPIES
2022 STORMSPELL RECORDS CD — IN STOCK!
💿 Release Details
Artist: Stutz
Album: Champions – Demo Anthology 1979–1987
Label: Stormspell Records
Catalog Number: SSR-BA293
Series: Beyond the Arcane — Volume #3
Format: CD Compilation
Packaging: Jewel Case with 12-Page Booklet and Hand-Numbered OBI Strip
Pressing: Limited to 500 Copies Worldwide
Country: USA
Release Year: 2022
Original Recording Years: 1979–1987
Genre: Hard Rock / Heavy Metal / Melodic Hard Rock
Tracks: 18
Running Time: Over 76 Minutes
Audio Restoration & Mastering: Brandon Seyboth, Headroom Labs
Cover Artwork: Yannick Bouchard
UPC: 700736195628
Availability: IN STOCK
🔥 Key Features & Collector Details
- LIMITED TO 500 HAND-NUMBERED COPIES WORLDWIDE!
- 18 TRACKS — OVER 76 MINUTES OF MUSIC!
- Previously unreleased demo recordings spanning 1979–1987
- Obscure and highly collectible hard rock/heavy metal from Lorain County, Ohio
- Documents the evolution of Stutz from 1970s-influenced hard rock to theatrical 1980s melodic metal
- Includes recordings representing nearly every lineup of the band
- Previously heard primarily through extremely limited cassette copies and tape trading
- Part of Stormspell Records' archival Beyond the Arcane series — Volume #3
- Features a 12-page booklet with band history, information, and archival photographs
- Brand-new cover artwork by Yannick Bouchard
- Audio lovingly restored and mastered by Brandon Seyboth at Headroom Labs
- Includes a collectible hand-numbered OBI strip
- A rare look into the independent American metal scene before and during the rise of 1980s melodic hard rock
- From progressive 1970s hard rock to melodic, guitar-driven heavy metal with theatrical flair
- For Fans Of: Blue Öyster Cult, Kansas, KISS, Rush, Journey, Triumph, and Mötley Crüe
🎸 About the Album
Stutz – Champions: Demo Anthology 1979–1987
Every great music scene has its legends, but it also has the bands that came remarkably close to something bigger. The ones that worked relentlessly, built a loyal following, wrote their own songs, invested in elaborate live performances, and left behind recordings that deserved a much wider audience. From Lorain County, Ohio, STUTZ was one of those bands.
Active during a remarkable period in American hard rock and heavy metal, Stutz developed a distinctive sound that evolved alongside the changing musical landscape of the late 1970s and 1980s. The band never achieved major commercial success, but it built a small, devoted following through years of hard work, original songwriting, and memorable live performances.
What made Stutz particularly unusual was the scale of its ambition. At a time when many independent bands relied heavily on cover songs to secure performances, Stutz concentrated on original material. The group even developed the resources to stage elaborate, theatrical concerts—an achievement few unsigned regional metal bands could match.
Stutz was the definition of a blue-collar American rock band. Without the backing of a major record company, the musicians managed to release their own 7-inch EP in 1981, followed by albums in 1983 and 1987. Throughout those years, they continued recording demos, developing songs, and refining a sound that moved through several distinct musical eras.
Those demos form the foundation of Champions: Demo Anthology 1979–1987, a remarkable archival collection released by Stormspell Records in 2022. Featuring 18 tracks and more than 76 minutes of music, this anthology brings together recordings that had remained virtually unheard for decades outside a handful of cassette copies and private tape exchanges.
The music charts Stutz's transformation across nearly a decade. Its earliest recordings reveal the influence of the adventurous hard rock of the 1970s. Listeners who love Blue Öyster Cult, early Kansas, classic-era KISS, and early Rush will appreciate the progressive touches, creative arrangements, and melodic guitar work that shaped the band's original identity.
As the 1980s progressed, Stutz sharpened its musical approach. The riffs became more focused, the melodies increasingly polished, and the band's larger-than-life theatrical personality emerged more fully. The later recordings move into the territory of Journey, Triumph, and Mötley Crüe, while retaining the musical ambition and distinctive personality that had been present from the beginning.
One of the anthology's greatest strengths is the opportunity to hear recordings from nearly every lineup of Stutz. Rather than focusing on a single album or brief period, Champions offers a much broader portrait of the band's development. The songs capture changing musicians, musical influences, and production approaches across eight formative years.
Songs such as "Show No Fear," "Masters of Time," "Rock All Night," and "Tied Up in Love" offer a glimpse into the band's early songwriting, while selections including "Wishin' the Night Would Last," "One Last Kiss," "Champion," "Killer," and "Stars" complete this expansive journey through the Stutz archives.
The release is much more than a collection of old rehearsal and demo recordings. These performances document a group that invested considerable time, creativity, and energy into its music, even when widespread recognition remained elusive. They also capture the changing sound of American hard rock during one of its most exciting decades.
For this special edition, Stormspell Records enlisted Brandon Seyboth at Headroom Labs to restore and master the archival recordings, giving the music a fresh presentation while preserving the character of the original performances. The collection also features striking new cover artwork by Yannick Bouchard.
Physical-media collectors are treated to a 12-page booklet filled with the band's story, historical information, and archival photographs. The CD was issued as Volume #3 in Stormspell's Beyond the Arcane demo anthology series, with a pressing limited to just 500 copies worldwide, each accompanied by a hand-numbered OBI strip.
For listeners who enjoy uncovering forgotten chapters of American rock history, Champions offers a rare opportunity to experience the work of musicians who gave everything they had to their music. These songs survived for decades on obscure tapes and in private collections. Now, more than forty years after some of the earliest recordings were made, the music of Stutz can finally reach the audience it deserves.
For Fans Of: Blue Öyster Cult, early Kansas, KISS, Rush, Journey, Triumph, and Mötley Crüe. From progressive 1970s hard rock to theatrical 1980s melodic metal, Champions is a remarkable journey through the history of one of Ohio's overlooked underground bands.
📀 Stutz — Recording & Release History
1979–1980 — Early Recordings
Stutz develops its original hard rock sound, drawing on progressive 1970s influences and building its regional following in Lorain County, Ohio.
1981 — First Independent Vinyl Release
The band independently releases a 7-inch EP, demonstrating its commitment to recording and distributing original music.
1983 — First Full-Length Album
Stutz continues developing its distinctive sound and releases its first independently produced album.
1987 — Second Full-Length Album
By the late 1980s, the band's style has evolved toward melodic heavy metal and theatrical hard rock.
2022 — Champions: Demo Anthology 1979–1987
Stormspell Records gathers 18 archival recordings spanning nearly a decade for Volume #3 of its Beyond the Arcane series.
Collector Edition: Limited to 500 copies worldwide, with 12-page booklet, hand-numbered OBI strip, and restored audio.
🎚️ Production & Collector Information
Original Artist: Stutz — Lorain County, Ohio
Recording Years: 1979–1987
Audio Restoration & Mastering: Brandon Seyboth, Headroom Labs
Cover Artwork: Yannick Bouchard
Booklet: 12 Pages, including band history and archival photographs
Series: Beyond the Arcane — Volume #3
Edition: 500 Copies Worldwide
Collector Feature: Hand-Numbered OBI Strip
CD Packaging: Jewel Case
▶️ Listen to Stutz – Champions
🎵 Complete Tracklist — 18 Tracks / Over 76 Minutes
- Hey Bitch
- Show No Fear
- In the End
- Masters of Time
- Rock All Night
- Tied Up in Love
- Searching
- What's It Gonna Take
- Make Love to Me
- Here to Please
- Baby Baby I Do
- Wishin' the Night Would Last
- One Last Kiss
- Just One Moment
- Champion
- Killer
- Together Forever
- Stars
Track Titles: Hey Bitch / Show No Fear / In the End / Masters of Time / Rock All Night / Tied Up in Love / Searching / What's It Gonna Take / Make Love to Me / Here to Please / Baby Baby I Do / Wishin' the Night Would Last / One Last Kiss / Just One Moment / Champion / Killer / Together Forever / Stars
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