Echoes from the Pit
Ottawa's Heavy Metal Underground, 1980-1995
by Sean Murphy

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Before the convenience of the internet, accessing music wasn’t for the faint of heart: fans waited for their favourite songs to come on the radio so they could record them on cassette tapes, made sure they were home to watch genre-specific video programs, and spent endless hours—and part-time job money—at record and music merchandise stores; musicians worked relentlessly, creating demos in garages and playing gigs tirelessly, with the hopes of being famous. While it took a lot of time and dedication, it was also fun and rewarding, and no one loved it more than metalheads. In Echoes from the Pit, Sean Murphy takes readers on a headbanging journey to the vibrant eighties and early nineties heavy metal scene in the Ottawa-Hull region, where he was both a consumer and a creator, sharing his rare insider perspective into the rise of the raucous guitar riffing era there in his youth. This metal memoir is chock-full of stories, including firsthand accounts, of close to forty bands, some local—Exciter, Antix, Galleon, Witchkiller—and some more famous—Megadeth, Anthrax—who played there, the history of venues like Roxanne’s, Barrymore’s, and The Chaud that featured thrash on their stages, the fervent fans, and a variety of others who helped shape the metal underground in Canada’s capital. Echoes from the Pit captures a time when heavy metal was more than just music; it was a community, a culture, and a way of life. It is a celebration of the legacy of an epoch that continues to influence and bring joy to many.

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Sean Murphy has loved creative writing since elementary school, and contemplated penning a book for many years. Having been an enthusiastic participant and observer during the heavy metal scene in the Ottawa area in the eighties and mid-nineties, and inspired by his neighbour, who chronicled stories about the local music subculture in the sixties and seventies, he knew that this was the topic to finally forge ahead with. What ensued is Echoes from the Pit, an homage to the bands, clubs, metalheads, and more, who were part of this loud, high-energy time. Still a guitarist and music afficionado, Sean also loves to spend time with his family and friends, especially going skating, camping, and travelling. He lives in Ottawa, with his wife and two daughters.

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Sean Murphy