HOLOCAUST coming through 12PSP4

NWOBHM Evolution: Holocaust’s ‘Coming Through’ 12-Inch (12PSP4)

Today’s entry continues our exploration of the Scottish New Wave of British Heavy Metal legends, Holocaust. We are looking at their 1982 12-inch EP, Coming Through, released on the Phoenix Record And Filmworks label with the catalog number 12PSP4.

Released a year after their seminal debut album The Nightcomers, this 45 RPM vinyl captures the band in a transitional phase. While founder John Mortimer is absent from this recording, the EP features original guitarist Ed Dudley and vocalist Gary Lettice driving the sound. This lineup offers a slightly more melodic and traditional hard rock approach compared to the raw, heavy grit of their debut or the progressive doom direction Mortimer would later take.

The EP features three tracks:
A: Coming Through
B1: Don’t Wanna Be (A Loser)
B2: Good Thing Going

Recorded at Castlesound Studios and mastered at Utopia Studios, this release benefits from the superior audio fidelity of the 12-inch 45 RPM format, giving the guitars and drums extra punch.

12PSP4 is an intriguing piece of the Holocaust puzzle for collectors. It documents a specific moment in the band’s history where they explored a more accessible rock sound before the band splintered, eventually leading to Ed Dudley forming the band Hologram. It remains a high-energy artifact of the NWOBHM era.