Hallow's Eve - Monument (1988, Netherlands) 12" Vinyl LP Album
- The Thrash Record That Dared To Glow In The Dark

Album Front cover Photo of Hallow's Eve - Monument (1988, Netherlands) 12 inch Vinyl LP Album https://vinyl-records.nl/ — A dark, stylized female figure dominates the frame, eyes glowing molten gold, hands clasped around a radiant monolith emitting star-like flares. The Hallows Eve logo cuts sharp in the upper corner, while the title “Monument” slashes red across the bottom. The palette is shadow-heavy with icy blues and electric yellows, giving the scene a supernatural, almost sci-fi aura.

Hallow's Eve didn’t conquer MTV with "Monument" in 1988, but they did something more useful for thrash: they proved an Atlanta band could tighten the screws without sanding off the rust. This is the album where the chaos starts landing on its feet—still fast, still nasty, just more deliberate, like the riffs learned how to aim. The guitars bite with a dry, serrated crunch, the drums snap like knuckles on a bar top, and Stacy Anderson’s high-wire vocals cut straight through the mix whether you begged for mercy or not. “Speed Freak” kicks the door in, “Monument (To Nothing)” stomps around the room like it owns the place, and the Queen cover “Sheer Heart Attack” is the kind of smart bad idea that actually works. Produced by Donal Jones, this Dutch pressing still hits like a thrown brick—no polite fade-out, just impact.

HALLOW'S EVE: MONUMENT - A Thrash Metal Milestone Album Description:

Released in 1988, Hallow's Eve's "Monument" is the record that sounds like a band pacing the room, refusing to sit still. This Dutch Metal Blade/Roadrunner copy never feels "polished" so much as tightened: the edges are still sharp, but the swings land with intent instead of pure blur.

Historical Context

By the late '80s, thrash was getting bigger, faster, and sometimes weirdly more respectable. "Monument" hears that pressure and answers with muscle and structure. Not a reinvention. More like swapping the rusty knife for a freshly honed one and smiling about it.

Musical Exploration

"Speed Freak" kicks the door in and does not apologize. The riffs clamp down, then sprint, and the whole thing rides that sweet spot where speed metal bite meets thrash blunt force. "Monument (To Nothing)" and "The Righteous Ones" stretch the shape without losing the stink of the street.

The curveball is not some mythical hidden Elvis track (nope). The real stunt is track two: "Sheer Heart Attack", a Queen cover that gets dragged into the pit and comes out bruised but grinning. Short, loud, and just disrespectful enough to work.

Production and Personnel

Donal Jones produced and engineered it, with the band co-producing, recorded at Studio One in Atlanta. The sound is direct and physical: kick drum and guitars up front, bass with real shove, and no fluffy airbrushing in the mix when a punch will do.

Vocals come from Stacy Andersen, guitars from David Stuart, bass (and backing vocals) from Tommy Stewart, and drums (plus backing vocals) from Rob Clayton. The cover pulls the same trick: a black-and-white photo shot by Mick Rock, then colored with an airbrush by Ioannis. It looks like a scene you should not walk into alone.

"Monument" is not the album for people who want thrash to behave. It is the one that keeps staring back from the shelf like it knows you will return to it when the room needs clearing.

References & citations

Album Key Details: Genre, Label, Format & Release Info

Label & Catalognr:

Metal Blade Records – Cat#: RR 9583 (Roadrunner Records BV)

All songs published by Bloody Skull Music. Administrated by Bug Music.

Media Format:

Record Format: 12" LP Vinyl Gramophone Record

Release Details:

Release Date: 1988

Release Country: Made in Holland

Production & Recording Information:

Producers:

Donal Jones – Producer, Sound Engineer
Donal Jones a sound engineer who has worked on two albums by "Hallow's Eve" namely "Death & Insanity" and "Monument".
Hallows Eve – Co-Producer

Sound & Recording Engineers:

Tag George – Assistant Sound Engineer
David Stewart – Assistant Sound Engineer
Jeff Dawson – Assistant Sound Engineer

Recording Location:

Studio One – Atlanta, USA

Album Cover Design & Artwork:

Ioannis Vassilopoulos – Cover Artist & Graphic Designer
Ioannis Vassilopoulos is a renowned graphic artist from Athens, Greece, and one of those visual architects of metal whose work I started recognizing long before I ever learned his name. In the mid-to-late 1980s, his imagery became inseparable from the rise of US power and speed metal, defining the look of bands like Liege Lord, Fates Warning, and Artillery. Through the 1990s, his style evolved with the scene—darker, sharper, more symbolic—while still keeping that unmistakable sense of drama. By the 2000s and 2010s, he had become a generational bridge, trusted by both legacy acts and newer bands who wanted artwork that felt timeless rather than trendy. His visuals never just “decorate” a record; they frame how I hear it, long before the needle drops. Read more...

Ioannis Vassilopoulos built his reputation by understanding metal from the inside out. He worked closely with bands across distinct eras—thrash, power metal, progressive metal—translating sound into mythic, often apocalyptic imagery that still feels hand-crafted rather than manufactured. What always strikes me is how his art respects the listener: it doesn’t explain the music, it invites you into it. That’s why decades later, his covers still feel like portals, not packaging.
Lew Bryant – Illustrator, Album Cover Artwork
The quiet craftsman who gave heavy metal its sharp-edged visual bite. Read more...

Lew Bryant is an illustrator whose work I first noticed in the early 1980s, when heavy metal sleeves still smelled of ink and rebellion. Active primarily during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, he became associated with hard rock and metal acts needing bold, high-contrast imagery that could shout from a record shop wall. I have always admired how Bryant balanced precision draftsmanship with a gritty edge; his figures feel forged rather than drawn. In an era when album artwork had to compete with neon fashion and arena lights, Bryant delivered covers that looked unapologetically loud. His contribution may sit quietly in the credits, but on vinyl, his images still hit like a power chord.

Photography:

Mick Rock – British Photographer, Music & Album Artwork
The camera guy who made glam look dangerous and permanent. Read more...
Mick Rock is the British photographer I still call “The Man Who Shot the Seventies,” because he didn’t just document glam—he bottled it. From 1972–1973 he was David Bowie’s official eye through Ziggy Stardust, shooting sleeves, posters and those iconic promo films. In the early 1970s he also caught Iggy Pop at full ignition. By 1973–1974 he was framing Queen as they learned how to look like legends. A Lou Reed invite pulled him to New York in 1974, and through the mid-to-late 1970s he captured Reed’s shift, plus punks like the Ramones and, in 1978, Blondie’s Debbie Harry. What I love is his mix of intimacy and theatre: harsh flash, sharp cheekbones, no polite distance. His photos sell the noise before you even drop the needle.
Mick Rock Wiki

Band Members / Musicians:

Band Line-up:

Stacy Anderson – Vocals
The high-register blade that makes "Monument" feel like a warning siren, not background noise. Read more...

Stacy Anderson, Hallows Eve's unmistakable vocalist, first heard ripping it up with "Warrior" (1982) before joining Hallows Eve in 1983. On "Monument" the voice sits right on the blade-edge of the guitars: sharp, nasty, and weirdly memorable, pushing "Speed Break" into motion and turning "No Sanctuary" into a proper threat. Love it or hate it, the album wears his tone like a scar.
David Stuart – Guitars
Riff-first guitars: tight, churning, and allergic to pointless flash. Read more...

David Stuart, Hallows Eve's guitarist on the "Monument" line-up, built this record out of hard angles and forward momentum. The riffs clamp down, then sprint, with leads that cut without turning into a circus act. The best trick is making "Sheer Heart Attack" work as thrash instead of a gimmick, while tracks like "Rot Gut" keep grinding with real weight behind them.

Tommy Stewart – Bass
Bass you can actually hear, driving the shove behind the riffs instead of hiding under them. Read more...

Tommy Stewart, the band's bassist (and an Atlanta fixture), came over with Stacy Anderson from "Warrior" (1982) before joining Hallows Eve in 1983. On "Monument" the bass is not decorative; it thickens the riffs and gives the grooves actual muscle, especially on "Monument (To Nothing)" and "The Mighty Decibel." On my Dutch copy, that low-end shove is half the fun.
Rob Clayton – Drums
The engine room: keeps the speed brutal, not sloppy, and lets the riffs hit clean. Read more...

Rob Clayton, Hallows Eve's drummer on the "Monument" era, is the guy making sure the chaos stays sharp instead of smeared. The tempos snap into place, the turns land on time, and the heavy hits give the riffs a spine to lean on. "Pain Killer" and "No Sanctuary" breathe better because the kit is driving the band forward, not chasing it.

Complete Track-listing:

Tracklisting Side One:

Speed Break
Sheer Heart Attack Cover
Cover of Queen’s classic song, reworked with a sharper thrash-metal edge.
Rot Gut
Monument (To Nothing)

Video: Hallow's Evy - Speed Freak Mind your head

Tracklisting Side Two:

Pain Killer
The Mighty Decibel
The Righteous Ones
No Sanctuary

Video: Hallow's Eve - Pain Killer

Disclaimer: Track durations shown are approximate and may vary slightly between different country editions or reissues. Variations can result from alternate masterings, pressing plant differences, or regional production adjustments.

Hallow's Eve - Monument Album Photo Gallery:

Album Front Cover Photo

Hallow's Eve don't whisper on this sleeve, they glare. The whole front is basically a dark room with one spotlight: a pale face under a heavy black hood, eyes lit up like someone wired a pair of tiny halogen bulbs behind the paper. The gaze is straight at you, not dramatic in a classy way, more like "are you done browsing yet?" which suits this band just fine.

Hands come up in the center, covered in black lace gloves that look scratchy enough to snag on the inner sleeve. The fingers are clasped around a glowing rectangular "monument" that throws off little star-bursts, the kind of airbrushed sparkle that screams late-80s metal packaging and absolutely does not care if you think it's subtle. That block is framed by a warm orange halo, so the middle of the sleeve feels hot while the edges stay cold and blue-black.

The logo sits top left inside a sharp, icy triangle, metallic blues and whites like cracked chrome or frosted glass. It's a deliberate mismatch against the hooded figure, and it works because it's loud about being loud. Down at the bottom, the album title is written in a red, slashing script, like someone signed the sleeve with a paint marker after the gig and then dared the printer to keep up.

Collector reality check: the surface catches light like a glossy print, and you can see it in the long horizontal scuff line running across the lower third, plus a few smaller pressure streaks around the title area. Those marks are the kind that happen from sliding a jacket in and out of a tight shelf for years, not from some romantic "archival" fantasy. That's the small annoyance here: the design wants darkness and mystery, but the finish loves showing every little rub the moment you tilt it.

IPTC (suggested): Headline: "Hallow's Eve - Monument (LP front cover)" Keywords: Hallow's Eve, Monument, thrash metal, 1988, album cover, vinyl LP, metal artwork, Ioannis, Lew Bryant, Mick Rock; Description: Hooded woman with glowing eyes holds a radiant monolith; Hallows Eve logo in metallic triangle; red script title; dark sci-fi/horror mood; Credit: vinyl-records.nl; Source: Vinyl Records Gallery; Copyright Notice: Vinyl Records and Album Cover Gallery 1993-2026.

Album Back Cover Photo

Flip the sleeve over and the mood shifts from theatrical glare to something more practical, almost defensive. The whole back is washed in a deep blue and violet night-sky gradient, speckled with tiny white stars that look airbrushed rather than photographed. It is pure late-80s metal cosmology. The track listing floats across the top in pale blue type, slightly cramped, like someone tried to fit too much certainty into too little space.

The first thing that catches the eye is that centered band photo framed in a thin red border. Four young men with serious hair and even more serious expressions, arms folded like they already know the reviews are coming. The red frame is a blunt move, almost impatient, but it works; it anchors the galaxy swirl around it. Beneath it, “All songs arranged by Hallows Eve” sits in a straightforward line, no drama, just fact.

Upper right corner is all business. Barcode block. RR 9583 catalog number. Metal Blade logo. A small yellow distributor sticker that feels slapped on rather than designed in, and that slight misalignment always bothers the collector part of the brain. The gloss finish shows it off too well. Tilt this sleeve and the barcode area flashes light differently than the darker ink field, revealing faint rub marks from years of sliding against other jackets.

Handling tells the truth here. There is visible edge wear along the bottom seam, a soft whitening where the blue ink has surrendered to cardboard. A shallow pressure crease runs horizontally through the lower credit block, probably from someone stacking records too tightly. The spine shows mild stress at the center, not cracked, but flexed enough times to prove this was not a shelf ornament.

Production credits sit mid-back in small white type, tight and slightly harder to read than necessary. That feels deliberate; the band photo sells attitude, the credits whisper responsibility. Recorded at Studio One, Atlanta. Produced by Donal Jones and Hallows Eve. It is all there, but you have to lean in. Which is fine. A thrash record should not hand you everything politely.

IPTC (suggested): Headline: “Hallow's Eve – Monument LP Back Cover, Metal Blade RR 9583 Netherlands 1988.” Keywords: Hallow's Eve, Monument, thrash metal, 1988, Metal Blade Records, RR 9583, back cover, track listing, band photo, barcode, distributor sticker, Studio One Atlanta, vinyl LP, Netherlands pressing; Credit: vinyl-records.nl; Source: Vinyl Records Gallery; Copyright Notice: Vinyl Records and Album Cover Gallery 1993-2026.

First Photo of Custom Inner Sleeve

Custom inner sleeve of Hallow's Eve - Monument 12 inch LP, Metal Blade RR 9583 Netherlands 1988; monochrome black and grey layout with full printed lyrics for No Sanctuary, Rot Gut, Pain Killer, The Mighty Decibel and Monument (To Nothing), white text blocks arranged around a central starfield and planet image, catalog number printed along the lower edge. — Slide the record out and this is what stares back at you: a matte black and grey inner sleeve that feels thinner than the outer jacket but still sturdy enough to have survived a few decades of careless handling. The paper stock is uncoated, slightly rough under the fingers, the kind that absorbs light instead of throwing it back. That matters because the entire design leans on contrast. White lyric text floats in rectangular blocks around a central starfield with a lone planet suspended in the middle, like the band decided space equals seriousness and then committed.

The layout is almost confrontational. Lyrics run in tall vertical columns, some rotated ninety degrees, forcing you to turn the sleeve in your hands like you are solving a mechanical puzzle. That is either clever or mildly annoying depending on your patience level. “Pain Killer” and “Monument (To Nothing)” stretch down the edges, while “No Sanctuary” and “Rot Gut” sit more traditionally on the left. It feels deliberate, slightly chaotic, and very late-80s in its refusal to keep things tidy.

Handling tells its own story. The bottom corners show faint rounding where the vinyl’s edge has pressed from the inside over years. There is a soft crease near the lower lyric block, the kind made by sliding the record back in without lining it up properly. Along the fold line, tiny stress marks reveal where fingers have pinched too hard. This is not an untouched archive piece. It has done its job.

Ink density varies subtly across the starfield. Some white specks are crisp, others slightly blurred, probably from the printing plate rather than cosmic mystery. The catalog number RR 9583 hides near the lower margin, small but clear, another reminder that this was a Roadrunner-distributed Metal Blade pressing and built for real retail racks, not boutique display.

IPTC (suggested): Headline: “Hallow's Eve – Monument LP Custom Inner Sleeve, Metal Blade RR 9583 Netherlands 1988.” Keywords: Hallow's Eve, Monument, thrash metal, 1988, Metal Blade Records, RR 9583, custom inner sleeve, lyrics sheet, starfield artwork, planet image, Netherlands pressing, vinyl LP; Credit: vinyl-records.nl; Source: Vinyl Records Gallery; Copyright Notice: Vinyl Records and Album Cover Gallery 1993-2026.

Close up of record’s label

Close up of Side 1 record’s label

This is the Side 1 centre label of the 1988 Dutch pressing of “Monument.” The background is plain white, slightly warm in tone rather than bright hospital white, and surrounded by a printed chain-link border that runs all the way around the edge like a circular frame. At the top sits the Metal Blade Records logo: a medieval battle axe drawn in black, its blade catching a red pool beneath it, with small red drops suggesting blood. The axe is angled slightly, not perfectly symmetrical, giving it a crude, confrontational feel. Around the outer rim, in red capital letters, runs the standard legal warning text prohibiting unauthorized copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting, ending with “Made in Holland,” which confirms the manufacturing country.

Centered beneath the logo is the album title in quotation marks: “MONUMENT,” printed in clean black type. Below it, the Side 1 track list is neatly aligned in numbered format: “Speed Freak,” “Sheer Heart Attack,” “Rot Gut,” and “Monument (To Nothing),” each with duration and songwriter credits in brackets. To the left, the rights society “STEMRA” appears above the LC 9321 code, which is the label code assigned to Metal Blade. To the right, “RR 9583 1” identifies this as Side 1 of catalogue number RR 9583, with “STEREO” and “33 rpm” clearly printed underneath.

Production credits appear in compact type near the lower half: Produced by Donal Jones and Hallows Eve; publishing credited to Bloody Skull Music and administered by Bug Music; copyright lines for 1988 Metal Blade Records and Roadrunner Productions B.V. The spindle hole sits dead centre, cleanly punched, and the surrounding print remains crisp, suggesting minimal groove wear. The label design is stark and utilitarian, no decorative background image beyond the chain border, emphasizing clarity over spectacle. It is functional, readable, and unmistakably Metal Blade in identity.

Metal Blade Records, Netherlands Label

Metal Blade Records is a US-based independent heavy metal label founded in 1982. For European distribution, releases such as this one were manufactured and marketed through Roadrunner Productions B.V. in the Netherlands. This particular white “axe and blood” label design was used by Metal Blade throughout the mid-to-late 1980s for European pressings.

Colours: White background, black text and illustration, red blood pool and rim text.
Design & Layout: Minimalist layout with centered title and track list, chain-link border circling the edge, logo at top, credits at bottom.
Record company logo: Black medieval battle axe above a red blood pool with droplets; symbolic of the label name “Metal Blade.”
Band/Performer logo: No band logo present on label; only album title and artist name in standard black type.
Unique features: LC 9321 label code, STEMRA rights society, “Made in Holland” in rim text, RR 9583 1 side designation.
Side designation: “Side 1” printed on left with matching catalogue extension “RR 9583 1.”
Rights society: STEMRA (Dutch collecting society).
Catalogue number: RR 9583 (Side 1 identified as RR 9583 1).
Rim text language: English legal notice with “Made in Holland” statement.
Track list layout: Numbered list centered beneath album title, durations and songwriter credits in brackets.
Rights info placement: Lower half of label beneath artist name and production credits.
Pressing info: Manufactured and distributed by Roadrunner Productions B.V., Netherlands.
Background image: Plain white field with decorative chain border; no photographic background.

All images on this site are photographed directly from the original vinyl LP covers and record labels in my collection. Earlier blank sleeves were not archived due to past storage limits, and Side Two labels are often omitted when they contain no collector-relevant details. Photo quality varies because the images were taken over several decades with different cameras. You may use these images for personal or non-commercial purposes if you include a link to this site; commercial use requires my permission. Text on covers and labels has been transcribed using a free online OCR service.

Collector’s Note: The Case of the Vanishing Inner Sleeve

When I first photographed Monument by Hallow's Eve (1988), I was working with storage that would make today’s cloud hoarders laugh. Hard drives were expensive, backup meant another noisy external brick on the desk, and every high-resolution scan felt like a financial decision. The front of the custom inner sleeve made the cut. The back? Apparently 1988 me decided the world could live without it.

Back then, archiving vinyl was not some streamlined digital workflow. It was cables, temperamental scanners, and the constant internal debate: “Do I really need another 20 megabytes for a starfield and lyrics?” Spoiler: yes, I did. The missing photo of the reverse side is not some mysterious lost pressing variant. It’s simply the byproduct of pre-cloud logic and a collector who underestimated how obsessive he would become.

So if you’re wondering why the back of the custom inner sleeve is absent from this gallery, blame the era, not the album. Storage limits once ruled the archive. These days, disk space is cheap. Regret, however, remains gloriously analog.

Index of HALLOWS EVE Featured Albums Cover Gallery & 12" Vinyl LP Discography Information

HALLOWS EVE - Death and Insanity 12" Vinyl LP

HALLOWS EVE - Death and Insanity album front cover vinyl record

Released in 1986, "Death & Insanity" arrived at a pivotal time in metal history. Thrash was rapidly evolving, with bands pushing the boundaries of speed, technicality, and lyrical aggression. Hallows Eve, hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, found themselves in a scene dominated by West Coast thrash giants

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Updated

HALLOWS EVE - Monument album front cover vinyl LP album https://vinyl-records.nl

The Thrash Record That Dared To Glow In The Dark

HALLOWS EVE - Monument 12" Vinyl LP

Need a thrash LP that actually throws elbows instead of just “being important”? "Monument" is fast, clipped, and slightly unhinged, but tighter than the earlier chaos. “Speed Freak” swings first, “Pain Killer” stays nasty, and “Monument (To Nothing)” stomps hard. Stacy Anderson slices through, plus the Queen “Sheer Heart Attack” cover somehow works.

HALLOWS EVE - Tales of Terror 12" Vinyl LP

HALLOWS EVE - Tales of Terror album front cover vinyl record

Emerging in 1985, Hallow's Eve's "Tales of Terror" marked a pivotal entry into the burgeoning thrash metal scene. With its raw energy and aggressive sound, the album solidified the band's place as a formidable force in the genre's formative years.

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