I recently purchased Killjoy’s personal vinyl and CD collection. Before I get into how I acquired this collection and what’s in it, let’s first devote some time to the man himself. “Killjoy Desade” was born Frank Pucci in 1966 and was best known as the lead vocalist for the death metal band Necrophagia. Killjoy was a legendary figure in the underground music scene. He stepped away from music for several years in the early 90s, only to return with a vengeance in 1997.
From 1997 to his death from unknown causes in 2018, Killjoy would be one of the most prolific figures in the underground metal scene, not only rebooting Necrophagia with Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo, he would form several other bands that included members of Autopsy, Sigh, SOD, and many others. In addition, he was a very active businessman and played critical roles in two underground labels (Housecore and Baphomet Records).
Killjoy was an avid horror fan, and his music crossed many extreme metal genres, from death metal, black metal, punk, and even some experimental ambient sounds you can hear in projects like Enoch. Although I did not know him personally, he seemed like a very humble/chill guy in his interviews, and his passing at the age of 53 was a massive blow to the metal community.
Album Unboxing Video
How I Found This Collection
In late 2022, I was contacted by someone in Ohio who had bought Killjoy’s music collection intending to sell it but realized it would be too much work and wanted to unload it all in one shot. He found me through this website and some YouTube videos. I buy collections professionally from all over the world, so he approached me to see if I had an interest, which of course, I did.
I am based in Los Angeles and had just returned from a run to Ohio. I wanted to avoid another cross-country trip, so he sent me videos of him flipping through the records, photos of the CDs, counts of each, and a basic idea of the condition (more on that later).
After a few phone conversations and a bit of haggling on the price, we arrived at a deal. I sent him the money, and four days later, the collection showed up at my door in fourteen separate boxes.
Upon inspection of the records, it was pretty clear that they had been picked over; for example, there were no first pressings of Necrophagia’s “Season Of The Dead”, which would be something you would definitely expect to see. Sadly, the records had been poorly stored; many were warped and smelled of mildew. The same went for the CDs, as many were scratched and water-damaged. However, these issues did not make this a terrible deal. It took some time to go through and pull the gems from the trashed stuff. Nevertheless, the haul had enough heavy metal gold to make my money back. I’ve included many of the gems in the pictures at the end of this post.
Controversy
After I published the video of this collection’s unboxing on YouTube, I got messages from Killjoy’s family indicating the collection was stolen. Not wanting to have purchased stolen merchandise unknowingly, I gave them the contact info for the guy who sold them to me. I never heard anything after giving them this, so they were not likely stolen; just someone must have been unhappy with the chain of custody. Regardless, if they sat in a damp basement for any longer, the entire lot would be worthless in a very short time.
Now, let’s do a rundown of some of the better pieces in there…
Record Highlights
Necrophagia – Season Of The Dead LP Test Pressing 1987 [Killjoy’s Personal Copy] – This is my favorite piece in this collection. “Seasons Of The Dead” was an important album; some metal fans argue it was the first real death metal album. It came out just weeks from “Scream Bloody Gore,” and first pressings sell for a mint. The copy pictured was Killjoy’s personal test pressing; as you can imagine, it is quite valuable.
Fabio Frizzi – L’Aldilà Colonna Sonora Originale Del Film LP Beat [Signed] *IT – Extremely rare and expensive 80s movie soundtrack. This copy was signed, but I couldn’t tell by whom, even after hours of research. It must have been someone good because this sold within hours.
Speed Metal Hell – Volume Three LP Test Pressing 1987 New Renaissance NRR29 VG+ – The first compilation Necrophagia appeared on. This one is extra cool with some awesome handwritten 80s marketing notes.
Plasmatics – Meet The Plasmatics LP 1979 Vice Squad VS-106ESP [ORIGINAL SEALED] – Very rare debut from Wendy O. Williams and The Plasmatics; normal copies are quite valuable, but this is a sealed original in pretty nice shape.
Misfits – Famous Monsters LP Picture Disc 1999 Roadrunner – RR 8658-1 [Sealed] – The sole sans-Danzig Misfits album with singer Micheal Graves, this copy is a sealed picture disc. In my opinion, this album is pretty good!
Nasty Savage – Nasty Savage LP 1985 Metal Blade – MX8028 [Autograped] VG+/VG+ – Very cool piece autographed to Killjoy by Nasty Ronnie and members of Nasty Savage.
Mercyful Fate – Black Funeral 12″ 1983 Music For Nations - 12 KUT 106 VG+/VG – Very rare early Mercyful Fate single – the cover looks great, but the vinyl was a little beat up.
Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion LP 1985 1985 Noise – N 0031 VG+/VG+ w/ Poster – The second album from Celtic Frost and an essential metal album. This copy survived in the basement much better than many of the albums pictured here. It included the poster and was also in excellent shape.
From Dusk Till Dawn LP 2016 Brookvale Records – BRK-267 [CLEAR] NM/NM – This copy survived its time in the basement quite well and was still close to near mint.
CD Highlights
Danzig – Danzig 5 Blackacidevil CD Evilive [Limied Edition Sealed] – Very rare and out of print Glenn Danzig. This copy is factory sealed.
Arckanum – Fran Marder CD 1995 Necropolis Records – NR008 [Original] – Very sought-after and rare black metal CD. The back tray card had minor water damage but sold in minutes.
The Spooky Kids – Lunch Boxes & Choklit Cows CD 2004 Empire – 545 450 609-2 – Very rare Marylin Manson group.
Coil – …And the Ambulance Died in His Arms CD 2005 Threshold House – Very rare original pressing.
Cronos – Hell to the Unknown: Anthology CD 2006 Castle Music CMQDD1398 – Two-disc UK compilation of Venom frontman’s solo material, very rare.
Jay Chattaway – Maniac Soundtrack CD 1997 SouthEast – SER 289 B05S *NL – I don’t know much about Jay, but his shaped CD is very cool and collectible.
Iron Maiden – Live at Donington CD 2002 Sanctuary [Limited Digipak] [Sealed] – Limited edition vinyl replica; these CDs are sought by collectors – sealed copy.
These are just a few – you can find many of the items listed for sale here:
https://www.ebay.com/str/thrashmetaliq
Do You Have A Collection Like This You Want To Sell?
Do you own or have you inherited a collection like this and want help from a professional heavy metal record and CD buyer? Contact me on the page below.
You must log in to post a comment.