At the dawn of the ’70s, hard rock and early heavy metal were almost completely dominated by British innovators. Dust was one of the few American bands to try picking up the gauntlet, playing a progressive brand of proto-metal that was explicitly indebted to their British contemporaries. Formed around 1968, the group featured vocalist/guitarist Richie Wise and the teenaged rhythm section of bassist Kenny Aaronson (who also doubled on slide and steel guitars) and drummer Marc Bell; plus, Kenny Kerner served as the group’s lyricist, manager, and producer. Dust released their self-titled debut album in 1971 on Neil Bogart’s pre-Casablanca label Kama Sutra. The follow-up, 1972’s Hard Attack, sharpened the band’s edge and intensified the power of their approach; thus, it became the more sought-after of the pair by collectors interested in the roots of American metal. However, Dust would record only those two albums; Aaronson joined Stories in 1973, and Wise and Kerner became a production team, also working with Stories; the following year, they would go on to helm the first two Kiss albums. Aaronson, meanwhile, became a prolific session bassist and Bell later became part of the New York punk scene, joining up with Richard Hell the Voidoids and then moving on to the Ramones (adopting the name Marky Ramone).
- Steve Huey, All Music Guide
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