Though obviously developed to allow a better understanding of a crucial period in the history of heavy rock music, the whole "post-NWOBHM" concept, if not used sparingly, can easily make things even more confusing. I mean, how do we draw a line between NWOBHM and post-NWOBHM - which also means to ask, how clear is the line between pre-NWOBHM and the 'bonafide' NWOBHM acts? Some consider that the whole NWOBHM thing quietly started sometime in the mid-1970's and grew from there; is there any evidence cast in stone to say it's wrong? Similarly, some people concerned with the matter tend to think that the NWOBHM did not end abruptly sometime in 1983 or thereabouts, but that it slowly fizzled out throughtout the decade - being perfectly possible, if you agree with that basis, to say that there was some residual NWOBHM happening in the late '80s, or perhaps even into the early '90s. I personally don't think like that, really: for me, the NWOBHM era roughly runs from 1979 to 1984, making little sense (apart from some notable exceptions, such as Blitzkrieg's "A Time of Changes" and the two singles from Urchin) to use the much-famous acronym before or after that timeframe. Of course, all this rumination is little more than an introduction to Tyga Myra's "Deliverance" LP from 1986 - a record whose appreciation really welcomes such questions, as it stands with one foot on each side, if that makes any sense to you.
The entity we came to know as Tyga Myra (a bizarre name, that, apparently related to serial killer Myra Hindley, dubbed "the most evil woman in Britain") were doing the rounds in the West Midlands area since at least 1984 (and possibly earlier), originally using the non-remotely-original moniker Vixen. Curiously, there's a strong connection with Cynic (the one who released the "Suicide" single in 1983), as bassist Barry Pedlingham was a regular fixture in Tyga Myra - though, bizarrely, he chose to rename himself as Randy Lingham, for reasons known only by himself. After seemingly dozens of line-up changes (and a now esoteric demo from 1985, from which I personally don't know of anyone claiming to possess a copy), a more stable formation seems to have been achieved early in 1986, with the presence of a few respectable members of the local scene - namely Teggi, who once played guitar for Savage (and also seem to have taken to himself the lion's share of songwriting), and Steve Dean, who used to pound the skins with local hopefuls Steeler - plus vocalist/guitarist Mike Jurgens, who probably also had some previous connections I'm not aware of at present. They seem to have had some good friends in the business, as they managed to sign the dotted line with Ebony (not an astounding feat, I'll give you that) and to enjoy the mentoring of Grim Reaper's guitarist/songwriter Nick Bowcott, who acted as something of a guest producer for the band's debut LP.
Now, I can almost hear you asking me, is "Deliverance" a post-NWOBHM record? It depends on how you look at it, you know. There's a lot of NWOBHM within the grooves, and tracks like "Right Through the Night" and "Never Givin' Up" even veer towards the more mid-tempo, heavy-rocking side of the spectrum; on the other hand, songs like "Deliverance (Last Rites)" and "Dead Zone" sure point to a more forceful, fast-and-furious direction. While many Great Britain-based bands were sailing across more chart-friendly, keyboard-tinged waters, Tyga Myra's sole LP is a good representant of another sort of transition, incorporating the more hard-hitting influences from mainland Europe and the USA to create something of a British interpretation for the power/speed metal bandwagon. Think Tröjan, Preyer and, more loosely, Pariah and you'll have a good picture of what ground Tyga Myra were trying to tread. If I had to call any bands post-NWOBHM, a band like Tyga Myra would damn sure be on the list. And it was a work in progress, as "Deliverance" audibly demonstrates.
All things considered, "Deliverance" is an interesting album for both NWOBHM aficionados and those interested in the early manifestations of what we now know as both power and speed metal. It's a somewhat uneven ride, but with more than enough good things going to make it worthwhile. Maybe it would be even better if they had taken a few more months to write some extra tracks on a faster style, but that's life. The band seem to have hold some high hopes about the record at first, with a show booked for London's Marquee club in July 1986 (did it happen? I'm not sure) and plans for tours in both England and America being made in advance - but, considering that Mike Jurgens (under the stage name Embo) was hard on work with a new venture named Wreckage in as early as 1987 is strong indication that Tyga Myra was gone - or, at least, in serious disarray - little more than a year after their sole slice of vinyl came out.
In fact, it transpires that Wreckage was something of an offshoot from Tyga Myra themselves, many of the previous band's scenesters having a level of involvemente with the newly-assembled combo. Wreckage released a few demos, and got as far as contributing to the thrash-oriented "A Taste of Armageddon" compilation from 1989 (with a track, named "Dogs of War", that sounds remarkably in keeping with Tyga Myra's harder edge), but seemingly gave up their self-penned-material aspirations in the early '90s, opting to metamorphose into a more crowd-pleasing, covers-based entity. I'm not sure for how long they actually lasted, but Jurgens later resurfaced with a Ozzy Osbourne tribute band named Wizards of Oz, assuming the role of the Madman himself and with the help of a few Wreckage survivors as his backing band. On the other hand, Teggi got involved with Fair Warning (the Swindon-based band): though seemingly not taking part in the "Rocking At the Speed of Light" 12'' single from 1987, he got as far as writing material for a full-length release that never saw the light of day, due to the untimely demise of bass player Phil Peters. I know Randy Lingham have been playing with Stone Cold Killers and Us, and Teggi (now living in Australia) also seems to be up for something interesting at present, though no firm info has surfaced as of yet. Tyga Myra have active pages in both Facebook and YouTube, anyway, and plans for official reissues and/or compilations are surely on the cards, so let's hope at least some of it comes to fruition in the near future. All the best, lads.
Many thanks to Heavy Metal Rarities forum and Discogs for picture sleeve / label scans!
Mike Jurgens (V/G), Teggi (G), Randy Lingham (B), Steve Dean (D). All tracks by Reeves, except 04 and 08 by Reeves/Jurgens.
01. Deliverance (Last Rites) 5:44
02. Lightning Never Strikes Twice 4:29
03. Right Through the Night 5:59
04. Ain't Got Long to Go 2:50
05. Rodeo 3:58
06. Never Givin' Up 4:24
07. Dead Zone 4:07
08. Future Vision 3:49
Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me (drequon@gmail.com) and let me know!
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