GYPP (UK) - Yaah! (7'' EP, Acorn/Shy Talk Records, 1978)

RATING: 7/10

It took a long while before people could really make their minds about this mysterious Gypp and where to insert in the NWOBHM multiverse. One of the hindering factors was, of course, that it was damn difficult to listen to their "Yaah!" EP from 1978, let alone own a copy, so there were obviously a lot of uncertainty and hearsay surrounding their music. Fortunately, things started to clear as the online metal community gained strenght, and now it's relatively easy to tell the history with significant detail and securely sepparating truth from gossip - though such developments also made clear that Gypp belongs in the very periphery of the NWOBHM as far as music is concerned, even the more broad (and sometimes quite misleading) 'proto-NWOBHM' tag being a bit of a stretch in this particular case. It's now fairly common knowledge that Gypp was one of the early band experiences of Martin Newell, a singer-songwriter responsible for cult acts like the Cleaners from Venus and the Brotherhood of Lizards, a prominent figure in the cassette culture of the 1970-80s while also being regarded as an important poet in modern English literature. This fact in itself adds a significant bit of interest to this 7'', not to mention some extra digits every time it pops up for sale - though it's fair to say it was always a very rare item that you would hardly find in the bargain bin of your local second-hand shop. 

The group were already doing the rounds in their local Suffolk area when Newell joined them in late 1975, after a fruitful but somewhat frustrating experience with an outfit named Plod, a glam rock combo that nearly released an album for Banjul Records but quickly folded when the record was shelved due to the label's bankruptcy. Upon his arrival, Newell sure took much of the creative side of the band to himself, writing a number of songs and giving some definitely pop-oriented leanings to their prog rock style of choice. They were a popular live act not only in and around their home area, but also in Germany, where their music seems to have been very well received even before any vinyl product was out. Quite peculiar indeed, but not at all unjustified, as their "Yaah!" EP is a reasonably interesting (though slightly oddball) listening experience - just don't go for it expecting any skull-crushing metal assault and you'll be fine, I guess. 

Opening track "Marigoldz" is perhaps the closer we get to heavy rock territory around here, and the only one that would credibly warrant the 'proto-NWOBHM' tag, but bear in mind we're talking about very borderline material here - if you ever heard bands like The Movie Stars, Tutch or Sidewinder perhaps you can catch my drift. The keyboards give something of a proggy flavor to the track, but it's mostly a simple, good-time rocking tune that sounds pretty innofensive, but still pleasant enough to deserve a few listens (and the lyrics are quite funny too). "Titania" is a more typical prog rock ballad with atmospheric keys floating above a pretty straightforward song construction. I like the guitar solo on this one, very melodic and reasonably powerful, but the track as a whole is no more than decent, I'm afraid. "Sister Darling" runs for the entirety of the B side, and I must say it's my personal favorite here, though one should not take this as indication that it's a more metallic offering than the rest. It's surely the song where the contrasting indie/pop and prog rock elements unite in the most effective manner, resulting in a very melodic, but still quite busy variant that brings to mind a crossover between Haze and Marillion, if such bizarre image makes any sense at all. Not the heaviest song ever commited to tape, but still a pretty interesting and quite individualistic piece well worthy of your attention, most of all if you're interested in the prog rock scene going on in the UK pretty much in unison with the NWOBHM explosion. 

Though surely well received by their small-but-loyal fanbase, this "Yaah!" EP (its, ahem, title probably being a reference to the scream Martin Newell delivers at the start of "Marigoldz") didn't receive a similar welcome from the critics, with a scathing review on New Musical Express being perticularly disheartening to the lads. Those were still the punk rock days, you see, and the brand of music Gypp was willing to bring to the table surely wasn't what the hype demanded at the time. I wouldn't go as far as saying Gypp were cruelly overlooked, as their EP wasn't exactly a stunning display of groundbreaking musicianship just yet, but it seems fair to say they had some promise in them, and it's a bit of a shame that they were never given a proper chance to develop into the next level. It would never come to be anyway, as Newell decided to take an extended sabbathical from the music scene, writing songs in private but refraining from any live activities for a number of years. He would change his mind in later years as we all know, first with a recording-only project named The Stray Trolleys, later fulfilling his lo-fi indie aspirations with the Cleaners from Venus - two projects that, in one form or another, are still going strong to this day. He also released a few solo efforts, and more recently launched a duo named Light Music Company along with Rachel Love (a singer who achieved some minor UK success with a group named Dolly Mixture). With dozens of releases to his credit, along with a strong career both as a author and columnist, Newell is a truly creative mind with an impressive body of work and deserves nothing but respect, though most of his musical input is of little interest for us metalheads.

Though undeniably a hard blow, the departure of Martin Newell didn't quite meant the end of the line for Gypp just yet. After a period of soul-searching, the remaining band members decided to keep plugging in, recruiting new singer Jock Davies along the way. This line-up would lay down a number of demos, later compiled by Jarmusic as the "Gypsy Dee - The Legendary Gypp Studio Sessions" CD from 2001. In fact, such was the respect Gypp garnered in Germany during their heyday that the band performed a few reunion gigs there in 1996, even recruiting Martin Newell to join the fun. But let's not rush things, as a proper review of these late-period misdemeanors is just around the corner...

Million thanks to Discogs for picture sleeve and label scans

Martin Newell (V), Ian Peppercorn (G), Tony Phillips (B), Brian Rudd (K), John Butters (D). All tracks written by M. Newell.

01. Marigoldz 3:55
02. Titania 4:37
03. Sister Darling 6:34

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!

HOLOCAUST (UK-Wales) - Slay That Dragon (12'' EP, Piledriver, 19??)

RATING: 7/10

Ok folks, when it comes to insanely obscure NWOBHM, this is about as rare as it gets. In fact, people were making huge waves around this Holocaust (obviously not the Scottish combo) and their "Slay that Dragon" 3-tracker in the early 2010's, when surprising news about the record's existence suddenly took the collecting scene by storm. As you can gather, after decades of squandering every possible place in the UK in search for esoteric slices of vinyl released by British metal bands in the late '70s-early '80s, there's very little left out there to be found, and learning of a completely unknown release (and a pretty decent one, as reports stated) was sure a remarkable thing. Of course, things soon went the usual path of exageration (with people labeling it "the holy grail of NWOBHM", which was not true as no one was looking specifically for it before it was found) and overpricing (I saw people asking five-digit prices for the real thing, believe it or not), though  it's not that out of proportion in this particular case: let's face it, it's actually pretty rare, and few of us will ever have the chance to add an original to our collection. 

Details about the record used to be very scarce (more on it in a minute), and the stories I heard about how it was located in the first place are so fanciful (bordering on self-congratulatory, to be frank) that it's difficult to accept it at face value.If you were to believe the lore around it, the EP was pressed in truly minuscule quantities (I was originally told there was only two, but that sounded too much of an exageration even back then), maybe not even going past the testing stage, and the only surviving copies were in the hands of the band members themselves, these individuals being extraordinarily shy and point-blank refusing to share any significant info about the release and its origins. Bollocks. There were way more than a handful copies pressed, some people sure bought it at gigs back then, and the musicians involved are not that impossible to locate (and/or unwilling to cooperate) after all. After a fair deal of research (and a healthy bit of good luck), I'm happy to finally share with the world some significant info about Holocaust, one of the most esoteric mysteries from the entire NWOBHM folklore!

For starters, no one seemed to know for sure where this particular Holocaust came from. In fact, there were some suspicion that they could be from Canada, as the lacquer cutting of the vinyl seemed to point out to a Canadian pressing company. It can be safely discarded as a coincidence by now, though, as I'm now able to state with a 100% degree of certainty that Holocaust were from Wales, most precisely from the town of Caerphilly. The band were already active in 1979, though is by no means impossible that they were doing the rounds even earlier than that, albeit in slightly different form. In fact, the 12'' 3-tracker (an independent release, the Pile Driver label being created by the band members themselves) have been consistently dated as from 1979, but I'm more than willing to cast some doubt on such a dating, as I have reliable info (from more than one source) that the line-up that recorded it weren't actually together until 1980, or possibly even 1981. One of the band members (the last one to join the band) was also working at Spartan Manufacturing by the time the EP was pressed there, getting as far as having a discount as a courtesy - so I'm inclined to believe his memory on the subject, which implicates that the 1979 release date should be seriously called into question. I'm sure we will be able to clarify this eventually anyway. 

BTW, the 4-piece responsible for recording "Slay that Dragon" consists of Dean Oates (vocal and rhythm guitar), John Slattery (lead guitar), Phil James (bass) and Anthony Jones (drums). It seems that Dean and John knew each other as classmates since the mid 1970's, though the original nucleus of what would become Holocaust (using a different name, now long lost in the mists of time) most probably consisted of Dean and Phil. Whatever the case, the three tracks we now know ("Slay that Dragon", "Take Me to Your Lawyer" and "So Called Civilised Way") seem to have been the only studio recordings from the group - they did have a few other self-penned tunes in their repertoire, but none of it were ever laid down on tape, I'm afraid. And now I must reveal (to the horror of many) that no less than 500 copies were pressed, with an unspecified (but not very large) number being sold at gigs in and around the Caerphilly area - and one of the original band members kept something in the region of 300 unsold and unplayed copies of it in his attic until five or six years ago, when (after concluding it was all warped and melted beyond salvation) he decided to dump them all in a refuse tip... Oh well, at least we know there are a few more pieces floating around, so there is some hope to find a still-unearthed copy of this NWOBHM ultra-collectable after all. If you happen to have good contacts in Wales, most of all in the Gwent area, ask them to keep a strong eye on the bargain bins of local parochial fairs and perhaps you may get real lucky!

Fortunately, the music itself is no longer the mystery it used to be. I remember a conversation I had many years ago with a very serious NWOBHM collector, who heard the rumors and did his very best to get at least a snippet of Holocaust's music, just to make sure it was metal after all. When someone who had it finally agreed to send this collector some music, this individual went to great lengths to make sure it would not be shared: it was recorded in an old cassette tape, deliberately in mono, with many fluctuations in EQ done on purpose so you couldn't have anything near a good time listening to it. Yeah, let's talk about not making things easy, all right. Anyway, time took its natural course, and, after at least a full decade of speculation, some enterprising individual managed to get hold of a copy, rip it in mp3 format and upload it on some metal forum online. Thanks to this good samaritan, if you know where to look after Holocaust, you damn sure can find it - and, having downloaded such files myself, I'm more than happy to drop a few lines about the music contents of this EP (and no, you can rest assured I do not own a 12'' copy of it, though I would love to get lucky sometime in the future!)

There were more than a few comments around linking Holocaust's sound to Budgie, and I must say it's not far from the mark after all. I mean, Dean Oates's vocals are nowhere near Burke Shelley territory, being more of a John Kay kind of guy, but a track like "Slay that Dragon" could easily be part of an album like "Nightflight" without being out of place at all. It's a very nice song actually, with interesting guitar interplay (including a reasonably dinamic outro) and a multi-layered, slightly atmospheric chorus that works remarkably well, despite some very simplistic lyrics. It's the best track here by quite a margin, if you ask me, which is not to say the remaining cuts are unworthy of a listen. That being said, "Take Me To Your Lawyer" (a title that, given the lyrics, is probably a mispell of "Take Me To MY Lawyer") is a more laid back track with heavy (but slightly disjointed) riffs and a somewhat confusing song structure, and I reckon the lads should have taken some extra time to hone it before taking it to a studio and recording it for posterity. "So Called Civilised Way" is an epic power ballad that runs for the entirety of the B side, and its very sedated nature would have surely benefitted from a few more dynamic arrangements in strategic places, though it's a mostly solid track that can move a few heartstrings if you're in the right frame of mind. The recording and mixing, though very basic, are decent enough and even add a few fuzzy effects in places, giving the whole EP a vibe similar to a well-recorded demo. The musicians, though obviously very young, sure knew what to do with their instruments, and the final product is pretty efficient as a NWOBHM artifact, though there's more than a hint of 1970's hard/heavy music in the proceedings.

There's obviously still a lot to learn and discover about this particular Holocaust: I'm making some extra efforts to obtain a few photos and memorabilia, for instance, though the individuals I'm in touch with have some personal issues to deal with and are more than excused to take their time before bothering to answer my requests, which is perfectly understandable. Still, I'm very glad to be able to share some info about this mystery combo after all, and you can all rest assured that any extra info that come to my knowledge will be added to this article in earnest. Some people rather play dumb with whatever info they can garner, perhaps hoping this will keep them a few steps ahead of the pack in the ruthless NWOBHM collecting scene, but I tend to think it's the opposite really: the more we collectively know, less vulnerable we are to shady individuals and their attempts to rip us off, and any snippet of data from the almost-forgotten past we come to learn is a renewed chance for talented musicians to have their music duly acknowledged and appreciated at long last. 

Extra thanks to Discogs for label scans

Dean Oates (V/G), John Slattery (G), Phil James (B) and Anthony Jones (D).

01. Slay That Dragon (James)
02. Take Me To Your Lawyer (James, Oates)
03. So Called Civilised Way (Slattery, Oates)

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Brave New World (CD, EMI, 2000)

RATING: 7/10

If we want to put it in a single phrase, I guess you can say that the time was right for Iron Maiden to return with a bang. Having Bruce Dickinson and Adrian Smith back into the picture surely got the hype in motion, and the well-attended gigs to support the "Ed Hunter" compilation offered strong evidence that the whole 3-guitar thing could work out quite fine after all. Besides, the whole environment around them was very favourable for such a reunion: the dreary 1990s were gone at last, the whole "metal is dead" bullshit was finally vanishing for good, and some nice-sounding newcomers (Arch Enemy, Edguy, Opeth, Nightwish, In Flames, Pain of Salvation, Hammerfall etc) seemed strong contenders able to explore new and exciting avenues to the scene. It was all about having some strong legends to lead the way - and if good old Maiden could shake off their "Virtual XI" fiasco and come up with some genuinely interesting music, there would be no one and anything to block their way back to the top. Thinking back, I can clearly remember how people were excited about a new Iron Maiden album back in early 2000, and not only that: people were actually expectant for it, wishing for it to be the kickass comeback we all knew it could be - and that we all felt the world desperately needed, though perhaps we weren't 100% conscious of that at the time. It was almost like that decisive game of the season, when your favorite player is about to perform the penalty kick or free throw that will give your team the victory - c'mon dude, don't let us down, you can do it. And, luckily for all of us metalheads, Iron Maiden did it.

With that said, it's at least a bit curious to point out that I, personally, don't think that "Brave New World" stood the test of time unscathed: in fact, I tend to consider it to be a somewhat flawed record as a whole, with some significant filler going on, and surely not the world-beating monster it clearly seemed to be when it first came out. It's still pretty good of course, and I really like it anyway, but perhaps its immense success was something of a self-fulfilling prophecy: so desperately we wanted it to be great, and such was the welcoming feeling towards it, that its (many) qualities were instantly praised to the heavens and beyond, while its (few, but significant) shortcomings were collectively overlooked for the time being. One of my pet theories about Iron Maiden is that Steve Harris and the boys are the band with the best timing in the universe: they were at the right place, at the exact right time, and they were there more than once. In fact, I would draw an imaginary line uniting "Brave New World" to "The Number of the Beast" way back in 1982: I don't think neither should be ranked among the best records ever (and they're surely not the 10-out-of-10 listening experiences people often say they are), but both were launched upon a heavy metal environment that was desperately in need of them, and both carried messages that were extremely important for the metal scene moving forward. "The Number of the Beast" told the world that, if you have the songs and the attitude, you don't need to sell out to sell stadiums - and "Brave New World" came to reassure us that metal was, is and forever shall be the coolest thing in our lives, and that it damn sure will never die. Well, maybe when the human race is hopelessly extinct and the planet Earth becomes but a charred piece of rock orbiting an ever-expanding Sun, but I'm sure you undersand what I mean.

Well, let's talk about what's good with the album first. Maybe the most important thing about "Brave New World" is that the songs are back for good - and let's face it, the recent memory left by "Virtual XI" was truly worrisome, with a few moments bordering on self-parody. Fortunately, "Brave New World" starts with a banger, and you don't need more than the first few seconds of "The Wicker Man" to know Iron Maiden are back, and Adrian Smith is back with them. OK, the main riff may sound a bit too much like Judas Priest's "Running Wild" if you listen to it closely, but remember what I said about people being slightly lenient with Maiden back in 2000? No one cared, and I don't think anyone should have bothered really, as the tune brings to the table everything we were thirsty for: great guitar interplay, driving basslines, nice lyrics, soaring vocals, a memorable chorus and even the obligatory oh-oh-oh-OH! chanting for people to sing along live. We all had missed Bruce Dickinson's singing, that's for sure, but perhaps Adrian Smith's songwriting was an even more glaring absence on previous records, and have him back was no less than glorious. I know, he would only contribute one other song to the proceedings (the tongue-in-cheek, delightful fun of "The Fallen Angel"), but he wrote the song that, as soon as we all pushed play, told us that everything would be fine, so all credit to the man where is due. 

"The Wicker Man" is perhaps my favorite on the album, but it is followed by another truly exciting cut in the shape of "Ghost of the Navigator" - a track that really shows the whole 3-guitar thing at its more daring and adventurous, not to mention the truly powerful delivery of Mr. Dickinson as the crooner. By the way, if we're to point some individual performances here, the vocalist definitely is the one to be lauded: he sings beautifully throughout, and there's a newfound sense of confidence (almost swagger, in a good sense) on his voice, like he knew how important it was to deliver a good record and was all up for the challenge. Thriving under pressure is one of Dickinson's well known strenghts, and here he thrives indeed, giving what would arguably be one of the best performances of his life. Maybe "Blood Brothers" is the song that shows it in the most positive light: a truly beautiful piece of songwriting by Steve Harris, this tune about the bassist's recently-deceased father gains a different layer of meaning with Dickinson's delivery, turning into a tale about camaradery and how the bonds among people are what gives life a meaning after all. Amazing really, and it's no wonder it frequently makes into the band's setlists to this day. Apart from this trio (and the briefly mentioned "The Fallen Angel", which is quite a scorcher as well), "The Thin Line Between Love & Hate" is also worthy of a positive mention - actually, is a kick-ass hard/heavy rocker for the ages, and could easily be ranked among the most overlooked gems ever penned by the band (though the wisdom of employing such a long, guitar-doodling outro can be easily called into question). No less than five truly memorable tracks out of ten, that's not bad at all. The production is pretty decent throughout, successfully capturing the live-in-studio vibe the band wanted to create, so you can count an extra thumbs-up on that too. 

But now comes the time to mention the album's weak spots. After a mostly very successful start (the title-track, though not the most memorable song Maiden have ever written, is pefectly listenable and brings some delightful guitar interplay to the table), "The Mercenary" comes as the first real letdown here, a song that starts with some heavy-hitting promises but fails to fulfill itself due to an uninteresting, anticlimatic "show them no fear, show them no pain" chorus. As it transpires, Iron Maiden didn't have as much time to write songs as they would have probably liked, therefore some ideas from the "Virtual XI" sessions were reworked in order to complete enough material for a full-lenght release. Now, one seriously has to wonder if the leftovers from the band's least enjoyable album are really the place to go when you trying to create a career-defining comeback effort, but there you have it. Not only "The Mercenary", but also "Dream of Mirrors" and "The Nomad" are tunes who were originally written (and left incomplete) during the "Virtual XI" cycle - something that is not at all surprisingly, as these are undeniably a few steps behind the rest in terms of quality. "Dream of Mirrors" is not a bad song to be fair, with a slow-building atmosphere that works well enough if the listener is willing to give it time - but it's a bloated tune that overstays its welcome if we're to be honest here, a near 10-minute mammoth that could easily have been 2 or 3 minutes shorter (and more interesting) with some skilled, sober-minded editing job. And don't get me started on "The Nomad", a supposedly epic tale of some wise man wandering in the desert that turns out to be little more than a selection of Maiden clichés poorly arranged together to resemble a proper song. "Out of the Silent Planet" is definitely a better song than the aforementioned trio, but I can't help but feeling that it starts quite strong (with a delightful, semi-psychedelic opening) and loses steam halfway through, ultimately being a decent filler that goes a bit overlong.

As I said, it's puzzling that a record regarded by so many as a late-period classic will show itself as a flawed, unpolished artifact under some more strict scrutiny. If we could push aside any context, maybe "Brave New World" would be regarded as little more than a decent late-period effort from a band that, though far from their prime, still have a few tricks under their sleeves; in the real world, however, this is one of the defining moments in Iron Maiden's career, a record much loved by most of their fans and a significant landmark for the metal scene as a whole! Remember what I said about being at the right place etc? I must admit I struggled a little with just how I would rate this record after all - but I guess it would be something of a smart-ass move to pretend I wasn't there when it first came out, and to pretend I didn't love it to death like all the others back then, which is to say that attempting to review it just like any other record would definitely be a non-starter. Any metal fan must listen to it, and any metal fan should have a copy, even if only as an act of gratitude towards a band we will all be forever indebted to. Once again, Maiden has come to save the day, and I can surely cut them some slack like anybody else. It was a time for major renewal for Iron Maiden as we all know, and the tour to promote "Brave New World" was a resounding success, restablishing the band's reputation as one of the most exciting live bands in metal. It would also result in a truly enjoyable live album recorded here in Brazil, but more on the subject very soon...

Bruce Dickinson (V), Dave Murray (G), Adrian Smith (G), Janick Gers (G), Steve Harris (B), Nicko McBrain (D).

01. The Wicker Man (Smith, Harris, Dickinson) 4:35
02. Ghost of the Navigator (Gers, Dickinson, Harris) 6:50
03. Brave New World (Murray, Harris, Dickinson) 6:18
04. Blood Brothers (Harris) 7:14
05. The Mercenary (Gers, Harris) 4:42
06. Dream of Mirrors (Gers, Harris) 9:21
07. The Fallen Angel (Smith, Harris) 4:00
08. The Nomad (Murray, Harris) 9:06
09. Out of the Silent Planet (Gers, Dickinson, Harris) 6:25
10. The Thin Line Between Love & Hate (Murray, Harris) 8:26

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!

SURFACE (UK) - Race the Night (LP, Killerwatt, 1986)

RATING: 7/10

Short version:
Yet another one of the countless good NWOBHM bands that never really got anywhere, Surface shows themselves in quite a good form in "Race the Night", a very unusual debut live album that may not hit that hard, but definitely offers some nice songwriting and a vibrant, mostly very engaging hard/heavy repertoire. If you're into the more melodic, less frantic end of the NWOBHM spectrum such as Shy, Heavy Pettin or early Chrome Molly, this might be your thing - but really, give this one a listen even if you don't, as it's definitely one that can appeal to a large array of heavy rock palates.

Extended version:
(well, not that extensive anyway, but I think these persevering heavy rockers sure deserve the courtesy of a more careful review)

I must confess it took me quite a long while to give Surface's "Race the Night" LP a proper chance. I don't know, maybe the concept of a band's debut being a live album didn't appeal that much to me, or perhaps my previous knowing of the band as a not-skull-crushingly-heavy entity would always direct them to the end of my Must-Listen queue, in favor of more immediate and/or fast-and-furious propositions. But there you have it, I finally did it, and oh well, isn't it actually a pretty good record after all? I wouldn't go as far as calling it an underrated NWOBHM classic or anything, but it's indeed a good listen, with mostly nice songs that don't sound contrived or formulaic, and from a bunch of musicians that damn sure knew how to get the job done. 

Hailing from Birmingham (a pretty promising pedigree, as we all know), Surface originally came to be sometime in 1980, as something of a merge of now long-forgotten hopefuls Xenon and Good Grief, both group failing to get anywhere but the nearest pub under their original guises. From the onset, they seem to have set their sights into a more melodic, slighty more convoluted sound than most of their contemporaries, adopting a somewhat ambitious six-piece line-up from a very early stage. Similarly, and though Surface became something of a popular local live attraction quite early in the decade, they seem to have consciously opted to hone their skills to a high level before circulating any demo tapes. Their first 4-tracker (as listed by Malc McMillan in his mighty NWOBHM Encyclopedia) came out in 1984 (not 1981 as some sources state), and though originally being fairly well distributed in and around their geographical area, seems to have been deemed unrepresentative by the band members themselves in later years (maybe they felt the reaction from promoters and record labels wasn't the warmest, who knows). A second tape would make the rounds later that year (a live recording meant to shift hands as a souvenir for the loyal fans), and a proper new studio demo came out in 1985 - a more confident collection of songs, it seems, as Killerwatt Records (a label that were home to some reasonably high profile acts such as Angel Witch and The Babysitters at the time) agreed to offer them a contract before the year was out, to which they gladly signed the dotted line. I mean, the fact that they had recently managed to book a six-week tour of France without having a single slice of vinyl to call their own probably made quite an impression on the label's executives. The later demos from 1985 are now easier to locate, thanks to a CD reissue by the Divebomb label, but the early output from Surface is still quite elusive, and I'd definitely love to give these a listen, so if you happen to have it and feel like sharing it in a way or another, please kindly get in touch.

Now, your guess about why Surface's first (and only) LP came out as a live album is as good as mine, though I tend to think that the financial side of things had a lot to do with that decision. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that "Race the Night" was regarded by the band (and perhaps even the label) as kind of a pre-debut, something along the lines of Stampede's "The Bootleg Album" - a record meant to introduce them to the masses and create some anticipation towards their first 'proper' studio long-player, though Stampede were surely more explicit about that if it was indeed the case. Whatever the story, the band had suffered some minor reshuffling before the tracks were commited to tape (during a hometown gig at The Railway in Birmingham, a common haunt for the lads almost since their inception), with founding guitarist Mike Chesire giving way to Loz Rabone (no previous allegiances I'm aware of), the new axeman adapting quite well to his bandmantes Gez Finnegan (V), Mark Davies (G), Dean Field (K) and brothers Ian (B) and Jamie Hawkins (D). 

"Race the Night" is quite a solid package, with solid songwriting and almost not a filler in sight. The recording is pretty good, and the mixing (by Les Hunt, once a Demon stalwart and then the sitting producer in Killerwatt) is impeckable, with every instrument being given ample room to breathe. The opening duo of "Something" and "Race the Night" is quite impressive, with a remarkably lively delivery that are miles ahead of what most like-minded contemporaries could do at the time, and though we have to survive the somewhat insipid ballad "Take the Morning" right after that, everything moves quite smoothly from that point onwards. Songs like "Night Creature", "Paris" (despite the somewhat nonsensical lyrics) and "Hideaway" are all very good, and even slightly more dated efforts like "Band Girls" work quite well within the album's flow. If you're looking for comparisons, maybe Shy, Bronz and Wildfire (at their most melodic) would be the closest you can get, which is to say Surface's sound stands in the very frontier between hard rock and heavy metal, with generous doses of melody and pretty accessible (though never overtly saccharine of radio-friendly) arrangements. Nothing to make you bang your head until your neck gets sore, that's for sure, but those who are not that much into pop-tinged rock music won't have to hide it as a guilty pleasure, and the unmistakeable '80s vibe of the whole package is actually very enjoyable, adding to the LP's strength rather than diminishing it. Well done really, and quite a good surprise when I first pressed the 'play' button. 

Unfortunately, it seems obvious that "Race the Night" didn't shift as many copies as originally expected, and the strategy of putting a live record out before launching into a full-blown studio assault turned out to make them lose momentum, rather than building it. Credit to the lads, they clearly tried their best to keep things going, and when America's JDI label decided to reissue some Killerwatt releases in the USA in early 1988, the band had already metamorphosed themselves into Beneath the Surface - a somewhat pointless move when it come to name choices, but still a clear indication they wanted to take the opportunity to the fullest and start afresh under a new moniker. There was some serious talk about booking a tour in the USA to promote the "Beneath the Surface" LP (with new logo and front cover, but the exact same recordings and running order), but I suspect these good-spirited plans unfortunately never came to fruition, though I wouldn't be surprised to learn otherwise (these gentlemen were true rock fighters, you know). The repackaged live album seems to have reached pretty modest sales at most, but still served a good purpose as a means to invigorate the band, and Beneath the Surface kept things going until 1990 at the earliest, with signs of minor activity pointing to some form of existance even after that. Jamie Hawkins joined Starfighters in the late '80s, but he kept handling the drumsticks for Beneath the Surface whenever they graced a stage, and the line-up seems to have remained remarkably stable for such a long-running entity, left alone being a six-piece in the first place. Keeping the band on the road for a full decade without making loads of money out of it is no easy feat, you know, so immense respect to them for giving their collective rock and roll dream the best shot they possibly could.

As far as I know, only Laz Rabone tried his luck with other outfits after Beneath the Surface disbanded, lending his considerable guitar skills to Felony and Merciless, none of which seems to have got further than the demo stage. I don't have the CD reissue by Divebomb just yet, so I had no access to the liner notes on such release (this is going to be corrected very soon, I promise), so I'm not aware on any further activities from the musicians involved, though singer Gez Finnegan does have a handful of engineering work to his credit, most famously for Benediction's death metal classic "The Grand Leveller". I suppose they left the limelight without any regrets or hurt feelings, having given their heart and soul to the music as long as it made sense for them, and I sincerely hope they really enjoyed whatever activities they devoted themselves to after their persevering band had fulfilled its lifespan. All in all, a good one to have in your collection if you're a NWOBHM fan, and you may even score a coveted spot in your heart if you give it a few careful listens. Thanks for the music, lads, tonight I'll toast to your health while giving this one another spin. Cheers!

Thanks a ton to Discogs for Surface's picture sleeve scans

Gez Finnegan (V), Mark Davies (G), Laz Rabone (G), Dean Field (K), Ian Hawkins (B), Jamie Hawkins (D). All songs by Field, Finnegan, Hawkins, Hawkins, Davies and Chesire.

01. Intro / Someday 3:10
02. Race the Night 3:57
03. Take the Moment 6:45
04. Paris 4:08
05. It's No Good 3:50
06. Night Creature 4:06
07. Don't Cry 3:56
08. Hideaway 2:46
09. Bad Girls 3:59
10. Story Teller 7:25

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!

DANIEL WEST & MODERN MUSIC (USA) - 4:01 P.M. (7'' single, Present, 1981)

RATING: 7/10

I'd really wish to have more information to share with you guys and girls about Daniel West & Modern Music, you know. Such a rare gem, and one that really did set some pulses racing among NWOBHM collectors not so long ago, though now we know it's not a record anyone should really tag as part of the multiverse in question. But alas, fact is I know very little, and any info that can be provided by you people out there in the collecting-world wilderness will be greatly appreciated. I'll drop a few lines about this humble "4:01 P.M." c/w "Strategy's Fashion" 7'' anyway, hoping to be able to add significant info and personnel here sometime in the future. The music is quite nice, you know, so it's well worth the effort. 

There's no picture sleeve in sight, and very little info on the labels to help us in our quest, but I'm sure you'll be sensible to the fact that anyone naming their band as Daniel West & Modern Music are not really trying to pass themselves as a heavy metal outfit at all. Any purist NWOBHM collectors can skip the read and go straight to the next entry if you like, as it's definitely an artifact from the US, with no connections to the British scene (apart from the music contents, that is) after all. In fact, Present Records turns out to be a very small imprint from a fellow named Fela Johnson (yeah, pun intented), an L.A. resident who did release some vinyl in a synthwave/minimal vein in the early 1980's - a material that is quite well regarded by those who enjoy/collect this kind of music, incidentally. As good fella Fela is credited as producer for the Daniel West & Modern Music 7'', the connection is beyond doubt, and more than enough to keep this one away from the NWOBHM wants lists. But we still have the music, you know, and it's very decent music indeed, I tell you.

"4:01 P.M." showcases an excellent, though very simple, riffing coupled with punkish, kinda snotty vocals that bring the track closer to power pop territory - but not your usual good-time poppy punkish fare, that's for sure, as the guitar work sound remarkably heavy and commanding throughout. The bass sounds great too, loud and unrelenting, keeping the energy flowing with sheer commitment to the cause. It definitely sounds British, you know, and those more accostumed with borderline NWOBHM acts such as Baseline, Tutch and Sidewinder will catch my drift on that one. It's probably just coincidence, you know, but still it puzzles me how some young dudes from California managed to sound like working-class geezers from the East End of London... Whatever the story, and though there's nothing too complicated going on, the track as a whole is surprisingly quirky for such a simple structure, so it may take you a couple listens to get used to what the song has to offer. I love it really, and most open-minded metal fans out there will probably be hooked after giving this one a fair chance, as it kicks some serious ass, plain and simple. As for flipside "Strategy's Fashion", it's a more typical, mid-tempo hard rocking number, with a distinctive glam feeling in the guitar melodies and vocal delivery overall. Another simple, but very effective main riff carries the song along with very little effort, and (though it's fair to say it sounds like a more lively Pretty Boy Floyd or Mott the Hoople rather than anything truly metallic) anyone who enjoys the NWOBHM aesthetic will probably find very little to complaint around here. Well done really, and I would definitely love to add a physical copy of this 7'' to my collection, if it weren't for it costing half my monthly salary at least.

The label says it's a 1981 release, and there's no reason to doubt it really, as the entirety of the Present Records' catalog (two EPs from Fela Johnson, and that's it) are from roughly the same period. There's definitely more to this partnership than we know at present, as no other groups ever got their songs pressed by the label, and Fela Johnson seemed to opt for a one-man-army mentality when recording his stuff, with little (if any) accompaniment from fellow (here comes the pun again) musicians. Maybe it was a project from the man himself, using the Daniel West name as a soubriquet and with no support from a proper band? Or perhaps there is a real Daniel West after all, someone who Fela Johnson decided to tutor and/or produce as a friendly gesture? There is, in fact, a certain Daniel West still doing the rounds in Southern California with a vast number of rock, jazz and experimental projects to his credit, his more recent claim to fame being a duo named LoveyDove. It would be a bit of a stretch in terms of age (as, by my calculations, he would be like 13/14 years old by the time this "4:01 P.M." piece of wax came out), but he claims in his biography to be doing the club circuit with bands since he was 11 (and he himself also admits to be highly influenced by British rock music, mind you), so it's not beyond the realms of possibility that he is our guy after all. Let's keep an eye on this one, hopeful for some interesting new developments in the not-too-distant future. 

Million thanks to Discogs for label scans!

Musicians unknown

01. 4:01 P.M. (D. West) 3:04
02. Strategy's Fashion (D.West) 2:41

Have you been involved with any of the bands mentioned here? Have any extra info and/or corrections? Please e-mail me at drequon@gmail.com and let me know!

IRON MAIDEN (UK) - Ed Hunter (2 CD, EMI, 1999)

RATING: 6/10

Ok, let's keep it simple on this one. Under usual circumstances, there would be close to zero reason to review "Ed Hunter" around here - it's mostly a video game, you see, and this sort of multimedia is of little interest for the purposes of this blog. Oh yeah, there's an accompanying 2-CD set as a soundtrack for the game, but there's very little in the way of new and/or unusual material on it, so it would hardly be a collectable for anyone but the most passionate fans of Iron Maiden. But timing is everything, you know, and the period when "Ed Hunter" hit the shops coincided with one of the most significant changes in line-up ever witnessed by metal, no less: out was Blaze Bayley (a man that, despite his genuine dedication and commendable character, never managed to be the singer the Beast really needed) and back in were not only Bruce Dickinson, but guitarist Adrian Smith as well - the outfit still keeping the services of Janick Gers in order to become a six-piece, three-guitar assault. To be frank, this seems an obvious solution now, over 25 years since it was first figured out, but it wasn't a safe bet back in early 1999: as it transpires, the name of Doogie White (who had already done well in a few auditions with the band a few years previously) was even considered for a short while, before Steve Harris asked Rod Smallwood (who still had a hand on Bruce Dickinson's solo career back then) whether or not Bruce would be willing to be back into the fore. 

It was little more than a passing idea at first, but it started to gain momentum when, after a conversation between Smallwood and Dickinson, the singer made clear that he would be willing to discuss the possibility. Let's face it: no matter how good his solo career was doing at the time (and "The Chemical Wedding" is a hell of a frickin' great record, your know), good old air raid siren Bruce would hardly ever get the crowds he once had alongside Maiden, and the chance to have a second bite at the cherry was surely one not to be turned down. After getting Harris and Dickinson in the same room, things pretty much fell into place, including the potentially difficult issue of bringing Adrian Smith back into the picture as well: the vocalist made clear it was a mandatory condition in order for him to sign the dotted line, but Steve Harris also felt it would be nice to have three guitarists, and Adrian himself admited he wouldn't feel comfortable if his return to the band meant that Janick Gers had to go. All things considered, turning into a six-piece was not only the right thing to do, but also a mostly natural move given the circumstances, while also creating an immediate feeling of excitement and renewal around the band. 

"Ed Hunter" was already comissioned by this juncture, having very little (if any) weight in the whole reunion thing, but the fact that it was hitting the shops offered Iron Maiden the perfect opportunity to spread the word around with a celebratory tour. It was very fortunate, and the jaunts to promote it were all a resounding success, but that doesn't mean one should see "Ed Hunter" as a more important release than it actually is. The tracklist was put together via a poll on the band's website, which is a charming move, but there's nothing nowhere near a surprise in the running order, and the only minor highlight here is a semi-new version of "Wrathchild", where the original 1981 recording is remixed with Bruce Dickinson singing instead of Paul Di'Anno. He does a good job out of it, that's for sure, but a classic is always a classic, and I can hardly imagine anyone playing this compilation on a weekly basis just because he likes Dickinson's version so much better, if you know what I mean. I personally never bothered about the game, and I never played it, so I have no idea of how good or bad it is (though some friend who are way more into the gaming world than I used to say it was a bit of a corker, so there you have it) - but, when it comes to music, we all have the original albums anyway, this package therefore being of interest only for those who really can't live without having every single item ever released by the band they love (nothing wrong about that, of course). If you don't fit the description, rest assured there's far more better purchases you can do with your hard earned cash.

Whatever turns the story took afterwards, fact is that any major changes need some transitional period to fully come to fruition, and the whole "Ed Hunter" thing, though mostly irrelevant in terms of music (the fact that there's zero prospect of any reissues in the foreseeable future is quite a giveaway on that matter), sure served an important purpose when it comes to make the Iron Maiden reunion into a tangible reality. By the time these honourable and talented gentlemen decided to put their minds into writing new music, everybody already knew that the three guitarists could work quite well together, and the collective feeling around the upcoming record was of genuine anticipation, with very little doubt that they could do things right and get their career back on track for good. After years of turmoil, the dreary '90s were fizzling out in a way more hopeful mood, and soon a new era of world domination would begin for the lads.

CD 1

01. Iron Maiden ("Live After Death" live vrs)
02. The Trooper
03. The Number of the Beast
04. Wrathchild
05. Futureal
06. Fear of the Dark
07. Be Quick or Be Dead
08. 2 Minutes to Midnight
09. Man on the Edge
10. Aces High
11. The Evil that Men Do
12. Wasted Years
13. Powerslave
14. Hallowed Be Thy Name
15. Wrathchild (1999 vrs)

CD 2

01. Run to the Hills
02. The Clansman
03. Phantom of the Opera
04. Killers
05. Stranger in a Strange Land
06. Tailgunner

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!

On a Wing and a Prayer (Compilation, UK, Teesbeat, 1985)

RATING - 7/10

This particular compilation isn't exactly a huge mystery among NWOBHM collectors, though it's still a nice find if you ever locate a copy for a reasonable price. The Teesbeat label was active for the best part of a decade at least, with a studio facility under the same name in Stockton-on-Trees and always showing a laudable disposition to help new bands from the North East of England to reach the vinyl stage - it was, for instance, where Black Rose released their first 7'' single way back in 1982. It seems they released a grand total of three LP compilation during the label's lifespan, this 1985's "On a Wing and a Prayer" being the second (the other two, 1984's "The New Bowery" and 1986's "Rumour Sets the Woods Alight", are hopefully appearing around here sooner rather than later), and it's nice to find out that Teesbeat always allowed the bands they picked to lay down at least two songs for their releases, which not only render the records more cohesive but also gives the hopefuls in question a more generous space to show whatever talent they had. Not that much going on when it comes to genuinely heavy music (and only one act that can be securely labeled as NWOBHM), but still a pretty interesting compilation if we're to be honest, and more than worthy of a proper review around here.

It seems that the LP came out with different inserts, depending on what bands were trying to sell it - an interesting move indeed, as it allowed the groups in question to use it more effectively as a promotional item. Some surviving copies have two, or even three sheets with information about the bands; with that said, it's unfortunate that I'm working with a copy that has no insert at all, as I would be really glad to offer some significant info about Trixter, the only bona fide NWOBHM outfit here featured. Still, let's try to put together the pieces of what little we know about them, always hoping to add new information when it surfaces. The group seems to have been short lived, but fact is that many important local scenesters seem to have had some level of involvement with the combo, most of all guitarist Miles Lofthouse, who also made the rounds with Millenium (as well as their brief re-christening as Tyrone-Power) and thrashers Major Threat. Though the origins of this particular family tree lie in a early 80s combo named Avarice, where Lofthouse first joined forces with Nigel Crooks (I was told once he was a drummer, but I can be wrong, so let me know if you happen to know better), it seems that Trixter was an offshoot from a post-Avarice project, whose name is not yet known and that seemingly recorded a demo or two before adopting the new Trixter guise. Guitarist Jeff Leighton probably took part on the recordings for "On a Wing and a Prayer" as well, and I believe the bass lines were played by Kiko Rivers, who would later record with the most recent incarnations of Black Rose. Have no idea on who was the singer though (maybe it was Nigel Crooks after all, and the band had another drummer, who knows?).

As for the pair of Trixter's originals here featured, "Burn So Bright" starts missing a drum beat, no less, which is quite uncomfortable first time around, But don't give up on them just yet, as this is a pretty interesting (though definitely quirky) heavy number with nice guitar arrangements and a lot of different (and creative) parts for its relatively short running time. The basslines give something of a new wave vibe to the whole thing though, and it takes more than a single listen to really get into what they're trying to reach here. In the end, this may not be the most accomplished of songs, but it's still engaging and enjoyable, and bonus points to the lads for trying to think outside the box and find their own, distinctive sound. "Fraulien", on the other hand, was obviously mispelled on the album cover (I'm not a scholar in German, you know, but I guess they meant to say "fraulein", you know), but does no wrong when the needle hit the grooves: it's a hard-hitting, catchy, full-blown heavy metal tune, and the most interesting track for metalheads when it comes to "On a Wing and a Prayer", hands down. Nothing too complicated going on (though the lead guitarist does a pretty good job with his virtuoso melodies during the instrumental section), but everything works quite well and hints of a band that could have really made it further in the business if given some encouragement and/or financial backing. Well done, lads. 

From the other five bands included, I'd say that Secret Garden's "Tsantsa" is the next best thing as far as us heavy metal enthusiasts are concerned: quite an energetic power pop tune indeed, with some psych rock intonations in places, most of all in the tension-building "shaking your head" chorus. There's also a very interesting solo section towards the end, with some near-metallic melodies that truly deserve a mention. Not NWOBHM by any stretch, but quite a nice song nonetheless, though it ends rather abruptly and leaves the impression that they could have had kept their good thing going a little longer. The other contribution from them, "Summer of Hate", is a mid-tempo number where the new wave influences are far more prominent, though it's still a power pop number for the most part. Not as good as the previous number, unfortunately, and you'll most likely forget it as soon as it's over, as there's nothing too out of the ordinary going on. I also enjoyed True North's "The Wintergarden" - despite a bombastic, deceptive intro, we're into indie rock / post punk territory here, with undeniable similarities to early The Cure and another pretty charming guitar solo halfway through. A good opening number for the LP, which is the exact opposite situation with their "Photographs of Jane", an indie rock ballad carried along by acoustic guitars and loud (though mostly not too intrusive) basslines. It's not a bad composition, but it sound a bit like a three-minute intro rather than a proper song, as you can't help expecting it to explode into a full-band arrangement and it just never happens. The compilers should have allowed the LP to close with "Fraulien" and insert this tune somewhere else in the running order, as it's hardly an exhilarating (or particularly impressive) way to finish proceedings, but there you have it.

Also of some interest for those who enjoy heavy music is The Outfit's "Hazy Down", an acoustic ballad with a contemplative (and somewhat grandiose, almost epic) vibe. It's mostly a voice-and-guitar kind of tune, with the full band appearances basically serving the purpose of enhancing the tension and/or emotion in particular parts. The result is somewhat intriguing, let's put it that way, and it could even pass as a semi-metal ballad under different circumstances, so give it a careful listen and perhaps you might enjoy it. "Listen" is pretty much the same formula, though it's a more typical new wave tune with prominent (sometimes nearly intrusive) keyboards, the semi-acoustic vibes being restricted to the chorus this time around. It lacks energy for the most part, and the doo-doo-doop-pah-pah-pah vocal arrangents halfway through are very annoying I'm afraid, so there's very little for us metal collectors to enjoy here, though it's by no means a disgraceful track at all.

The rest of the pack is of minimal (if any) interest for us metalheads, so let's be brief about them. Secret History offer us a Bossa-nova tinged, definitely pop-inclined new wave in both "Won't Let You" and "Peace of Mind" - the latter being quite an oddball actually, with the previous description augmented by some reggae/ska guitar arrangements overwhelmed under a heavy coating of keyboard/brass saccharine. That being said, I think "Won't Let You" is a decent song that mostly fulfill its promises, with a gifted female singer and very nice basslines throughout. As for The Restrictors, their "Peanuts" number is a rock/ska collision that strongly remind me of some similar attempts by The Clash, though with more busy vocal lines (and with a strong cockney accent going on) and instrumentation. The production values doesn't help, as it sounds like there's just too many people playing in the room - the kind of feeling you get when watching a rehearsal from a not very cohesive band, if you know what I mean. As for "Own Little World", it could have been a half-decent Oi! tune in a Cock Sparrer vein, if not for the strident (and very annoying) brass and mellotron arrangements all over the place. Punk/ska collectors may enjoy it, anyway.

Unfortunately, "On a Wing and a Prayer" turns out to be an apt album title, as none of these hopefuls ever managed to make it big. In fact, most musicians and bands involved simply vanished from the scene, with Trixter being one of the few instances where something can be said of their sophomore activities. It seems that the band didn't really last for long after their vinyl appearance, as Miles Lofthouse was recording a demo with Tyrone-Power even before the year was out, and both Nigel Crooks and Jeff Leighton were involved with an outfit named Bedlam later in the decade. Nigel would become a studio engineer and sound designer in later years, with a fair number of projects to his credit (he would produce a demo for Lofthouse's thrash project Major Threat, for instance) before his untimely passing in 2023 (RIP dude, and thanks for all the music). There are rumours of a third Trixter tune floating around, named "In the Heat of the Night", but it's actually the same "Burn So Bright" under a different name - a confusing development indeed, as it's how Nigel Crooks himself named the track on his Soundcloud account. Maybe it was originally called "In the Heat of the Night", and the "Burn So Bright" came as a last-minute decision from someone involved with the label? One can't be sure by now, but there are no other Trixter recordings floating around as far as I know, with this "On a Wing and a Prayer" being the only chance to listen to their considerable collective talents. Some may hesitate to buy a full LP by virtue of a band alone, but "On a Wing and a Prayer" won't cost you a lot more than you'd have to pay for an obscure 7'' single if it was the case, and most of the music is decent at least, so I would say you can do far worse than putting some hard earned cash on this one if you have the chance.

Extra thanks to Discogs for picture and label scans

Side A

01. TRUE NORTH - The Wintergarden
02. SECRET GARDEN - Tsantsa
03. SECRET HISTORY - Won't Let You
04. TRIXTER - Burn So Bright
05. THE OUTFIT - Listen
06. THE RESTRICTORS - Peanuts

Side B

07. THE OUTFIT - Hazy Down
08. THE RESTRICTORS - Own Little World
09. SECRET GARDEN - Summer of Hate
10. SECRET HISTORY - Peace of Mind
11. TRIXTER - Fraulien
12. TRUE NORTH - Photographs of Jane

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!