SHADER (UK) - Bad News Blues (7'', Piston Broke, 1981)

RATING: **

This hard-working band from London were doing the rounds since the second half of the 70s, playing a musical style that came to be associated with NWOBHM in later years, though it was actually not much of the sort. The music contained in this slice of vinyl (the only officially released by the group) are much more in a blues/rock vein with generous concessions to boogie, a music style not too far from what good people from England use to call Biker Rock. They released this 7'' (never housed in a picture sleeve) in 1981, when they already had four or five years of experience in the neverending road of small-club circuit - and that's too bad that, after such dedication, they couldn't release something more confident or individualistic.

Don't get me wrong: "Bad News Blues" and "Banging Like a Shit House Door", the two songs on display, are not the kind of thing that will make you feel like giving up on music or anything like that. I have heard FAR worse, at least. It's all pretty good-hearted and inoffensive, with simple riffing and some reasonable attempts for sing-along choruses - though they turn out to be forgotten soon after the listening is over, which is to say that they were not exactly successful on being singed along, but oh well. The really bad thing here is that the production is irritatingly poor, even committing some unacceptable mistakes such as failing to fully synchronize the twin-guitar melodies on "Bad News Blues". Once I realized the guitars were not playing together at all, this knowledge annoyed me so much that it ruined the whole listening experience. Not that anything else sounds good in it, but this bad mixing really highlights the precariousness of the whole production.

"Banging Like a Shit House Door", unfortunately, doesn't make things any better - as it is an unspectacular song with an equally ramshackle production, and it even showcases an inexplicable drum solo to make things even more awkward. The drumming starts, drags along for quite a while without any tangible reason until the chorus reappears - and just when you think it's finally over, God knows why, the drum solo is back again, albeit mercifully brief. Well, it's something I will surely remember when the name Shader comes to my mind, so it's mission accomplished in a sense, I suppose. Good try, lads, and please don't hate me, but this single just didn't stood well the test of time, sorry. Maybe you could have done better under different circumstances, who knows? Curiously, a third song called "The Pimp" would be included on this release,but it was dropped at the last minute, apparently because of the groove constraints of the 7'' format.

Shader were seemingly over less than a year after this private single was released, which is not to say that these struggling musicians just gave up on playing rock. Three of the lads (namely bassist Terry Goillau, guitarist Richard Wright and drummer Paul Bentley) acted as a back-up band for a female singer called Reavell Forman, a musical adventure that delivered a single release (called "High Energy Flow" and named as Reavell Forman and the Lads) and performed a handful of shows before disappearing in the mid-80s. Later, these three nice chaps went to form another band called Romeo Error, which never came to release any material of their own, I suppose, which is a bit of a shame. Shader's singer George Whitter, on the other hand, formed a whole new venture called Bad Blood, later renamed as Bloodshot Eyes and that went as far as to release a full album called "On My Knees" - which, quite bizarrely, included many songs taken directly from Shader demos. Never heard the album in my life (and I would like to, so if you can help me, get in touch!), but it was the swansong of Mr. Whitter's musical career, or so it seems, as his name is not linked to any other releases I came to know about.

George Whitter (V), Richard Wright (G), Colin Ramsden (G), Terry Goillau (B), Paul Bentley (D).

01. Bad News Blues 4:25
02. Banging Like a Shit House Door 6:03

Many other interesting memorabilia from Shader and related bands can be found at their Facebook Page

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!

RITUAL (BEL) - Ritual (EP, Black Ritual Recs., 1986)

RATING: ***

These belgian doom-metallers were doing the rounds for most of the 80s, recording the four songs of this EP as early as 1982. Originally released as a demo, the songs would appear on vinyl only in 1986, when a friend of the band (namely Nicolas Parent) took to himself the responsibility to press 500 copies of that recording and release it as an independent EP. They were reasonably popular in the Belgian metal scene, with a loyal following and a lot of shows going on, but didn't gather any serious label interest - and this 7" was like a final bet for the band, hoping that it would open some important doors in the business. I must be honest, though, and say that it took me a while to understand that the central figure of the picture sleeve was actually a candle-woman - that would be a pretty crappy superpower to have, but oh well, nevermind.

Many (if not most) copies from Ritual's sole EP were originally unsold, being stocked at bassist Raymond Roobaert's parents house for many years. When Raymond (also known as Doc Sinius) unfortunately died in 1997 due to a liver disease, all unplayed copies went missing - allegedly, an unknown individual just took the boxes away with him, without the knowledge of Raymond's parents. There's a strong possibility that the copies appearing for sale from time to time are remnants from this theft - something that adds a bit of moral dilemma to any buyers of this elusive slice of vinyl.

When it comes to music, Ritual delivers an interesting kind of Heavy/Doom with macabre lyrics and a somber feeling throughout, even though the tempos are more presto than adagio, if you know what I mean. The vocals are dramatic and intense, with a lot of growls and high-pitched screams - not in the same league of a King Diamond, sure, but it's still a job well done in this case. The basslines are really good too, and the guitar deliver some good hooks and leads, although it feels a bit too simplistic sometimes. All four songs are good, but I think that the only really memorable song would be "Spaced Out", which is actually an impressive stab at doomy music. Oh well, it's all personal opinion, you know - give it a try, because it surely deserves it.

Ritual finally gave up in 1987, a decision motivated by both lack of finances and label disinterest. Unfortunately, two of the musicians here featured are no longer alive - Doc Sinius, aka Raymond Roobaert, died in 1997 as told before and drummer Eric De Boeck couldn't resist leukemia and passed away in 1999. Ritual actually came to record a new demo as far as 2000, with remaining musicians Alain Vanderberghe and Didier Retelet being suported by Xavier D (B) and Eddy De Logi (D) - both long-time associates of Ritual, acting as roadies in the (not so) dim and (not that) distant past. Despite being another interesting effort with good songs on display, it seems to have been a swansong rather than a resurrection, as Ritual didn't release any further material and their MySpace page is inactive since 2009. Still, singer Vanderberghe kept himself very busy, lending his lungs to a number of bands (Attractive Burial, Incubus, Storm, Hitchiker, The Guild and Dream Machine, to name a few) and keeps a MysPace page with songs from most of his ventures. In Dream Machine, he was joined by guitarist Didier Retelet (or H.H. Del Rio, if you prefer).

Adrian Vanderberghe (V), Didier Retelet (aka H.H. Del Rio, G), Raymond Roobaert (aka Doc Sinius, B), Eric De Boeck (D).

All songs by Didier Retelet

01. Paternoster 2:13
02. Spaced Out 4:46
03. Last Night for the Demons 2:55
04. Prediction 2:24

Extra thanks to Strappado Metal Blog for picture scans!

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!

DREQUON (UK) - from DTA Records compilation (EP, DTA Records, 1983)

RATING: ***

And now we go to the band I owe a name to! Well, not THAT much, actually, but Drequon was always a questionmark for me since I first read about them on Malc McMillan's mammoth NWOBHM Encyclopedia. Their only known recording is "Goddess of the Night", a song included on an utterly obscure 7" compilation EP on DTA Records, released on 1983 without a name, a picture sleeve or anything else. The EP also presents the bands Applicators, Midnight Ramblers and Freetime - none of it being palatable for dedicated headbangers, or so it seems. Anyway, it was long years of imagining what Drequon's music would sound like - and the name Drequon actually sounds so good to me that I decided to use it as a soubriquet in some Metal-related forums and now here on this blog.

Well, I still didn't have the chance to listen to the full compilation - something that I would really like to, so if you happen to have the full thing, please get in touch. But luck was on my side when I located, a few weeks ago, a good mp3 file with the elusive track from the mysterious Drequon - and it wasn't without trepidation that I pressed the Play button, expecting everything from a masterpiece to utter musical disaster.

And it turns out that "Goddess of the Night" is a perfectly good song, actually. The feeling is obscure, even a tiny bit somber, although we are far from Pagan Altar territory here. The opening guitar/bass lead is interesting and we can hear some very nice riffing too, specially towards the end. The vocal lines are very simple, but adequate, though I honestly think that the lyrics are immature, semi-mythological nonsense with no real merit whatsoever. But oh well, they were probably a bunch of adolescents doing their best to write some good Heavy Metal songs, so let's not be too harsh on them, as they would almost surely do better if given the chance to evolve as songwriters. All things considered, "Goddess of the Night" is a competent and promising song full of good ideas, and it's inevitable to wonder what other goodies they would be able to deliver if they received a little more attention and encouragement.

Of their earlier or later recordings (if there were any), none is known at present. In fact, they seemingly came and went in a very short period of time, leaving only this ultrarare vinyl memento to remind us of their existence. Is there anything else out there? I would REALLY like to know. If you have any clues, please get in touch! :)

Musicians unknown


Goddess of the Night (Jarvis, Wheeler) 3:15

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!

HAMMER (UK) - Contract with Hell (LP, Ebony, 1985)

RATING: ****

After releasing the adequate-but-not-memorable "Early Warning" LP in 1984, english band Holland found themselves in the verge of a potential legal battle, as a Canadian band using the same monicker threatened to sue them in the grounds of copyright infringement. Instead of launching into a fight to keep their original guise, and knowing that Ebony would release their second album no matter what, the musicians involved decided to simply adopt a new name, Hammer - a change that led to a more forceful imagery, a more metal-looking logo and a few (and welcome) musical changes as well.

In fact, "Contract With Hell" was first meant to be Holland's second album, but it actually came to achieve an undeniable spell of personality. The musicians were all the same (although vocalist Marty Wilkinson, a.k.a. "The Dog" or "Doggy", assumed keyboard duties as well) and it's not like they became a different band altogether - but they were seemingly aware that this enforced name change was also a chance to take their music to a new direction, more akin to the true-Metal feel of near all releases from Ebony. And they sound a hell of a lot more confident (and a whole lot better) than before, believe me.

The opening song, "Caution to the Wind", sums this all up perfectly. Carried along in a very forceful manner (it even reminds me a few Melodic Power Metal bands from Germany), this song has it all: nice keyboard intro, heavy guitars, captivating song structure, uplifting lyrics, impressive vocal performance and a simple-yet-memorable chorus. Awesome.

Nearly all the songs are very good, although it's clear that they were wrote in different periods of time, resulting in a not-really-cohesive (yet very pleasant) mixture. "Hard Hitting Woman", for instance, is a older cut demoed by Holland in 1982, and I wouldn't really be surprised to know that "Try It" and "Hey You" were earlier efforts too, since they sound (as well pointed out by Malc MacMillan in his NWOBHM Encyclopedia) very similar to what these musicians did on "Early Warning" and the keyboards are less apparent here, doing little more than humble embellishments. That said, there's nothing essentially wrong with these compositions, all of them being good enough to please the headbangers.

"Satellite" is not that far from Holland too - but the keyboards are much more proeminent, taking a major part in the instrumentation. I love this song, personally speaking - but I guess that, apart from aforementioned "Caution to the Wind", the finest moments of this LP would be the memorable title track, the intense and poignant "Prayer of A Soldier" and the epic, atmospheric ending with "Across the Line" - all outstanding pieces of impressive songwriting and musicianship. More than enough quality to raise "Contract With Hell" to a very high level in my personal Metalomether - one of my personal favorites when it comes to British Metal releases after 1984, I must add.

It's a shame that Hammer wouldn't last the distance. Guitarist Kenny Nicholson and vocalist/keyboardist Marty Wilkinson had inconciliable differences on what Hammer music should be on later recordings - the axeman wanted it to be considerably heavier, as the singer though that it would be a wiser move to take a much more melodic, lightweight direction. In the end, Nicholson decided to leave Hammer behind, forming a new venture called Fast Kutz.

The remaining musicians recruited Arthur Fixter and demoed severe new compositions in an increasingly softer vein - something that Ebony seemed not to receive very well. They wanted Hammer to release a new album (and they wouldn't allow a change to yet another guise, something that was tentatively hinted at some point), but they wanted the band to sound as heavy as before, something that the musicians were not even considering anymore.

This indefinition led to the final demise of Hammer, - which was really unfortunate, but maybe it was all for the best, as I'm afraid they didn't have their earlier spirit anymore. Perhaps if Kenny and Doggy could find an agreement and stayed together for a little longer we would have more Hammer albuns to talk about. Incidentally, both joined forces many years after in a covers band called Outrageous Wallpaper - though neither of them are doing the rounds there anymore. Guitarist Bob Henman also went to the pub circuit, playing with small-crowd-pleasing cover bands, though I have no news on him for quite a while now.

Marty "The Dog" Wilkinson (V/K), Kenny Nicholson (G), Bob Henman (G), Graeme Hutchinson (B), Marty Day (D).

01. Caution to the Wind 4:27
02. Try It 3:52
03. Hey You 3:54
04. Contract with Hell 4:15
05. Hard Hitting Woman 3:36
06. Satellite 3:17
07. Prayer of A Soldier 3:19
08. Across the Line 8:00

Very special thanks to Strappado Metal Blog and user Mik for label scans!

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!

CRYS (UK, Wales) - Tymor Yr Heliwr (Sain, LP, 1982)

RATING: ****

After releasing "Rhyfelwr" in 1981, Welsh-language Crys became minor celebrities in their native country. Their debut LP may not have been the most impressive of releases, but it surely had a great impact on Welsh-singing market. Crys even received a Best Album of the Year award in Sgrech, a music industry event for Welsh-language artists. It was not a huge scene, for sure, but Crys was the name on everyone's lips, and the expectations for a follow-up release were understandably high. And they delivered the goods in great fashion, no doubt about that.

"Tymor Yr Heliwr" (translates as "Hunting Season", if I'm not mistaken) is Crys' best album, and (in my book, at least) the finest LP ever to be issued by a Welsh-language hard rocking band. Maybe it would be different if Y Diawled had issued a full lenght album, but it never came to be, unfortunately. Actually, I can't really remember any other Heavy Metal band singing in Welsh in the 80s and getting as far as to record an album... But oh well, even with this near absolute lack of competition, Crys managed to record a very good album with plenty of good songs on display, so let's not be too sardonic on them.

The evolution from "Rhyfelwr" is unmistakeable. If Crys' debut was a mostly-average record with some nice songs in it, "Tymor Yr Heliwr" is the exact opposite: most of the numbers are actually pretty good. The band plays better, the vocals are more effective, the production is very adequate and the whole effort transpires a more mature and professional approach. Compared to its predecessor, this album sounds more upbeat and full of confidence.

The A side is nearly faultless; apart from "Yfed Y Nos" (which is a good-enough song, but predictable and not really impressive), all the other cuts are actually very enjoyable. It opens with a energetic rocker called "Pendoncwyr", a very popular song that became something of a denomination for the die-hard fans of the band (and don't be so cynical, there were a few back in the day, believe me). "Barod Am Roc" was also a minor hit, even receiving pride of place on a Sain compilation, which was named after the song. It's one of my personal favorites: simple-but-catchy chorus, nice guitar leads, all pretty basic but delivered with great enthusiasm. Good stuff to put a smile on your face, believe me. There's also "Rociwch Ymlaen", the "we-are-a-Welsh-singing-band-and-very-proud-of-it" song that went far enough to receive a videoclip (and you can watch it at the end of this review). But the best song, in my opinion, would be "Cwrdd a Gofid", a heavier, more serious number with an extremely competent guitar work throughout. Good, good stuff, lads.

The flipside is notably different. Actually, the predictable and slightly monotone "Merched Gwyllt a Gwin" is at odds with the other songs on the B side, where Crys appears in a more thoughtful, even a bit adventurous frame of mind. "Mae Fy Nghalon Yn Rhydd" is a melancholic ballad that start not a million miles away from Bleak House's "Rainbow Warrior", with subtle piano interventions and interesting guitar interludes, and later evolves into a heavy, intense ending. Impressive. There's also "Y Fedwen" (a brief, acoustic interlude) and the well-crafted "Gwlith Y Bore", which starts with an atmospheric, half-spoken intro and delves into a heavy rocker with nice guitar leads and a undeniable - and welcome - 70s feeling throughout. A fitting closing to a very accomplished album, more than worthy of attention from dedicated NWOBHM enthusiasts.

It comes as no surprise to know that "Tymor Yr Heliwr" was also awarded as album of the year in the Sgrech event, and Crys even appeared at Tommy Vance's Friday Rock Show on BBC Radio One, an honor no other Welsh language rock band ever achieved. On this ocasion, Crys performed two songs in Welsh ("Pendoncwyr" and "Merched Gwyllt a Gwin"), and english versions to two of their songs: "Rociwch Ymlaen" (metamorphosed into "Rockin' Along") and "It's About Time" (supposedly an earlier version of "Amser Yn Nawr", that later appeared on "Roc Cafe" album, although I'm not entirely sure of it). Maybe they thought that this appearance was the chance to reach a broader audience, and hence chose to sing a few numbers in english - but it seems to have been an ill-fated move, as the band didn't made any impact outside Wales and spent over a decade in near-complete oblivion. It's easy to say it now that history took its course, but the fact is that an english-singing Crys would have to face huge competition, something that they were not ready (or maybe not even willing) to endure. When guitarist Alun Morgan (now deceased, unfortunately) decided to move to Canada, Crys went on a hiatus - and I'm sure it took a lot more than originally expected to get out of it.

Liam Forde (V/RG), Alun Morgan (LG), Scott Forde (B), Nicky Samuel (D).

01. Pendoncwyr 3:22
02. Yfed Y Nos (Drinking in the Night) 2:48
03. Barod Am Roc (Ready to Rock) 3:31
04. Cwrdd A Gofid (Welcome the Distress) 4:13
05. Rociwch Ymlaen (Rocking Along) 4:28
06. Mae Fy Nghalon Yn Rhydd (My Heart is Free) 6:03
07. Y Fedwen (The Birch) 1:43
08. Merched Gwyllt a Gwin (Wild Women and Wine) 4:19
09. Gwlith Y Bore (Morning Dew) 5:56

CRYS - Rociwch Ymlaen (video): http://youtu.be/fPxh6pLuUoA (embed disabled by user request)

CRYS - Pendoncwyr (live BBC Radio One, 1983)


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!

JEDDAH (UK) - Eleanor Rigby (7", Death Records, 1983)

RATING: ****

The wonderful world of NWOBHM is very fertile in surprises. Some, admitedly, are not exactly exciting - as some groups labelled to be undiscovered masterpieces turn out to be, at least to my humble ears, nothing of the sort. Sometimes, on the other hand, the lack of expectations are rewarded with genuinely outstanding pieces of nearly-unknown music. Jeddah's 7" single from 1983 is a prime example. Released on the private Death Records, this little slice of vinyl presents "Eleanor Rigby" (yes, from The Beatles) and "Ghosts" - both extremely enjoyable pieces of heavy music.

Jeddah was born from the efforts of Dave Cooke (G) and Ron Emms (B), both members of Strategy, a seemingly studio-only venture that released two instrumental songs as a single in 1982. I'm not entirely sure, but it seems to me that Jeddah was a direct offshot from Strategy - possibly assembled together basically to record the two tracks of this single, as a way to test the water and see how their innovative approach to Metal would be received. The 7" was issued without a picture sleeve, but with a insert folder full of supposedly funny and not-very-realistic remarks about the band. It says, for instance, that the band have two drummers, selected from no less than 500 candidates, and both are "too shy" to be photographed, thus not appearing on the insert. The real story seems to be different: Paul Cooke (not sure if he's related to Dave Cooke or even the man himself under a soubriquet) played drums on a number and Ron Emms (or El Sid, the way he was credited as bass player) did it on the other, the band later creating this tale of absurdity to justify the absence of a dedicated sticksman.

Of course, covering The Beatles is not the most original move to be made by any band. There's a lot of reworked Beatles songs on the NWOBHM metaphorical jukebox - Ethel the Frog, for example, recorded this same "Eleanor Rigby" on its eponymous debut album. But I dare to say Jeddah not only did a very fine job, but also one of the best Beatles reworkings I ever heard from a Heavy Metal band. Don't expect anything near the melancholy of the original version; what we have here is a song pulsing with pure energy, carried along by intense riffing, showcasing confident tempo changes and a memorable vocal performance. More than just playing a well-known song with loud guitars, Jeddah completely reinvented it, with impressive results. Really, really god job, lads.

The flipside is just as good, actually - and very imaginative too. "Ghosts (Never Leave You Behind)" sounds to me like an usual mixing of metal and pop rock music - the basslines, yet simple, are very catchy and near danceable, not a million miles away from Bee Gees (honestly), and the guitars serve mostly to add harmonies and textures rather than anything more metallic, apart from the heavy chords at the chorus. The vocals of Dean Salonga are victorious once again, delivered with great skill and enthusiasm. And the "never leave you behind, never leave you" chorus seriously sticks into your mind, believe me. On untalented hands, we would have a disaster scenario going on here - instead, "Ghosts" are a immensely enjoyable piece of music which more than deserves a listen (many, actually).

Unfortunately, this great 7" was the sole claim to stardom from Jeddah, and the band seems to have been a very brief proposition, with no other known recordings at any stage. Guitarist Dave Cooke was the one who kept more busy after Jeddah was history, playing with two equally-innovative acts (namely New England / N.E.U.K. and Adrenaline Kick) in the 90s. Drummer Paul Cooke (or at least someone with the same name) was involved with Vandamne for a while, and Ron Emms went to join forces with ex-Persian Risk/Wrathchild guitaris Phil Vokins in a venture called English Rogues. Gifted singer Dean Salonga seemingly vanished from metal scene, which is unfortunate as I really liked his efforts here. Good to know most of these guys kept themselves busy, though, as their talents are more than apparent on Jeddah's single - a record you would do very well in adding to your collection, if you ever have the chance to do it at a reasonable expense.

Dean Salonga (V), Dave Cooke (G), Quirk (G), El Sid (aka Ron Emms) (B/D), Paul Cooke (D).

01. Eleanor Rigby 4:16
02. Ghosts (Never Leave You Behind) 3:03

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!

MWG (UK, Wales) - Pesda '86 (7", Sain, 1986)

RATING: *

Last update: August 22, 2021

After listening to this 7" from Welsh-singing band Mwg for the first (and possibly only) time, I can't help but wonder why in hell some hopelessly deluded (or delusional) individuals labeled it as a NWOBHM collectable. I remember first seeing it on Rockdetector (now MusicMight), in a entry filled with a minimal amount of information - the front cover of this "Pesda '86" single, the year of release (1986, of course) and the tag NWOBHM. Other sources seem to have taken this vague description as legitimate, considering this 7" to be a NWOBHMish-enough record and even including it on some want lists out there. Such an effort, my friends, and it was all in vain - as it isn't even "heavy", let alone a NWOBHM collectable in any sense.

Oh well, we kinda could see it coming, to be honest. Look at the front cover: no archetypal headbangers there, right? To be honest, I never really thought Mwg (translates as "Smoke", by the way) would give me heavy metal when I finally had the chance to listen to their single, but I would never expect it to be THAT soft. Actually, both "Pesda '86" (which seems to be a re-recording, considering its title) and "Darn O'r Haul" are inconsistent ballads, covered in such a huge wall of keyboards and harmonised vocals that the whole listening experience was near-torture to my ears. OK, maybe the disappointment made me overreact, but I must be honest and say that (sorry, guys) I didn't like it at all. To be fair, you can listen to a few guitar chords on "Pesda '86", although they are as heavy as cambric paper, the song as a whole being utterly disposable for the average metal fan. "Darn O'r Haul" is slighty better than its predecessor - the chorus is OK, I suppose, considering you like ultra-pop, keyboard-oriented ballads from the 1980s. It seems to have been a minor hit in Welsh-language charts, incidentally, as it appears on a few best-of compilations from Sain.

I could only recently determine the musicians involved with the venture by the time "Pesda '86" was recorded, and I guess it's of some interest to say that Huw Smith (the same musician from Maffia Mr. Huws and Llwybr Cyhoeddus) played keyboards on this one. It's also a fact that drummer Graham Land (who lent a stick to other Welsh-language obscurities such as Omega, Rhiannon Tomos A'r Band and Rohan) took a part in Mwg in the dim and distant past, though he wasn't around when these particular tunes were laid down on tape (not that he would be really needed, given the featherweight nature of the songs, but nevermind). There's a further vinyl appearance from seemingly later the same year, when Mwg contributed "Dim Gair" to the second (and apparently the last) instalment of the "Popdri" compilation EP series, but I never managed to find any audio files, let alone a copy; I would like to give it a listen for sure, but it's hardly the kind of music that would set my pulse racing, then I'll leave it to Lady Luck rather than make any strenuous effort to locate it.

As a final piece in the (still largely incomplete) puzzle named Mwg, there's a video on YouTube showing the lads in a live performance of a song called "Dreifio". It's not Heavy Metal in the strict sense of the word, but it's indeed a heavy rocker which would loosely justify the (still largely misleading) NWOBHM tag I found on Rockdetector so many years ago. Too bad their vinyl legacy (as far as I know it) is so boring - and, considering this final number, quite unrepresentative.

Steve Roberts (V/G), Les Morrison (B/BV), Gareth Huws (D), Huw Smith (K).

01. Pesda '86 3:58
02. Darn O'r Haul 3:48

MWG - Dreifio (live): http://youtu.be/2XSSylRbZQM (embed disabled by user's request)

Special thanks to Strappado Metal Blog for MP3 files

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!