VIRTUE (UK) - We Stand to Fight (7'' Other Records, 1985) plus Fool's Gold (Demo, Hatchet, 1987)

RATING: ****

Now THAT is a band that should reform! As all of you NWOBHM addicts know far too well, Virtue's sole 7'' is a near-classic of the genre, a record that nearly all collectors seem to have in high regard - and very understandably so, I must gladly add. Both "We Stand to Fight" and "High Treason" are extremely enjoyable, well-crafted compositions in a heroic Power Metal style, bringing to my mind comparisons with (equally awesome) bands such as Iron Maiden, Elixir and early Tokyo Blade. Both songs are excellent neck-trauma-inducing preciosities, but I tend to like "We Stand to Fight" better, with their impressive twin-guitar riffing, powerful chorus and epic ending. All the lads play very well, and Mr. Tudor Sheldon was a hell of a singer with a bright future ahead of him. The picture sleeve is very nice too, and you will be doing a great move by adding this beauty to your Heavy Metal collection. I mean it!

Oh well, after such passionate accolades, I better give you all good people some historic insight, right? Brothers Tudor (V) and Matt Sheldon (G) were playing music since 1981 at least, but it wasn't until 1984 that the first incarnation of Virtue was operative, the lads being assessed by Adrian Metcalfe (G), Brian Reader (B) and Ian Lewington (D). They came as far as to release a demo in the same year, called "Virtue-Defenders". But, according to Malc McMillan's stunning NWOBHM Encyclopedia, this early offering didn't make into any wider circulation - mostly because of the members themselves, who felt the low-budget recording and ramshackle production would be detrimental to their cause. Almost immediately, the band was dissolved - just to be resurrected the following year, with Tudor and Matt recruiting Boz Beast (G), Darren Prothero (B) and Simon Walters (D) to help their cause. After some small club appearances and with a revised repertoire, Virtue would release its sole vinyl souvenir in 1985 - helped by a very enterprising individual who, after hearing the songs, decided to assemble a full label (Other Records, that is) just so he could take full responsibility for pressing and distributing the whole thing. Someone who knew what good music was as soon as he listened to it, if you ask me.

Their 7'' single was a respectable success, enough to secure a second pressing, and a lot of copies were mailed to record companies, generating interest from none other than EMI, who were (and still is) the home of Iron Maiden at the time. Unfortunately, the major label decided not to offer Virtue a contract (and just imagine how different things would have been if they did!), and the group went back to the independent releases, recording three songs for an EP to be issued in Hatchet Records at early 1987. Unluckly, it was never properly released on vinyl, appearing only in tape format as a demo called "Fool's Gold".

This new batch of compositions show Virtue not only to maintain their musical edge, but also to expand it in places. The title-track is impressive, its grandiose opening leading to a fast-guitar assault that makes the headbanging almost mandatory. It's a widespread notion that they were toying with Thrash Metal at the time - but although some perceivable hints (especially within the excellent "Seek and Destroy"), I guess they were still more Power Metal (and a very powerful one, indeed) than anything else. The instrumentation is top-notch, with great singing from Tudor Sheldon and a really impressive guitar display, "Hideaway" being specially outstanding in that aspect. It's a HUGE shame that such good songs didn't made it into vinyl, as the planned EP would have been kick-ass  and would surely consolidate Virtue as one of the most serious contenders in british's Metal scene at the time.

Unfortunately, "Fool's Gold" was Virtue's swansong, rather than the major liftoff it should have been. Around 1988, the band was no more, with only Matt Sheldon staying in the music business at first, lending his services to minor acts such as Transmit This and Roundhouse. In the early 90's, he was joined by his mate Boz Beast (now Boz Bozlee) in Shock Tactics, later renamed as The Shock and that went as far as to release two CDs ("Against the World" and "Pinultimate") towards the end of the decade. They were even joined by bassist Bob Duffy, who enjoyed a brief spell with Virtue itself at the very end of the band's existence. I think it's also worth noting that The Shock's singer Martin Barclay came to be involved with TV show "Stars in Your Eyes", trying to emulate Jon Bon Jovi (I kid you not, my friends) and subsequently had huge complications with the Law regarding illegal pornography, spending some time behind bars.  Nowadays, though, The Shock is hibernant, with Matt Sheldon keeping a very low profile when it comes to music. Time for us to make some real pressure and convince him to bring the mighty Virtue back to life, isn't it? Man, what a killer CD/LP it would be! Maybe the good guys at High Roller Records will be able to persuade him? Fingers crossed!

Tudor Sheldon (V), Matt Sheldon (G),  Boz Beast (G), Darren Prothero (B), Simon Walters (D)
All songs by Matt Sheldon / Tudor Sheldon

1) We Stand to Fight 4:55
2) High Treason 5:56

1) Fool's Gold 5:19
2) Hideaway 3:38
3) Seek and Destroy 4:18

These and many more memorabilia can be found at Virtue's Facebook Fanpage

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!

TRACER (UK) - Chanelled Agression (EP, Mousehole Records, 1983)

RATING: **


The Channel Islands are probably a very depressing place, judging on the NWOBHM legacy they launched upon the big bad world. The more well-known - and musically very enjoyable - Legend are a prime example of contemplative (sometimes even gloomy) Metal, although they were more than happy to deliver some fast-paced music on numerous occasions. On the other hand, Tracer (based on the isle of Jersey, as far as I know) seemed to have been a much more doom-oriented proposition. To be honest, their "Chanelled Agression" independent EP from 1983 (and yes, both words were mispelled by the band) is not filled with Sabbath-like riffs or very largo tempos, but their morose, mournful approach on music is more than evident. The reverse of the picture sleeve is very explicit, showing the lads in a not-really-happy-at-all posing, subtitled by the ominous statement "There's no end in sight, no winners in this fight". Their lives must have been such a drag back then, uh?

After a somber, climatic intro, "Don't Bless the Warrior" launchs into a reasonably heavy assault, albeit with a very simple structure - not helped by the very poor production, as sometimes is nearly impossible to really understand what's going on. The lyrics are very depressive, as in the following song "Memories Always Kill" - a extremely melancholic semi-ballad apparently written when the lads were in a very miserable frame of mind.

Unfortunately, I'm working with a mp3 capture of the EP that misses the last song, "Neon Town", so I won't be helpful to enlighten any of you good people on what this specific song is all about.  The last song I listened to was "Pain, Pain", another very simple song - almost ramshackle in places, to be honest - with a more upbeat rhythm but equally dreary lyrics, incluiding a sorrowful chorus that really drags the message along in a not-remotely-subtle terms.

All things considered, "Chanelled Agression" shows some hints of promise, but everything is much too raw (and, to be honest, sometimes even immature) to really set any pulses racing. Singer Ron Laity seems to have had some genuine potential, though, and I can't help but wonder how would his voice develop through the years, given the chance. It seems that the very obscure (in more ways than one) Tracer managed to release a demo in 1984 or 1985, with five new songs (namely "Nightstalker", "City Lights", "Blinded By a Lie", "Shoot Out the Lights" and "In the Heat of the Night") which Malc McMillan describes in his NWOBHM Encyclopedia as slightly more upbeat than its EP predecessor. Considering that it would be life-threatening to be less upbeat than their vinyl release, I guess it was all for the best.

After a few personel changes, ignited by the departure of drummer Nigel Amy in 1985, Tracer seemingly lost the will to continue, possibly coming to terms with the fact that they would probably never reach any kind of success in mainland England with such a depressive kind of music. That's actually too bad, as I would like to have seen them soldiering on for a little longer - maybe they could have had a better chance alongside bands such as Cathedral, Anathema and Paradise Lost, who knows? Not that they ever sounded like them (actually, not at all) but at least their gloomy efforts wouldn't be too out of place. Unfortunately, apart from bassist Mark Daghorn - that joined melodic bands such as The Avenue and Various Areas at the turn of the decade - all other musicians seem to have left the music scene behind them for good, leaving this (very rare) 7'' as the sole memento of their fleeting career.

Ron Laity (V), Aubrey Williams (G), Mark Daghorn (B), Nigel Amy (D).

01. Don't Bless the Warrior 4:13
02. Memories Always Kill 5:23
03. Pain Pain 3:45
05. Neon Town ?:??


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!

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!