Famously previously for being home to the first spinning frame, which we can tenuously link to the mass production of heavy metal t-shirts (okay, so not really) and a thrash cover of the ‘Ghostbusters’ theme Preston has hardly given us much of worth. So no wonder that Alex Varley, bassist of steel warriors Ascalon told us that, “We started as an answer to the lack of proper metal in our area. It really is worrying how neglected the glory era of metal has become outside of the capital.”

Since forming the band with Vince Scott (drums), Chris Marsh (guitars) and Matt Gerrard (vocals, guitars) Preston, however, has acquired a record label, Flash Of The Blade, whose first release was the recent four-way split between Ascalon, Asomvel, Eliminator and fellow Prestonians Wytch Hazel.

A metallic triumph for the North then? All four bands on that limited 12” are mighty indeed. “I find it difficult to describe our sound beyond classic metal,” Alex continues. “I’d like to think we’re quite a ballsy band that have a sound not too different from the best British bands like Saxon and Diamond Head. The band is an important tool to preach our elitism. On a serious note, … Read More

Bristol’s Jaguar are a pioneering band of the prime NWOBHM era. Forming in 1979 shortly after leaving school, their first gig was just prior to the coining of the term NWOBHM by Geoff Barton. Guitarist Garry Peppard and bassist Jeff Cox were joined by singer Rob Reiss and the then 16-year-old Chris Lovell on speed beats. The band were typically influenced by the usual metal gods Motörhead, Priest, Sabbath, UFO and Deep Purple but Garry particularly was also a huge fan of punk. As a result they quickly developed a distinctly fast and raw sound that influenced the birth of speed metal. Jaguar, alongside their friends Raven and Venom were the fastest bands around in the early ’80s. Their pioneering speed and heaviness undoubtedly helped birth the thrash Metal monster that still stalks today.

A couple of killer demos in ’80 and ’81 led to the fast-selling single ‘Back Street Woman’ (Heavy Metal Records, 1981). The band then parted ways with singer Rob Reiss and tracked down Paul Merrell (ex-Stormbringer) to voice their classic period. Legendary label Neat Records snapped them up at this point for the 1982 single ‘Axe Crazy’ and the fantastic ‘Power Games’ (Neat Records, 1983) album.

Jaguar famously … Read More

Based on their moniker alone, Lord Fist, who formed in 2011 in Mekkali, Finland, were bound to appear in these pages, right? But our main source of motivation to shine the light on them remains their extremely promising old school, NWOBHM-inspired four-track demo ‘Spark For The Night’, released both on CDr and tape and whose logo alone (designed by Possessor who already worked with Armour and Axegressor) will take you back to 1982!

“Lord Fist got started with a friendly jam session,” reveals drummer, Eetu Orbinski. “We were just jamming some riffs and suddenly we had this ‘Chains Of Steel’ tune put together. After all those years of playing extreme metal styles, it just sounded and felt heavier than anything we had done before. When playing this kind of music we enter a whole other level of existence and we’re seriously addicted to it. People have different ways to reach these kind of feelings and for us it’s heavy metal. We actually think that this very song still holds the very finest essence of what Lord Fist is about.”

Like fellow retro-obsessed bands Speedtrap or Evil-Lÿn, Eetu doesn’t deny their eyes are set on the golden era of the genre but according … Read More

“I met Bill through mutual friends getting wasted at various metal fests in 2010 and we resolved to be mates and start a band.” As the current Internet meme goes, no good story starts with “we had a salad” and in the tale of Amulet, London’s enfant terribles of heavy metal worship, it begins with some serious drinking. Heathen Steven, along with bassist Bill Dozer, Dave Sherwood On Drums, Jamie Elton and Daragh Markham have just nailed their first 7” on Mordgrimm and have already flown to Oslo to ply their British Steel to the Northmen. “It was very easy from the start and very easy it remains. Good wholesome heavy metal is the name of the game,” Heathen continues. “ Bill Dozer is the cool guy and the beating heart of the band. He came up with names and song titles and he does all our artwork and comes up with a lot of the key riffs,” he admits. “Jamie runs Amulet, writes the lyrics and comes up with lot of additional riffs and ideas. Unusually for a singer he is completely unflappable in any situation. Dave is our mascot and provides the ultimate heavy metal opinion whenever needed. … Read More

The first time Iron Fist laid eyes on Hekz, back in 2005, they were playing a sports centre in the arse-end of Middle England, and despite being school age were churning out Maiden-friendly riffs with a progressive edge a la Fate’s Warning that completely belied their youth. Four EPs later and we’ve been keeping an eye on this Bedford mob. Recently released debut full-length ‘Tabula Rasa’ proves how far they’ve come. “The current line-up is very different from when we started,” Matt explains of how they’ve grown since inception. “Kirk [drums] and Al [guitars] came on board in late 2008, Tom [guitars] joined us in May last year and was plunged headfirst into the pre-production for our album. Career highlights thus far have got to be playing Bloodstock Open Air.” Playing traditional heavy metal at such a young age must have had something to do with great parenting, is that true, Matt? “My dad’s got a lot of obscure, eclectic stuff like the Groundhogs and Black Widow, which caught my interest, as well as stuff like Uriah Heep and The Edgar Winter Group. I remember him doing me a copy of Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ by burning the audio from his vinyl onto a … Read More

It’s time to delve into the mystic realm of the apocalypse, otherwise known as Hellwell’s debut album ‘Beyond The Boundaries Of Sin’. Simplistically catchy yet technically excellent, Manilla Road’s Mark ‘The Shark’ Shelton has created something heavier, more experimental and evil than any other album he has released during his long career. Although Hellwell has traits of the Road, the layered, pulsating keyboards and diverse chord progressions add to the records originality and mystique. The lyrical themes of terror, serial killers and world destruction mix with a classic evil production to invoke a horribly atmospheric masterpiece.

Joining Mr Shelton is old school friend and Manilla Road partner, EC Hellwell (guess where the name is from) on keyboards and bass, ex-Manilla Road member Mark Anderson (also on some bass tracks), Dead Orchestra Fame guitarist Miles Paeday and Johnny ‘Thumper’ Benson on drums. We’re talking super metal; brilliant metal; powerful metal; riff bending insanity and the calling of Valhalla.

“I have most of the Heavy Load LP’s in my collection,” states Mark on his influences. That’s all well and good for any fan of Northern Warriors fighting Polar Bears in the mountains, but here we’re talking about Manilla Road’s evil twin; Hellwell. Mark has already … Read More

HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR BRANDE-HORNERKIRCHEN Arriving on Thursday afternoon to the “the biggest garden party in the world” there is one hour to spare before the first band of the weekend unleashes hell upon us all. Swedish Mercyful Fate fanclub presidents Portrait open proceedings in true old school heavy metal style. They hype up the crowd, get the maniacs to the front and get the beer flowing. Following them are US thrashers Warbringer who bring a different vibe to the stage. Although energetic, powerful and insane, they are perhaps a little aggressive in the lovely daytime sunshine. However, Jaguar nail it. Vocalist Jamie Manton gets into the party spirit by swinging around a broomstick in the air in a slightly booze-fuelled manor, whilst Garry Peppered proves the NWOBHM era is far from forgotten as he riffs through some mighty classics including ‘Run For Your Life’, ‘Warmachine’ and ‘Axe Crazy’. Headlining the night is the incredible Lizzy Borden. Despite prior speculation, the shock-rock glammers are great! Lizzy himself shows one hundred percent showmanship with costume and mask changes, magic and the blood-splattering neck gnawing of an innocent lass during ‘We Only Come Out At Night’. Other hits played during their two-hour set include ‘Red Rum’, ‘Me Against … Read More