The second of this trilogy of various artists albums I want to look at again concerns many of the bands who rose --- and many who fell --- during the NWOBHM. There are names on it who went on to become semi-famous --- Diamond Head, Raven --- but like the other album the larger percentage of the contributors to it faded away or just failed to get the big break they would have needed. Two of the bands featured on “Metal for Muthas Vol II” are here too, so it’s not such a catalogue of the dichotomy that existed between the bands who made it and those who didn’t, but it’s still an interesting look at the differences between the various bands who jumped onto the NWOBHM train, all hoping to hitch a ride to success and stardom.
Brute Force --- Various Artists --- 1980 (MCA)
It’s not a very imaginative sleeve, and even the title could be said to be overstating the case, as some of these bands would not be what you would consider to be on the heavier side of things, but the album did at least showcase some real talent, and provides us in some cases with a rare opportunity to hear bands who were never heard from again. One of these is of course not Diamond Head, who open up the compilation.
Track one: “It’s electric” by Diamond Head
All you need to know (and much more) about Diamond Head you can find out by going back through my journal and reading the latest instalment in “Witches, Bitches, Maidens and Monsters --- the Bands of the NWOBHM”, a six-part series I am running on the subject. Suffice to say, Diamond Head were moderately successful, but never quite broke into the big time the way the likes of Maiden and Leppard did. With confusion over the direction in which they wanted to head, tensions built between the band and their fans got bored after a too-long hiatus, losing interest. This was rekindled in the 90s when thrash gods Metallica covered their “Am I evil?” giving them another brief shot at fame, but at that point they had been away from the scene for so long that really, nobody remembered them and the young ‘uns getting into Metallica thought the song was theirs, so that when DH played it they all thought the boys were doing a Metallica cover! Oh, the irony of fate!
The track is a typical DH song from their early period. Hard, dirty rock and roll with little or no finesse and the idea of a real crowdpleaser on stage. Even here though you can tell that Sean Harris had a special voice, and these guys really should have got it together and made it as they deserved to. Stop/start riffs and romping drumwork carry the song, and it’s a decent rocker with a lot of potential that would crop up on their debut album, “Lightning to the nations”.
So where are they now?
Unfazed by their lack of commercial success, and perhaps buoyed by the Metallica seal of approval, Diamond Head are still going. They released their sixth album in 2007, though Sean Harris had by then departed after the old “creative differences” chestnut.
Track two: “Brain damage” by Fist. Possibly an appropriate title, given the general air of concern at the time that teenagers were putting themselves in danger by headbanging.
Like Diamond Head, Fist were feted but through a combination of factors never hit the bright lights. They recorded three albums but were dropped by their label, the somewhat infamous MCA, after the first alum failed to perform, while Neat followed suit in 1982 after their second album did as poorly. They broke up then but reformed in 2001 and in 2005 they released their final album, no doubt thinkign “third time’s the charm.” It wasn’t.
With an almost industrial opening, the song marches along nicely on the back of hard guitar, a sort of dark, ominous feel to it, and their vocalist is a little high-pitched in a manner which reminds me of Halford, though nowhere near as good. If “It’s electric” was the clean track, “Brain damage” has dirt all over it, and revels in its muckiness. It falls apart in the middle, when the guys try to emulate a madman being released from the nut hatch, but it just sounds like they’ve gone out of tune. Good solo though.
So where are they now?
After the release of their third album, “Storm”, on their third label, nothing more has been heard of Fist, and even that album was recorded by a totally different lineup, with only the original founder remaining. Having managed to struggle to survive into the twenty-first century --- more than many NWOBHM bands could do --- we must assume they are now broken up.
Track three: “Let it rip” by Raven.
Again, you’ll find a full profile of them in that series in my journal, but Raven were considered one of the stayers of the movement, and augmented their success by heading Stateside, unlike Praying Mantis (also featured) who used their trip across the ocean to disassociate themselves from their fanbase and never really recovered. Raven were one of the harder bands, playing loud and fast, almost edging into speed metal territory, though they apparently described their style as “athletic rock”.
The track flies along with snarling guitars, vocalist John Gallagher coming close to the sort of vocals Lemmy and even James Hetfield employed. Again there’s nothing clever or groundbreaking about the song, even in its lyrical content. But it is a lot of fun, and it rocks like a good thing!
So where are they now?
As I said, Raven were one of the few to make it out of the slew of bands all fighting for success in the early eighties, and released twelve albums, the most recent of which hit the shelves in 2009. With gigs lined up including a cruise from Miami to Mexico, they’re definitely still relevant today and one of the small number of survivors from the NWOBHM.
Track four: “Gotta get back to you” by Prowler
Very little information available on these lads, not helped by the fact that there were in fact two bands in the UK called Prowler, both of whom operated during the era of the NWOBHM and both of whom played the same style of music. The only details I can dig up about this Prowler is that they only ever recorded one track (this one, presumably) and then changed their name to Samurai (with stunning and almost pigheaded irony, taking the name already used by a band in Wales!), but this didn’t work out either and they are split up now.
The track’s a fast, uptempo kind of song, sort of a Memphis blues feel to it, decent singer but at the moment I don’t hear anything special that lifts it above the rest of the pile, and nothing to justify some comments that it was better than average. I’m assuming --- though I could be wrong --- that the band’s name was taken from the Iron Maiden song on their debut. Whether the other Prowler did the same or not I can’t say. Pretty sweet guitar solo, to be fair. Oh wait! This is nice! The guitarist is riffing off a Russian jig! Now that’s different, if somewhat out of place.
So where are they now?
As mentioned, after having taken the same name as another band working in the same field Prowler changed their name to Samurai, perhaps unaware that they were again taking the same name as another band working in the same field. Yep, there was already a band in Wales using that name. Research, guys! Research! Then they appear to just have faded away.
Track five: “Fantasia” by Sledgehammer
Another, it has to be said, fairly average band, their profile probably not helped by the fact they came from Slough, in Berkshire. I mean, do you know of any big bands who originated there? Again though they appear to have been badly managed and despite releasing an album (more than Prowler did!) they just never made it big. Oddly enough, this doesn’t seem to appear on their only album, “Blood on their hands”, nor the, ah, compilation released in 1984. Strange little track with a good beat and a slight sense of Lizzy in the guitars. Interesting and funny lyric in
”She blew my mind/ And that ain’t all!” Cheeky, boys! Cheeky! A good stomper, good fun, but ultimately a little throwaway I feel.
So where are they now?
Little is known of what happened to them, and after a three-year hiatus in 1980, somewhat a la Diamond Head, they lost whatever momentum they were gaining through their purportedly excellent live shows, people moved on and forgot them. By the time they returned in 1983 with their album, nobody really cared and Sledgehammer became yet another burned-out shell of a car on the busy motorway of the NWOBHM.
Track six: “Breakdown” by Colin Towns.
Colin Towns was best known for his work with Ian Gillan in the ex-Purple man’s solo band, though he later broke out from the Metal genre and composed soundtracks for many films and TV series. He is principally a pianist/keyboard player.
Well, unfortunately here is where I have to make a confession. I don’t have the album. It was never mine. My brother owned it and I listened to it, but that was three decades ago and whether he even has it now is doubtful, but if he does it doesn’t help me as a) we don’t talk and b) it was on vinyl and I have no turntable anymore. Deep searches on the net have all come up blank, mostly due to this I guess being an obscure song in the now-impressive catalogue of a successful composer, so I can’t tell you what the song is like, though I have a feeling it was quite progressive. But I don’t recall being overly impressed by it. Oh well.
So where are they now?
As related above, Towns parted company with Gillan and became a very successful and in demand composer of soundtracks. He also released some solo albums. He’s still going strong today.
Track eight: “Earthquake at the Savoy” by Mick Underwood
Another ex-Gillan alumnus, Underwood had been around a long time before he joined that band, and became a respected drummer for many bands.
Sadly, the track is another one that has the internet stymied and has not survived. I know it was an instrumental, and given that Underwood is a drummer, well you can guess the picture. Bernie Torme, ex of Gillan and later Whitesnake, also guests on it.
So where are they now?
Having been in so many bands prior to Gillan, Underwood is still going strong and has his own band, Mick Underwood’s Glory Road.
Track eight: “Back to the grind” by White Spirit
We met White Spirit on "Metal for Muthas II", and again we find a song pretty much out of its subgenre really, being led in on thick organ and mostly keyboard-based. This track does at least have a goodly amount of guitar, but there’s no way it’s anything approaching Metal. It might slide in as Pomp Rock but I think it’s very close to Progressive Rock, and there is no room anywhere in its style for Metal. Like “High upon high” on the previous album it is in fact a really great track, just totally out of place here.
So where are they now?
Again, see the other review.
Track nine: “Can’t say no to you” by Quartz
Quartz came out of the mean streets of Birmingham around the mid-seventies, and at that time there was one man anyone in a band was bound to bump into. Yes, that pop rocker hated of so many metallers, Jeff Lynne. Guitarist Mick Hopkins worked with Lynne in The Idle Race, before the man who would later mastermind ELO moved on to, um, The Move. Quartz released three albums, and are still together.
A fist-pumping anthem, this is taken from their second album, “Stand up and fight”, but though it’s hard enough the vocals are totally wimpy, more on the side of Rod Stewart or maybe David Coverdale than Ronnie James Dio. Good track though, edges into AOR territory more than once.
So where are they now?
Quartz reformed in 2011 after twenty-eight years apart to play a reunion gig. No new material was forthcoming, and so far their 1983 album “Against all odds” remains their last release.
Track nine: “Hold on” by Xero
Another band we introduced in the previous review. This is much more like it! After an almost doomy, grindy opening it kicks into a Maiden-style high tempo rocker with some exquisite guitar and some fine bass lines. Very commercial in its way, quite catchy but still heavy and rocky. One of the better tracks on the album. Yeah, even including Diamond Head. Unfortunately. as this was the B-side of that “dodgy” single featuring Bruce Dickinson which I mentioned in the review of their track on “Metal for Muthas Vol II” it’s very hard to get your hands on. Should have been a classic.
So where are they now?
See previous review.
Track eleven: “Day to day” by Cryer
Okay, well other than that they were also from Birmingham I can find no information about this band. Seems this was their only single, and track. Speaking of which:
Yeah. Thought I had it, till that annoying message came up: “This video does not exist.” Seems there’s no trace left of them, even their music.
So where are they now?
Your guess is as good as mine. Even the internet doesn’t know!
Track twelve: “Black queen” by May West
Oh this
will be fun! No doubt Google will constantly ask me “did you mean Mae West?” No I bloody didn’t! Oh, and it’s a round dessert cake with cream filling, apparently! Ah, I give up! Can I find the track?
Yes, that’s what I said. The track. Is there an echo in here? Did someone bring their pet parrot in? Do we --- Forget it. I can’t find it either. What a crock!
So where are they now?
Will you stop asking me that? I told you, I don’t know!!!
Sorry about that. The unavailability of many of these last few tracks, coupled with a total dearth of information about them, shows I suppose the lack of impact their music had on the Metal scene in general, and on the NWOBHM in particular. However it isn’t all doom and gloom; as we saw, some of these bands went on to do quite well, and some are still around today. In contrast to the bulk of those heard on “MFM2” I think the odds swung a lot more in favour of the vast majority of these bands, whereas those on the previous one largely disappeared into obscurity.
TRACKLISTING
1. It's electric (Diamond Head)
2. Brain damage (Fist)
3. Let it rip (Raven)
4. Gotta get back to you (Prowler)
5. Fantasia (Sledgehammer)
6. Breakdown (Colin Towns)
7. Earthquake at the Savoy (Mick Underwood)
8. Back to the grind (White Spirit)
9. Can't say no to you (Quartz)
10. Hold on (Xero)
11. Day to day (Cryer)
12. Black Queen (May West)
So perhaps “Brute force” was the way to go in the end huh? Other than for Cryer, Xero, Quartz, Sledgehammer, May West…
