Spider: Under the banner of rock'n'roll

Spider were a hard working band from Liverpool who released a lot of singles, three LPs, played countless gigs and then disappeared. Probably they happened to be in a wrong place at a wrong time. They represented rock'n'roll-ish side of NWOBHM and I guess they weren't "metal" enough for an average fan of the time. Does it makes their music bad? Not at all! I contacted Spider's guitarist Dave "Snyffa" Bryce to cover the history of the band and to pay a tribute to Col Harkness who left us erlier this year. 

Frank Darch (ex-More): We were a band

Among the hundreds of NWOBHM bands that never made it, More were the ones who should be on the top and enjoy a long and successful career. They had everything needed: an outstanding frontman, an excellent guitarist, great songs, powerful shows, a deal with a major label… Suddenly it started to fall apart like a house of cards. They lost the drummer Frank Darch during the recording of the first album, and by the time More went to record the second one, only Kenny Cox, the guitarist, remained from the previous line-up. Around Spring, 2022 I thought it would be cool to do a series of interviews with ex-members of More. I approached some of them via Facebook but with no luck (I steel keep the hope to interview them one day). I also tried to track down Kenny and asked Mac Backer from Mammoth for help. But after a while the news about Kenny’s passing hit the world. Finally I got in touch with Mr. Darch to talk about the early days of More and to pay a tribute to Kenny Cox. Here we go! 

George Arvanitakis (Obscure NWOBHM Releases): The guardian of NWOBHM

Remember an old saying “There is everything In Greece”? Not sure about everything, but when it comes to die-hard metal fans, it is true! One of them is George Arvanitakis, a true warrior of NWOBHM. He has been obsessed with this music for years and runs a label with the name that speaks for itself — Obscure NWOBHM Releases. It was George who brought us records of Dealer, Chain Reaction, Charlie Ungry, Goldsmith and many more!    

Taurus: Chase your dreams, not paper

There is always a good story between the dates of birth and death on a gravestone. Yours truly pretends to be a philosopher... But there is a lot of truth in these words, and the following interview proves it. Taurus. Of course you remeber these guys and their hit "Paper Chaser"! They did all the nesessary things for a NWOBHM band: toured hard, played at the Marquee, appeared in the Friday Rock Show and on the pages of Sounds and Kerrang. What else? Oh yes, they sank after a few years and never managed to release an EP, not saying an LP. But yet they have a lot of stories to share and a lot of things to be proud of. The drummer Hugh McGouran remembers the good times! 

Jaguar: Just a great unbelievably amazing ride

Finally that has happened! An interview with the band that recorded the song "Axe Crazy" is posted in the blog called Axe Crazy! Yes, right, Jaguar. They helped to shape speed and thrash metal along with Raven and Venom. Their "Power Games" was a brilliant debut and the future seemed so bright. What could go wrong? I'm sure you know the story. The second LP "This Time" was mellower and AOR-ish than its predicessor. The press slammed it. The fans wondered where the aggression and sheer power disappeared. That was a disaster. The history of Jaguar is quite well documented, but usually it's Garry Pepperd, the guitarist, who does interviews (read a good one about the early days of Jaguar here). I decided to get in touch with the bass player Jeff Cox, who also was there from the day one, helped to bring the band back on track in 1998 and then stepped out. 

Satan: On Earth as it is in Hell

A few months ago I posted an interview with Russ Tippins and Andy Reed about the early days of Satan. Earlier this year the band released another masterpiece called “Earth Infernal”, so it’s time to talk to Mr. Tippins again. We discussed the new album only, and although that was really tough to avoid questions about other matters, I did my best and kept it straight!

Satan laughing spreads his wings: The early days of Satan

The story of this band is well documented in countless interviews (read one here for example). But I decided to bother Russ Tippins and the original drummer Andy Reed again and talk about the childhood years of Satan. What was an occasion? Well, basically my ongoing curiosity and a habit to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, hehe. Actually the interview was done in 2020 when Listenable Records released “Early Rituals”, a compilation of Satan’s demos and singles, and I wanted to support it by publishing the interview in my (now defunct) printed magazine. So this is the first time the interview is posted online and in English.