At War

AT WAR, one of the first metal bands to be considered “war metal,” is back with its latest release, Infidel. It’s a major middle finger toward al-Qaeda and the like. Its raw, dirty brutality is an honest attempt at a comeback, and AT WAR is not just riding on the laurels of the retro thrash scene. The Virginia Beach trio had been on a 15-plus-year sabbatical, then started playing again in 2006 at the beginning of the thrash metal resurgence.

In 1983, AT WAR was an up-and-coming speed/thrash metal band. But they virtually disappeared after their sophomore release Retaliatory Strike in 1988. The renewed interest in the band and the reviews for Infidel couldn’t please vocalist/bassist Paul Arnold more.

What made At War re-form? 

It actually started in 2006. Shawn (Helsel) and I remained friends through all this. We were in contact with each other all the time. We had all taken different paths and were occupied by things of a more personal nature. We started getting a little amount of contact from people to play out or to record something new. We started talking about it and things just fell together, and Shawn had a place to rehearse. We started rehearsing and people started hearing that we were actually rehearsing, and we started getting invited to do festivals and other things. It just kind of snowballed from there.

Was it because of the renewed interest in thrash? 

I’m absolutely sure that was it. But we weren’t really aware of (the resurgence) until we started rehearsing again. We just wanted to do it again. And then we found out that there were these young thrash bands getting back together in the Bay area and other places. Then we started figuring out when we put up a MySpace page that it was out again and we just went apeshit!

What led to the band’s sabbatical, and what did all the members of At War do musically during the break? 

I think it was around ‘92 or ‘93 that we played our last show. The whole music scene was changing around that time. Grunge was the flavor of the month, and it seemed like overnight the interest in extreme metal’s bottom fell out. At the same time we were up for a renewed contract with New Renaissance and a new album. They were trying to cut the budget while we were trying to get more money to do a better record. We thought we put in our time and that we deserved it. We just lost contact with them and decided that if we weren’t going to do it right, then we weren’t going to do it. And we attempted half-heartedly to find another label and we started drifting away from the band. I had a young daughter and we’d been out for months prior to that and I wasn’t around much, so I needed some time off. Musically, we didn’t do a whole lot. Shawn had formed a band that I sang for … just a local band. Dave our drummer took off with a cover band. That’s kind of where things drifted the most. We never officially called it quits or said “OK that’s it, let’s break up.”

In the ’80s you were an up-and-coming band but never really got much recognition. Do you feel that with the release of Infidel you will start to get the respect you deserve? 

We did get a pretty healthy level of respect and had a pretty wide fan base. Some people think that we’re a new band. In fact, to a lot of people we are. Having the Internet … people thought we were a new band until they started looking into us and found out we’ve been inactive mostly. But then there were the old-school people who knew about us who heard we put out this new record. I think things could have been done differently in the ’80s and we could have gotten a lot more respect and notoriety. Things could have been different, but we’re not going for self-pity.

Infidel has an old-school vibe mixed with punk. But it also has that German thrash influence. Was it a conscience effort to remain true to your original sound? 

Keep in mind, for 15 years, I wasn’t involved in the music scene. I was heavily into bowhunting and wildlife photography. I wasn’t in the music scene at all. The way things were recorded or the way things were musically in general, we were completely unaware of. It’s like we crawled out from under a rock in a time machine. We wanted to record an album. For us, it wasn’t about being rock stars, we just wanted to do something for ourselves. If this was the last album we ever to do, I wanted to make sure we didn’t cut any corners and that we didn’t bullshit around and did everything that we know how to do. We only did what we knew to do when we started writing songs. A lot of bands in the late ’80s and early ’90s, everyone was searching around for new things to do with metal. We even fell into that a little bit with some of the stuff we had written for the third album, which never got released. First and foremost, we’re going to play songs that we like. If we love them, then that’s all that matters. When it came to recording the album, our first choice was Alex (Perialas) because we love what he did with “Retaliatory Strike.” We trusted him. We weren’t trying to come up with a retro-sounding album. We used the techniques that worked great back then, and we’re really happy with the way it came out.

How pleased are you with the reviews of “Infidel” and the renewed interest in the band? 

I’m very pleased. I’d say 90% of the reviews I’ve seen have been overwhelmingly positive. No matter what you do, there’s always going to be haters out there, for whatever reason. We’re going to expect that. But it’s been so little. Most people who listen to the album hear it the same way we do. Great songs, great-sounding record, doesn’t have a lot of in-the-box type of recording methods that most bands are so used to these days because it’s all they know. And when they hear it, they ask themselves, “Why does this album sound different?” It’s real musicians, playing real instruments, in a real studio. It’s not a bunch of stuff that’s manufactured. What you’re hearing is the “real deal.”

The warfare theme is still dominant on Infidel, but do consider yourself war metal? 

I’ve been asked that a lot. Back in ‘84 when we first signed up with ASCAP, we had named our publishing company War Metal Music. I’m not going to take any credit for the moniker, but I think we were probably the first people to actually use it. As far as the genre, I never thought of it being that way, and I didn’t even know there was a war metal genre until two or three years ago. For us, the war theme kind of came into play as a result of our upbringing. The reason we love metal is because of the aggression. And what’s more aggressive than war? Shawn, Dave (Stone) and I are all huge WWII movie buffs, and when I was a baby the Vietnam War was going on. Plus the fact we all hunt, we all have guns and wear camouflage. It all kind of fell into place. It kind of worked its way into the theme of the band. The reason the band is called At War is not because of war itself, it’s really a state of mind. We were at war with … we were sick and tired of people who bitch, whine and moan about things and don’t do anything about it. If you’ve got a problem, get out there and attack the problem, declare war on the problem. At war with whatever problems you have in life.

The cover art of “Infidel” as well as the song “Want You Dead” are strong statements. You seem to stand behind everything you do. You aren’t trying to be diplomatic are you? 

Absolutely not. The song “Want You Dead,” it’s not purporting a political viewpoint, it’s purporting a fact. If anyone reads the facts about Islamic extremism, for me I’m just speaking the truth. Extremists want anybody that’s not them to be dead. And that’s a fact. The song is not trying to persuade, it’s just speaking the truth. And anyone who wants to say otherwise, it’s just not true. That’s all the song is saying. It’s just saying that people need to wake up and realize you cannot negotiate with people who think this way. It’s a religious mindset to them. They feel that the only society is one without you in it. If you’re not with them, you’re against them. That’s what’s caused all the turmoil in the last 10 years … that type of thinking.

Any closing comments? 

I want to thank all the fans and you, Kelley, for this interview. And everyone who’s been supporting all forms of extreme metal over the years. When we played in Europe, Germany especially, along with Japan and Mexico for that matter, the thing that strikes me the most is how different it is in the States compared to there. In the States, metal seems to be so fragmented in your little groups. If you’re a death-metal guy, it’s got to be death metal or it sucks. If you’re a thrash guy, it’s got to be thrash metal or it sucks, and so on. If you go to European festivals, you feel support from every form of metal there is, be it NWOBHM or math metal, you name it. The crowd down front, cheering people on. I’d like to see more of that as a country. I think the fragmentation makes it harder in the entire metal industry in this country for bands and music to become more prolific. The last thing we need is to have in-fighting within metal. We need to support the whole thing. That’s what I’d like to see.

Tygers Of Pan Tang

From the beginning of the NWOBHM movement in the late ’70s, there’s been no other band, with the exception of maybe DIAMOND HEAD, ANGEL WITCH and IRON MAIDEN, that has been at the forefront of the scene since its inception. TYGERS OF PAN TANG carry the flag of the true sound of the NWOBHM and have been together for over 30 years for a reason — for the love of making music and the NWOBHM scene in general. Before some TYGERS OF PAN TANG festival dates, original guitarist Robb Weir checked in with us at the Attic, we hailed.

After forming in 1978, did you think you would be able to carry the NWOBHM flag even to this day? 

When the band started in 1978, it was just a dream to play music and get a record deal. To still be playing and writing 30+ years later is just incredible for me personally and for the band. We have had some ups and downs as a band, but I am enjoying the Tygers now more than ever. We have a very high-energy live stage show now which is much more visual than ever before, and our last album release, “Animal Instinct,” received some fantastic reviews, all of which makes it worthwhile.

The band really seemed to be at its strongest on the first three albums. Not that I’m saying you didn’t have good material after that, but it seems like that classic NWOBHM spark was missing. Or was it the end of an era so to speak? 

There was a unity in the writing for the first three albums which created that Tygers sound. Also, with the social issues in the UK at the time, NWOBHM was perfect music for the working man who just wanted a release from the day to day struggles. The NWOBHM movement was at its highest point during those albums and so was British hard rock, so it all just came together. It was a simple process which focused on the riff and lyrics, which changed with “The Cage”. Fred (Purser) had joined the band and was a University-trained musician, so he brought a technical side to the band that was very cutting edge for the time, but just wasn’t the Tygers. Saying all that, “The Cage” was our most successful album to date even though it’s not a fans’ favourite. In 2007 when we started recording “Animal Instinct,” we wanted to get back to our roots with the Tygers sound. I think we achieved that, and if you compare that album against the first three, the signature sound continues throughout.

With various member changes, record label frustrations, break ups, poor record sales, etc. With you being the only original member, what made you want to keep the TOPT legacy alive?

Since I decided to put the Tygers back together, it has been a struggle. There was a lot of poor decision making by the management at the time and myself, which I regret to this day. Up to 2007, there was a huge focus on the fact that I was the only original member from the early days, but this now seems to be getting less of an issue. We needed to play our shows and release a product that the media and fans would respect to get that credibility back. A lot of bands suffer this stigma when all they want to do is keep their music alive and keep playing songs they love live. What I have learned, is In order to really produce good music, you need the comradery and continuity within the band that only comes through time. The present line up has been together since 2004 and that is now showing huge dividend. We have a new manager (since 2007) that takes care of all our business so we have an infrastructure for merchandise, touring, etc. So that just leaves the music and playing to the band. It’s a great weight off my shoulders. You ask why we keep this going? I believe the Tygers songs from 1980-82 are worth keeping alive and I just want to play these for anyone who wants to hear them. I also want to record music I am proud of, such as “Animal Instinct”. There is a lot left in the band yet.

How’s it feel to be on the upcoming Bridgefest 2010 bill?

We know Tony, the owner of the venue quite well and usually play warm-up shows at the Bridgehouse on our way to Europe. It’s a fantastic little venue and one bands should check out on the circuit. Tony asked us to play the festival and we were happy to oblige.

As you say 2008’s “Animal Instinct” still carries on the TOPT sound, but has a bluesy vibe especially on “Live For The Day.” This is just great stuff. What was your mindset while writing the material?

“Animal Instinct” was a band recording so you get a lot of influences in there. When I listen to the album I hear some AC/DC, Scorpions, Judas Priest, Saxon and a touch of Free/Zeppelin on the vocals. In order to get back to the spirit of early ’80s rock, we were listening to a lot of older albums and this came through in the writing/recording. As I have said in the above, we do have an overall sound though that always shadows over the influenced sounds.

Are you working on any new material and what kind of direction is it heading in?

We have started writing the new album and have a couple of demos already. The direction will be similar to “Animal Instinct” with a bit more sophistication. We are very aware that there is a new expectancy that this album has to be better than the last, so we will take our time and ensure we explore every way on every song to achieve this. In between, we will be releasing another 5- track EP to celebrate 30 years of Spellbound. I like this concept because it shows an ode to the past, I am extremely proud of the band’s past and present ,and I want to keep the past music alive because there was some great songs. There are too many bands that have forgotten their past, but the fans want to hear those songs played live, so they are as important as the new ones.

When will it be released?

We will be looking at mid 2011.

With the recent resurgence of traditional and NWOBHM bands like Enforcer, Cauldron, White Wizzard and many others. Do you feel you have something at stake or something to prove that you are still in the game, and you virtually started, or was an essential part of the whole movement?

When your fans are paying their hard-earned money for a product, then of course there is something at stake. As a musician, there is always something to prove because you want to push yourself into releasing the best possible songs you can write at the time. I think as a band up to 2007, we had become a little lazy and complacent, but our new management will not allow that at all any more. We have been asked to be more competitive when we play festivals. We used to be quite laid back but now our manager wants us to be the best band on the bill and steal the show, so we are really pushing ourselves as musicians and entertainers. The publicity from our recent performances have been fantastic, so it seems to be working.

Anybody that knows their metal, especially NWOBHM, remember you and still love the band. How’s that make you feel to know that you are still revered and are still important in the metal world?

It’s really nice to receive such attention, which is most apparent when we go abroad. We have some great fans in the UK, but our main market tends to be Mainland Europe, South America and Japan, where we sell most albums. It’s great to play festivals in Europe, as they are still true to original Rock/Metal. At the Headbangers Open Air Festival, we did a signing session that lasted 1 hour 15 minutes. The comments from the fans were great and it did show the affection people still have for the Tygers of Pan Tang.

What’s next for Tygers of Pan Tang?

We will continue releasing our concept EP CDs, we will record a new album in 2011 and still keep playing live. We are accessible to the Rock/Metal Fan to really get on board with the band and taste what it was like back in the early ’80s.

Any last words or comments?

Please check out our website www.tygersofpantang.com and myspace site for latest news/gig dates and shop etc. If you can buy “Animal Instinct,” please do so and give it a try, you will not be disappointed, I promise.

Thanks for taking the time Robb. Safe travels

Stormqueen

By far one of the lesser known NWOBHM bands that spawned during the golden age of new british hard rock heavy metal music. Everyone is familar with Diamond Head, Budgie and of course Def Leppard, Saxon, Sweet Savage and tons more we will explore later. Stormqueen are one of THE most underrated of all the lot of metals most elite force that was birthed at that time. This is the truth.



Thanks again for giving me the time of day, you guys were gods. How did the band come up?



Dave: The band sprung up around myself and the other guitarist Neil Baker. We knew each other from school growing up in Barry, a smallish town in Wales. We had heard through other musicians that we both knew that we were both looking to form a band with the right people. Neil and I met up eventually at my house, he brought his guitar and some records he wanted me to hear. We jammed together and played each other records, showed each other ideas, and before we knew it we'd agreed we must start a band together.



After that it was a matter of finding people we felt were of the same mind set and had the abilities we were after. It didn't take long to find Boofy our drummer. he was and still is notorious as an absolutely brilliant rock drummer. So for us he was the first person we asked. Then we started jamming together and writing songs before looking for a singer and bassist.

Bryn Merryck seemed the obvious choice as bassist, again a brilliant natural talent (as was proven when he was later asked to join The Damned). Chris Glyn-Jones, the first vocalist came a little while later. That line up played around Wales for a while before Bryn left to join the Damned, and we felt Chris wasn't really what we wanted in a singer.



The classic line up evolved around late 1981, when we placed an advert for singer and bassist, and a guy called Mac answered it for singer. We went to meet with him but he wasn't right for us. however he had some mates in a band called Dead Reckoning, namely Paul Burnett on vocals and Nick MacCormac on bass. We checked them out and asked them straight away as Paul was exactly what we wanted. They joined not long after and the classic StormQueen was born.



Paul: There was a very close knit music scene in Barry South Wales, Dave, Neil and Boofy being friends as well as musicians, formed a band together. That band eventually became “StormQueen”.



When the demo tape was released?



Dave: Well that depends on which demo you mean. The first demo, which I guess is the one most people refer to as "The Battle of Britain" was recorded in 1980. That was with the first line up and it was recorded in a BBC studio in Cardiff, Wales. It was never released as such. Though I know many many copies are floating around and are traded on the net a lot.



It's strange that it should be the demo that has been focused on most as it wasn't by any means the best. We recorded three more demos after that one, and they are all better. The second demo recording was the one that was released as the single. Well two tracks of it anyway. I guess this one isn't as well known other than being the single.



Paul: I can’t speak for the “Battle of Britain” demo as I wasn’t around for that first recording. But I recall there was always great interest in all the following StormQueen demo’s.


Did many buy it?



Dave: We didn't really sell the demos to be honest, it wasn't really done so much back then like it is now. You have to bare in mind it would have all been on cassette tape then, that or vinyl as there were no other mediums everyone had access to. So it was more a case of giving tapes away at shows, sending them to radio stations and people would often record stuff off the radio. But the only music we ever sold as such was the "Come Silent the World" 7 inch single.


Paul: Well, not being involved with the band at that point I would have no idea. Dave is the person to ask really.


Did it have any cover?



Dave: Our demo tapes did have basic covers. Black and white photocopied artwork that I did myself. They changed as I got new photos etc. The 7 inch single did not have a cover. It was just a plain white sleeve. We had to keep costs down so......


Paul: I don’t think there was a cover on StormQueen’s very first demo, at least I don’t remember it as so. I could be wrong…but Dave would know best as he did all the artwork etc for all StormQueen publicity and releases.


What did the people think about it?


Dave: Well the response we got from people was just great. Our rehearsal room was pretty large and very central in town, so as word got round about the band and the place LOTS of people would come and hang out there. Watch us rehearse and write songs etc, they were special times. Feedback from our shows was always excellent. We always put on a hell of a live performance, I mean we're talking fireworks, flashbombs, explosions, huge back drop with the logo. We always hired in our usual P.A. guy and his 5k P.A. rig, and we always had a big light show too. So the a gig was always very definitely an event, and people lapped it up. Interestingly a couple of guys who always came to our shows and everything later formed their own band, TIGERTAILZ. They told me we were a big influence on them to start playing etc, which is great to hear.


Paul: I’m sorry, but again, as I was not part of the band at that point I really have no idea.But Dave can fillyou in for sure.


Why did you decide to call it Battle of Britain?



Dave: Well, that was down to me really. On the first demo I did virtually all of the initial song writing. Neil also contributed, in fact some of the songs we wrote the music 50/50 between us. Others I wrote on my own. I wrote all of the lyrics for the songs. I honestly have no idea where I came up with the concept of a song called "The Battle of Britain". I guess I was at an age where these things caught my imagination, and of course it is a very big thing in British history. We were always taught a lot about it at school and there is remembrance day each year in the UK, where we are asked to think of those who died at war, and the Battle of Britain always features strongly in that. I guess it has good overtones for a metal song too heh heh. Also I had this BBC sound effects album with war sounds on it, including the siren we used at the beginning and the plane sounds in the middle 8. I think that was a big factor, I really wanted to use my sound effects album heh heh, so wrote the song to allow me to do that. Partly anyway.

However, *we* didn't call it "The Battle of Britain demo". It was always referred to by each song title individually, or as our first demo. It's other people, fans, collectors and enthusiasts that have come to call it by that name. It still sounds strange to me to hear people call it that. We might have referred to it as "the BBC demo" too.



Paul: Oh dear, same scenario I’m afraid. I believe Dave wrote all the lyrics for the first demo, and practically all of the music too. So he’s the man to ask.



How many copies of the single were made?


Dave: Ahh well now there is a twist in the tale to this one (see next question). There was initially to be 500 copies in the official release. More ended up being produced due to errors and problems with the first pressing. But 500 *official* copies were pressed, plus a few test pressings for quality check. So, yes it was a small release.



Paul: There were 500 singles pressed, and I think about 100 or so mispressed singles. We were led to believe they were all destroyed, obviously they weren’t.


What I've heard the single also got misspressed. What went wrong?



Dave: Well, when we got the first test copies (10 or so) and an initial production run (which was about 150 - 200 copies I guess), there were flaws. Firstly the labels, which were red with black writing, had bubbled up very strangely and were sort of peeling off the discs. Also they had mis-printed the title of the A-side, it read "Come Silent the Night" instead of "Come Silent the World" as it should have done. I also recall that there were some audible clicks on the pressings on one or both sides, which we couldn't allow of course. And so these were all supposedly sent back to the factory to be destroyed. Apart that is from a few copies that we had given out when we went to do a radio interview (as we really wanted them to play it). After this it was then re-mastered and re-pressed. As far as I am aware, there were only the 500 silver on black copies, and the few red copies that slipped out. I actually prefer the silver on black myself.



Did you ever play live outside United Kingdom?



Dave: Sadly no, or should I say not yet. After all new StormQueen activity is imminent so that possibility is still a reality for us. But in those early days we never got the chance sadly.



Paul: It was a difficult time to be a band from Wales back then. The stigma attached to being form Wales really held you back. Thankfully that parochial attitude has disappeared... well leastways within music it would appear. And rightfully so.


What other songs did you play live? Except for the demo songs and the single.



Dave: Wow, this is a tough one. I mean it depends on which period you refer to. You have to remember the band was together in all for close to 5 years, so we had a *lot* of material during that period and of course it always changed depending on our choices of songs for the set. But we would play tracks that we never did record, some I can remember are:



StormQueen (Ironic given the title but we never did record that. We plan to record it very soon for inclusion o the OPM album release as a bonus 7inch)

D.O.A

Midnight Rendezvous

Seasons in the breeze

The Longest Night

Deadly Veil

Paul: StormQueen were always busy songwriters, so there was always a large set of material to choose from. Many of which I forget now. We never performed covers… it wasn’t part of our agenda at all.

Was the record company interested in releasing more of Stormqueen?



Dave: There was actually. We had interest from Music For Nations, Neat, Bronze, Castle to name a few. Our problem to be honest was being a Welsh band. Back then (and I know Persian Risk, Tokio Rose and other Welsh NWOBHM bands will testify to the same problem) bands in Wales weren't taken too seriously by labels. Well by most anyway. It was something of a stigma. It's very different now of course. But back then, and even subsequently with my later band Warlords/Lord you weren't taken seriously if you were from Wales. With Lord for instance which was even later still I had to tell gig venues and labels etc that we were from California to get gigs. Luckily we had toured over there and had loads of great press to back it up. But for StormQueen, the huge stumbling block was getting out of Wales.



Paul: StormQueen’s single was a self release. RealFire Recirds was our own label and distribution company combined if you like. Had we had the finances back then we would have released an album on the RealFire label for sure.


When and why did Stormqueen call it a day?



Dave: Why indeed... well the primary problem was that myself and Neil, the other guitarist found our musical interests moving in different directions. Neil wanted to diversify, bring in more jazz elements, basically get more experimental. But although I was up for experimenting, I felt there was too heavy a jazz/improvisational element to where Neil was going, and he felt the music was constraining him too much. So as time progressed it came to a head, and Neil quit the band. He was very difficult to replace, in fact impossible in terms of the chemistry we had when it worked. We struggled on, and eventually with a different guitarist and bassist (same guitar, vocal and drums) went on and morphed into Vancouver. But I guess that's another story. Paul eventually got itchy feet and had been made an offer from a band in London with management so, quite rightly he left as well. And that was that really.



Paul: The StormQueen split happened because of a number of reasons. I became frustrated that the band couldn’t seem to break through, but I was unaware that it wasn’t down to us, but this Welsh stigma. So I accepted an offer to join Tredegar. There was never anything personal in the break up of StormQueen, although Dave was very hurt and threatened to kill me. We believed in the music but sadly just didn’t get that vital lucky break. If we had been in London like bands such as Iron Maiden, we would almost certainly have seen better success. But hey, maybe it’s on it’s way 20 years later heh heh. There is not and never has been any animosity between us guys. We were always all great friends and remain so.


What did you do afterwards?



Dave: Well me personally, I went on to put together various bands over time. The band I am in presently is called DEFACE. I never stopped playing. I was always in a band doing original material. I've never been in a covers band or anything like that. Right after StormQueen there was a different version of the line up (Paul, Myself, Boofy, Nick MacCormac and a new guy Andy Carney on guitar) and we were called Vancouver. Though we did do a number of StormQueen songs too. So I guess it was a mutation of StormQueen in a way.



After that fell apart I teamed up with our former manager Joey Parratt and formed a band project called "No One". We did that for a while, did some TV appearances, videos etc. Then I hooked up with a band called More Than Passion. Who were Cardiff based. We got to play the Welsh Live Aid, which was amazing. Then I hooked up with the singer I still work with in DEFACE, Christian Sargent. We have been in many band line ups together. Warlords, Lord, DirtBox, Ikon, Mook, and now DEFACE. Warlords toured the USA in 1987, released an E.P. out there, and though the name then changed to Lord we released an album in 1991 also called "Lord". We toured extensively. It fizzled out though for various reasons, and in early 1992 I moved to Los Angeles.



Over there I formed a psychedelic rock band band called My Dragonfly (called Eve's Tattoo early on), where I was on vocals. I also did an electro/industrial project called Ubermensch which I am very proud of. Then Christian and I hooked up again and he came over to the states, moving up to San Francisco we did Dirtbox together. Before heading back to the U.K. to continue as Ikon. Then Mook with different people, and now DEFACE. So you see I have been very active outside of StormQueen.



Paul: I guess I just drifted really….I worked with Tredegar, Carerra, Ashmata Talan and then Ashmata again to record an album. But then I had a long respite from musical involvement, which was a bereft time. It feels great to have StormQueen back on path again. I can’t wait to do more new music.


Which Stormqueen song is your favorite?



Dave: Phew that's a tough one, it really is. I am very fond of "Come Silent The World", I think it is one of the more original songs we wrote. If you listen to it closely it doesn't sound like any other metal band at all. I also love "Cake/These Walls Have Eyes" and "Just For A Day" both from the third demo we recorded (soon to be available on the OPM release and hopefully on cd through specialist labels worldwide too). But I guess Come Silent The World holds a very special place as it was the single etc.



Pau: “Just for a day” from the third recording is very special to me. The lyric is very personal. It is a beautiful song.


Tell us about the current situation of Stormqueen.



Dave: Well it has been quite a roller coaster really since about the time Malc Macmillan published the new version of his book "The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Encyclopedia". He wrote about us there, and about the single etc, and it kick started a huge wave of interest in the band again, which is great. After that we got tons of people getting in contact, and we talked with OPM records, and from that we are releasing a very special collectors anthology on vinyl with them. It is to feature all of the previously unreleased songs on a vinyl 12", with a full colour gatefold sleeve and picture book/sleeve inserts. To go with that we are recording one song from the early StormQueen days that we never recorded called... funnily enough "StormQueen". Plus one brand new track just written called "Can You Hear ME Thinking" in fact we recording that right now.



After that is complete and the OPM release is out, we are hoping to do a similar thing on cd with a number of labels, in a number of different countries. We may also work on more new material is there is enough interest, and if that goes well who knows, we could see some more StormQueen live shows. It's very possible. Thanks to all the interest, especially from people like yourselves it has been great for us. Just great to have people appreciating what StormQueen was.... Thanks to everyone.



Paul: There is an imminent compilation anthology album out soon on OPM records, in vinyl only format, with a single attached to it. The single will feature the first ever recording of StormQueen (the song) and one brand new song which is fantastic as far as I’m concerned.



Bring it on I say…… I’m raring to go!!!! Cheers!!!

Angel Witch

Cult act AngelWitch were a top quality act destined for the big time back in the days of NWOBHM. However, like a lot of bands that signed to Bronze Records (inc Motorhead and Girlschool) their blossoming success was brought abruptly to a halt. However, in 2000 I got word that they were reforming and playing a secret warm up gig in London. People came from as far as Greece to fill the small club and hear classics such as Angel of Death, Baphomet and White Witch - all belted out at deafening volumes by a new 4 piece AngelWitch but still containing founder member Kevin Heybourne.


Kevin: I formed Angelwitch in 1977 because there was a lack of music going around at the time. The punk thing was going but really there was a stagnant period in rock. There was Deep Purple, ZZ Top and Sabbath, of whom I was a big big fan, but nothing new. It was really timing with the NWOBHM thing you mention. Samson happened to be there, English Rogues were there. Maiden were already on the circuit but had reformed with Dennis Stratton. The actual term 'NWOBHM' came from this one night at (the legendary) Neal Kay's Heavy Metal Bandwagon when Angelwitch and Samson played and some journalist wrote in Sounds that 'it was a new wave of British HM' hence NWOBHM.
I only remember it from the 1980 3 piece with yourself , 'Skids' Riddles and Dayvog (in joke).
Kevin: Its Dave Hogg, D-a-v-e H-o-g-g. ha ha......who was a DJ at the time. Kevin worked at a music shop where I used to go to. I liked his bass playing so he ended up in the band as well..

Who else has been in the band?
Kevin: Christ (laughing), do you really want me to name every single person thats been in Angelwitch?!! Well, the better known ones were Tom Hunting (Exodus), John Torres (Laaz Rockit)..

ok, if its easier why don't you run us thru the history of 'Witch?
Kevin: I wrote the song Angelwitch in 1976. At the time the band was called Lucifer but there was a namesake in Holland so I changed the name to Angelwitch, which was better cos it was a contradiction between angel and witch. The lyrics were more or less blasted out to fit the songs (laughing) and as for the keyboards you've mentioned, I went to take a piss and came back to find keyboards on the track. And I did my nut! (laughing). It works when you listen to it but at the time I thought it sounded like fuckin Uriah Heep!!! As for the image, it came from a Dennis Wheatley's The Devil and All His Works and so did the cover. I was into all that Hammer (60s/70s British Horror movie producers) stuff although I'm not a Satanist. The logo was the same and I think it was used in a Hammer film The Devil Rides Out.

Anyway, after doing the club circuit, we signed to Bronze and were actually one of the last NWOBHM bands to get signed, although we were one of the first on the scene. We played the Reading Festival in '81 and the (infamous) Heavy Metal Barndance at Bingley Hall in Stafford with Motorhead and Girlschool which was amazing cos Lemmy was so nervous that when I saw him it made me feel better (laughing)! After the first album, Bronze wanted a commercial single so I wrote Loser - in a couple hours. Then I split the band up (laughing)! 3 pieces are always a little funny cos theres always someone stuck in the middle and when it came to royalties time I'd been writing fuckin songs for years but the rest of the band wanted their cut and thats why you've got Suffer and Dr Phibes which are highly commercial. It wasn't so much a bust up but everyone was pissed off with what was going on so we played 2 gigs at the Marquee and that was it. I was also fed up with singing and I wanted to do my thing as a guitarist in a band, so I had a break....until '82, when I reformed 'Witch (laughter) with a couple of guys from Deep Machine, which lasted a year. Then I hooked up with Lou Taylor (ex- Satan vocalist) in 1983 and formed Blind Fury which was a soft rock band which I had wanted to do but even that wasn't satisfying enough for me. In '84 I refomed 'Witch yet again with a previous bassist, Pete, and got in touch with Dave Hogg, who had cleaned himself up by then, and we got a vocalist cos I started to lose my voice. We released 2 albums under Kilowatt, one of which was Screaming and Bleeding and then that line up fell apart as well. Its been hard finding the right sort of people - thats why there's been so many line ups, as you've noticed!! By 1985, things were getting a lot softer here and people, be it the press or labels, weren't listening to this kind of stuff so again the band got disbanded until 1989 which was when I moved to America and got John Torres and Tom Hunting, did a demo...and got deported (laughter) because I was supposed to marry this girl, who pulled out at the last minute, and I ended up overstaying. I phoned up my manager, who I didn't want to work with anymore, and he said "well, that's your reality" and that was my reality: deportation. Back here I just bummed around for a while, doing demos until now really. I worked as a tree surgeon for a while (laughter)...I phoned Scott (Higham - drummer) who had been drumming for Samson and he knew Keith (on guitars) and we jammed around cos we still had John Torres. He went back to the States recently and Scott and Keith both knew Richard so he was in and here we are. I've gotta say this is probably the tightest line up I've had as everbody's so keen and talented - Keith and Rich can both sing as well so potentially 'Witch has 3 vocalists!

Rich: Its been amazing cos the three of us (pointing to Scott and Rich) all have massive record collections and we are aware of 'Witch's history and to be able to fit this all into our lifestyles...

So what are your lifestyles?
Rich: well, tree surgeon, prositute (laughter), ex-banker for Deutschbank (more laughter) - and Scott designs ladies hosery ha ha!