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![]() Brofest UK #2 - Day 3 ![]() By Rob McNees, Vinyl Aficionado Monday, April 14, 2014 @ 6:23 AM ![]()
Up next, the first NWOBHM band of day 3, Northampton's SOLDIER. Their output back in the day was small, but it was
quality to be sure. Alot of great compilation albums were released during the NWOBHM heyday, and the Heavy Metal
Heroes volumes from Heavy Metal Records was no exception. SOLDIER's contribution in 1981 to Volume
One of H.M.H. was the amazing "Storm Of Steel". They followed that up in 1982 was the
must-have 7" "Sheralee" w/ "Force". I still see them floating around once in awhile, so if
you don't own it then find it! These days SOLDIER is promoting their latest album which was released last year,
Dogs of War. I did pickup my copy (on, you guessed it, High Roller Records).
BASHFUL ALLEY from Lichfield were up next. Although they released demos starting in 1980 and released one every
year thru 1983, their only Vinyl output (and the only thing I had for years) was a epic single released in 1982.
"Running Blind" w/"My, My, My". While both songs are good, "Running Blind" is
an instant classic and should be heard by everyone! A compilation was released in 2005 called It's About
Time on Vinyl and cd which had all the demo tracks plus that 7"!! Live, Rob Tidd (guitars and vocals) led
the band thru both songs from the single plus "It's About Time" and "Light It Up" from the
comp among others. A fun set was enjoyed by all.
ATOMKRAFT were next up and they have a very interesting past. Even tho they released demos (Demon in
1981, Atomkraft, also in 1981 and Total Metal in 1983), their Vinyl debut was not until 1985,
the Future Warriors album on legendary Neat Records. ATOMKRAFT are funny in the fact that because
they came out a tad later and because they played a more furious Thrash style, most people who talk about the NWOBHM
don't mention them (or WARFARE, a similar styled band). And Thrash fans don't really cite them as early
influences. But maybe they should. ATOMKRAFT opened for SLAYER (yes, THE SLAYER) on the latter's
Hell Awaits tour in 1985 at London's historic Marquee. How's that for cred??? ATOMKRAFT's only
original member is Tony 'Demolition Man' Dolan. ATOMKRAFT is just a part-time band now for Tony, as his
full time gig is M-PIRE OF EVIL, which features ex-Venom guitarist Jeff 'Mantis' Dunn. Live for
Brofest 2014, ATOMKRAFT had a special surprise: playing Future Warriors in its entirety! And
Tony and crew didn't disappoint. The 3 piece, rounded out by Kraen Meier from Denmark's SACRIFICIAL on
guitar and Paul Caffrey from Irish Thrash titans GAMA BOMB, blazed thru the album in fine form, the band
tight and punishingly heavy. Tony live, is alot like Lemmy, commanding the crowd and playing that Rickenbacker bass more
like a rhythm guitar. From "Future Warriors" thru "Total Metal" and next to last tune
"Burn In Hell", it was non-stop pummeling. And for the last song on the album and the set, "Heat And
Pain", Tony brought in a special guest, the aforementioned Mantis. Now for those who don't know, Tony was
a member of VENOM, making his debut on 1989's Prime Evil alongside Mantis and Abaddon
when Cronos first left the band. In fact PRIME EVIL was the first name of M-PIRE OF EVIL, but with
an American band of the same name around, the name change was a necessity. In any event, ATOMKRAFT deserves a look
by all fans of heavy music (and M-PIRE OF EVIL too for that matter). Buy or Die!
Which brings me to JAGUAR. One of the heavier bands of the NWOBHM, their early output was purely essential. Some
even credit them for being an early proponent of Thrash metal, citing their live show at The Dynamo (Holland) in 1982.
With the crowd screaming 'Faster!', the band obliged, playing some songs at breakneck speed. It needs to be heard to be
believed!! JAGUAR's Vinyl output (after a couple of demos in '80 & '81) started with the Back Street
Woman 7" in 1981 and Axe Crazy 7" in 1982, both essential to any collection, but Axe
Crazy really setting the bar high for the band. And they didn't disappoint, releasing Power Games,
a great album, in 1983 on Neat Records. After that, the band took a horrible musical change of direction. They did re-
form in 1998. Which brings to the live show @ Brofest. Singing for the band since the reformation is Jamie
Manton. I had been warned about him earlier in the evening and the warning proved to be spot on. While I love British
humor, there's a limit to where & when I wish to be bombarded with it. And while the band is cranking out classic NWOBHM,
I DO NOT want to see the singer jumping around on a fucking POGO-STICK!!! I shit you not! And he did it several times
throughout the set. I found it extremely annoying and downright stupid. And Jamie does possess a good voice, but how he
overly sings the last word in just about every sentence just grated on my last nerve. Plus his incessant babbling on
about nothing resulted in the band having to cut the encore out of the 40 min set: the killer "Axe Crazy".
Which brings us to the final band of Brofest (UK) 2014. Yorkshire's VARDIS. For me, VARDIS were not
the atypical NWOBHM band, instead being influenced by British bands like STATUS QUO and SLADE. Playing a
more upbeat, 12 bar boogie with attitude, the band wrote memorable feel-good songs that could make even non-rockers tap
their toes to their hard rockin' songs! Starting out with the 4-song 100 MPH 7" EP released in 1979 (a
killer rarity that I to this day still don't possess), followed by their first album, a LIVE album no less! It too, was
titled 100 MPH, and showcased the VARDIS boogie and energy firsthand. A very proficient band, they
released 6 singles and an EP between the live album and their next full length, The World's Insane in 1981.
The next full length, Quo Vardis came out in 1982, and was followed by a single and another live EP in 1982
as well. The bands last album was Vigilante, released in 1986 and the band called it a day that same year
from mismanagement. So VARDIS the band had not appeared live in 28 years!! But they showed no rust as they stormed
into opener "Let's Go", off the 7" of the same name from '80, and the band was off and running. They played
all my favorite hits, "Situation Negative", "Dirty Money" and "If I Were King", all featured
on the 100 MPH live album. Also "Out Of The Way" and "Destiny" from that album
were aired as well. VARDIS sounded amazing and never missed a beat. From The World's Insane album
the title track was featured. I would be hard pressed to tell you who had more fun, the Brofest crowd or
VARDIS themselves. Mr.'s Steve Zodiac (guitar), Gary Pearson (drums) & Terry Horbury (bass)
finished Brofest 2014 in fine style, a fitting end to this scribe's thought to be impossible dream of seeing some
of the legends of the NWOBHM Live on English soil!! A dream I hope to be able to live again one day.
If my adventure sounds like fun, and you're a fan of the NWOBHM or just a Metal fan in general, the announcement that
there will be a Brofest 2015 should make your year and give you something to look forward to. Here's the first
band announcements. Horns Up!!!
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