Forty years on, Metal Blade is both a safe harbor for elder bands and a beta test for the unknown. As for Slagel, his vision is clear, with eyes always fixed on the horizon. Forty years in, the label’s figurehead has little time to look back, and his focus steadfastly remains forward-facing.
I recently dug in with New Wave of British Heavy Metal hero, and drummer, Malcolm Cope of Quartz. Among other things, we touch on the origins, trials, and tribulations of one of rock and metal music’s most underexposed bands, Quartz, new music, and more.
“We have always flown the flag for heavy metal, and we believe that it can be what you want it to be. The legacy that we will leave behind is that we have widened the horizons of what is acceptable in heavy metal.”
“If being in the shadows means being a cult band, I’d have to agree, but the name Budgie was well known and growing throughout the 70s. We never had problems selling tickets for our live shows, though commercial success always seemed just out of our grasp.”
Saxon is one of the hardest-working bands in the genre, never going more than three years without an album. Not only has the band been prolific, but they are currently making some of the strongest music of their career. Their newest offering, Carpe Diem, is no exception. Behind all things Saxon, is founding member, and electric frontman, Biff Byford.
Stalwart NWOBHM legends, Saxon, are back in action with a new album, Carpe Diem, which delivers a raw, unadulterated gut punch for the entirety of its nearly forty-five minutes.
Once representing half of the blistering twin-guitar attack that fueled Judas Priest, K.K. Downing is already entrenched in the annals of Heavy Metal history and heralded among the most iconic ax-slingers of the genre.
In the late 70s and early 80s, the UK was a literal breeding ground for Heavy Metal, specifically, a movement which would come to be known as the “New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM),” and at the forefront of that movement, along with a few others, was Grim Reaper.
After being away for thirty-two years, Troyen is back and better than ever. In this interview, Jeff talks with us about the formation of the Troyen, the members that have come and gone, their touring and recording cycles, and everything in between.
