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The New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) was
the most important movement in the history of Heavy Metal. It started |
HISTORY
| It is pure coincidence
that on the 30th birthday of NWOBHM the members of the metal bands Viron
and Abandoned present NWOBHM fans with an album titled "NWOBHM For
Muthas!". An unbeatable line-up had been formed under the name of
ROXXCALIBUR (mirroring the pioneering compilation "Roxcalibur") in 2007,
celebrating as a tribute band all the facets of NWOBHM. Viron's drummer
and passionate NWOBHM collector, Neudi had been playing with the idea of
forming a NWOBHM tribute band for years, but it wasn't until 2007 that
the idea could be put into practise with like-minded musicians. Besides
Neudi, ROXXCALIBUR comprises of two other Viron musicians, Alexx Stahl
and Roger Dequis as well as a member of the thrash band Abandoned,
Kalli. The lineup is completed by bass player Mario Lang, formerly of
Into The Abyss et al. It quickly became clear that the lads had the same
taste and all admired less known bands of the NWOBHM movement. Putting a
live set together, they placed stress on songs from such lesser known
bands, but which would not only please NWOBHM fans, but also regular
metal fans. In Summer 2008 they played at the prestigous Headbangers
Open-Air Festival and shared the billing with the NWOBHM legends Sweet
Savage and Praying Mantis. In Autumn 2008 the quintett were signed by
Limb Music Products (LMP) and began work on their first CD, "NWOBHM For
Muthas", which was produced by Uwe Lulis (Rebellion, Sieges Even, V8
Wankers etc) and Paul Williams. In order to retain the spirit of the
originals, the basic tracks were recorded live and partially without a
clicktrack. The songs' arrangements were not changed. During the mixing,
care was taken to combine a great sound production of 2009 and the old
school charm of the original recordings. The result proves that even in
anno 2009 it is possible to manage without triggered drums, Pro Tools
editing and amp simulations as long as the musicians bring a high level
of quality and excellent musicianship with them as principle motives.
The 13 tracks differ from the usual NWOBHM compilations in that many of
the songs will be unknown even to big fans of the genre. The lads
deliberately selected bands and songs outside of the mainstream,
choosing instead underground jewels such as Bleak House, ARC, Radium,
Trident and Jameson Raid, bands who were denied the great breakthrough
not because of their music, but because their songs were published only
as singles - and which have now become valuable collectors' items. But
even legends such as Dark Star, Grim Reaper, Witchfinder General,
Chateaux, Jaguar and Cloven Hoof are honoured by superb cover versions.
The musical spectrum on the CD mirrors the many facets of NWOBHM. From
Hard Rock ("Lady Of Mars"), classical Metal ("Destiny"), pre-speed Metal
("Running For The Line") to the epic "War Of The Ring" and the
progressively arranged "The Gates Of Gehenna", ROXXCALIBUR present a
rollercoaster ride through the subgenre of Heavy Metal which later
became known as NWOBHM. ROXXCALIBUR enjoyed the full support of the
British bands from the first moment onwards and the booklet of "NWOBHM
For Muthas" includes liner notes from members of the original bands. The
presentation of the CD is rounded off by cover artwork by Rodney
Matthews who worked not only for NWOBHM bands such as Diamond Head,
Praying Mantis and Tygers of Pan Tang, but even for such megabands
Scorpions, Magnum, Nazareth and Thin Lizzy. . .. One day after the
European release of "NWOBHM For Muthas" Roxxcalibur played the famous
KEEP IT TRUE FESTIVAL as co-headliner. It was a "NWOBHM 30th Anniversary
Show" and they were joined by many original NWOBHM-legends on stage
(Dave Hill/Demon, Brian Ross/Satan & Blitzkrieg, Jess Cox/Tygers of Pan
Tang, Graham Killen/Bleak House, Terry Dark/Jameson Raid, Enid
Williams/Girlschool, Thunderstick/Samson, Lee Payne & Russ North/Cloven
Hoof, both guitarists from Tank and from the USA Harry "The Tyrant"
Conclin/Jag Panzer). The show was a huge success and brought the band
immediately to a higher level..The reviews of the CD were brilliant and
many say that "Roxxcalibur is a coverband that is not a coverband". The
CD appeared to be "Bonus Bomb of the Month" at Rock Hard magazine with
brilliant review by Götz Kühnemund. The international press loves the CD
and the also fact that Roxxcalibur keeps the spirit of the NWOBHM and
true classic Heavy Metal alive. The first pressing of the CD was sold
out in no time... Roxxcalibur appeared on the DVD "Headbangers Open Air
2008" with two tracks along with Praying Mantis and Sweet Savage. .. In
2010 the band has played and will play some prestigous festivals like
Keep It True (again), Bang Your Head, Rocktower and Headbangers Open Air
(...again). And finally the full NWOBHM-Anniversary Show is out on the
DVD "Keep It True 12" which also features the rehearsals with most of
the guests as a bonus. .. The quality of Roxxcalibur as a band lead to
further activities. Not just that they appeared to be Thunder Rider from
Canada at Swordbrothers Festival 2009, they are also Savage Grace with
original singer and bandleader Chris Logue. The European tour in
March/April 2010 was a huge sucess. Roxxcalibur started with the recordings of their second CD "Lords of the NWOBHM" in September 2010 in Germany and went to Kent/England for the mix with producer-legend Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore, Loudness and many many others). The CD was released in May 2011. First pressing includes a free DVD with liveclips from various festivals, studioreport and a very special bonus featuring the rehearsals with the originals before the NWOBHM-Anniversary Show 2009 at Keep It True Festival. "Lords of the NWOBHM" got brilliant reviews in the international press (see review section). The band also saw their first line-up change since 2008. Roger Dequis has left the band due to personal reasons. The new guy is Holg who played in Abandoned.  Back to main menu |