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The interest NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) has not waned in over 30 years. So many trends are fleeting and quickly disappear into the musical nirvana, very few remain to leave a lasting impression. NWOBHM was, is and will always be an important source of inspiration for metal fans and bands of every musical direction. Without this, Heavy Metal would not be what it is today and bands such as Metallica, Megadeth and Anthrax would never have been formed. Many young musicians, who weren't even born when NWOBHM appeared on the scene in the early Eighties, idolize the bands of that era. But 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. Since then many things happened. Roxxcalibur played many of the most important metalfestivals in Europe and the debut CD was and still is a huge success. The band (minus singer Alexx Stahl) also joined Chris Logue, original singer and songwriter of the cult-US-Speed Metal band SAVAGE GRACE. The European tour in March/April 2010 was very successful containing festivals like Metropole Ruhr, Rocktower and Keep It True. The guys will go on with SAVAGE GRACE but they are also preparing the second Roxxcalibur CD which will contain several surprises... (Please check our myspace www.myspace.com/roxxcalibur for updates and news!) |
