Wolf (from Chester)

Ken Tunstall was the lead singer of Wolf, from Chester, England, and recorded the single "See Them Running" in 1981, leaving the band after the release of the single.

Q. - Hello Ken, tell us a little bit about your beginnings in the heavy metal world, what lead you to be a singer?

Ken - Always been a singer, from early school days in the quire and Church as a soloist up to the age of 16 at 17 my best friend at school (Steve Jones, now in the Bundbeds) asked if i was interested in singing in a band, which i did but to start my voice was to clean and bright, but with a bit of miss use it got to rock standard.

Q. - When did you join Wolf? How did it all start? Tell us a bit about the early days of Wolf too.

Ken - Wolf, with Wally Rumsey. You have to remember in the 70's in the Chester area people moved around to different bands, I meet Wally in a jam session when a number of different bands just got together and had a good thrash and Wally and i got well together and were in a number of different line ups till we got to wolf and played a number of venues across the North west of England.

Q. - What other bands did you play before Wolf?

Ken - Lots lol, Boris, Switchblade, Frostbite if i can remember anymore will let you know.

Q. - What were the main difficulties that the band faced in the early days? Was it hard to find a place to rehearse? Were all of you available to rehearse? Did you need any material?

Ken - As i remember we had a number of places that we used for practice including a Barn full of potatoes, a garage next to Chester racecourse, but mostly Village halls.

I think we all made the practice sessions and if we did not those who did would use the time.

Q. - How about shows? Did you play regularly in the UK back then? Did you share stage with some well-known bands?

Ken - Yes, most weekends in pubs and clubs and some private functions.

I don’t remember sharing with any other better known bands that us.

Q. - The single "See Them Running" came up in 1981, how was it received by the fans at that time? Did the single have airplay on radio stations?

Ken - The single did escape in 81 and was played on radio ones Tommy Vance show, but did not do all that well as it was funded by the band and i departed just after the release.

Q. - When did "Wolf" split up exactly? What happened that lead to the split?

Ken - I know i was the first out, and did not find out till they were playing a club in Chester and thought, that's strange I’m not singing bit of bad blood about that.

Q. - What do you think that lacked to Wolf to have a successful career?

Ken - Never in the right place at the right time. I think the band was good enough but in order to get on at that time it would have ment a relocation to London as some of us were married that was a no go.

Q. - Did you keep in touch with the other former members all over the years?

Ken - Yes we did, but Aldy the bass player is no longer with us, Wally is still going strong and never stopped playing I’m hoping to get something together. But not song in over 5 years due to health reasons.

Q. - What other bands did you play after Wolf? Tell us a bit about it please.

Ken - Frostbite was after wolf, but that imploded due to personnel issues between the two leads after that just random gigs with other bands and line up's but nothing on the scale of Wolf / Frostbite.

Q. - Were you happy with the split compilation "Echoes of the Past" by High Roller Records? Was it like a dream come true to see these songs release after all these years?

Ken - I was unbelievable that something I had a part in creating (words & Vocals) would end up on an LP and recognised so many years later.

Q. - Do you keep an eye to hard rock and heavy metal music nowadays?

Ken - It’s in my blood and still enjoy going to see top bands and support local bands and hope to carry on doing so.

Q. - How did you see the whole N.W.O.B.H.M. movement, back then, and how do you see the interest around those bands and recordings nowadays?

Ken - It’s an incredible movement and just shows the level of talent that was about and is still about in the metal seen where music in my mind is pure and not contrived like the Pop stuff you see and hear today that cannot be reproduced with a band of PC's or additional  musicians.

Q. - How do you want to end up this interview? Anything more you want to say?

Ken - Keep up the good work. People like myself and others who shall we say are more mature find this resurgence of interest really exciting.

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!

Sacred Alien

Sacred Alien, was formed in Manchester around 1980, and recorded the single "Spiritual Planet" in 1981, by Greenwood Music. We had a chat with lead singer Sean Canning, about the early days of the band and bout future plans.

Q. - Hello Sean! Tell us a bit about the beginning of Sacred Alien, how did it all start? How did you get in touch with the other members?

Sean - Hello! It was November 1980. The other members (Martin ‘Ted’ Ainscow, Chris Lea, Dave Clowes) had already been in a band that preceded Sacred Alien called ‘Silverthorn’ – I had been messing around in a few school bands but nothing had really taken off. I had just started at Art College and all the students went on a trip to London to visit the National & Tate Galleries. On the train journey back to Manchester I sat opposite a group of guys whose conversation pricked my ears up. They were talking about music, in particular punk and metal bands and, although they were a bit older than me (I was 16 at the time!) I chimed in and started chatting to them. One of the group set up a miniature drum kit on the table using those little round milk cartons and proceeded to perform an impromptu ‘air drumming’ solo using this teeny tiny kit. It was pretty funny at the time – I guess you had to be there, and be 16, and have had a warm can of lager to get the full effect, but I thought this guy was pretty cool...turns out he is a drummer in a band called Sacred Alien. I glean from his mates that his name is ‘Neil’. At that point the train rolls in the station and we part ways.

The next day in college, I have decided I need to find this guy so am roaming the corridors around where I think their classes might be when I see one of his gang of mates. “Oh Hi!...Remember me from the train?’ He gives me a blank look and takes a swig of coke. “Errm...you were sat opposite me?” No reaction...I am annoying him now, “and you had a guy with you who was drumming on a tiny drum kit made of milk cartons....his name was Neil?” This catches him mid-swig and he nearly chokes on his coke – in fact I am pretty sure some comes out of his nose as he splutters, “Ha, ha! Neil? NEIL??? You mean Chris!” Now it’s my turn to be confused.

“Erm...I’m pretty sure his name was Neil...” I reply meekly. “No, we call him Neil as joke...cos he’s mad about Neil Peart...his real name is Chris Lea.”

So with that sorted out I ask the guy to pass on my number. Chris arrived at his desk that day to find ‘Sean – Singer from the train’ and my phone number. I got a call that night and he invited me down to their rehearsal room in Burnage, apparently only telling the rest of the band I was coming about 10 mins before I showed up “Oh by the way I’ve invited a singer to come and audition”. Ted was a bit shocked as up until now they had been a ‘Power Trio’ with Ted on vocals and guitar, but I guess it went OK as by the end of the rehearsal we were planning dates for gigs. It was the first band I had played with that had a sound I instantly loved. Ted’s guitar in particular was phenomenal, I was buzzing for days afterwards.

Q. - Who were your principal influences at that time?

Sean - I was a pretty mixed up kid musically, there was a lot going on in the late 70s/early 80s musically and although it tended to be quite tribal I was a bit of a rebel...and I think that manifested in the music we ended up making. I was into Sabbath, Van Halen, Rainbow, Rush, Preist, Motorhead...the usual suspects...but I also had time for Bowie, The Cramps, Alice Cooper, Zappa, Buzzcocks, Magazine, Pistols, Kraftwerk and some of the wilder regions of disco and psychedelia. Ted in the meantime was into the same stuff plus more ‘muso’ acts such as Be-Bop Deluxe and King Crimson. He was also a huge Hendrix and Marc Bolan Fan I recall. Chris was Rush, Rush, Rush and more Rush. Dave was into all sorts and introduced me to Parliament, Alex Harvey and early rap (Sugarhill Gang, Grandmaster Flash, Lenny ‘the hat’ White, etc) – we loved all sorts of stuff. And when Warren Heighway (our manager) came on the scene early in 81 it really kicked in to a whole other gear as we were doing gigs with Angie Bowie, Jayne County and the like and he was introducing us to Nina Hagen, Klaus Nomi, Toyah, the New York Dolls and all sorts of fabulous weirdos. That influenced our theatricality a lot. He also managed Jayne County in the UK.

Q. - How did the band name came up?

Sean - When I got there it was already settled – and I loved it so no argument from me, but as I understand it Ted, Dave & Chris were sat around in the pub thinking that ‘Silverthorn’ was a bit rubbish and started toying with ideas. Someone said ‘Precious Alien’ and it was Colin Seddon from Biting Tongues who said ‘What about Sacred Alien’. The Manchester scene was quite small back then...and everyone knew everyone else. So we all knew the guys from ACR, 808 State, The Fall, Crispy Ambulance, Biting Tongues, and later Oasis, Smiths, Charlatans, etc and hung out with them...even though they HATED metal!

Q. - What do you recall from the recording of the 1981 demo tape? Did you sell that demo at shows, send it to fanzines?

Sean - I remember that it was the first time I had ever been in a studio! We did all 4 tracks in two days I recall and the whole thing cost £100. Tracks were:

1. Portrait

2. Eternal Flame

3. Energy

4. Both Sides of the Globe

It was recorded at Graveyard studios (next to a graveyard natch) and was basically some guys’ damp basement. The playing on it is pretty loose and it is not very well engineered. In fact the track ‘Both Sides of the Globe’ has an acoustic intro on it that is so low in the mix you can hardly hear it for the tape hiss. It sounded fine on the playback but when we got it home it was useless. By the time we went back to the studio they had already re-used the 2” multitrack master so we were stuck with it. We ended up cutting if off the cassette versions we sent out. I do have a version with it on...for superfans only! I think the best tracks on that demo are ‘Energy’ (a full 8:56” version!) and ‘Portrait’. We sent it out to record companies and to Sounds/NME but there wasn’t much of a fanzine scene for metal back then, or at least, not one we knew about. We did send it to some rock club DJs who put it on their playlists. Geoff Barton picked it up and featured it in the ‘Armed & Ready’ section of Kerrang! Number 3. I guess we missed a trick but no, we never sold any at gigs so the original cassettes are pretty rare I guess.

Q. - Did you play regularly in the UK, back then? Or was it hard for a heavy metal band to be booked at that time?

Sean - We played as often as we could! We picked up gigs with bands coming through Manchester and played all sorts of rock pub and club gigs of our own. Not all of the shows were quite the right audience for us...we played a couple of gigs where they were expecting a cabaret covers band and it was a bit of a shock when I leapt onstage dressed in red lycra, wailing like a banshee with Ted’s guitar soaring like a passing fleet of UFOs and the double bass-drum and bass guitar assault from Chris & Dave shaking their pints of Mild & Bitter. We were paid off after the first set a few times. We played gigs with Angel Witch, Buffalo, Hanoi Rocks, Jayne County, Mud, Paul DiAnno’s Lone Wolf, Wrathchild, Silverwing, Diamond Head, Venom...loads of bands.

It wasn’t particularly hard to get gigs as there was a huge live music scene back then...more than there is now...but finding the right gigs was a bit more difficult.

Q. - Do you recall the songs you were playing at that time?

Sean - Yes, we have a couple of live tapes that still exist from back then. Obviously, the set changed as we wrote new material, but typically we would play a set that included:

Spiritual Planet

Portrait

Welcome Inside

Eternal Flame

Both Sides of the Globe

Electric Beam Squad

Open Your Eyes

Do You See Me? – (Never recorded and lost in the mists of time).

Attack, Attack – (I believe a version of this might exist from a recording of the Glamfest in Salford, but I haven’t been able to track down a copy).

Legends

Energy

We also revolved a few covers around:

Suffragette City

20 th Century Boy

Nights in White Satin

Foxy Lady

Queen Bitch

Knock on Wood

Q. - Did the single "Spiritual Planet" have air play, at that time, on radio stations? And how was it received by Sacred Alien fans?

Sean - The single got some airplay on local radio but not huge amounts. There was only one rock show on national radio at the time which was the legendary Tommy Vance “Friday Rock Show” on BBC Radio 1. However, we were an indie release so we couldn’t get through the BBC defences to get it played at that time. Things were very different, small bands just didn’t have the same access they do now. We did a run of 1000 singles and they sold out, which was cool. So I guess it went down well with fans!

Q. - Did you try to approach a record deal after the edition of the single?

Sean - Yes, that was the ultimate goal and really the single was designed to be a fancy demo to get us a deal. But it didn’t quite work – we were difficult to pin down stylistically and the cracks were starting to show as the band got more serious. Dave was starting to get cold feet about touring and committing 100% to the band. We had interviews at EMI, CBS, Warners...lots of big labels, but none took the bait and that led to more self-doubt.

Q. - Is there any other recordings by Sacred Alien besides the two singles and the 81 demo tape?

Sean - The complete studio recordings are:

1. Graveyard Demos – early ‘81 – 4 tracks as detailed above – released on cassette as promo only

2. Hologram single recording – late ‘81. Released as first single on Greenwood Music. 1000 copies.

Spiritual Planet

Energy

3. Pennine Studio demos – late ’81 - 48 track swanky studio session we won in a battle of the bands competition.

Eternal Flame (a re-record of the song we did at Graveyard and earmarked as our second single – we never sent this out)

Legends – (this was meant to be the B-side but when we heard it we decided this was the single)

Welcome Inside – likewise, never available as a promo as far as I am aware.

‘Legends’ was released as the second single which we split with a band called ‘Virgin’ mainly for cost purposes – their side had a track called ‘Sittin’ in the Front Row’. I don’t think they would mind being described as an Angel rip-off band. The guitarist and lead singer Paul Rooney now plays and writes for punk legends Vice Squad. Fab guy. It was released on our own ‘Heighway Robbery Wreckords’ and we got a fair bit of publicity from the idea of a shared single, including a feature and interviews on BBC Radio 1.

4. Pluto Studio sessions – late ’82.

Spiritual Planet (Re-record 82 version)

Electric Beam Squad

Open Your Eyes

20 th Century Boy – recorded as live

Knock on Wood – recorded as live

Ziggy Stardust – recorded as live

This session was with two new members. Chris & Dave had left and we had Darren Wilcock on Drums and Paul Davies on Bass. This was missing for years but a beaten up 1/4” tape turned up recently and we managed to extract the tracks by baking the tape. The 3 covers were recorded in a hurry at the end of the session live in the studio and are put down pretty much as performed, no overdubs, no do overs. We recorded them so we had something to play potential promoters if they wanted to hear ‘something we know’.

We have a couple of live tapes in the collection as well. One is from the legendary UMIST gig from May 1981 as reviewed in SOUNDS. With Diamond Head, Silverwing, Tora Tora, Venom. Features about 5 songs. The other is a recording of a gig a bit later at the Spread Eagle, a bikers bar in Ashton. A regular stop for rock bands on the North Western Rock circuit.

Q. - Sacred Alien had a theatrical presence on stage, how did that happened and who came up with the idea?

Sean - It was pretty much a natural extension of our personalities! I come alive onstage and we were always very against the idea of just turning up in an AC/DC t-shirt like a lot of bands at the time. Our music isn’t about girls and motorbikes so our onstage persona isn’t either. I was also a trained dancer so if there is a beat I am going to be moving to it. Ted is a great performer and when I first met him his ‘going to the pub’ outfit included a huge black velvet Dracula Cloak. To this day he is a very ‘interesting’ character...I’ll just leave it at that. Chris has always loved to perform...if you see him play you’ll see he is mesmerising and really stands out for the audience, which is quite something for a drummer stuck behind the kit. We really wanted every show to be an experience so music, visuals and performance all become one...it should be a show! We always strove for that.

Q. - When did Sacred Alien split up? What happened that lead to the break?

Sean - It was a kind of slow death rather than an actual split. Dave (bass) left in late ’81 when we got offered a support tour. He basically said “no, can’t go on the tour, never wanted this to be serious, sorry, I’m joining the Police” (as a policeman, not as a replacement for Sting) so we had to turn the tour down and it was a real setback. We got Paul Davies in on bass who had played in funk bands before and was great, he brought a

real groove to the set, but soon after he joined Chris (drums) left and we got Darren Wilcock in. He was a session guy from Rochdale and a brilliant rock drummer, however after a few shows it was clear neither of them really fitted in and so once again it was back to me & Ted. So, determined to keep going we teamed up with an old pal John Murney (also know as Johnny Vincent, and Johnny Skullknuckles) on Bass and Mark Robinson (Robbo) on drums. As Sacred Alien MKIV we released Legends (the Pennine recording) and it is the MKIV line up on the picture sleeve, even though it was MKI that recorded it. Johnny & I really hit it off and started writing loads of new songs but it was very, very different to Sacred Alien...so with regret sometime in late ’83 we decided the cosmic trip was over. Ted left Johnny & I to form ‘White Trash’ who gigged from 84- 88...but that’s another story.

Q. - Did you stay in touch with the other former members over the years?

Sean - I have lost touch with Darren but I hear he is a studio session drummer in Germany...Paul seems to have completely disappeared. As for Johnny and all the originals we all stayed friends and all stayed in Manchester...so we have seen each other a lot over the years. I joined Chris’s rock covers band ‘MonkeyGun’ in the early 2000s and played with him for a few years and Ted and Dave have been in and out of bands together all through the years since. They have a band together playing Blues and R&B called ‘The Basics’ who are brilliant. In the meantime we all went along to each other’s birthdays, weddings and gigs...each time saying “Hey...we should get Sacred Alien back together sometime” but never doing anything about it...until now.

Sadly, Dave was still a bit reluctant to commit to Sacred Alien full time, so for MKV we have drafted in Chris’s brother Mike who also plays bass for Kopek Millionaires and

Department S. We are keeping it in the family.

Q. - Have you ever thought about doing a proper cd edition, compiling the demo tape and singles recorded by Sacred Alien?

Sean - Oh yes...we have thought about it, a lot! And now we have finally got serious. There will be a release of all the old stuff soon probably on CD and vinyl. Can’t say too much right now but more will be revealed.

Q. - After the split of Sacred Alien you tried to move on as White Trash, how did that happen, is there any recordings as White Trash?

Sean - As I mentioned it was a natural progression for Johnny & I and it was a great band.

Quite different to SA, much less psychedelic and cosmic...more punky-metal. We recorded an album for Music For Nations but they never released it. I have quite a lot of stuff in the vault...maybe someday. Johnny went on to play with Goldblade and now has a great band called ‘Kopek Millionaires’ who have actually recorded a couple of White Trash songs. After White Trash, Johnny and I stayed together and in 1990 formed a band in London called ‘Narcotic’. We recorded an album’s worth of demos for EMI that never saw the light of day.

Q. - What do you think of this recent revival of the N.W.O.B.H.M., and all these bands reforming?

Sean - I love it. It’s brilliant. It was actually my good mate Kev from Tysondog (who also played with Chris & I in MonkeyGun) that finally convinced us to get together and do it, he’d left MonkeyGun to reform Tysondog and every time I met him he was having a blast...doing festivals and gigs all over the world for NWOBHM fanatics, some of whom weren’t even born when we were originally around. I think we, like many of the bands who have got back together are now in the position of having the time and money to be a bit self-indulgent and saying ‘sod it...I’m doing what I want!’ – and if they are anything like us they are looking back on the time they had back in the 80s and realising it was effing brilliant. We’ve paid the mortgage, the kids have grown up, somehow we are not dead, and we can remember how to play guitar...so why the hell not...let’s make a glorious noise.

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the eighties and the reality of today?

Sean - There is really one major difference. Technology:

1. Internet: If we had the internet back then things would have been very different. It was so difficult to get exposure back then without a major label or music press behind you – now you can be a star without leaving your bedroom.

2. Digital Recording: We could never afford to buy the 2” masters of our sessions so once they were mixed, that was it. You couldn’t get a decent recording without tens of thousands of pounds worth of equipment and studio engineering. Now...well...bedroom again. It has taken a long time to find the best surviving versions of our original demos (some of which only survive on cassette), which would not have been a problem if they’d been recorded in this lossless age.

Q. - Anything more you want to say, to end up this interview?

Sean - If there is anyone reading this who would like to book us for a show, or just have a chat please get in touch. We are on @SacredAlienBand on Instagram and have a facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/sacredalienband/  . I am setting up a bandcamp site for new music and of course, as I write in Summer of 2019...there will be release news very soon. Once we have put the original demos and singles out we will start recording new material. We already have nearly an album’s worth of great new songs which I am itching to get recorded.

Watch the Skies!

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!

My absolute pleasure!

Assasin

The band Assasin came up in 1979, during the heydays of the NWOBHM. The song "Lonely Southern Road" appeared on the compilation Metal Fatigue in 1982. We had a chat with Tony Barton (Guitars & Vocals) to know more about Assasin.

Q. - Hello Tony, tell us a bit about the beginning of Assasin, how did it all start? How did you get in touch with the other members?

Tony - Me and my Brother Ian had previously messed around with friends, Ian singing and me joining in on guitar. One weekend, me and Ian, began to chat about a proper band and put a advert in the local paper, asking for members. Karl Chester, who sadly died a few years ago, became our lead guitarist. Our Ian had been learning bass, so we did a few sessions together, to see how it felt. We then managed to find our first drummer, John. But that didn’t work out. Then we managed to poach Steve, from a band called Warrior, who were, a Lizzy tribute band. We then started our rehearsing in earnest.

Q. - Who were your principal influences at that time?

Tony - Bands that I still like to this day. Judas Priest, ACDC, Black Sabbath. Karl was also into Uriah Heep, Scorpions and Blue Oyster Cult.

Q. - How did the band name came up?

Tony - That’s a hard one to remember, but I do remember it happened quite soon after Karl joined us. So the name was in place, before the band was complete. I think the name came over a pint, following a rehearsal. Several names were thought of Avenger, Laye, Storm Bird, to name a few.

Q. - Did you start writing your own songs since the beginning or were you most concentrated on covers?

Tony - Most of our stuff, was self-penned. Ian wrote the lyrics and I did the arrangements.

We had been writing stuff together for some time, but nothing serious. But I think a direction had emerged and we continued to write that way all through the time we were together.

Q. - Did you record any demo tapes? What do you recall from these recording season?

Tony - We visited the studio a few times. Usually for a weekend. The first day was purely recording, with overdubs and mastering the second day.

Q. - Did you sell the demo at shows, send it to fanzines? What feedback did you receive from this demo?

Tony - We did compile a cassette I recall. Everyone seemed to have their own opinion on our best recording.

Q. - In 1982 comes the compilation "Metal Fatigue", with the song "Lonely Southern Road", how did that happen?

Tony - We read an add in Sounds, for bands to play on a debut album, for a new label opening in Hull. We sent off a live recording and was invited to the studio to take part in the project. We also recorded another song of our own called Highway Lightning.

The studio liked Lonely Southern Road and asked for it to be included on the album. It was a good experience.

Q. - Was there any promotional tour after the release of this compilation? Did you get support from the media back then? Radio, magazines, fanzines?

Tony - No tour as such. But we did have a piece in Kerrang and was played by Tommy Vance on Radio 1 and other bits and pieces.

Q. - Did you play regularly in the UK, back then? Or was it hard for a heavy metal band to be booked at that time?

Tony - We did go out quite a bit, but not as much as we’d like. Primarily, because we didn’t play many covers and it was hard back then to gain the respect of the public at the best of times, but harder when you’re performing material that’s un-familiar. But we did have quite a few people that actually travelled around to watch us at different places. Some even as far as Stoke on Trent, which even now, I think was awesome.

Q. - Do you recall the songs you were playing at that time?

Tony - Many of them. Lonely Southern Road, How Do You Know, Down Town Drifter, Avenger, C’mon Lets Rock, Take You Away. We would usually perform for around 1:40hrs.

Q. - Did you have conversations in order to approach a label, to record an LP after the compilation?

Tony - We were actually approached by Heavy Metal Records in Wolverhampton, with a view to recording a single. Unfortunately, be broke up, during the initial discussions.

We also received a nice letter from Virgin, saying that they liked are stuff, but it’s not something that they’re currently looking for.

Q. - When did Assasin split up? What happened that lead to the break?

Tony - 1992 It all really happened as a result of the approach from Heavy Metal Records. Karl began to feel insecure about his input, and despite our best efforts, couldn’t reassure him. The studios time restrictions, didn’t give us the time to try and find a replacement. Then we lost our rehearsal room and it all proved to much, and we called it a day. Really sad day that.

Q. - Did you stay in touch with the other former members over the years?

Tony - For a few years yes. Obviously, Ian is my Brother. Steve moved away and we lost touch completely, the last I heard, he was resident drummer in some working men’s club. Karl died of leukaemia seral years ago now. Very sad.

Q. - I presume that was an honour for you to take part of a movement as important as the NWOBHM, tell us a bit about those days and the impact it had in general?

Tony - There were some great bands around, one or two lucky enough to be signed to a label. Most were cover bands, some were good at what they did. But being part of the rock scene around the North of England and still being talked about still gives me a buzz.

Q. - What do you think of this recent revival of the N.W.O.B.H.M., and all these bands reforming?

Tony - I think it’s great that the demand for these bands is still strong. People still want to hear these bands and acknowledge, that we have something important to offer, something worthwhile, to bring to the party Ha! Ha!

Q. - Have you ever thought about compiling all the "Assasin" recordings in a proper cd release?

Tony - As we speak, the finishing touches are being concluded for an Assasin album. High Roller Records, in Germany are taking care of the production of it. I have no release date as yet and the unconfirmed title is Lonely Southern Road. As soon as I get a release date, I shall let you know.

Q. - So what are you doing these days? Do you still play in any band, or are you still a heavy metal fan?

Tony - I never stopped writing music after the band split in 92. I now have a small studio in my front room and was doing all my creative stuff by computer, writing and compiling sequences, for all the different instruments. I was writing pop believe it or not Bass, Drums, Synths, Brass. Then suddenly this album project came up and everything changed. I am now writing on guitar again, basically getting back up to speed as I hadn’t played a guitar for over 20yrs. I now have a manager and in the very early stages of putting Assasin Mk2 together. Ian won’t be involved with the actual performing of any future material, but I have asked him to keep himself in the loop, by contributing lyrics.

Q. - Anything more you want to say, to end up this interview?

Tony - 2019 as so far been a dream and I’m really excited about the future. I’m working hard, with heavy rock, never really out of my mind. Currently been working through my first riffs in over 20yrs. I am now getting a buzz out playing again. It will be totally mind blowing to finally get an album out there.

I am off to Tenerife next month and looking forward to putting my feet up, for a couple of weeks Ha! Ha!

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!

Neil Wilkinson (Spartan Warrior)

Spartan Warrior is back with the new album "Hell to Pay", we had a chat with guitar player Neil Wilkinson, about the new album and the early days.

Q. – Hello Neil, tell us a bit about your early days, how did Spartan Warrior start? Who were your major influences at that time?

Neil - Well I’ve always been into music for as long as I can remember and always had instruments as a kid. Actually when I was four or five I wanted be a drummer but drum kits were expensive and made a lot of noise. Instead I was given a guitar as a xmas present and it sort of went on from there with me playing on and off until I formed my first band and became more serious about it . As a kid I was probably most influenced by bands that were well known but were definitely on the rock side and at that time were glam bands like Slade and The Sweet. Then as we got older Dave would bring home albums by Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, UFO and Thin Lizzy and I also got into them and things progressed from there. In terms of guitar playing I would say Michael Schenker was my biggest influence in fact hes still my favourite guitarist.

How was Spartan Warrior formed? I suppose it formed slowly. Me and Dave were I’m a band together called Easy Prey that we formed while we were at school with friends. Dave was asked to join a local band called Deceiver. Hed been in them a little while when they asked me to play as stand in because one of their guitarists had broken his arm. Then shortly after their other guitarist left so I was asked to join and I accepted. I’d been in Deceiver a while and my friend John Stormont joined too. At that point it became obvious that the band was moving in a different direction and that’s when we decided to change the band’s name, to reflect that it had become something else, and that’s when Spartan Warrior came into existence .It was when we started to record the Steel n Chains album that John left and Paul swaddle came in to complete the line up that did the first two albums.

Q. - How did the band name came up?

Neil - Ha ha, well when we decided to change the bands name we all came up with different suggestions and they all went in a hat.Spartan Warrior got picked out, but I’m not sure that any other suggestions actually got put in there if you know what I mean ha.

Q. - Did you start writing your own songs since the beginning or were you most concentrated on covers?

Neil - If you’re talking about from when I joined then yes, we pretty much started writing songs straight away with my first contributions being Steel n Chains and Easy Prey from what I remember. We still played some covers at gigs but those songs became less and less as we wrote new material to the point that by the time we were recording Steel n Chains we only did one cover and that was because we just really enjoyed playing it.

Q. - By the time that "Steel n' Chains" was released the NWOBHM days were fading away, did you play regularly in the UK back then or was it hard for a heavy metal band to be booked at that time?

Neil - Around that time we only ever played locally in bars and nightclubs and yes it was difficult for us, but I think that that was just how it was for a metal band at the time.

Q. - Why did you call the second album "Spartan Warrior" and not the first one?

Neil - I think it was all down to lack of communication. We had just finished recording Steel n Chains when we signed to Roadrunner who of course wanted an album from us immediately. So we went in the studio pretty much straight away to record songs that we hadn’t used on Steel n Chains. Just before we started recording the owner of Guardian got the ok from roadrunner to release Steel n Chains but by the time we delivered the second album to them I think it just wasn’t on their radar and they thought that the Roadrunner album was our first. Either way we had wanted the album to be called Assassin and we had ideas for the cover but I don’t think those ideas were communicated to the label by the person who was acting as a go between for us and the label. The next thing we know we asked to go through to the studio and we get presented with the album just titled Spartan Warrior with the skull cover. Not what we had wanted, but it is a great cover!

Q. - Did you get support in the media back then? Radio, magazines, fanzines?

Neil - Yes there were some reviews and radio plays but I can’t remember exactly what or how much. I seem to remember that support was quite limited though because around then there was a change of direction in rock music with a lot of the American glam bands coming to the fore and focus shifted towards that. The label were also keen to move in a different direction, in fact they asked us to change our style and play “devil music” for the third album that didn’t happen. I think you can see that if you look at the bands Roadrunner had at the time.

Q. - Which other bands did you share the stage with during the eighties? Was it headline shows? Did you use pyro effects?

Neil - Back then we only did gigs on our own so I suppose it wasn’t headlining as such or supporting - just gigging. We would always try to put a show on by hiring lights and yes we did use pyros, mostly at the beginning of Stormer when everything kicks in as we used to open with that. I remember when we played Headbangers Open Air in 2011 we opened with it and I kind of missed the pyros even after 25 years ha ha. Id love to use them again, in fact we nearly did at Blast From The Past Festival in Belgium, but these days with health and safety you have to be careful I guess. Maybe one day ill sort it out, Id love that.

Q. - With a stable line up and two good albums, why did you split up in 85? What happened that lead to the break?

Neil - There were various reasons the biggest being Dave leaving. But previous to that there were some things that we weren’t happy with. First there was the issue with the second album title and cover. While it wasn’t a big thing in itself it was part of a few things that all added up. I know Paul wasn’t happy with the production and that led to some conflict between him and the producer and the producer would then try to involved the rest of us but mostly Dave, who would get phone calls at stupid o clock with problems. Mind none of us were happy with how the second album had turned out, not totally on sound but more the way it was recorded, with a massive amount of time being spent on bass and drums, less time on guitar and virtually no time on vocals with Dave having to sing all the songs in a day maybe just over a day. In fact he had to do so much in one go that at one point he lost his voice, listen to the vocal on Sentenced To Die. He sounds like hes got a sore throat and it was just before his voice went altogether. We all wanted to re do it but the producer insisted on keeping it. Also because so much time was spent recording bass and drums that we ran out of time and money. The result was we only had 9 songs recorded. We were keen to raise the extra and record a tenth song but again a decision was made and the result was we showed up at the studio to find that the producer had extended some of the songs by editing them. You can hear an example of this on Broken Promises with the guitar solo repeating and also Mercenary as well as some others. That was a big issue for us and we weren’t happy about it at all. Eventually Dave who had just got married and bought a house thought enough was enough. Shortly after Paul left after we had demoed some songs for a third album. As I said earlier the label wanted us to alter our style and play “devil music“, so we just said sorry that’s not what we do and asked to be released from our contract, which they very kindly agreed to. Me and the remaining members continued for quite some time but ultimately decided to call it a day. So splitting was an accumulation of things really.

Q. - Did you remain in touch with the other former members all over the years?

Neil - Yes I’ve stayed in touch, John Stormont is one of my oldest friends and we still meet up regularly and I saw Paul at a recent gig which was really nice, but it's been a while since I’ve seen Tom or Gordon.

Q. - What made you feel like reunite Spartan Warrior again?

Neil - Well to be honest there hasn’t been a time when I haven’t wanted to do Spartan Warrior, it’s kind of in my blood if you get what I mean? Over the years it’s become part of who I am rather than just a band I happen to be in. I made the decision to try and reform Spartan Warrior just after I’d done a brief spell in Waysted. Obviously while I was with Waysted I was writing songs with them and sometimes I would listen to ideas that I’d had before joining. I would often think I’d love to do these with Spartan, so it was on my mind then .Then when my time with Waysted came to an end I gave it some thought and decided to try and get the band back together. I remember being encouraged by seeing stuff about us on the internet so I knew there was still interest in us although I admit I was surprised to see that after all those years! That was the deciding factor for me as I’ve always wanted to do Spartan anyway but didn’t think there was any point if there wasn’t any interest. Thankfully that wasn’t the case!

Q. - "Behind Closed Eyes" was your return, did you try to keep the 80's spirit alive?

Neil - Absolutely. The whole point of Behind Closed Eyes was just to pick up from where we left off and also right some of the wrongs we felt about the second album. That’s why the first song we did for it was Never Take Me Alive. Me and Dave wrote that in the 80s and it was originally recorded for the Steel n Chains album. In fact we were in the middle of putting the vocal down for it for steel n Chains when the producer announced he didn’t think the song worked and was dropping it from the album! We were shocked. We thought it was shaping up to be the best song we had recorded at that point and were gutted when it didn’t make it onto the album. So yes the intention was most definitely to keep that 80s spirit alive and that also carried over into the Hell To Pay album. I suppose it’s all just doing what comes naturally to us.

Q. - -"Hell To Pay" is out now, what expectations do you have for it? Are you happy with its final result? Will you try to tour Europe?

Neil - My expectations for Hell To Pay? Well I’d like to sell millions of albums and tour the world promoting it ha ha. Realistically though, I don’t really have any expectation these days. You never know how an album will be received but fortunately it’s been mostly very positive. But I do it because I enjoy playing and writing songs so my only real expectation is id like people to enjoy it for what it is although millions of sales would be great too ha ha.

In terms of am I happy with it? That’s a difficult question for me to answer because I wrote songs on it, played on it and also produced it and when you’re involved in so many ways its sometimes difficult to take a step back and just listen to it for what it is. I had a lot to learn to produce Hell To Pay and I can say that I’m happy overall with how it turned out, but anyone who knows me will tell you that I’m always striving to do better, and because of that I’m never totally content with anything I do. That’s just the way I am and sometimes it can be a pain.

As far as touring Europe goes, yes I’d love to do that and we do have some gigs coming up with British steel Fest in France, Trueheim in Germany and Firestorm up in Scotland. I'd like to get to other countries and other parts of the world too but it can be difficult factoring in people lives and commitments, that’s just how it is. But who knows? More stuff might happen and that would be great.

Q. - What gives you more strength to keep Spartan Warrior alive after all these years?

Neil - Well doing interviews like this and getting positive feedback keeps me motivated. I’ve said before that most people like to be liked and I’m no exception to that and its appreciated. I also stay motivated by keep trying to move forward and learn something new which for me at the moment is mostly on the recording and production side, but that’s great and it keeps me on my toes! I just enjoy doing what we do really.

Q. - Having you been part of it, what do you think about all the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement, and the repercussion it had around the world? How did you live those days?

Neil - Well it’s an honour being included as part of that movement. To be honest back then I didn’t give it much thought but over the years I’ve come to realise just how much of an impact it did have. I suppose the more successful bands of the genre speak for themselves and their influence is fairly obvious, but those less successful in a commercial sense have probably had just as much influence on the bands that followed them. You’ve only got to look at some very successful metal bands who’ll happily tell you that they were influenced by bands from the NWOBHM. In more recent times there’s a whole load of young bands who are playing and writing in that style and who are also listening to bands like Spartan Warrior, which is one of the reasons for the continued resurgence of NWOBHM. Happy days eh!

Q. - Are you still a heavy metal fan these days?

Neil - Always was, always will be, what’s not to like about heavy metal!

Q. - In your opinion what are the main differences between the eighties and the reality of today?

Neil - I suppose that any differences are mostly down to advances in technology the internet and the fact people are more connected these days. Everyone has a computer or phone so it’s very easy to get your music out there, and of course people like me are able to produce their music themselves form their home studios. In fact I know that people have said that back in the 80s the nwobhm movement was very diy. I personally think it’s more diy now than it was then. Back then I’d pay to go into a studio with a producer, now I do it myself and there are loads just like me doing exactly the same. I would say that on the whole things are easier now and they move a lot faster. I remember sending demos off to record companies using mail and you’d have to wait for weeks or months before hearing anything. Now you just email it over. Also interviews like this are so much easier. It's also easier to get gigs because people are more connected and it’s easier to travel to those gigs. So yep technology has made a big difference.

Q. - Anything more you want to say, to end up this interview?

Neil - Thank you for asking me to do this interview! Also thanks to everyone who's supported Spartan Warrior over the years, I appreciate it very much. Hopefully I’ll get to see some of you at a gig soon, If you see me come and say hi. Cheers Neil.

Thank you for your time, and wish you all the best for the future!