Avenger (British band)
Encyclopedia
Avenger are a heavy metal
band from Newcastle, England. Associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
scene, they released two albums in the 1980s before splitting up. The band reunited in 2005.
, split up. Adding Steve Bird to the lineup, the group began recording demos, and an old Blitzkrieg song, "Hot 'n' Heavy Express", was their first appearance on record, included on a Neat Records
compilation EP. Their debut single for Neat, "Too Wild to Tame", followed in October 1983 after the addition of guitarist John Brownless.
Shortly after this, lead singer Brian Ross left the group to join Satan
; Satan's singer, Ian Swift, promptly joined Avenger as lead vocalist. Adding guitarist Les Cheetham, they released their first LP, Blood Sports
, in 1984.
A second album followed shortly after on Neat, entitled Killer Elite
. The group toured the United States in 1986. Les Cheetham and the band then parted company, as did Garry Young. The touring duty of the US fell to Darren Kurland and Les Cheetham's replacement Greg Reiter. Upon returning to England the group broke up, with Ian Swift joining Atomkraft
and Garry later joining Blitzkrieg
.
The group's entire discography was released in 2002 by Sanctuary Records
. In 2005 they reunited and toured across the UK with Y&T
, among others.
The Avenger line-up changed again in 2007 with the departure of original bassist Mick Moore. The new line up of Avenger featuring Ian Swift on vocals, Garry Young, Liam Thompson (guitarist of Death in Blood), Sean Jefferies (guitarist of Fallen Skies, Earthrod) and Huw Holding (bass) have since toured with / played alongside bands such as Twisted Sister
, Candlemass
, Saxon
, Rage
, Raven
, Sinner
, Grim Reaper
, UFO
, Cradle of Filth
, Skyclad
and Diamond Head
in 2007
The group will release a new album entitled The Slaughter Never Stops in 2009.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band from Newcastle, England. Associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal
New Wave of British Heavy Metal
The New Wave of British Heavy Metal was a heavy metal movement that started in the late 1970s, in Britain, and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. The movement developed as a reaction in part to the decline of early heavy metal bands such as Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Black...
scene, they released two albums in the 1980s before splitting up. The band reunited in 2005.
History
Brian Ross, Mick Moore & Garry Young founded Avenger late in 1982 after Ross & Moore's previous group, BlitzkriegBlitzkrieg (band)
Blitzkrieg are a heavy metal band from Leicester formed in 1980, consisting of Brian Ross , Ken Johnson , Guy Laverick , Paul Brewis and Phil Brewis ....
, split up. Adding Steve Bird to the lineup, the group began recording demos, and an old Blitzkrieg song, "Hot 'n' Heavy Express", was their first appearance on record, included on a Neat Records
Neat Records
Neat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
compilation EP. Their debut single for Neat, "Too Wild to Tame", followed in October 1983 after the addition of guitarist John Brownless.
Shortly after this, lead singer Brian Ross left the group to join Satan
Satan (band)
Satan are a heavy metal band originating from Newcastle, England in 1979, known as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. " Though generally obscure throughout their career, the band is considered influential for playing a form of proto-thrash metal that was fairly advanced by the...
; Satan's singer, Ian Swift, promptly joined Avenger as lead vocalist. Adding guitarist Les Cheetham, they released their first LP, Blood Sports
Blood Sports (album)
Blood Sports is a 1984 album released by the British heavy metal band Avenger. It was reissued in 2002 by Frontline Records.- Track listing :# "Enforcer" - 3:52# "You'll Never Take Me " - 3:22# "Matriach" - 3:51# "Warfare" - 5:26...
, in 1984.
A second album followed shortly after on Neat, entitled Killer Elite
Killer Elite
Killer Elite is a 1985 album released by the British heavy metal band Avenger. It was released by Neat Records.-Track list:The following is the track list for Killer Elite:-Personnel:*Ian Davison Swift - Lead vocals*Greg Reiter - Guitars...
. The group toured the United States in 1986. Les Cheetham and the band then parted company, as did Garry Young. The touring duty of the US fell to Darren Kurland and Les Cheetham's replacement Greg Reiter. Upon returning to England the group broke up, with Ian Swift joining Atomkraft
Atomkraft
Atomkraft are an English heavy/speed metal band who were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They formed in 1979 and disbanded 1988. Their "Total Metal" approach is somewhere between fellow NWOBHM bands such as Motörhead and Venom, punk rock bands such as The Dickies, and early...
and Garry later joining Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg (band)
Blitzkrieg are a heavy metal band from Leicester formed in 1980, consisting of Brian Ross , Ken Johnson , Guy Laverick , Paul Brewis and Phil Brewis ....
.
The group's entire discography was released in 2002 by Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
. In 2005 they reunited and toured across the UK with Y&T
Y&T
Y&T is an American hard rock/heavy metal band formed in 1974. They hail from Oakland, California...
, among others.
The Avenger line-up changed again in 2007 with the departure of original bassist Mick Moore. The new line up of Avenger featuring Ian Swift on vocals, Garry Young, Liam Thompson (guitarist of Death in Blood), Sean Jefferies (guitarist of Fallen Skies, Earthrod) and Huw Holding (bass) have since toured with / played alongside bands such as Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from Long Island. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands...
, Candlemass
Candlemass
Candlemass are an influential Swedish doom metal band established in 1984 by Leif Edling , their leader and songwriter. The band is originally from Stockholm. After releasing five full-length albums and touring extensively throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Candlemass disbanded in 1994, but...
, Saxon
Saxon (band)
Saxon are an English heavy metal band, formed in 1976 in Barnsley, Yorkshire. As front-runners of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, they had 8 UK Top 40 albums in the 1980s including 4 UK Top 10 albums. Saxon also had numerous singles in the Top 20 singles chart...
, Rage
Rage (band)
Rage are a German heavy metal band, formed in 1984. They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene to emerge in the early to mid 1980s, along with bands such as Helloween, Running Wild and Blind Guardian.-Background:...
, Raven
Raven (band)
Raven are an English heavy metal band associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. They had a hit with the single "On and On", and refer to their music as "athletic rock".-Formation:...
, Sinner
Sinner (band)
Sinner are a German heavy metal band formed by vocalist and bassist Mat Sinner in 1982 . They were part of the German heavy/speed/power metal scene. Their latest album, One Bullet Left, was released in 2011.-History:...
, Grim Reaper
Grim Reaper (band)
Grim Reaper are a British heavy metal band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal era. The band was formed in 1979 in Droitwich, England, by guitarist Nick Bowcott.-Early years :...
, UFO
UFO (band)
UFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
, Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth
Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band, formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic black metal, and other extreme metal styles, while their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily...
, Skyclad
Skyclad (band)
Skyclad are a British heavy metal band with heavy folk influences in their music. They are considered one of the pioneers of folk metal. The etymology behind the term "skyclad" comes from a pagan/wiccan term for ritual nudity, in which rituals are performed with the participants metaphorically clad...
and Diamond Head
Diamond Head (band)
Diamond Head are an English heavy metal band formed in 1976 in Stourbridge, England. The band is recognised as one of the leading members of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and is acknowledged by later bands like Metallica and Megadeth as an important early influence.-Early history:Formed by...
in 2007
The group will release a new album entitled The Slaughter Never Stops in 2009.
Members
- Brian Ross - vocals (1982–1984)
- Ian Swift - vocals (1984-1986 - 2005-2009)
- Andy Eden Watson - Vocals (2009–Present)
- Dean Thompson - Guitar (2008–Present)
- Mick Moore - bass (1982 1986 - 2005 - 2007)
- Steve Bird - guitar
- Gary Young - drums (1982-1986 - 2005–Present)
- John Brownless - guitar
- Les Cheetham - guitar (1984–1985)
- Greg Reiter - guitar (1985–1986)
- Darren Kurland - drums (1986)
- Sean Jefferies - Guitar (2006–2009)
- Liam Thompson - Guitar (2005–Present)
- Huw Holding - Bass (2006–2009)
- Ian 'Fuzz' Fulton - Bass (2010–Present)
Discography
- One Take No Dubs... - Live in the studio (Neat RecordsNeat RecordsNeat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
compilation, 1982) - Too Wild to Tame/On the Rocks 7" (Neat RecordsNeat RecordsNeat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
, 1983) - Blood SportsBlood Sports (album)Blood Sports is a 1984 album released by the British heavy metal band Avenger. It was reissued in 2002 by Frontline Records.- Track listing :# "Enforcer" - 3:52# "You'll Never Take Me " - 3:22# "Matriach" - 3:51# "Warfare" - 5:26...
(Neat RecordsNeat RecordsNeat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
, 1984) - Killer EliteKiller EliteKiller Elite is a 1985 album released by the British heavy metal band Avenger. It was released by Neat Records.-Track list:The following is the track list for Killer Elite:-Personnel:*Ian Davison Swift - Lead vocals*Greg Reiter - Guitars...
(Neat RecordsNeat RecordsNeat Records was a record label based near Newcastle, England. The label was established in 1979 by David Wood, who was the owner of Impulse Studios in Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, England. The establishment of Neat coincided with the arrival at Impulse of Songwriter/Producer Steve Thompson who guided...
, 1985) - Too Wild to Tame (Sanctuary RecordsSanctuary RecordsSanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world...
compilation, 2002)