D-Rok (band)
Encyclopedia
D-Rok was a British
hard rock
band notable for its Warhammer 40,000
-influenced lyrics.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Games Workshop
began to diversify its activity, including combining its game world with music.
As well as collaborating with death metal
band Bolt Thrower, whose Warhammer 40,000-themed album Realm of Chaos was released on Earache, Games Workshop set up their own label, Warhammer Records, signing hard-rock acts such as Wraith and D-Rok.
In 1991 the band released its only album, Oblivion. The songs have the common theme of the universe in Warhammer 40,000 and the inlay reflected this by including black and white illustrations from Games Workshop's extensive portfolio of paintings next to the lyrics for each song. The cover, which originally appeared as the box art for the original Epic Space Marine tabletop game, was painted by artist Wayne England, and has subsequently been used on the cover of the Black Library
collection of short stories named "Let the Galaxy Burn".
The band undertook a lengthy club tour to promote the record and secured a support slot with UFO
and Wraith.
"Sigh" is actually a pseudonym
for Simon Denbigh, formerly of The March Violets
, guitarist of Queen
played on two of the songs (Get out of My Way and Red Planet Blues). In an interview with Kerrang!
Magazine, lead singer Sigh explained that May had visited a Games Workshop store with his son, met the band, and offered his services. Sigh went on to say that May had not been offended when he was asked to tune up his guitar before recording his parts, and was the nicest rock star he had ever met.
Track listing
(* Early releases of the cassette version were missing this song)
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band notable for its Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000
Warhammer 40,000 is a tabletop miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop, set in a dystopian science fantasy universe. Warhammer 40,000 was created by Rick Priestley in 1987 as the futuristic companion to Warhammer Fantasy Battle, sharing many game mechanics...
-influenced lyrics.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Games Workshop
Games Workshop
Games Workshop Group plc is a British game production and retailing company. Games Workshop has published the tabletop wargames Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000...
began to diversify its activity, including combining its game world with music.
As well as collaborating with death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
band Bolt Thrower, whose Warhammer 40,000-themed album Realm of Chaos was released on Earache, Games Workshop set up their own label, Warhammer Records, signing hard-rock acts such as Wraith and D-Rok.
In 1991 the band released its only album, Oblivion. The songs have the common theme of the universe in Warhammer 40,000 and the inlay reflected this by including black and white illustrations from Games Workshop's extensive portfolio of paintings next to the lyrics for each song. The cover, which originally appeared as the box art for the original Epic Space Marine tabletop game, was painted by artist Wayne England, and has subsequently been used on the cover of the Black Library
Black Library
The Black Library is a division of Games Workshop which is devoted to publishing novels and audiobooks set in the Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 fictional universes...
collection of short stories named "Let the Galaxy Burn".
The band undertook a lengthy club tour to promote the record and secured a support slot with 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...
and Wraith.
Members
The CD inlay of Oblivion names the members simply as:- Sigh - Vocals
- John Mac - BassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Al Mogg - DrumsDrummerA drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
- Chi - GuitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
"Sigh" is actually a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
for Simon Denbigh, formerly of The March Violets
The March Violets
The March Violets are an English goth rock band of the 1980s, incorporating singers of both sexes, drum machine rhythms and echo laden electric guitar, much in the way of scene mates The Sisters of Mercy, who also originated from the city of Leeds...
Brian May
D-Rok owes some popularity to the fact that Brian MayBrian May
Brian Harold May, CBE is an English musician and astrophysicist most widely known as the guitarist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen...
, guitarist of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
played on two of the songs (Get out of My Way and Red Planet Blues). In an interview with Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
Magazine, lead singer Sigh explained that May had visited a Games Workshop store with his son, met the band, and offered his services. Sigh went on to say that May had not been offended when he was asked to tune up his guitar before recording his parts, and was the nicest rock star he had ever met.
Discography
- 1991 - Oblivion - Vinyl,Cassette and CD releases
Track listing
- Noise Marines
- King Hibited
- Renegade
- Turn This Ship Around
- Litany - Into The Void
- Stealer's Kiss*
- Oblivion
- Red Planet Blues
- Welcome To My World
- Chainsaw Man
- Get Out Of My Way
(* Early releases of the cassette version were missing this song)