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Lords Of The NWOBHM

by Roxxcalibur

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1.
2.
Atomic Rock 03:46
3.
4.
Flying High 02:59
5.
Day to Day 03:13
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7.
8.
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Hellbound 03:34
10.
Music Power 05:45
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12.
13.
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Stage Fright 05:19
15.

about

Being referred to as "Keepers of the Grail of the NWOBHM" in the new millennium is almost as good as being knighted by Her Majesty the Queen. When ROXXCALIBUR (from the notable compilation "Roxcalibur") released their debut album, "NWOBHM For Muthas" in 2009, nobody could have dreamed that the band, which began as a simple project, would give the NWOBHM a face on its 30th anniversary. However, the timing of the debut's release was precisely planned and occurred exactly on the weekend of the world famous Keep It True Festival, which had organised a NWOBHM anniversary show with numerous original vocalists. Enid Williams (Girlschool), Brian Ross (Satan/Blitzkrieg), Dave Hill (Demon) and many others shared the stage with ROXXCALIBUR to celebrate one of the most important eras of Heavy Metal. The press went over the top in their reactions to "NWOBHM For Muthas" and described the band concept, which comprised of musicians from Viron and Abandoned, as "a service to the metal scene"! Is there any greater honour for a band? And to prove that the KIT performance was no flash in the pan, ROXXCALIBUR were invited to play at other festivals such as the Bang Your Head Festival and the Headbangers Open Air and in the meantime the album caused enormous interest on the global metal scene. Older fans were treated to exciting new versions of rare songs, whilst younger metal freaks were, for the first time, introduced to classical names and songs, which helped the later metal scene become the triumph it became. Now, in 2011, "Lords Of The NWOBHM" brings the second chapter in the saga and once again the musicians behind the name ROXXCALIBUR have not only put heart and soul into their work but also shown their good taste in metal. With a remarkable selection of songs chosen for their cover versions, the band has produced an album which even outdoes its predecessor, bringing songs from such cult names as More, Quartz, Saracen, Sparta and Blood Money back to the daily listening habits of the new millennium. Viron Drummer and passionate NWOBHM collector Neudi had been thinking about a NWOBHM tribute band for years but it was not until 2007 that he was able to put his idea into practise. Besides Neudi ROXXCALIBUR also comprises of fellow Viron musicians, Alexx Stahl and Roger Dequis, bass player Mario Lang (Ex-Into The Abyss) and Kalli, a member of the thrash band Abandoned. It soon became clear that the musical tastes and opinions were all pulling in the same direction, namely they all leaned towards bands from the second wave of NWOBHM. Their live shows had this strongly in mind and in Summer 2008 they played a prestigious show at the Headbangers Open Air, sharing the billing with such NWOBHM legends as Sweet Savage and Praying Mantis. In autumn of the same year the quintet signed a contract with Limb Music and began work on their first CD "NWOBHM For Muthas”, which was produced in the Black Solaris Studio with Uwe Lulis (Rebellion, Sieges Even, V8 Wankers) and Paul Williams. In order to retain the spirit of the originals, the basic tracks were played live and partially without a "click track". The arrangements of the songs were not changed at all and during the mixing stage of the CD they were also careful to stay on the narrow knife-edge of the balance between a well-sounding production anno 2009 and the old school charm of the original recordings. The results show that it is indeed possible to get perfect results these days without triggered drums, Pro Tools editing and amp simulators, as long as the musicians are good at their job and bring joy at playing as main motivation with them into the studio. They deliberately selected bands and songs which were beyond the mainstream, thus presenting underground gems such as Bleak House, ARC, Radium, Trident, and Jameson Raid, who didn't make the big breakthrough not because of their music, but because they only released singles, which by the way, have now become very desirable collectors' items. It was not only these facts, which have formed firm roots in the scene for ROXXCALIBUR. Since "NWOBHM For Muthas" there has been new interest in the original bands and the work of four of the bands covered has been re-released (Jameson Raid, Bleak House, Dark Star, and Savage). The song "Seven Days Of Splendour" by Jameson Raid was previously only known by collectors but the band - in the original line-up - was invited to play a reunion gig at the Headbangers Open Air 2010, which they played with great success. It took until August 2010 before ROXXCALIBUR had finished selecting the songs for their second album. NWOBHM covers an enormous range of sublime styles and it was just this that the band wanted to represent on their new work. And they did it with flying colours! Whilst "A Face In The Crowd" (Saracen) and "Day To Day" (Cryer) are true hits, which are sure to thrill even fans of classic rock, "Battle Scarred" (Blood Money) and Venom's "At War With Satan (Preview)" are two true thrash/speed tracks. But also obscure titles such as "Angel Of Death" by Sparta and Oxym's "Music Power" can be heard on the album, despite them being known by only the enthusiastic collector. The same applies to More's "Atomic Rock", which, in its time, could only be found on a rare single's B-side. "Satan's Serenade" by Quartz, which appeared only on a rare maxi single, sounds like a Black Sabbath outtake from the Dio era. Actually, that's no wonder, because Tony Iommi worked on the album as producer. "Flying High" by Hollow Ground is an underground hit which ROXXCALIBUR had written on their list a long time ago. One absolute gem is Saxon's "Lift Up Your Eyes". The original was only a fragment, just over a minute long, which the band never finished. Biff Byford and Paul Quinn liked the idea and gave ROXXCALIBUR the green light to finish the song. The result is a track, which would not have been out of place on "Wheels Of Steel" or "Strong Arm Of The Law". Having taken things to the highest level in the musical sense, the work now had to be given the best possible sound quality. Who better to do this than the legendary producer, Chris Tsangarides? Tsangarides, best known for his opulent production of Judas Priest's "Painkiller" and "Sad Wings Of Destiny", as well as works of Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore, etc... had also been on the producer's chair for classical NWOBHM bands such as Tygers Of Pan Tang, Quartz, and Prowler. That was the primary reason why ROXXCALIBUR wanted to work with the Brit. He gave "Lords Of The NWOBHM" the sound that a band with such a concept needed: in your face, raw and earthy - combining the sound of the late Seventies with the here and now. And, as was usual with ROXXCALIBUR, the basic tracks were played live, usually without Click track and without any kind of modern day aides like computer editing. Chris Tsangarides mixed the CD using only a digital 24-track tape machine and an electric tubes mixing desk, refusing to use Pro Tools, CuBase and the like. The result sounds complete, warm, balanced and yet still breathtakingly impressive. You hear every angle of every musician, which gives this classical song material an enormous push forward. The visual aspect of the album was also given special attention. As on their debut album, ROXXCALIBUR was again able to reply on a painting from the Elric saga by Rodney Matthews. Matthews is another person with firm roots in the NWOBHM scene, having supplied works for Praying Mantis, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Bitches Sin etc, and his artwork could not be more suitable for "Lords Of The NWOBHM". The first edition includes a bonus DVD, which, besides live material also includes a feature about the work with Chris Tsangarides. For NWOBHM gourmets the special scenes with the improvised rehearsals for the NWOBHM anniversary show at the Keep It True 2009 festival will be especially interesting. And we need scarcely mention that informative liner notes to all the songs are a standard feature for ROXXCALIBUR's work. In addition, NWOBHM insider John Tucker had contributed his own sleeve notes. Tucker is a freelance journalist, photographer and author of important NWOBHM books such as "Suzie Smiled... The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal”, "Am I Evil? Diamond Head - The Myths, The Music and Metallica” and was co-author of Biff Byford's autobiography (Saxon). "Lords Of The NWOBHM" is sure to cause a fury of interest again in the Heavy Metal world and to many it will become even more clear, that the NWOBHM has lost none of its magic after more than 30 years. ROXXCALIBUR keep the spirit alive!

credits

released June 3, 2011

2011, Limb Music GmbH 2011

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Roxxcalibur Gimbsheim, Germany

Being referred to as "Keepers of the Grail of the NWOBHM" in the new millennium is almost as good as being knighted by Her Majesty the Queen. When ROXXCALIBUR (from the notable compilation "Roxcalibur") released their debut album, "NWOBHM For Muthas" in 2009, nobody could have dreamed that the band, which began as a simple project, would give the NWOBHM a face on its 30th anniversary. ... more

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