Dragonslayer's Popular Music Videos
Artist Biography
Emerging out of Lancashire, England, where they initially formed in 1978 as Heavy Thunder, then Slayer, the band that would become Dragonslayer started out like most future New Wave of British Heavy Metal hopefuls: by shunning the escalating punk rock scene to cover songs by their true heroes Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and Uriah Heep. And, not unlike other, similarly fledgling NWOBHM acts of the time, including Diamond Head, Angel Witch, and, why not, Iron Maiden, the initial lineup of vocalist Dave Walker, guitarist Phil Odins, bassist Steve Morgan, and drummer Gary Walker also faced widespread indifference during their first few pub performances, before their numbers became too large to ignore toward the end of 1979. But while the aforementioned bands started earning major-label deals at this time, Dragonslayer (now with new vocalist Tony Mamwell and drummer Bob Carol) were still working on demos characterized by fantasy-laced metal under the Slayer name, but accomplishing little else.
Nevertheless, by early 1984 the quartet (featuring yet another different drummer named Dave Phillips) was able to finance and self-release a three-track EP titled I Want Your Life, which, after being slapped with an urgently created sticker to avoid any confusion with the rising American thrash combo known as Slayer, saw Dragonslayer finally reinvented as such. Sadly, the EP reached only the usual metal-loving suspects (typically via mail-order ads in Kerrang! and other scene-targeted magazines), and despite going on to become a highly sought-after collector's item, attracted only minor, ultimately fruitless attention from prospective labels. So, finding themselves at a loss for other options, Dragonslayer got back to the business of recording demos, re-emerging in 1985 with a new seven-track selection showcasing a slightly more accessible heavy metal style in the Maiden/Saxon range.
What's more, they had become so needlessly obsessed with putting on a live extravaganza, exclusively in larger venues able to accommodate their lighting rig and special effects, that they effectively priced themselves out of their realistic concert venues. At this point, bassist Morgan decided he'd had enough (he was replaced by one Marc Webb), and as the '80s wore on and music tastes altered, desperation really set in. A final lifeline was cast Dragonslayer's way in 1986 when Ebony Records featured their latest composition, "Rock the Radio," on one of their periodic compilations, but the song's title alone gave evidence of the group's shameful surrender to commercial hard rock (completed by a best forgotten Mötley Crüe makeover), and the lads finally decided that their dragon-slaying days were over the following year. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia
Hometown
Rochdale
Genre
Metal