Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Motorhead, Dio, Led Zeppelin, Annihilator, Metallica, Slayer, Helloween, Samson, Raven, Hellenbach, Vicious Rumors, Savatage.
Sounds Like
Avenger (previous releases) available through Amazon.co.uk and other quality music retailers:
- Avenger Anthology - Released through Sanctuary Records - 2002:
- Too Wild to Tame - Released through Neat Records - 1983:
- Blood Sports - Released through Neat Records - 1984:
- Killer Elite - Released through Neat Records - 1985:
- The book 'The New Wave of British Heavy Metal: Suzi Smiled...' by John Tucker features extensive Avenger band history and photgraphs, along with other bands from the N.W.O.B.H.M scene, also available through amazon.co.uk -
Avenger proudly endorse and use the following:
Avenger 2007 tour T - shirts:
Front:
Back:
For details and payments of avenger merch, please contact: panzerrelics@aol.com
In Short: Avenger is originally a band from the legendary N.W.O.B.H.M movement with over 20 years of history (spanning over three decades). Releasing albums and EP’s on the NEAT RECORDS label in the 1980’s alongside other legendary artists such as the Tygers of Pan Tang, Venom, White Spirit, Atomkraft, Blitzkrieg, Marshall Law, Jaguar, Fist and Raven. The ‘Avenger Anthology: Too Wild to Tame’ CD was released by SANCTUARY RECORDS in 2002, containing all the avenger material from the 1980’s (which is currently available through amazon.co.uk and other fine retailers and record shops).
Avenger - 'Enforcer' from the album Blood Sports (audio only):
Avenger reformed in 2005, touring with legendary rockers Y&T and also making some European festival appearances. The Avenger line-up changed again in 2007 which seen the departure of original bassist Mick Moore. The new line up of Avenger featuring- Ian Swift – Vocals (Avenger’s main singer from the 1980’s, also vocalist with legendary bands Atomkraft and Satan), Garry Young (Avenger’s original drummer), 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 (plus many more) in 2007 alone (under the renamed title of Avenger UK, for legal and other reasons). The new line up is currently working on a new album which will be released in early – mid 2008 entitled ‘The Slaughter Never Stops’.
NOTE: Avenger are AVAILABLE for live bookings in 2008. If you are interested in booking the band please contact Avenger through myspace or by E - Mail: panzerrelics@aol.com
(For in-depth band history see ‘Avenger history’ further down the page).
Upcoming Shows:
Avenger 2007/08:
Trillians, Newcastle 2007 Live review taken from Power-Play Magazine (see myspace blogs for larger text):
Check out a clip of Avenger in action at the Headbangers Opean Air in Germany summer 2007, along with a short interview Clip:
AVENGER UK will be familiar to followers of the N.W.O.B.H.M. movement as the original AVENGER from back in the 80's.
- MUSIC VIDEO - 'Revenge Attack' -
- MUSIC VIDEO - 'Under the Hammer' -
- MUSIC VIDEO - 'Run for Your Life' -
- AUDIO TRACK - 'You'll never take me (alive)' -
- AUDIO TRACK - 'Warfare' -
- AUDIO TRACK - 'Victims of Force' -
Avenger was originally conceived in the dark and depressive days of a strike ridden Thatcher’s Britain, way back in the depths of 1982.
Formed around a hot bed of N.W.O.B.H.M talent, deep in the industrial heart of the North East of England by its founding members Mick Moore, Gary Young, Brian Ross and Steve Bird. Avenger set out with one purposeful goal and that was to make metal. Within a mere three weeks of its formation Avenger was thrust into the “soon to be infamous” Neat Record's Wellness Studio and was recording for its first vinyl outing, “Hot and heavy express”, a song that would rear its ugly head on the “One Take No Dubs 12" E.P.
The E.P would also feature tracks from the likes of “Black Rose, Alien and the mighty Hellanbach”.
After this recording session had bore fruition the band would immerse itself into a long and arduous song writing and gigging regime that would have them working to a characteristic Avenger none stop high energy pace.
The band plied their trade in and around their home area of the North East of England with the added advantage of not only being able to headline shows in their own right, but often being asked to support many of the better known and much loved N.W.O.B.H.M bands of the ongoing era.
Bands of the day included such classic outfits as Fist, Hellanbach and Raven who would delight the N.W.O.B.H.M faithful supporters up and down the country in the ever-widening Rock club scene.
In the early months of 1983 Avenger would find its self re-visiting the Neat Records in-house Impulse Studio and recording its first full two track 7" single.
"Too wild to tame", was a track that had originally been penned by Ross/Moore as a follow up to the “Buried Alive” 1981 single by the then recently defunct Blitzkrieg.
Shortly after the recordings were complete, both Gary Young and Brian Ross were invited to take part in a N.W.O.H.M super jam session at Eindhoven in the south of Holland at the legendary Dynamo Club.
The new breed of up-and-coming metal talent that was taking part in this unique one-off session was purposely hand picked from several (soon to be) great bands of the continually growing European heavy metal scene.
There were bands that were as far apart in styles as they were miles from each other’s homeland. English band members Satan, Tokyo Blade and Avenger would be rubbing shoulders with bands from all over Europe, which included members from the all-time cult Danish metal band “Mercyful Fate”.
This brief outing into territories previously unknown gave the two members of Avenger a first hand in-depth experience of the zealous and fanatical European heavy metal scene and it was determined then and there that moves should be made to bring the whole band over to this climate as soon as was possible.
Shortly after the jam session in Holland, Ian Davison Swift formerly of the Newcastle based metal band “Satan” was recruited to the Avenger fold.
Brian Ross left Avenger and joined “Satan” just in time to record their “Caught In The Act L.P.
A unique metal switch had taken place, each band receiving the other bands vocalist and a switch that had more than suited both bands musical and technical requirements.
At that moment in time Avenger's first European tour dates had just been confirmed thanks greatly to the crazy head banging crew from the Dynamo Club.
In the following March of that year Avenger visited the eagerly anticipated continental shores of Europe as a full band for the very first time and didn’t disappoint.
Now, due in large to the fantastic reception received by Avenger for their performance in Europe that year, they were invited for a 3rd time into the increasingly popular Impulse Studio after only two days of returning home.
A semi shell-shocked Avenger burned and blistered its way through the following weeks until the 1983 album “Bloodsports” had emerged.
Bloodsports was met with an incredibly enthusiastic response from both the U.K and the European crowds and began reaching as high as number 5 in the national heavy metal charts.
After only a handful of gigs in the U.K had been performed, a return to Holland and added shows in Belgium were lined up for the following January of 1985 to help promote the Bloodsports album. Although the tour went well for the band it was during this tour that it became clear that guitarist Les Cheetham wanted to pursue a different musical direction and on returning home Les unfortunately departed from the band.
With Avenger now requiring a replacement guitarist and after only a two-month period of trying various so-called axe heroes, American Greg Reiter came to the bands attention via rock rag Kerrang. After setting up the necessary visas and permits to bring Greg over to the U.K the band wasted no time in getting down to writing material for their new L.P.
"Killer Elite" was written in approximately 28 days and was recorded in 9.
The album was released to an excellent response from the music press and the public alike. During this time Avenger started to look Stateside at the possibilities of potential U.S.A shows.
This was generated by the success that North East metal band Raven was having with its support band Metallica on the Kill 'Em All For One U.S tour.
A tour of the U.S. east coast was set up for the autumn of 1985 and Greg Reiter returned home to assist with the setting up of this tour and to represent the band in the States. The band left for America and the tour went well for Avenger even though the last few dates had to be scrapped when Ian Davison Swift broke an ankle while performing on stage.
This was to be Avenger's last tour or in-fact shows of the 20th century, when lack of financial support from an uncommitted and unsupportive record label forced the band to split in early 1986 after returning home from the American shores.
However the Avenger story doesn’t end there, in 2002 Avenger's music was to see the light of day again in what has come to be a nostalgic and financially viable (to record companies) trend of re-issuing 1980's and 1990..s metal on CD.
Sanctuary Records released an "Anthology" containing both the Bloodsports and Killer Elite albums. Front-line Rock also re-released both albums after digitally re-mastering them from the original source recordings. Because of this members of Avenger became aware that there was still a healthy interest in both the name and music of Avenger, so much so that 2003 saw the band in negotiations to play in Brazil where the Avenger back catalogue had just been released for the first time ever.
However this was soon to fall apart due to Front-Line Rock going Bankrupt, but the band had made up their minds and continued to check out the possibilities of shows.
In the summer of 2005 a support tour with 80..s hard rockers Y&T had been arranged and was very quickly followed by some European festival appearances which soon put out the message that the big “A” was back and was about to become bigger, faster, harder and heavier than ever.
The band is now writing and rehearsing material for a new album with the ardent hope of a spring or early summer release. 2005 The Slaughter continues!
Hey Guys! I saw you at the Revenge of True Metal Festival..I have no words to describe your gig, you were great!!! Now I'm buying your cds, I love your pure Heavy Metal sound. Greetings from Italy, I hope to see you soon! Ary
hi guys!!! thanks for your great concert!!! you are the best band in the revenge of true metal festival this year!!! My friends and I, have recorded a little dvd!!! in this moment the dvd it's under costruction!!! as some as possible, I send your copy!!! REVENGE ATTACK!!! :D
Hi guys - Steve here.... we've still got a number of tickets left for ROAF this year for both days so please get in touch NOW if you wanna come to the event.
Ticket prices £13.00 and £20.00 respectively for single day and weekend passes.
Email me and I'll give you the address to send the cheque too - once the cheque clears, we'll send you the tickets!!
Remember £13 for a single day pass - £20 for the weekend - 18 incredible bands who I highly recommend having a listen to - five audio tracks are up on the page at the moment including songs by Tygers Of Pan Tang, Daz Rigo, Stairway, Liquid Sky and Spiral Dive.
We're hoping to add a track by Waysted as well this week! :)
Take advantage of this fantastic ticket offer as on the day tickets go up to £20 (single day) and £35 (weekend).
