I spoke with the guys in legendary NWOBHM band Avenger about the band’s history and future.
I spoke with the guys in legendary NWOBHM band Avenger about the band’s history and future.
PROTO THRASH
What inspired the formation of the band, and the style and naming of it?
The formation occurred directly after the first line up of Blitzkrieg split up. The Vocalist Brian had relocated back up to the North East from Leicester and joined a local band called Unter Den Linden. I had joined them shortly afterward and Brian talked Mick Moore Blitzkriegs bass player into trying out for the bass job. within a short time we realized we wanted to do our own thing , so the three of us decided to form our own band , recruited a guitarist and selected the name Avenger. The mindset motivation was to create a band that would be a natural continuation from Blitzkrieg , although we ended up being musically slightly different from Blitz in the long run. I think style wise we were very typical of the generation who had grown up on Thin Lizzy , Judas Priest and UFO we did by the time of our first album recording session have our own thing going on , some have refereed to it as early speed Metal or Proto Thrash , being an era when the “manual” was still being written I think we felt an instinct on how we would unfold style wise but it was far more obvious by our second album.
How do you approach writing and recording material now compared to when you first started?
We have all done a lot more writing since those days so the process is a bit more organised and focused. Back then we would write and use what we thought was cool but today we have to ask “is this
the right feel for Avenger?? does it have to right dynamic and a clear connection to our roots . So the process of song writing is far more subjective now than the carefree days of our early formation.
CONNECTION TO ROOTS
CONNECTION TO ROOTS
How do you approach writing and recording material now compared to when you first started?
We have all done a lot more writing since those days so the process is a bit more organised and focused. Back then we would write and use what we thought was cool but today we have to ask “is this
the right feel for Avenger?? does it have to right dynamic and a clear connection to our roots . So the process of song writing is far more subjective now than the carefree days of our early formation.
PROFESSIONAL
How do you approach live performances? Has it changed compared to when you started out?
In this activity nothing has changed , we always spent every penny we had on equipment etc and everything we needed to present as professional a show as we could. Our mindset was that a band who plays worldwide with multiple releases has an obligation to present itself in a way that the bands following would expect to see. They expect Marshall stacks , Backdrops lighting rigs etc etc I firmly believe we have always even from the very early days given our very best in this particular area of activity and we are still strongly focused on it now.
What has changed in the music industry and within the band itself since you started out?
So much has changed , we have come from an era when if you wanted to listen to a band you bought their records to the current time when there are free downloads..free albums…Crowd funding torrent sites etc etc etc. Its much harder to survive financially. The steadfast fans of the original scene and genre are a Godsend here as they recognize they are critical to the health of the whole situation. They bUy the fan packs…demand the vinyl and collect the material releases and merchandise instead of gathering a load of MP3’s so in the current times the focus is now on the fans more than ever to buy the releases and keep the band healthy.
GODSEND
GODSEND
What has changed in the music industry and within the band itself since you started out?
So much has changed , we have come from an era when if you wanted to listen to a band you bought their records to the current time when there are free downloads..free albums…Crowd funding torrent sites etc etc etc. Its much harder to survive financially. The steadfast fans of the original scene and genre are a Godsend here as they recognize they are critical to the health of the whole situation. They bUy the fan packs…demand the vinyl and collect the material releases and merchandise instead of gathering a load of MP3’s so in the current times the focus is now on the fans more than ever to buy the releases and keep the band healthy.
NEW ALBUM
What plans do you have for the future?
We are currently busy writing a new album which will be our fourth. We anticipate a release late this year and this is highly likely to be on the Dissonance label