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Look what’s just popped up on Youtube! One of Paul’s very first TV roles.

Paul in red, just because.

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Gaskin: No Way Out (1982)

Like many New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands active between 1980 and ‘82, Scunthorpe’s Gaskin seemed a tad unprepared -- surprised even -- to be granted an opportunity to record a full-length LP, but the trio handled themselves relatively well on ‘81’s End of the World.

Still, when time came to do it all over again, 40 years ago, group namesake and guitarist Paul Gaskin decided to ‘upgrade’ his line-up (completed by drummer Dave Norman and new bassist Marcus ‘Baggy’ Lagzdins) for ‘82’s No Way Out, by delegating lead vocal duties to new frontman Bren Spencer.

You’d think he would have chosen a singer who was a little more capable of carrying a tune than himself, but nooooo ...

Paradoxically, Gaskin attempted to show growth and maturity that neither their talents nor Rondolet’s modest indie label budget could accommodate, and so a few of these songs -- “Dirty Money,” “Free Man,” the overwrought ballad “Say Your Last Word” -- turned out, in a word, ‘dismal.’

The title track and “Just Like a Movie Star” almost fulfill expectations, but not until very late in the spin will you find a trio of truly enjoyable head-bangers in “Ready for Love,” “Come Back to Me,” and, best of the bunch, the barn-storming “High Crime Zone.”

Now for a confession: in my All-Music Guide review -- written some 20 years ago and another 20 years after No Way Out’s release -- I let my N.W.O.B.H.M. bias get the best of me and I praised this album far more than it deserved.

So, consider this blog a partial retraction but keep an open mind about Gaskin, just as you would innumerable N.W.O.B.H.M. also-rans, from Jackal to Tytan to Tysondog -- though you’ll still have no complaints if you value sheer energy and ripping guitar solos, since Paul could really play.

As for Gaskin, though they subsequently hit the road with likeminded outfits like Girlschool, Vardis and Praying Mantis, the group’s career prospects went into a nosedive in fairly short order, when their rhythm section quit, Rondolet shuttered, and no other label saw fit to give them another chance.

By 1983, Gaskin were done, though they inevitably reunited years later for nostalgic festival appearances and recorded new albums in 2000’s Stand or Fall (reviewed here) and ‘12’s Edge of Madness, but only those with too much time on their hands should bother venturing here. 

Blitzkrieg: “Buried Alive” / “Blitzkrieg” (1981)

One of my all-time favorite New Wave of British Heavy Metal singles (and Metallica covers), “Blitzkrieg,” as performed by the band also called Blitzkrieg, started arriving in U.K. stores 40 years ago today through Neat Records ... this is NOT an original pressing.

Though it certainly looks like it, at first glance, thanks to lovingly replicated artwork, courtesy of modern reissue specialists Splattered! Records, who not only matched the original seven-inch’s simple, hand-drawn artwork and xeroxed band photos, but cleverly flipped Neat’s thumbs-up logo to a thumbs-down.

Adorbs!

Now, while you could certainly go to the trouble of tracking down a copy of the original, 1981 pressing for, oh, roughly $200, Splattered!’s 2019 pressing will only set you back about $10, and then you too could enhance your record collection with this small piece of N.W.O.B.H.M. history.

About that ... sometime in 1979, a singer named Brian Ross joined forces with a Leicester group named Split Image, and eventually convinced guitarists Jim Sirotto and Ian Jones, bassist Steve English, and drummer Steve Abbey, to adopt the more “metallic” Blitzkrieg moniker.

Many sparsely-attended pub gigs later, the group had saved enough money to finance a three-track demo that found some sympathetic ears at Neat Records, which promptly featured the song “Inferno” to their Lead Weight compilation, and offered Blitzkrieg a single deal, to boot.

And so, this seven-inch of A-side “Buried Alive” -- a mid-tempo doom groove topped by Ross’ piercing falsettos -- and B-side, “Blitzkrieg” -- a galloping, head-banging reworking of the prog-rock classic “Hocus Pocus,” by yodeling Dutchmen Focus! -- took their rightful place in heavy metal lore.

Yes, I may be exaggerating things a bit ... but the single did receive many positive reviews and Blitzkrieg got as far as recording a second, six-song demo called Blitzed Alive (because it was recorded at a gig supporting French hard rockers Trust), before growing internal friction tore them apart.

Ross would move on to front Newcastle’s Satan, which unleashed a N.W.O.B.H.M. gem of their own in 1983’s Court in the Act, before resurrecting Blitzkrieg with Sirotto and three new henchmen for ‘85’s perfectly respectable,  late-arriving A Time of Changes.

The singer has been pulling double duty with both brands -- I mean, bands -- ever since, but of course nothing compares to the raw, youthful excitement conveyed by this unassuming single ... still an unequivocal thumbs-up!

Praying Mantis: “Cheated” / “Thirty Pieces of Silver” (1981)

One of the most melodic bands to emerge out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, London’s Praying Mantis wove twin guitar harmonies worthy of Thin Lizzy or Wishbone Ash, and they probably taught Def Leppard a thing or two about chorused vocals.

Originally formed as Junction, back in 1976, by brothers Tino (vocals/guitar) and Chris Troy (bass/vocals), they’d added Steve Carroll (guitar/vocals) and Dave Potts (drums) by the time they were playing Neal Kay’s famous Heavy Metal Soundhouse, alongside Iron Maiden, Angel Witch and other fledgling N.W.O.B.H.M. acts.

Late ‘79 saw the release of their first single, “Captured City” (a.k.a. The Soundhouse Tapes Part 2), and in ‘80 they were featured on the influential Metal for Muthas compilation, before signing to RCA’s GEM imprint for another, “we have arrived” single called “Praying Mantis.”

Clearly, good things were happening for the group, and as they readied to release their debut full-length, Time Tells No Lies (this one through BMG’s more prestigious Arista imprint), the 40-year-old single you see here was unleashed in early ‘81 to whet fans’ appetites.

And Praying Mantis couldn’t have chosen a more immediate song for hooking music fans than “Cheated,” with its catchy choruses that suggested straight-up AOR, if not for Tino and Steve’s aggressive guitar solos and an ending minor key shift that’s a truly metallic coup de grâce.

For its part, B-side “Thirty Pieces of Silver” clearly illustrated why the heavy metal faithful were willing to stand by Praying Mantis, thanks to ominous words about “Judas men on chariots” and its Judas Priest-like staccatos, which wrapped the band’s persistent melodies in barbed wire.

Even better, this package included a free bonus single that showcased the band in their natural element, London’s Marquee Club, sharing another pair of infectious head-bangers with fans, in the morbid “Flirting with Suicide” and anarchic “Panic in the Streets.”

Unfortunately, the “Cheated” single made it no higher than No. 69 on the U.K. charts, and the band was persuaded to add lead singer Bernie Shaw (ex-Grand Prix) in a bid to increase their commercial appeal ... uh, whatever.

But all this accomplished was to precipitate a business dispute with their management that barred the band from touring or recording for almost a year, by which time Arista had declined to pick up Praying Mantis’ option.

Though they ultimately found new backers in Don Arden’s Jet Records for ‘82’s Turn the Tables EP, and even landed a slot on that year’s Reading Festival bill, the Praying Mantis was now in free fall and would go their separate ways by the end of ‘83.

However, many years later, in a Spinal Tap-ish twist of fate, the band found itself enjoying a small renaissance in Japan, prompting a 1990 reformation (with ex-Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno!) that yielded the Live at Last LP, and sparked an on-and-off- studio recordings and tours by multiple line-ups.

All of which will most likely leave you feeling “Cheated” (sorry, hard to resist), when compared to the glory days captured by this wonderful single -- to say nothing of its imagination-fueling cover art, courtesy of Rodney Matthews (also Diamond Head, Tygers of Pan Tang, Bitches Sin, Nazareth, Magnum, etc.).

Cloven Hoof: Cloven Hoof (1984)

With the puffy-chest posing, cornball stage-sets, and all around theatrical presentation hinted at on this, their 1984 long player (and even more so in this deluxe reissue), Cloven Hoof looked like the demon-spawn of Kiss and Venom, but they sounded like Iron Maiden’s little brothers.

And with good reason, because singer David Potter, guitarist Steve Rounds, bassist Lee Payne, and drummer Kevin Pountney had enlisted in the New Wave of British Heavy Metal army as far back as 1979; they simply took a little longer than most to get their act together -- and what an act!

From their home-base of Wolverhampton, deep in the English Midlands, the group seemingly put as much time into developing their occult image and themes as they did their music, even going so far as to name themselves after each of the four elements: water, fire, air and earth, respectively.

But the music did eventually start coming together on a few demos and 1982’s now very collectible The Opening Ritual EP, earning Cloven Hoof a deal with Neat Records (home to Venom, Raven, Tysondog and many more) that delivered the long-player you see here ... better late than never.

Or was it?

Because biblical head-bangers like “Cloven Hoof,” “The Gates of Gehenna” and the nine-minute “Return of the Passover” (sounds like an interminable family holiday to me!) were ultimately just highly competent elaborations on the works of elder statesmen like Diamond Head, Demon and, of course, Maiden. 

But give Cloven Hoof a little credit for at least staying true to N.W.O.B.H.M. sonics instead of selling out like Def Leppard, even when they dropped those belabored arrangements on more accessible singles like “Nightstalker,” “Crack the Whip” and the exceptional fist-pumper “Laying Down the Law.”

Unfortunately, the militaristic instrumental “March of the Damned” was one Maiden gimmick too many, and the group’s ballyhooed stage production (see above) looked fit, not for arenas, but Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood!

Fair to say, Cloven Hoof’s worst enemy was time, as the N.W.O.B.H.M. gave way to newer styles like Thrash and Hair Metal, so after a brief tour of the European mainland, the band’s world-conquering masterplan was dealt a major blow when vocalist Potter suddenly defected to French rockers H-Bomb.

A 1986 sophomore LP called Fighting Back was recorded live but was very much dead on arrival, and despite intermittent activity over the past few decades, band leader and sole stalwart Lee Payne has merely eked out a career in the Heavy Metal underground. 

p.s. -- Some of these words originate in my Cloven Hoof bio and album review in the All-Music Guide.