#tysondog

Monday, January 21: Tysondog, “Dog Soldiers”

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. 

Blind Fury: Out of Reach (1985)

The concept of all-star ‘backing bands’ is pretty much foreign to heavy metal (*), but it applies to guitarists Steve Ramsey, Russ Tippins, and bassist Graeme English, who were contributing members of no less than four distinct metal entities: Skyclad, Satan, Pariah, and today’s focus, Blind Fury. 

After parting ways with past and future Blitzkrieg frontman Steve Ross in ‘84 and recruiting new singer Lou Taylor, Ramsey, Tippins, English, plus drummer Sean Taylor (no relation) came to the inevitable conclusion that they could only make it so far with a controversial name like Satan.

So they adopted their new singer’s old band’s handle, Blind Fury (a short-lived but heavily hyped non-starter also featuring Angel Witch men Kevin Heybourne and Dave Hogg), and took their next shot at the big time with 1985’s Out of Reach LP.

However, as I pointed out in my All-Music Guide review, the boys seemed to be of two minds about abandoning their denim-and-leather N.W.O.B.H.M. roots for the flashier, colorful threads sported by MTV-friendly hair bands, and this was also reflected in somewhat conflicting songwriting styles.

On the one hand, accessible head-bangers like “Do it Loud,” “Contact Rock and Roll,” and even the silly “Dynamo” saw Blind Fury angling for traction within mainstream heavy rock circles, via compact lengths, tight arrangements, and anthemic choruses one could easily remember. 

On the other hand, six- and seven-minute extrapolations like the title track, the Iron Maiden-like “Evil Eyes” (**), and the Queensrÿche-ish “Dance of the Crimson Lady, Pt. 1” added melodic intros, judicious synthesizers and, in the latter's case, castle metal lyrics about mystical lands.

But you know what Blind Fury didn’t do? 

They didn’t debase themselves with cheap pop metal gimmicks and cock rock bullshit like so many of their peers were doing, at the time (I’m looking at you, Tokyo Blade and Tysondog), though this production does include the echoing, gated drum sound that automatically dates the album to the ‘80s.

In other words, while broader success remained frustratingly (here comes the pun) Out of Reach for Blind Fury, at least the musicians involved hung onto their pride and lived to head-bang another day.

Indeed, after linking up with new singer Michael Jackson (do you even have to ask?) and briefly reviving the Satan moniker, they rebranded as power thrashers Pariah (not to be confused with the American metal band), and later linked up with ‘Mad’ Martin Walkyier in the illustrious Skyclad. 

* Top of mind, I’m thinking of Elf/Rainbow, but can you name another one?

** Which assigned its verses to three different characters: a “Humble Scribe,” “Demon Doctor,” and “All Seer” (whatever that is) to construct its overwrought tale.