Black Jack was an Australian heavy metal/classical band that was active in the 1980/90s.

History

Blackjack formed in Melbourne, Australia in 1979, releasing a demo that same year and another in 1983. An EP on the

Metal for Melbourne A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

label in 1985,

Five Pieces o' Eight 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

, was recorded at 'Saturn studio' with George Simak (

Taramis Taramis was an Australian heavy metal group, which began as Prowler in 1983. Initially they played covers of other artists' work; in 1985 they developed more original material and changed their name. By that time their line-up was Dave Browne ...

). A much anticipated first and second album was recorded, but never released, due to workloads and the death of two of their members. Their musical style included elements of

NWOBHM The new wave of British heavy metal (commonly abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that started in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term i ...

, classical,

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in contra ...

and

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

. They were fronted by the brothers Rick and Jonny Giles, direct descendants of Thomas Giles (who was hung for piracy), and are still currently active, re-recording at 'Guruland Studios' and 'Voodoo Lounge' with engineer and owner Kevin Welgus. There is a serious chance of a live re-appearance as rehearsals between the members are currently underway. At the moment, they play more conventional rock under the guise of 'Rick Giles' Crackerjack' and a black metal project 'Poison Blood' featuring guest stalwart Peter Hobbs from

Hobbs' Angel of Death Hobbs' Angel of Death were an Australian thrash metal band that began in 1987 in Melbourne, and are one of the first Australian groups to perform in that genre. They released two studio albums, ''Hobbs' Angel of Death'' (1988) and ''Inheritance' ...

in Victoria. They were among the first to fuse pirate themes into metal.

Last Known Line Up

* Rick Giles: Vocals/perc.and prod. *'H.R.H' Greta Tate: management (Metal for Melbourne) * Mick Burns: Drums/perc. *'Blackbeard' Ian, stage production and drum tech * Daryl Williams: Bass/ prod. *'Admiral' Brian, publicity and touring management * Jonny Giles: guitarrez/violin/piano

Former members

* Paul Gleason aka 'Jackie': bass (1979) *'Squire' pyro-psycho Gary Doyle * John Van Tongaren aka 'Thunderfoot': drums (1981–1985) * Bruce the 'Bruce-stir': (Thunderfoot's drum tech) These members played on bass and drums, respectively, and were replaced by Daryl Williams aka. 'Buzzard' on bass and Mick Burns on drums prior to BLACKJACK's only release, the

Five Pieces O' Eight 5 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 5, five or number 5 may also refer to: * AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era * 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era Literature * ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram * ''5'' (comics), an awa ...

EP.

Discography

*''

'' (1985)

Track Listing for Five Pieces O' Eight EP (Vinyl Version)

* 1. "Introduction" * 2. "Highwayman's Inn" * 3. "Hot Rocket" * 4. "Prelude No.3" * 5. "Man at Arms" * 6. "The Wizard"

Track Listing for Demo

* 1. "Crusader's Revenge" * 2. "The Last Warrior" * 3. "Death of an Animal" (live) * 4. "Spanish Lover" (live) * 5. "Back to the Mountain" * A studio 'demo tape', was released locally in 1979, with "Spanish Lover", "Black Russian", "Pyramid Hill" and "Fish Creek boogie". "Prelude no.1 and 2", were recorded also, but were scrapped in production. "Prelude no.3", was re-written and re-recorded for the EP.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:BLACKJACK (Heavy Metal Band) Australian heavy metal musical groups