Dragonslayer was an English heavy metal band from

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, formed in 1978 as Heavy Thunder. They are a respected band from the new wave of British heavy metal period who settled on the name Slayer in 1980, meaning (as with S.A. Slayer) they had to change their title to Dragonslayer to avoid confusion with the thrash band

Slayer Slayer was an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California. The band was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style ...

from Los Angeles, who released their debut album ''

Show No Mercy ''Show No Mercy'' is the debut studio album by American thrash metal band Slayer, released in December 1983, by Metal Blade Records. Brian Slagel signed the band to the label after watching them perform the song "Phantom of the Opera" by Iron M ...

'' worldwide on 3 December 1983. They can be described as early

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 ...

, sharing classic rock influences with and fantasy-themed lyrics with other N.W.O.B.H.M. bands from the West Midlands such as Tyrant, Cynic, Grim Reaper and Arc.

Biography

The band initially formed in 1978 as Heavy Thunder. As they started to play more heroic fantasy-themed songs, they changed their name to Slayer on moving to

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...

in 1980, developing a good live reputation and recording a five-track demo at Cargo Studios, which was produced by Colin Richardson who would later find fame producing bands such as

Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...

and

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. In late 1983, the "I Want Your Life" EP was recorded at Cavalier Studios in Stockport. However, following the pressing and just before the single's release, Slayer from Los Angeles released their debut, so the band chose to rebrand themselves as Dragonslayer. Stickers were placed over the EP labels with their new logo, although these were thin so the original label could still be seen through. The single was well-received, and they continued to play headline local shows, even supporting

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for a number of dates. The band looked for a record deal throughout 1984 and 1985, choosing to record another 7 track demo early in 1986 to keep the band pushing forward. Following this recording bassist Steve Morgan decided to leave the band and was replaced by Marc Webb, formerly of a band called Voltage. With this lineup, they recorded the track "Rock the Radio" for an Ebony Records compilation called "The Metal Collection Vol. II". They played some farewell gigs then split up in mid-1987. Strangely, the only member who kept playing in bands was guitarist Phil Odins. In 2008 a compilation of most of their recorded material was issued by Shadow Kingdom Records. Following this successful reissue, the band started rehearsing again and posting on Facebook in 2013, announcing they were writing new songs and planning to play live again. However, after not posting for a while in 2016, they announced "the Dragon still sleeps for now". The compilation does not feature the track 'Rock the Radio' from the 1987 Ebony Records compilation ''The Metal Collection Volume II''.

Musical style

Dragonslayer is best described as a new wave of British heavy metal band, playing proto-power metal.

Band members

* Tony Mamwell - vocals (1978–1987) * Phil Odins - guitars (1978–1987) * Dave Phillips - drums (1978–1987) * Steve Morgan - bass (1978–1986) * Marc Webb - bass (1986–1987)

Discography

EPs

* ''I Want Your Life'' (1983)

Compilation albums

* ''The Metal Collection - Volume II'' (1987) with the song "Rock the Radio"

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1987 English heavy metal musical groups New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups