Elixir is a British
heavy metal band, formed by Steve Bentley, Kevin Dobbs, Nigel Dobbs and Phil Denton in November 1983.
They are notable for being associated with the
new wave of British heavy metal
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 ...
movement.
History
1983-1990
The band spent the first time after having formed writing material and rehearsing. After brief stints as "Purgatory" and "Hellfire" the members finally decided on naming the band "Elixir". According to the biography on the band's website the name was chosen through Steve Bentley closing his eyes, and putting his finger on a word in a dictionary at random. In need of a vocalist Elixir recruited singer Sally Pike, but after recording a four song demo tape and playing two gigs together, she left the band by the end of the year. In 1984, Pike was replaced by Paul Taylor, and later the same year guitarist Norman Gordon joined the band to fill the vacant spot left by Steve Bentley, who departed after Elixir had completed their second demo tape.
In 1985, Elixir released their debut single "Treachery (Ride like the Wind)" / "Winds of Time". This single was reviewed by
Ronnie James Dio
Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted and founded numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and H ...
in ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' (No 99), and was given the thumbs up.
In 1986, the band recorded their first album ''The Son of Odin''. In issue 137 (November 2005) of ''
Terrorizer
Terrorizer is an American grindcore band formed in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. After disbanding, its members gained recognition by playing in influential extreme metal bands, such as Morbid Angel ( David Vincent, Pete Sandoval), Napalm D ...
'' magazine, the album was included in the top 20
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 ...
albums of all time, alongside
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Despite an innovative and pioneering body of work in th ...
's ''
Painkiller
An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It i ...
'',
Helloween
Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. Its first lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Kai Hansen, bassist Markus Grosskopf, guitarist Michael Weik ...
's ''
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part II'' and
Cirith Ungol
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world of Middle-earth, Mordor (pronounced ; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is the realm and base of the evil Sauron. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and ...
's ''
King of the Dead''.
Elixir recorded their second album, initially called ''Sovereign Remedy'' in 1988 with Mark White on the bass and former
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...
drummer
Clive Burr
Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1957 – 13 March 2013) was an English drummer. He was a member of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982.
Career
Previously a member of Samson, Burr joined Iron Maiden in 1979. Auditioning and joining ...
.
Stevie Hughes replaced Burr for the band's live commitments through 1989. At the end of the year, Phil Denton quit the band and was replaced by Leon Lawson for several live shows before the band came off the road. Their second album was released by the Sonic label as ''Lethal Potion'' in 1990.
In 2004, the album was re-released as ''Sovereign Remedy'' on the TPL label, as it was originally intended, with all the tracks, the original mix and new artwork.
2001–2012
In 2001 the band reverted to the Paul Taylor, Phil Denton, Norman Gordon, Kevin Dobbs and Nigel Dobbs line up and, in 2003, recorded their third album ''The Idol'', which was made up of material the band had written in the 1980s. With rising popularity, the band toured around various countries such as
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, Germany and the United States.
Elixir recorded their fourth album ''Mindcreeper'' in 2006, which was released by Majestic Rock.
Elixir released the album ''All Hallows Eve'' on 31 October 2010 on their own CTR label.
Between 2006 and 2012, Elixir organised six editions of the "British Steel Festival", appearing on the bill at each event. From 2008 onwards, the festival was held at the
Camden Underworld
Camden Underworld is a music venue in Camden Town, London, England. The venue is a part of the World's End pub, situated in the basement of the building. It has a capacity of 500 people.
History
Over the years The Underworld has become the ...
.
Elixir disbanded in 2012, with members Paul Taylor and Phil Denton going on to form the metal/rock band Midnight Messiah.
Clive Burr died a year later, due to complications related to MS.
2018–present
After writing new material in 2018, guitarist Phil Denton approached the other members of the band with a view to recording a new album. Paul Taylor, Norman Gordon, and Nigel Dobbs all agreed to re-form the band, but bassist Kevin Dobbs did not wish to be involved in the project. The resulting album, ''Voyage of the Eagle'', was released in 2020 with Luke Fabian on bass.
On March 7, 2020 Elixir performed at Burr Fest, a charity gig in London, in aid of MS sufferers in memory of Clive Burr. Kevin Dobbs performed at Burr Fest as a farewell gig with the band before being replaced by Mark Mulcaster.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
The Son of Odin'' (1986)
* ''Lethal Potion'' (1990)
* ''The Idol'' (2003)
* ''Mindcreeper'' (2006)
* ''All Hallows Eve'' (2010)
* ''Voyage Of The Eagle'' (2020)
Live albums
* ''Elixir Live'' (2006)
Singles
* ''Treachery'' (1985)
* ''Knocking on the Gates of Hell'' (2006)
Alternative versions
* ''Sovereign Remedy'' (2004)
Members
Current
*Phil Denton - Guitars
(1983-1989, 2001-2012, 2019-present)
*Nigel Dobbs - Drums
(1983-1987, 2001-2012, 2019-present)
*Paul Taylor - Vocals
(1984-1990, 2001-2012, 2019-present)
*Norman Gordon - Guitars
(1984-1990, 2001-2012, 2019-present)
*Mark Mulcaster - Bass
(2020–present)
Past
*Kevin Dobbs - Bass
(1983-1987, 2001-2012, 2019–2020)
*Sally Pike - Vocals
(1983)
*Steve Bentley - Guitars
(1983-1984)
*Mark White - Bass
(1987-1990)
*Clive Burr - Drums
(1988; died 2013)
*Stevie Hughes - Drums
(1989-1990)
*Leon Lawson - Guitar
(1989)
*Luke Fabian - Bass
(2019-2020)
Timeline
See also
*
List of new wave of British heavy metal bands
The late 1970s–early 1980s period in the United Kingdom introduced a movement of young musicians, generally identified as the new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM). The movement spawned more than a thousand hard rock and ...
References
External links
Official Web Elixir PageElixirat
MySpace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elixir (metal band)
English heavy metal musical groups
Musical groups established in 1983
Musical quintets
New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups