Mournblade are a heavy metal band, formed in 1982 and originating from London, England. The early incarnation falls into the category of

space rock Space rock is a music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centered on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drummin ...

. The latter incarnation is regarded as one of the last bands of 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. The band is named after a sword from

Michael Moorcock Michael John Moorcock (born 18 December 1939) is an English writer, best-known for science fiction and fantasy, who has published a number of well-received literary novels as well as comic thrillers, graphic novels and non-fiction. He has worke ...

Elric of Melniboné Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character is Elric VII ...

stories.

Early days, 1982–85

The band was formed in September 1982 by Dunken Francis Mullet and Richie Jones. With similar interest in science fiction writing and the music of bands like

Hawkwind Hawkwind are an English rock band known as one of the earliest space rock groups. Since their formation in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and have incorporated many different styles into their music, including hard ...

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and

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

, they quickly started writing music together and within a few months Mournblade did their first gig on stage at the Ealing College student union hall with the original line up of Derek Jasnock (keyboards), Richard Jones (guitar), Dunken Mullet (vocals), Jeff Ward (drums) and Clive Baxter (bass). The band's early influences included the books of

, apparent in early material and theatrical live shows (at a book signing Moorcock officially gave Dunken and Richie permission to use the name "Mournblade", a sword from one of his most famous books). At one stage the live show featured Mullet undertaking 14 costume changes as well as many props, notably a 2.5-metre wooden sword, a 1.5-metre high Victorian doll ("Victoria"), a decaying World War I soldiers mask, a devil suit (including a cape with a 3.5-metre wingspan) and a ‘space helmet’ made from a motorcycle crash helmet sprayed gold, covered in LED lights and a small laser. The band's first official release came after signing with Flicknife Records, "Times Running Out" (SHARP 030, Flicknife Records). The band gigged tirelessly around the UK promoting their album, performing over 400 gigs over the period of a few years. Mournblade were also great supporters of the free festival circuit playing at the

Stonehenge Festival The Stonehenge Free Festival was a British free festival from 1974 to 1984 held at the prehistoric monument Stonehenge in England during the month of June, and culminating with the summer solstice on or near 21 June. It emerged as the major fr ...

in 1984 and 1985 amongst many others. Despite this hard work, Mournblade's initial success, through links to Hawkwind, faded as they failed to impress Hawkwind fans or a general rock audience. They did build up a steady loyal following with fanbases in London (where they regularly headlined the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed wh ...

, 100 Club and

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), South Wales and the Midlands and their hard work caught the attention of ''

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- ...

'' magazine, resulting in a full-colour feature and giving rise to the oft-quoted 'Future of Heavy Metal' plaudit.

1985–1989

In 1987, Jones left the band (thus ending the 'mk1' era) and this coincided with a decision to leave behind the theatrics and make‑up. The music and stage show became more raw and stripped down and many people now refer to this era of the band as belonging to the latter part of the

movement.

Mournblade, London Hammersmith odeon 1988

Now a four-piece, the keyboards largely replaced by Paul "Blacken" White's distorted 8‑string

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bass sound, the band went on to release their second album, ''Live Fast Die Young'' (GILP333 GI Records) and toured non‑stop in the UK and Europe (one UK toured featured 36 shows in 43 days, with the band all living and travelling in the same bus for the entire time), headlining at the

London Hippodrome The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few su ...

( a show that was filmed and broadcast by MTV), Marquee Club, and touring around Europe. This gruelling touring schedule contributed to the band's split late in 1989. Mournblade played shows with many major artists during this period including

Doctor and The Medics Doctor and the Medics is a British glam rock band formed in London in 1981. The group was most successful during the 1980s and is best known for their cover of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. The ...

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and

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2012 (''The Resurrection'')

In 2012, motivated by fan requests, Mournblade reformed. With only three days rehearsal (mainly due to the fact that in 2005 singer and founder member Mullett emigrated to New Zealand) after a 24-year break, the band played The Heavy Metal Maniacs Festival in Hoorn,

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, a show captured in the documentary ''Mournblade – The Resurrection'' directed by Henrieta Tornyai. The band went on to release two further albums ''Live & Loud'' (live recordings from the rehearsals for the reunion show) and ''Live in Holland'', a double DVD of the documentary and reunion show.

2015 (''Time's Running Out 2015'')

Following the release of ''Anthology Part 1'' in 2011, the original 'mk1' line-up decided to re-visit the 1985 ''Times Running Out'' album. During 2013–2014, various recording sessions took place during which time the original six tracks were completely re-visited and augmented by three songs from ''Ein Heldentraum'', also re-recorded, to comprise a completely new album. The original 'concept' nature of the band's live shows at this time was hinted at by the use of new linking pieces making the new album stand up as a whole project. ''Time's Running Out 2015'' was released on CD by Non Nobis Productions in September 2015, and subsequently on vinyl (including a short run on translucent media) in June 2016.

Members

Current members

* Dunken F Mullett – vocals, harmonica (1982 to present) * Stephen Loveday – Guitar (1985 to present) * Garry "Magpie" Bowler – Drums (1985 to present) * Paul "Blacken" White – bass/vocals (1985 to present)

Past members

*Richie Jones – Guitar (1982–87) *Aladdin Waz Jarrah – Drums (1982) *Tim Boyd – Drums (1982) *Nigel Tubb – Drums (1983–84) *Jeffrey Leon Ward – Drums (1984–85) *Chris Jones – Drums (1985) *Clive Baxter – Bass (1983–84) *Richard Max Goddard – Bass (1984) *Steve Ellis – Synthesizer (1983) *Derek Jasnoch – Keyboards (1984–86) *Peter Lazonby – Keyboards (1986–87)

Discography

* ''Time's Running Out'' (SHARP 030 Flicknife Records) 1985 mini LP * ''Live Fast Die Young'' (GILP333 GI Records) 1989 LP * ''Anthology Volume 1'' (Angel Air Records) 2011 CD live/demo compilation * ''Live & Loud 2012'' Live LP * "Selling Your Ass (for the Big Time)" 2012 Single * ''Time's Running Out 2015'' (NNP015CD, Non Nobis Production)

Video

* ''Dirty White Leather, West White Lace'' – live at Genetic Studios 1985 * ''Mournblade – The Resurrection documentary'' (directed by Henrieta Tornyai) 2012

References

{{Reflist British heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1982 1982 establishments in England