Brocas Helm Biography
Even though they came into existence at around the same time and place (1982, the Bay Area) as the speed metal movement, San Francisco originals Brocas Helm shared only a few thrash-like tendencies with neighbors Exodus, Metallica, et al. Instead, like similarly overlooked contemporaries such as Manilla Road and Warlord, Brocas Helm members Bobbie Wright (guitars/vocals), Jim Schumacher (bass) and Jack Hays (drums) blazed a less popular trail closer to traditional metal powers like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and, of course, Black Sabbath, before them. This purist's philosophy quickly translated into a contract with Germany's Steamhammer label, which released Brocas Helm's medieval-minded debut album, Into Battle, in 1984, but to little critical acclaim. Fact is, band and label were separated by too great a distance to work together effectively, and the demos that would become Brocas Helm's, second album, Black Death, would languish unreleased for nearly four years before finally coming to light in 1989 -- and then via the band's own Gargoyle imprint. By then, the group (now augmented by second guitarist Tom "T-Bone" Behney) had become a truly underground enterprise, and would issue nothing but demos (1994's "Ghost Story," 1997's "Time of the Dark") until giving up their battle at last in the late ‘90's. Brocas Helm's retirement was short-lived, however, and when Greek promoters invited them to tour that metal-mad country, they eagerly reformed and issued a single entitled "Blood machine" to coincide with their live dates. Perhaps even more surprisingly, 2004 finally saw the release of a third Brocas Helm L.P. entitled Defender of the Crown. ~ Ed Rivadavia, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
No trigger Biography: Hailing from central Massachusetts (read: not from Boston), the melodic hardcore unit No Trigger had become a five-piece by the time they self-released their first demo, the EP The World Is Not a...
Seven mary three Biography: Within the alternative world, Seven Mary Three has often been compared to the mainstream-sounding, garage/arena rock of post-Ten Pearl Jam, but the group insists that their refusal to alienate...
Underworld Biography: Underworld became one of the most crucial electronic acts of the 1990s via an intriguing synthesis of old and new. The trio's two-man frontline, vocalist Karl Hyde and guitarist Rick Smith, had been...
Death angel Biography: San Francisco's Death Angel was a product of the bustling Bay Area thrash metal scene of the 1980s. Combining serious guitar crunch and speed with a fair amount of technical expertise, they created...
Oro solido Biography: One of the more popular merengue outfits of the late '90s/early 21st century was Oro Solido (translated in English it means "Solid Gold"). The group's leader and founder, Raul Acosta (also...
Lothlorien Biography: Lothlorien was formed in early 1996 by group members Nicole Leonard (whistles/keyboards/Celtic harp/violin/ mandolin/bodhran), Chris Lloyd (guitar/bouzouki/mandola/vocals), and Tamzin Wood...
Einherjer Biography: Having a strong interest in the mythological aspects of Norse history, Frode Glesnes (guitar) and Gerhard Storesund (drums) formed Einherjer in early 1993 out of their home country of Norway. The...
Henry cow Biography: The progressive-rock genre spawned many groups who became top-grossing arena acts -- Pink Floyd and Genesis are two -- as well as many who progressed right into obscurity. Henry Cow was one of the...