History & Biography The band was compared to a harder AC/DC and was first known for its Burn This Town single on Guardian Records in 1981, as well as an appearance on a Guardian Records compilation named Roxcalibur. Battleaxe (established in 1981) had arisen from the ashes of a band called Warrior (established in 1979). Singer Dave King had been a roadie for Warrior. The band Warrior had had a song called Battleaxe.
Battleaxe toured with Saxon, Twisted Sister, Anvil, Spyder and others. At this time, the band had became somewhat known given a recent radio one session for the famed DJ Tommy Vance. David King recalls the story of how a young band called Metallica had approached the band in 1983 for a tour, but was rebuffed by the Battleaxe team. The debut album's amateurish cover artwork was meant to be a rough draft that MFN had opted to take as the final cover and used. Consequently, an alternate cover was used for the French edition, which now unfortunately named the band 'Battle Axe.' The boys opened for Saxon during the Crusader tour which included two nights at the prestigious Hammersmith Odeon in London.
The band lost Steve Hardy after the Saxon Crusader tour which was a crucial time as Battleaxe was being considered for signing by Atlantic Records. Nick Percy and John Stormont joined the band on guitar. The band also featured Jason Holt at this time. The band changed drummers following Burn This Town (with Ian Thompson injured in an attack) and split for the first time soon after Power From The Universe. Battleaxe was working on its third album, Mean Machine, when the label's support ended. The label had signed the act for three albums. The band also recorded a four-song demo at Trinity Heights Studio (owned by Fred Purcers of Tygers Of Pan Tang fame) in Newcastle. A reformation was reported in 1988 and another in 2001, the former featuring one John Stormont.
Singer Dave King, who had gone on to a life of cover versions and Tom Jones tunes, considered releasing the band's albums - including Mean Machine material - for early 2005. Battleaxe got its own official website in late 2004. The 2005 release was called the Nightmare Zone EP. Dave King, the erstwhile singer, released a solo album called Rainbow's End. The album was not a heavy metal one. He was also working on releasing the band's catalogue, including the unreleased Mean Machine recording from 1997. Dave King announced he was working on an autobiography. Dave King had a new song in mid-2007 called The Warm Winds Of Dallas which was a tribute to John F. Kennedy. He was working on a new country-tinged album called Love Does What It Does. The still disbanded battleaxe, nonetheless, had a video for the older track Chopper Attack in 2007.
The band reformed again in 2010 and appeared at the Headbangers Open Air. Heavy Metal Sanctuary was a 2013 demo, which was released by Steamhammer in 2014. The band played at the Keep It True Festival, Brofest #2 and Bloodstock Open Air Festival. The band was Dave King on vocals, Mick Percy (guitar), Brian Smith (bass) and drummer Paul_AT_Kinson. Paul left the band right after the Keep It True appearance and Ricky Squires (Heavy Metal Kids) played with the band at Bloodstock. Session pro Mauricio Chamucero (Savage Messiah, Rogue Male, etc.) took over the drums in 2018. The band announced touring and an album called Rezonator or Resonator for 2021.
Reviews
Interviews
|
