History & Biography Ignitor, out of Texas, is the band of former Agony Column man Stuart Laurence and was formed in 2003. The band issued a demo called Take To The Sky in 2004. A single called Reinheitsgebot: Metal Is The Law followed a year later, which was described as a tribute to the Germanic way of thinking. The band’s take to The Sky demo was also reissued through Brazil’s Dies Irae Records.
The band was part of the line-up for Texas Metal Health IV, a tribute to singer David Wayne. The fourth annual benefit for leukemia research featured Reverend, Azrael’s Bane, Ignitor, Ancient Cross and Drifter. The event was slated for May 13th at Sam’s Burger Joint in San Antonio, Texas. The band announced the addition of guitarist Annah Moore of Red Volution, reportedly a transsexual, as the replacement for Beverly Barrington in 2006. A new demo was recorded for 2007 and picked up by Cruz Del Sur of Italy. A German tour was cancelled earlier ostensibly due to Erika sustaining an injury.
The band signed a deal with Cruz Del Sur which would distribute the band’s Road Of Bones album in the summer of 2007. The band lost its singer and rhythm guitarist in the autumn of 2007. The band was looking for replacements in the Austin, Texas area. The Spider Queen appeared in the summer of 2009. It featured Jason McMaster of Watchtower on vocals. Mix Tape '85 was a 2013 demo! Williams was part of the Texas Metal Outlaws ‘all-star’ project in 2018. Live Before The Plague was a 2021 demo taped in Texas.
Reviews IGNITOR - TAKE TO THE SKY
Remember Agony Column? Stuart Laurence of the band has returned to the heavy metal scene with a new band and a new demo. Along for the ride is a former T.A.N.G. colleague. The band heralds its true metal intentions and sounds and it means business too. It is just too bad that two of the members have short hair. Otherwise, the band's leather and studs image would have been perfect.
The band's music is reminiscent of old Riot. Crunchy heavy metal music and the melodic, yet gritty vocals of Erika Swinnich, hits the mark with songs like Demonslayer and Execution. Ignitor even has a song about capital punishment and George W. Bush! The band is from Texas and smack in the middle of the lunacy of that mad man after all. No matter, check the band out at www.ignitor.org or e-mail ignitor_band@hotmail.com for some true blue metal crunch with cool guitar rhythms and lead work. The band's music is still a little rough around the edges, but listen to the cool axe work of The Gray Ghost and the potential becomes clear. - Sheila Wes Det
IGNITOR - ROAD OF BONES - CRUZ DEL SUR 
Heavy metal right out of the '80’s (the opening intro clones the riff from Helloween’s Victim Of Fate) coming out of Texas in 2007 is not exactly a statement that one expects to see and perhaps Ignitor’s style is not exactly one expects at all, but nevertheless the quintet have ended up on the Italian label and that might be where they find most of their success. Female vocals and a female guitarist are as much a rarity in this style as well but Erika Swinnich and Annah Moore do well to offer a good amount of variety over the 10 songs, and one intro, here. Listening to Erika’s vocal style and range it is pretty certain that it will be a major issue for a listener’s impression of Road Of Bones. Her screams, in particular, are vintage '80’s and for most of the 21st century audience this will be in the love it or hate it category. In summary one can say that Ignitor mix and blend a sampling of heavy metal.
IGNITOR - YEAR OF THE METAL TIGER - MVD 
Year Of The Metal Tiger is an impressive album coming from any band, but it is a special surprise by a band whose debut album of 2007 was only mildly satisfactory. Something must have happened in the intervening years - obviously partly or completely explained by the change in line-up including the addition of Jason McMaster of Evil United (on the same label), Dangerous Toys and Watchtower on vocals - because the energy level, quantity of metal authenticity and sheer fun has increased to impressive heights. And this is 2012 too!
Picking out landmarks is not too difficult. Unlike most newer metal bands thinking reclaiming traditional metal goes through excess melody Ignitor do not forget the power and the heaviness. At times, Year Of The Metal Tiger sounds inspired by Pain Killer and almost, but not quite, verges into thrash metal territory. The sound is not world-class, but a special nod needs to go the warm and heavy snare pitch. McMaster’s vocals rage and, while he struggles with the highest pitches of his range, manage to take the band to the next level. The song The Kaiser deserves a special mention: heavy, fast, catchy and what guitar work. At first, it sounded like even the lyrics are on a more sublime niveau, almost like Jack Layton’s so-called social democratic manifesto, but the first line about a beer drinking woman takes that away fast! Nevertheless, The Kaiser and We Are IGNITOR (emphasis the band’s) are great metal handiworks. 2012 is the year of the dragon, but not on the metal calendar. It is the year of the tiger. - Ali “The Metallian”
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