Praying mantis
| Praying mantis | |
|---|---|
 Praying Mantis at Sweden Rock Festival 2010 |
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| General information | |
| Genre (s) | New Wave of British Heavy Metal , AOR |
| founding | 1975 |
| Website | www.praying-mantis.com |
| Founding members | |
| Stan Cunningham (until 1976) | |
Guitar , vocals |
Tino Troy |
guitar |
Pete Moore (until 1979) |
| Chris Troy | |
| Chris Hudson (until 1978) | |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
John Cuijpers (since 2013) |
bass |
Chris Troy (since 1975) |
guitar |
Tino Troy (since 1975) |
guitar |
Andy Burgess (since 2007) |
Drums |
Hans In 'T Zandt (since 2013) |
| former members | |
Drums |
Mick Ransome (1978-1980) |
Guitar, vocals |
Rob Angelo (1979-1980) |
Drums |
Dave Potts (1980-1983) |
Guitar, vocals |
Steve Carroll (1980-1982) |
singing |
Tom Jackson (1981-1982) |
singing |
Bernie Shaw (1982-1983) |
Keyboard , vocals |
Jon Bavin (1982-1983) |
singing |
Paul Di'Anno (1990-1991) |
guitar |
Dennis Stratton (1990-2005) |
Drums |
Clive Burr (1996) |
Drums |
Bruce Bisland (1990-2001) |
singing |
Doogie White (1991-1992, 2003) |
Keyboard |
Jem Matthews (1991-1992) |
singing |
Colin Peel (1992-1993) |
singing |
Mark Thompson – Smith (1993–1994) |
Keyboard |
Gary Flounders (1993-1994) |
singing |
Gary Barden (1994-1996) |
Keyboard |
Michael Scherchen (1994–1996) |
singing |
Tony O'Hora (1996-2001) |
singing |
John Sloman (2003) |
Drums |
Martin Johnson (2003) |
singing |
Damian Wilson (2005) |
Keyboard |
Leon Lawson (1996, 2000, 2006) |
Drums |
Benjamin "Benjy" Reid (2005-2011) |
singing |
Mike Freeland (2006-2013) |
Drums |
Gary Mackenzie (2011-2013) |
Praying Mantis is a band that, along with groups like Iron Maiden , was one of the pioneers of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWoBHM) in the late 1970s and early 1980s . The band played with other well-known bands of the time at major festivals and was on the verge of a worldwide breakthrough with their 1981 debut album Time Tells No Lies . Due to contractual problems, the second album was released ten years later - at a time when sounds other than the typical British traditional heavy metal style of the band dominated the music world.
history
The beginnings (1972–1975)
1972 Tino Troy (real name Constantino Neophytou) built his first guitar in school. The Englishman later found some colleagues in college , as well as a rehearsal room. In 1973 Tino and his college friends decided to start a band. For this, however, a bass player was missing. So Tino asked his brother Chris (real name Christakis Neophytou), who was learning the classical Spanish guitar, if he would like to play bass in his band. Chris, who had never seen a bass before, learned this quickly. He got the instrument from Tino, who had converted his self-made guitar into a bass because he had bought a Gibson SG guitar.
The father of the singer and guitarist Pete Moore worked as a janitor at a school. So he was able to provide the band with a coal cellar for rehearsals on weekends. After piano player Chris Hudson and drummer Gary Trotter joined shortly afterwards, the band name "Junction" was chosen. Junction started with covers of Status Quo and later Thin Lizzy and Wishbone Ash .
After a while, the band was no longer satisfied with Gary Trotter's drumming. Chris Hudson took on the role of drummer, which eliminated the piano. Since Chris learned to play very quickly, the band was able to make a first appearance in their hometown of London six months later .
In 1975 Tino Troy heard Stan Cunningham sing at a college. Within a week, Stan was part of the band. Stan brought his own lyrics to the band and only a few days later the band had some of their own compositions. At the time, Junction was renamed Praying Mantis and the first line-up was in place.
The first years (1975–1981)
After Praying Mantis had played mainly at private parties, they had their first real appearance in 1975 in a London pub. Shortly thereafter, however, they were left by their singer Stan Cunningham. He moved back to Wales after completing all of his college courses. A new singer was not wanted for the time being, all four remaining band members shared the vocals.
Soon after, the band recruited Jeff Crook as a manager. This gave them many more appearances and a recording session in the First Light 8 Track Studios. There she recorded the demo Captured City in 1977 . It contains the classics Captured City , Johnny Cool and Lovers to the Grave .
At the end of 1978 a friend told Tino about the HM Soundhouse in Kingsbury. There the band asked the DJ Neal Kay if he would play their demo . Kay took the demo recordings home to listen to. The following week he played all three songs.
In early 1980 the compilation Metal for Muthas appeared , in which many up-and-coming metal bands were involved. In addition to two songs by Iron Maiden, there was also a new recording of Captured City by Praying Mantis. The line-up of the band had changed slightly in the meantime. Dave Potts was the new drummer and Rob Angelo now played the second guitar in the band. Together with the Troy brothers, they did the first Praying Mantis tour: The Metal for Muthas tour in 1980.
After a successful tour it was only a matter of time before Praying Mantis got the opportunity to record their first album. Steve Carroll had meanwhile replaced Rob Angelo and was already involved in the songwriting of the LP Time Tells No Lies . The debut came out in mid-1981 and the reactions of metal fans were consistently positive. Praying Mantis were about to break through. However, even small accidents during the recording of Time Tells No Lies showed that the band was not always under a good star. A song written by Russ Ballard was originally supposed to be recorded. This had the title I Surrender . During the recording, however, the band got the message that the band Rainbow was recording this piece at the same time and had it planned as their next single .
This shouldn't remain the only problem. Shortly after the release of the debut, there were problems with the management, the trend of the new wave of British Heavy Metal passed and Praying Mantis did not get the chance to record a second album. The big bands like Def Leppard and Iron Maiden had prevailed, Praying Mantis disappeared shortly before the big breakthrough into oblivion.
Inactive time and other projects (1981–1990)
The Troy brothers only celebrated a comeback in 1985 when they released the album Throwing Shapes together with former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr, as well as Bernie Shaw (vocals) and Alan Nelson (keyboard) . The new band was called Stratus and emerged from the band Escape, which was founded in 1983, but only made a few demo recordings.
Stratus Throwing Shapes sold mostly in Japan. As with Praying Mantis, Stratus was refused to record a second album. The reasons for this were the sales figures, which fell short of expectations, as well as the members themselves, who saw no more potential in the band. Bernie Shaw joined Uriah Heep in 1986, Chris Troy strived for his engineering career and his brother Tino was active in various bands and was involved in some projects.
For the Troy brothers, the key experience to reactivate their band came in 1990. Due to a request from Japan, a kind of “all-star group” was put together from pioneers of the NWoBHM. This included Tino and Chris Troy, Paul Di'Anno, Dennis Stratton (formerly Iron Maiden and Lionheart), as well as the drummer Bruce Bisland (formerly with Weapon and Wildfire), the Tino Troy in the bands Paddy goes to Holyhead and The Wandering Crutchlees had met.
The band toured together under the banner of "Praying Mantis & Paul Dianno, Dennis Stratton" through Japan to celebrate the 10th anniversary of NWoBHM. Songs from the first two Iron Maiden albums ( Iron Maiden and Killers ), as well as Praying Mantis and Lionheart material were played. After the tour, a live album titled Live at Last was released .
Re-establishment (1990-2004)
After the very successful Japan tour, Praying Mantis was offered a new record deal. Paul Di 'Anno left the project to work with his band Killers. Dennis Stratton, Bruce Bisland and Chris and Tino Troy were members of the re-established "Praying Mantis". In 1991 the official second Praying Mantis album was released, entitled Predator in Disguise . Stylistically, the band picked up where Time Tells No Lies left off. Another tour of Japan followed.
A Cry for the new World was released in 1993 . For the album, the band added a new singer to their ranks: Colin Peel. However, this did not accompany the band on their subsequent Japan tour. He was replaced by Mark Thompson-Smith, who in the same year recorded the EP Only the Children Cry, which was released exclusively in Japan . On this EP old song ideas were used again. A new version of Only the Children Cry was heard on the 1995 album To the Power of Ten . Gary Barden (formerly MSG and Statetrooper) acted as singer. A 1996 concert in Tokyo was released on video and CD. When it was released, the band's market orientation became clear once again: The album Captured Alive in Tokyo City was released as a single CD in Europe, but as a complete concert on two CDs in Japan. Praying Mantis used different singers for their five studio albums released between 1990 and 1998. In 1999 the double-CD compilation Demorabilia was released, which contains recordings by the bands Escape, Stratus and Praying Mantis. Many of the songs included were already known from some studio recordings at the time.
In 2000, Nowhere to Hide was released , which, according to reviews, again represented a qualitative improvement. Chris Troy was satisfied when he discovered that a second album was recorded with the same line-up. The release of the album was accompanied by appearances in Japan, England and Germany at the Wacken Open Air. Praying Mantis opened up new audiences in all locations. A short time later, drummer Bruce Bisland and singer Tony O'Hora left the band. Reasons were musical differences and time problems, as both musicians played together with Andy Scott at The Sweet .
Although the band officially consisted only of Dennis Stratton, Chris and Tino Troy after the separation, guest musicians such as John Sloman and Dougie White (vocals) and Martin Johnson (drums) were signed on for The Journey Goes On . In 2004 the compilation The Best of Praying Mantis appeared , which was supposed to fulfill only existing contracts.
Recent past (since 2005)
Only at the end of 2005 did the band get back with a new line-up. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of NWoBHM, Praying Mantis played together with bands like Magnum in London. Dennis Stratton dropped out for health reasons. Nevertheless, the successful performance resulted in a new record deal.
Praying Mantis also played numerous appearances in the following years, including in Greece and Germany at the Headbanger's Open Air. In the summer of 2009, the new studio album "Sanctuary" was finally released, which received positive reviews and which performed in Japan, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, France and Sweden followed.
In 2013 there were again changes in the line-up: The Dutchman Hans in 'T Zandt took his place on the drums, while his compatriot John "Jaycee" Cuijpers took over the job of front man and singer for Mike Freeland. In August 2015, after a six-year wait, Praying Mantis released the new album "Legacy" on the Italian label Frontiers Music, which received positive feedback from fans and critics alike.
Almost sensational for Praying Mantis, the new long player "Gravity" appeared in May 2018 with the same band line-up, also with Frontiers Music. As with the predecessor "Legacy", the reviews (including on PowerMetal.de) were very positive here too, even if in some cases too strong a focus on AOR was noted negatively. The release of the album was followed by a tour with performances in England, Spain, France and Germany. A performance at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan in April 2018 was recorded and in December 2019 as a live CD and DVD under the title "Keep It Alive!" released.
Discography
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Studio albums
- 1981: Time tells no lies
- 1991: Predator in Disguise
- 1993: A Cry for the New World
- 1995: To the power of ten
- 1998: Forever in Time
- 2000: Nowhere to hide
- 2003: The Journey goes on
- 2009: Sanctuary
- 2015: Legacy
- 2018: Gravity
Live albums
- 1990: Live at Last (Live)
- 1994: Play in the East (Live)
- 1996: Captured alive in Tokyo City (Live - CD, 2xCD, VHS)
- 2003: Captured alive in Tokyo City (Live - DVD)
- 2019: Keep It Alive! (Live CD + DVD)
Compilations
- 1999: Demorabilia
- ????: Live + singles
- ????: Cheated
- 2004: The Best of Praying Mantis (Best-of)
- 2011: Metalmorphosis - Japanese Edition
Singles
- 1977: Captured City (Demo)
- 1980: Praying Mantis
- 1980: All Day and all of the Night
- 1981: Cheated
- 1982: Turn the Tables
- 1991: This Time Girl (promo CD)
- 1993: Only the Children cry (EP)
- 2010: Witch Hunt (online single)
- 2011: Metalmorphosis (EP)
On samplers
Only relevant compilations are listed, which in most cases contain titles that cannot be found on any of the band's regular releases.
- 1980: Captured City on Metal for Muthas
- 1980: Johnny Cool on Metal Explosion from the Friday Rock Show
- 1985: Top of the Mountain on The Best of British Rock - A Rock Collection
- 1999: A Question of Time , Panic in the Streets , Running for Tomorrow , 30 Pieces of Silver , Lovers to the Grave , Beads of Ebony , Flirting with Suicide and Children of the Earth on Metal Crusade '99
- 2000: Wacken 2000 Special Report (VHS / DVD, Live and Interview)
- 2008: Children of the Earth and Turn the Tables on Bang Your Head !!! 2007 (DVD)
- 2009: Captured City , Children of the Earth and Panic in the Streets at Headbangers Open Air 2008 (DVD)
- 2012: Captured City , Can't see the Angels and Turn the Tables on Headbanger's Open Air 2011 (DVD)
Other Projects
- 1985: Stratus: Throwing Shapes (with Chris and Tino Troy)
- 1994: English Steel: Lucky Streak Vol. II (with Tino Troy & Dennis Stratton)
- 1991: All Stars Featuring the Best of British Heavy Metal & Heavy Rock Musicians (with Tino Troy and Dennis Stratton)
- 1999: Horakane : Eternal Infinity (with Tony O'Hora )
- 2006: Tony O'Hora : Escape into the Sun
- 2012: Backing vocals ShannoN ( Love in your Eyes ; Chris Troy, Tino Troy and Mike Freeland)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Tim Eckhorst : Metal makes music. TheNextArt Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-939400-18-9 , p. 23.
- ↑ Tim Eckhorst: Metal makes music. TheNextArt Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-939400-18-9 , p. 90.
- ↑ a b Chart sources: CH UK
Web links
- Official website
- Praying Mantis at Discogs (English)