Black Axe

BLACK AXE is a textbook example of a band that had the potential to do so much more but somehow missed the boat. This, their only release under the name BLACK AXE, showcased a band with strong songwriting skills and excellent musicianship. The single highlights everything magnificent about NWOBHM in 1980. ‘Highway Rider’ is a strong yet pacey tune. It demonstrates the band’s knack for mid-paced, hook-laden songs that featured strong vocals and nice guitar chops. But the real treat is ‘Red Lights’, a sizzling slab of prime NWOBHM. It’s driving beat and hotshot guitar heroics culminate in one of the bona fide classics of the entire genre, and it was rightfully immortalized on the ’79 Revisited’ compilation that marked the NWOBHM’s 10th anniversary. Housed in a yellow sleeve, the single sold well at the time and is thus neither hard to fine nor expensive to purchase even today (a couple of minor variations exist regarding the area around the center hole punch-out if you really need your Collector fix).

The band was featured on ‘The Friday Rock Show’ compilation with the superb ‘Edge of the World’, which would become the title track of their debut LP. That album, however, would not see the light of day until 1984. You see, the band’s talents had not gone entirely overlooked by the major labels, and the band was picked up by Chrysalis. A single was released under the band’s revamped (and terribly generic) WOLF moniker in 1982, but the tracks were not up to par with the BLACK AXE single and the lads were thereafter dropped by The Man, with their album getting a somewhat posthumous release thanks to Mausoleum Records. I rather enjoy the album, but that’s a review for another day.

If you’re a fan of NWOBHM, you really cannot overlook the BLACK AXE single; it’s as essential as they come.

Highway Rider ist ein ansprechender typischer nwobhm track im midtempo Bereich. Der b-track Red lights haut einem absolut vom Hocker. Killersingle die den damaligen Iron Maiden Outputs durchaus das Wasser reichen kann und ein absoluter Pflichtkauf.