Sergeant Thunderhoof - The Ghost Of Badon Hill (Album Review)

Release Date: November 15th 2024. Record Label: Pale Wizard Records. Format: Cassette/CD/DD/Vinyl

The Ghost of Badon Hill - Track Listing:

1.Badon

2.Blood Moon 

3.The Orb of Octavia 

4.Salvation for the Soul

5.Sentinel

6.Beyond the Hill

Members

Mark Sayer – Guitars

Josh Gallop – Guitars and Backing Vocals

Darren Ashman – Drums

Dan Flitcroft – Vocals

Jim Camp – Bass

Review

Stoner Rock visionaries Sergeant Thunderhoof return with their new album The Ghost Of Badon Hill which arrives two years after their critically acclaimed masterpiece This Sceptred Veil. This was always going to be a tough job topping that incredible release and I still believe it’s their best album to date. However, The Ghost Of Badon Hill is another stirring and emotionally charged classic album from the guys. This time round THE HOOF are diving deep into the local history, mythology and folklore surrounding their hometown in Somerset, exploring the famous Battle of Badon.

The record continues the beautiful and complex melodies of their previous album but give it a more FOLK and HISTORICAL inspired spin which can be quite hard hitting and realistic with the lyrics the band have written for this album.

The opening tracks of Badon and Blood Moon allows Sergeant Thunderhoof to set up the scene with blistering grooves and aggressive Psychedelic sounds with lead vocalist Dan Flitcroft proving why he’s one of the best vocalists and lead frontmen within the UK Stoner Rock/Metal scene right now. His performance is quite emotional and deeply intense when he sings those epic HIGH notes especially on Blood Moon. You can tell the lyrics resonate quite deeply and personally for Dan and even made myself quite emotional at times.

The music is some of the heaviest that Sergeant Thunderhoof have written to date and explores areas of music they haven’t played before.

The Ghost Of Badon Hill is quite a forward thinking and deeply progressive record which explores the human sacrifices made with neverending wars and even with this record being influenced by historical events, this record perfectly resonates with all the horrible battles currently going on in the world. However, as the record continues, Sergeant Thunderhoof brings moments of uplifting positivity in the most unexpected of places throughout the album. 

This is Sergeant Thunderhoof at their most cinematic best and once again proves why they’re the most naturally gifted and highly original storytellers of the whole Stoner Rock/Metal scene which is proven on tracks such as The Orb Of Octavia, Salvation For The Soul and Beyond The Hill.

With a burgeoning Sludge Rock/Metal vibe starting to form on the later stages of the album, Sergeant Thunderhoof always continues to develop and transform their music into something completely different that has come before it. This allows each of the individual tracks to have their own distinctive sound and identity to each other with epic moments of Post Rock, Ambient and Doom Metal being used to great effect.

The Ghost Of Badon Hill is dedicated to the memory of Roger Densham who sadly passed away recently. Roger was from the same home town (Bath, UK) as Sergeant Thunderhoof and was part of the excellent Psych Doom Rock band DOOMICIDAL. I interviewed Roger way back in April 2019 and he was a lovely person to interview.

Sergeant Thunderhoof never ceases to amaze me by releasing one brilliant album after another and that winning streak continues with The Ghost Of Badon Hill which is going to be considered one of the landmark albums to own this year. These guys are on the verge of true greatness and this maybe the album solidifies that reputation once and for all.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Memphia Music PR & Management for the promo

The Ghost Of Badon Hill is available to buy now on CD/Cassette/DD/Vinyl via Pale Wizard Records.

Links

Website: https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sergeantthunderhoof
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergeantthunderhoof/

Various Artists: A Tribute To Budgie - Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later (Album Review)

Release Date: June 30th 2023. Record Label: Pale Wizard Records. Formats: DD/Vinyl

Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later: Tracklisting

1.Alunah - Breadfan 05:29

2.Firegarden - Baby Please Don't Go 05:24

3.Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell - You Know I'll Always Love You 03:42

4.Regulus - You're The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk 07:25

5.Syncolima - In The Grip Of A Tyrefitter's Hand 06:23

6.Great Electric Quest - Riding My Nightmare 03:38

7.Sergeant Thunderhoof - Parents 10:22

8.La Chinga - Guts - Bonus Track 04:20

9.Low Voltage - Forearm Smash - Bonus Track 05:46

10.Solar Sons - Melt The Ice Away - Bonus Track 03:53

Review:

Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later is a new tribute album from acclaimed UK Underground Record Label Pale Wizard Records home to Sergeant Thunderhoof. Following previous dedicated album releases to Alice Cooper and David Bowie, now it’s time for Welsh Hard Rock/Metal legends BUDGIE who have influenced and been covered by the likes of Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth and Van Halen to name but a few.

Budgie were one of the heaviest Hard Rock/Metal bands in the 1970’s and 1980’s scene and helped inspire the NWOBHM scene so the band are worthy of a tribute album such as this with their legendary third album Never Turn Your Back On A Friend getting the Pale Wizard Records treatment. 

This is more of a Doom/Stoner Metal tribute to such as an iconic album thanks to the artists involved with bands such as Alunah, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, Regulus, Great Electric Wizard and Sergeant Thunderhoof offering their creative talents and providing their own spin on Budgie’s most classic songs with Alunah being giving the famous track to perform with Breadfan that opens the album. Alunah put in a barnstorming performance which pays homage to the original song with the heavy sounds being given a slightly modern makeover whilst paying huge respect to the original song’s legacy. 

Firegarden are up next with perhaps the albums second most famous track Baby Please Don’t Go and it’s Blues Rock based cover which is perhaps play at a more faster pace than the original but the the original’s Hard Rock grooves are there especially when the frantic and action packed grooves that oozes Blues Rock soul appears with the classic Power Rock Trio stance that Budgie were known for. 

Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell brings their usual madcap style of Hard Rock/Stoner/Punk Rock chaos to this track and it works amazingly well with the “in-your-face” style sounds the original version offered. There’s a Garage Rock drive that appears with this track that Budgie would undoubtedly approve of. The production is not perfect but the band’s performance is and allows this to be one of the best performances on the album.

Regulus are up next for You’re The Biggest Thing Since Powdered Milk for over seven minutes which is one of my favourite Budgie tracks of all time. Regulus belongs in the 70’s Rock environment with this barnstorming performance. The song has echoes of Regulus' modern Psych Stoner Rock sound with the flashy Progressive guitar tones that soon moves back to Budgie’s groundbreaking style of Guitar based Heavy Rock. Regulus injected a style of 80’s Heavy Metal pomp into this track especially with the extended guitar solos but still paying huge respect to Budgie along the way.

The next two tracks In The Grip Of A Typefitter’s Hand and Riding My Nightmare are performed by Syncolima and Great Electric Quest respectively and they both perform play their own superb versions of these two great tracks  Syncolima play the heaviest of the tracks with perhaps the most modern sounding track on the album. As the band moves between Stoner, Doom and Classic Hard Rock with their interpretation of this great song.

Great Electric Quest play the most laidback track on the album which showed a different and tender side to Budgie. This album is full of mostly Heavy Rock bangers but Riding My Nightmare is more of a Pop/Rock song but with small touches of Heavy Blues Rock grooves. Another one of the standout performances of the track as it even allows Great Electric Quest to show their fans a different style they’re normally associated with.

Sergeant Thunderhoof makes a welcome appearance on the album’s closing track Parents and I couldn’t think of another band who could play this track. The song is everything you would expect from “The Hoof”, Soulful and emotionally charged from start to finish which is mostly down to Dan’s intense vocals. Looking more and more into this song I can see now why Budgie are a big influence within Sergeant Thunderhoof and nothing encompasses that belief is the similarities of the original version compared to the Hoof’s acclaimed last album The Sceptred Veil. 

However, the fun doesn’t end there as Pale Wizard Records offer three more classic BUDGIE tracks with Guts, Forearm Smash and Melt The Ice Away as bonus tracks. La Chinga cover Guts, Low Voltage cover Forearm Smash and Solar Sons cover Melt The Ice Away. 

These tracks follow the original versions quite closely but still allow all bands to impress with their own style and variation of the track. The songs are perhaps bombastic and DOOM based compared to the other performances on the album but La Chinga, Low Voltage Sons all play fabulous covers with a more metallic sound finally starting to emerge.

Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later is a first rate tribute album and ranks as one of the very best ones I’ve heard in a long while. I’m a huge fan of Budgie and this is a loving tribute to one of the most undeniable creative forces from the UK Hard Rock/Heavy Metal scene whose influence is felt around the global Heavy Metal scene. 

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Memphia Music PR & Management for the promo.

Never Turn Your Back On A Friend: 50 Years Later is available to buy now on DD/Vinyl via Pale Wizard Records

Pale Wizard Records Links:

Official | BandCamp

Pale Wizard Announce Budgie - Never Turn Your Back on a Friend 50 YEARS LATER!

How can a band be so influential and yet experience so little mainstream success in their lifetime?

In June 1973, a little trio from Cardiff in Wales called Budgie released their third album 'Never Turn Your Back on a Friend'. Recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios, this album firmly cemented their legacy as a dynamic force to be reckoned with in the hard rock movement of the early seventies. With their music being covered by the likes of Van Halen, Iron Maiden and Metallica, it is clear that Budgie have left an enduring mark upon the music world as we know it.

'Never Turn Your Back on a Friend' built upon the hard rocking and progressive elements of their first two records, helped along nicely by the now legendary opening song 'Breadfan'.

Tragically in 2022, their lead singer, bassist and founding member Burke Shelley passed away at the age of 71. Now in 2023, exactly fifty years after it's original release, we plan to pay tribute to this awesome album.

We're thrilled to announce this epic lineup of acts to be taking part in this release:

Alunah
Great Electric Quest
Syncolima
Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell
Regulus
Sergeant Thunderhoof
Firegarden

Each band will be taking on one of the songs in their own style. All of the songs have already been completed and we're so pleased with how they sound! We will be featuring different bands throughout the Kickstarter campaign so you can get to learn more about them and also hear their connections and feelings regarding this project and Budgie.

Back The KickStarter Fund Nowa

Time//Wounds - The eighth studio LP from Mos Generator Being Released via Pale Wizard Records

We've had a great relationship with Tony Reed and Mos Generator for a few years now. So we were honoured when he approached us to handle the worldwide Cd release for their new album. What we didn't expect was for the album to be quite as amazing as it is. Trust us, this is like nothing you've heard from this band before. It's like Tony has gone through his (vast) record collection and managed to blend the best moments from the last 40 years of Rock and Pop. We can hear Jeff Buckley, Steely Dan, Sabbath and so much more. Have a listen to one of the tracks below:

In order to do this album justice, we decided to release a deluxe edition of just 100 CD's in a special slipcases with an exclusive embroidered patch (not available anywhere else). Head on over to the link below to pre-order your own copy before they're gone. Official release is 16th December. Thank you for reading.

Pale Wizard BandCamp Store

KILLER: 50 Years Later (Album Review) by Various Artists

Release Date: November 27th 2021. Record Label. Pale Wizard. Format: DD/CD/Vinyl

KILLER: 50 Years Later - Tracklisting

1.Green Lung - Under My Wheels 02:48 video

2.The Grand Mal - Be My Lover 03:11

3.Sergeant Thunderhoof - Halo of Flies 08:39

4.Ritual King - Desperado 04:40

5.1968 - You Drive Me Nervous 03:34

6.Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah 03:01

7.Mos Generator - Dead Babies 05:42

8.Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell - Killer 06:54

9.Alunah - I'm Eighteen - Bonus Track 03:15

10.Suns of Thunder - Billion Dollar Babies - Bonus Track 04:08

11.Possessor - Muscle of Love - Bonus Track 03:52

12.Sound of Origin - Sick Things - Bonus Track 06:06

Review

Releasing a tribute album to one of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Outrageous Personalities such as Alice Cooper was always going to be full of surprises. Pale Wizard Records have gathered some of the best underground Stoner Rock bands around to perform on a tribute album of KILLER: 50 Years Later. With the original album being a Hard Rock/Glam Rock/Garage Rock classic from 1971, bringing the album up for a modern day release then a tribute album is the best way to go.

This record is more Doom Rock/Stoner Rock orientated compared to the original but still maintains the original record’s gloriously rebellious sound with Alice Cooper’s music shining through once again. You have artists such as Green Lung, Alunah, Mos Generator, Sergeant Thunderhoof and Possessor appearing among many others. Each of the bands bring their own style and interpretation of the song whilst remaining quite close to the original.

Opening up the album is rising Doom/Stoner Rockers Green Lung performing Under My Wheels and I would never have thought about putting Green Lung to work on this song. It’s a gloriously epic performance with Green Lung not being themselves and playing a subdued Hard Rock/Glam Rock style of music with elements of Doom Rock here and there.

Up next is The Grand Mal who revel and bring raw party going excitement on Be My Lover. A seedy and romantic offering which is almost as good as the original. Spiky vocals and frantic instrumental work make this another winning track.

Pale Wizard Records owners or should I say Sergeant Thunderhoof take the longest track with perhaps my favourite track on the original album - Halo Of Flies. A Psychedelic and Murky Stoner Rock makeover that sees the guys make the song truly one of their own compositions. An alternative feel with the vocals and synths make this the best cover on the record. As it’s quite progressive and offers emotional depth when the slower parts of the song appear.

I’m not going to have time to review every band that appears but all of the bands who perform on this album bring their “A” game even being given one song each. Mos Generator, Ritual King and Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell are my other favourite performances from the album with things becoming quite frantic, freaky and wonderfully psychedelic. 

The original KILLER was ahead of its time back in 1971 and it’s good to see 50 years later the record still has the power to delight and entertain different generations of music fans. This tribute album is one of the best I’ve experienced in years and it shows a different style of Doom Rock and Stoner Rock with Alice Cooper not associated with those genres of music. 

KILLER: 50 Years Later is top-tier entertainment and I persuade you all to go over listen to this and purchase a copy. If you’re a fan of Alice Cooper and this classic album then this is a must have purchase. Awesome stuff.

Words by Steve Howe

Thanks to Dan from Pale Wizard Records and Memphia Music PR and Management for the promo. 

KILLER: 50 Years Later is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Pale Wizard Records

Links

BandCamp

Sergeant Thunderhoof Announce New Album And Announce KICKSTARTER DETAILS

A new album... at last!

We're delighted to announce that we have finally begun work on the follow up to 2018's 'Terra Solus'. This is easily our most ambitious work to date and we can't wait to share it with you.

A Kickstarter campaign has just gone live and you are the first to be notified! We won't be sharing the news with others until tomorrow. There are loads of cool packages and goodies up for grabs and we hope you will join us on this ride to help us get this project off the ground.

CLICK HERE TO SEE!

Sergeant Thunderhoof & Pale Wizard Records

PALE WIZARD RECORDS:

Website: https://www.palewizard.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/palewizard

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/palewizard

Bandcamp: https://palewizardrecords.bandcamp.com/

SERGEANT THUNDERHOOF:

Website: https://www.sergeantthunderhoof.co.uk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sergeantthunderhoof

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sergeantthunderhoof

Bandcamp: https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com

An Inteview With PALE WIZARD RECORDS To Discuss Kickstarter for exciting project: Alice Cooper - Killer - 50 years later.

Pale Wizard Records have been going strong for a few years now and have released some great releases from Sergeant Thunderhoof, Phoxjaw and Mos Generator over the years. Now, the label may have embarked on their biggest project yet. As the band have just announced their latest project which will be a tribute album to Alice Cooper’s seminal 1971 album KILLER.

The band have launched a Kickstarter Campaign where bands such as Green Lung, 1968, Mos Generator, Ritual King and Sergeant Thunderhoof performing their own versions of classic tracks from the album.

I caught up with Tim and Dan, the brains behind Pale Wizard Records to see why they’re taking on such a huge project….

Hi guys. Thanks for doing this interview. How are things with you today?

TIM: Hello! I’m very good thanks. Hope that everyone is doing alright in these difficult times we live in!

Dan: All good mate, sun has been shining today which is a miracle for this country!

For people not in the know. Can you give a brief history of how the record label came together and where it is today.

TIM: Dan had already started the label prior to me joining last year. I’ve known Dan for 20 years and have worked together with him in a number of jobs over the years so it seemed a logical step to join up with him to help take this venture to a new level. Today we have several releases behind us, some currently in development and an exciting future planned. We primarily aim to make deluxe edition vinyl records, so expect coloured vinyl, gatefold sleeves, collectible extras and premium quality pressings on heavyweight vinyl. We’re also releasing on CD too!

Dan: The label was initially started up to release the first single for the band Phoxjaw. I’ve been supporting the band from their inception and it just felt like a good thing to do to help them out. The pandemic last year really spurred me on to resurrect it. Mostly as a way to keep my mind active. Getting Tim on board has really helped push things forward. It also helps somewhat in that we can release material for Sergeant Thunderhoof too, which I sing for.

Why did you call it Pale Wizard Records?

TIM: The label had already been set up when I joined, so you’d have to ask Dan for an answer on that one! I support the choice of name however, it’s definitely something that fits in the genre we’re currently releasing in.

Dan: I was just trying to think of something that felt kind of personal. As a proud ginger, freckly man, having the word pale in there seemed appropriate.

Do you have a set of rules or ideals when releasing albums on the label?

TIM: Not so much strict rules, but we definitely try to theme the releases we’ve curated around a specific idea. For example, last year we released a split single of Kate Bush covers. We plan to continue doing singles in this series using bands to cover artists that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see a covered in this genre. It’s something we feel passionately about, the release has to interest us both really for us to want to take the project on.

Dan: Yes, we just want to release things that spark our interest and that we have a personal connection with.

We have to talk about your most ambitious project to date. A new project called 50 Years Later. With your first release being a re-imagination or re-working of Alice Cooper’s 1971 landmark album KILLER. So will this be the first of many releases and why did you choose this classic album as the 1st release?

TIM: Well the obvious answer is we’re both fans of Alice, and that is true, but I think the 50 Years Later series is something that we would love to become a staple of the label and an annual tradition. Killer is such an important album not only for Alice Cooper but also for rock music in general so we felt it would be the perfect album to start with and to set the bar high for future releases. The 70s were a hugely influential period for bands of all genres, and we are excited to give some modern bands the chance to put their own spin on these classic albums.

Dan: I’ve been a huge fan of Alice Cooper since the early 90s. It was when listening to Love it to Death and Killer last summer that it occurred to me that they were both about to turn 50 years old. It seems like such a colossal milestone and made even more impressive when you consider that they’re still very active. Killer has always been my favourite album by the band, it’s flawless. So I just got chatting with Tim and we came up with the title ’50 Years Later’. We were trying to come up with alternate ways of saying 50 years. But ‘Golden Jubilee’ sounds bloody ridiculous.

You’ve released a Kickstarter Campaign for the project which I’m hoping is mega-successful. Will all your future 50 Years Later releases be going down this route or is this just to start things off?

TIM: We’ve done it this way to try and get the name out there a little before release. Being a new label, we thought this a great way to promote the album, build up some excitement and also give the backers a chance to secure themselves some exclusive goodies! As you know we plan to get these albums released 50 years to the day, and Killer was released in November 1971. With the long manufacturing times on vinyl these days we felt it was right to let people secure a copy on pre-order in plenty of time.

Dan: I’m not sure if we’ll be doing a Kickstarter for each subsequent release. My gut instinct is probably not. As Tim said, this just felt like a good way to announce the series.

You’ve got some great bands on board such as Green Lung, Mos Generator, Ritual King, 1968 and some upstarts called Sergeant Thunderhoof. How did you decide on these bands and were there any bands that you asked but didn’t have the time to do this?

TIM: Ah yes, there were a few bands we considered that for various reasons we didn’t proceed with. The bands we have chosen for Killer are all top tier choices though, and we’re delighted to have the roster we have. Of course, due to the virus there were some people that just couldn’t commit to working on this project and the logistics of organising 8 recordings during the pandemic was at times challenging, but I think the experience has taught us a few lessons for the future for sure!

Dan: We had a few bands originally confirmed which had to pull out for various personal reasons which I don’t think would be fair on them to announce. But I’m really chuffed with the final line-up as it represents a great cross section of artists from the underground hard rock scene. We did chance our arm with a few high profile bands such as Orange Goblin, and although they were very flattered, there were various reasons why they couldn’t commit in time. The pandemic has made things very tough for everyone.

Do you have all the other future releases planned? Can you give any hints on what’s to come next.

TIM: We’re always planning the next release, and we hope to be putting out new records in our Beyond the Pale series in the near future as well as another 50 Years Later album in 2022. There’s also the possibility of a new album by a band quite close to home of course. Who knows when we might be announcing that…

Dan: The next Beyond the Pale release is coming together and I think we’ll be making an announcement on that within the next couple of months. As for 50 Years Later, we will be making a final decision on which classic album from 1972 to recreate very shortly. I think it’ll be something quite unexpected but very well received.

Will you being releasing multiple releases each year or will it be 1 release every year?

TIM: We’re definitely strong believers in quality over quantity. We want to make every release we do special, and I think with both of us being big collectors of physical media ourselves we know what we would look for that makes a release something extra special. It’s that certain something we strive for with everything we put out. We’re definitely treating each release with the care it deserves. We have 2 more releases out this year prior to the Killer record, a Mos Generator live record and a reissue of the first Hoof release ‘Zigurat’. The 50 Years Later series will be an annual tradition I hope, but our other releases will follow no set pattern.

Dan: Given the amount of work involved in putting together this first release of Killer, I think we would be stretching ourselves too thin to commit to more than one of that series per year. And as Tim said, we definitely want to focus on quality over quantity.

COVID-19 has pretty much put a stop to all life as we know it for the time being. How big of an impact has it affected both Pale Wizard and Sergeant Thunderhoof. And how are you surviving in this stressful time?

TIM: It’s pretty much all I’ve ever known as far as the label is concerned! The majority of my time at the label has been spent during the pandemic, and at the time of writing still is. Naturally, it’s made things more difficult for us, the knock-on effect for us has been some bands being unavailable to work with, with manufacturing being slowed down and at the height of the pandemic with postal deliveries being delayed. All these things combine to affect every part of what we do right through to getting our final product out there and we’ve had to adapt and change accordingly to keep everything moving. Now I hope the worst of it is behind us and I think we’ll see a big resurgence in live music as soon as we’re all allowed out to enjoy it!

Dan: It was a disaster for Hoof as we were 2 weeks away from going out on tour with Howling Giant, so financially it had a big effect. Psychologically it has been tough. We did as much as we could within the constraints forced upon us in 2020, such as an acoustic LP, the double A side Kate Bush tribute with Tony Reed, the live LP released on vinyl. And not to forget the split LP we did with Howling Giant which I personally believe was one of the best releases in 2020 period. I know that sounds big headed, but we were all so proud of that. This year is hopefully going to be very productive for the band and we’re busy working on the next album.

After everything is back to some sort of normality. What does the future hold for the label and the band?

TIM: The future for us is simply to keep creating the kind of releases we would want to buy ourselves. I think that’s the ethos that has run through everything we’ve done so far and is what has kept the quality of everything we’ve put out so far so high.

Dan: I just want to keep things interesting and unexpected. Ask us again in 3 months after we see how well this release goes! Ha-ha.

Thanks for doing this interview. Before you go, do you have any words of wisdom that you want to say to your fans?

TIM: I think quite simply ‘keep supporting physical media, it’s absolutely the best way to enjoy music’

Dan: Turn off your TV for a bit. My family stopped watching it at the beginning of the first lockdown and it has been bliss! Too much negativity these days. Smile and have a happy life.

All the best with the Kickstarter Project.

Words by Steve Howe and Pale Wizard Records

Thanks to Jade for arranging this interview. Thanks to Dan and Tim for doing the interview. 

Kickstarter URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/palewizard/alice-cooper-killer-50-years-later

Links

Official | Facebook | BandCamp

Pale Wizard Records launch kickstarter for exciting project: Alice Cooper - Killer - 50 years later.

 

Pale Wizard Records launch kickstarter for exciting project; 

Alice Cooper, Killer - 50 years later.  

 Green Lung, 1968, Ritual King, Mos Generator & More collaborate on the project.

November 27th 2021. 50 Years Later. To the day. Pale Wizard Records pays tribute to Alice Cooper’s classic Killer record, the first in an exciting new series of albums entitled 50 years later.

Alice Cooper’s 4th album, Killer, was released on November 27th 1971 and has gone on to become one of the most loved albums in his whole discography. 50 Years Later, Pale Wizard Records brings you an exciting line up featuring some of the most renowned bands in the underground scene today paying homage to Killer in their own contemporary styles. 

Not just any tribute record, 50 Years Later artists are handpicked by the staff at Pale Wizard Records to get the upmost out of each classic track. The 8 original songs are brought to life here by 8 of the absolute best the modern hard rock, stoner and psych underground has to offer. 

The lead single in ‘71 was ‘Under My Wheels’ which is brought to life 50 Years Later in dramatic style by Green Lung. Other highlights include The Grand Mal tackling ‘Be My Lover’, Sergeant Thunderhoof’s daring take on ‘Halo of Flies’ and Pale Wizard favourites Mos Generator with ‘Dead Babies’. But that is not all… the album also features 1968, Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Night, Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell and Ritual King. 

Killer: 50 Years Later is a potent mixture of the best of today’s bands and one stone cold classic album from years gone.

The Kickstarter campaign will be live on Friday 12th March.

Alice Cooper, Killer - 50 Years On is released November 27th 2021 and will be available on CD, Vinyl and all major platforms.

---

On November 27th 1971, the original Alice Cooper band released an album that would define a generation and inspire countless more. It was the second LP they released that year, coming hot off the heels of 'Love it to Death' in March which contained the unlikely teenage anthem 'I'm Eighteen'. 

Alice Cooper were finally living up to the expectations and potential they had shown on their first two psychedelic tinged records released through Frank Zappa's label the previous years.

But the band still had its detractors. There were many in the music industry that couldn't see past the shock, make-up, theatrics and headline grabbing scandals. With 'Killer', you can hear a band at the top of their game but also with a point to prove. 'Killer' contains eight of the most visceral, hard hitting, refined and shocking songs of their career. Backed by the superb production talents of Bob Ezrin, many consider this album to be the creative pinnacle of the Alice Cooper catalogue.

About Pale Wizard:

Pale Wizard Records is a labour of love for it's co-founders Tim Hilleard and Dan Flitcroft. They release music that they love and find interesting. Dan has been a die hard Alice fan since the early 90's after his Dad bought 'Billion Dollar Babies' on vinyl at a car boot sale. When Dan realised that 'Killer' was turning 50, he got on the blower and started speaking to a bunch of great bands that he had come across on his travels with his own band Sergeant Thunderhoof. Those initial conversations garnered a very positive reaction from all involved and it was decided that they would attempt to recreate the album, in full, with each band having complete creative license to do what they will with it.

Who's involved?

Green Lung:  https://greenlung.bandcamp.com/

1968:  https://1968band.bandcamp.com/music

Sergeant Thunderhoof:  https://sergeantthunderhoof.bandcamp.com/

Mos Generator:  https://mosgenerator.bandcamp.com/

Ritual King:  https://ripplemusic.bandcamp.com/album/ritual-king 

The Grand Mal:  https://thegrandmal.bandcamp.com/album/the-grand-mal 

Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell:  https://riseaboverecords.com/artists/riseaboveartists/admiralsircloudesleyshovell/ 

Trippy Wicked & the Cosmic Children of the Knight: https://trippywicked.bandcamp.com/album/three-leaves

Kickstarter URL: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/palewizard/alice-cooper-killer-50-years-later

Label - Pale Wizard Records: www.palewizard.co.uk

Cover art: Sara-Jane Swettenham - https://www.facebook.com/sarajaneart

Video Trailer: https://youtu.be/-ZHLqQ9JmMk

Kickstarter Rewards: