| Avenger | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Newcastle, England |
| Genres | Heavy metal |
| Years active | 1982–1986, 2005-present |
| Labels | Neat Records |
| Associated acts | Blitzkrieg Atomkraft Satan |
Avenger are a heavy metal band from Newcastle, England. Associated with the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, they released two albums in the 1980s before splitting up. The band reunited in 2005.
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Brian Ross, Mick Moore & Garry Young founded Avenger late in 1982 after Ross & Moore's previous group, Blitzkrieg, split up.[1] Adding Steve Bird to the lineup, the group began recording demos, and an old Blitzkrieg song, "Hot 'n' Heavy Express", was their first appearance on record, included on a Neat Records compilation EP.[1] Their debut single for Neat, "Too Wild to Tame", followed in October 1983 after the addition of guitarist John Brownless.[2]
Shortly after this, lead singer Brian Ross left the group to join Satan; Satan's singer, Ian Swift, promptly joined Avenger as lead vocalist.[1] Adding guitarist Les Cheetham, they released their first LP, Blood Sports, in 1984.
A second album followed shortly after on Neat, entitled Killer Elite. The group toured the United States in 1986.[1] Les Cheetham and the band then parted company, as did Garry Young. The touring duty of the US fell to Darren Kurland and Les Cheetham's replacement Greg Reiter. Upon returning to England the group broke up, with Ian Swift joining Atomkraft and Garry later joining Blitzkrieg.
The group's entire discography was released in 2002 by Sanctuary Records. In 2005 they reunited and toured across the UK with Y&T, among others.
The Avenger line-up changed again in 2007 with the departure of original bassist Mick Moore. The new line up of Avenger featuring Ian Swift on vocals, Garry Young, Liam Thompson (guitarist of Death in Blood), Sean Jefferies (guitarist of Fallen Skies, Earthrod) and Huw Holding (bass) have since toured with / played alongside bands such as Twisted Sister, Candlemass, Saxon, Rage, Raven, Sinner, Grim Reaper, UFO, Cradle of Filth, Skyclad and Diamond Head in 2007 [3]
The group will release a new album entitled The Slaughter Never Stops in 2009.