The NWOBHM had its fair share of forgotten heroes. The list is endless, thanks to such reference tools as the Metal Archives and Discogs. For every Iron Maiden, there was a Bleak House. For every Venom, there was an Ethel the Frog. And for every Saxon, there was a Dark Star. This week’s edition of From My Collection revisits the Birmingham based band’s classic 1981 self titled album. Who was Dark Star? Why didn’t they “make it” beyond NWOBHM circles? Whatever happened to them? Today’s essay will attempt to answer all these questions and more. “It’s the Rockbringer!”
Dark Star first formed in 1978 under the name Berlin (not to be confused with the American new wave band of the same name who also formed that year). The moniker was short lived because by the end of ’78, they’d change their name to the far cooler and much more metal sounding Dark Star. From a chronological standpoint, the timing couldn’t have been better for Dark Star. In the wake of Judas Priest and UFO, they and a slew of other young metal bands across England were starting to rehearse, play shows, and record demos. By 1979, it would be a full blown movement, which we now know today as the NWOBHM.
Although there are certain musical qualities associated with the NWOBHM, we must keep in mind that many bands encompassed this tag despite stylistically sounding nothing like. For example, Witchfinder General sounded nothing like Raven, who sounded nothing like Diamond Head. So where does Dark Star fall into this sonic equation? From the sound of their 1980 demo and Lady of Mars EP, Dark Star leaned more on the melodic side of the fence, at times even sounding more hard rock than metal. In case you’ve never heard of this band, think of Praying Mantis and Marseille for comparison. And in case you’ve never heard of those bands, think of On Through the Night era Def Leppard.
By 1981, the NWOBHM was in full swing. The landmark albums released that year: Killers, Welcome to Hell, High ‘n’ Dry, Denim and Leather, Spellbound, Time Tells No Lies, Hit and Run…it’s enough to make one’s head spin! Dark Star should be part of that conversation, but is often disregarded by “experts” as a footnote of the era. Well those experts can take their convoluted opinions and shove them where the sun don’t shine. Objectively speaking, Dark Star rules, even if it’s at times musically uneven.
Dark Star opens with the loud and proud “Kaptain America”. This hard hitting opener boasts all the traits characteristic of classic NWOBHM: bone crunching riffs, a seismic rhythm section, raw production, and lyrics fantasizing about the west. It’s textbook traditional metal. The pace is kept going on the equally energetic, yet more hard rock oriented, “Backstreet Killer”. Whereas “Kaptain America” is undisputedly metal, “Backstreet Killer” showcases hooks and riffs in the vein of Nazareth. A rip roaring guitar solo that draws the song out to over 7 minutes in length only strengthens this argument.
The album’s first question mark comes in the form of “The Musician”. It wasn’t uncommon for metal bands to have at least one or two ballads on an album around this time. That said, those ballads would almost always be rooted in metal, or at least hard rock (i.e. Judas Priest’s “Beyond the Realms of Death”, Black Sabbath’s “Lonely is the Word”, Iron Maiden’s “Remember Tomorrow”). “The Musician”, on the other hand, sounds like a lost America B-side hand selected for a K-Tel compilation. It’s a lovely ballad chronicling the life of a working musician/wannabe rockstar, but was it the best choice to include it on here? That’s up for debate.
Closing out side A is what many consider to be Dark Star’s crowning achievement, “Lady of Mars”. This 4 minute and 27 second slab of melodic glory is NWOBHM perfection. You can’t go wrong with its midtempo gallop riffs, Thin Lizzy inspired guitar harmonies, and singalong chorus. In an ideal world, it would regularly be praised alongside the likes of “Am I Evil?” and “Angel Witch” as one of the era’s finest songs. Hopefully this essay does something to the effect of advancing this agenda.
As we flip over to side B, we’re greeted by the colossally heavy “Louisa”. The guitars are so thick and low, that if they weren’t played in such a melodic fashion, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a blatant display of Sabbath worship. Similar to “Kaptain America”, singer Rik Staines utilizes a nasally midrange delivery reminiscent of Ozzy Osbourne, which further adds to the similarity. “Rockbringer” keeps the heavy train rolling, although with a hint of boogie. Such influences shouldn’t be surprising. Status Quo and Foghat were giants of 70s hard rock, and fellow NWOBHMers Vardis singlehandedly invented “boogie metal”. These boogies influences aren’t just acknowledged, but emphasized on “Lady Love”.
Musical question mark number two arrives in the form of the album’s lengthy closer, “Green Peace”. Much like “The Musician”, “Green Peace” is also a ballad, but the similarities end there. This nearly 7 minute musical head trip draws from the spacey, atmospheric well of Pink Floyd. While I thoroughly enjoy it, I can understand why many a young headbanger circa 1981 would be disillusioned by the droning guitars and repetitive chorus (which were of course intended to induce a haunting effect).
Upon its release, Dark Star did, well, nothing. The band never ended up on the cover of Sounds or scored a major label deal. Shortly after the album dropped, they appeared at the 1981 Reading Rock Festival, opening for the likes of Gillan, Trust, and Rose Tattoo. Even a slot on such a high profile gig did practically nothing to garner attention. From the little I was able to gather online, Dark Star were screwed by their own management. They were bankrupted to the point where they had no choice but to fold in 1982. They’d resurface briefly as an AOR studio project in 1987, but to no avail. While Dark Star remains forgotten or unknown among the legions of metal faithful, their brief reign as melodic NWOBHM kings was not in vein. We here at Defenders of the Faith salute them, as should you.