Satan

Formed in '81 under the name Pariah which soon changed to Satan. The band comprised of Russ Tipins, Steve Ramsey and Graeme English. In '82 the band released a self financed single 'Kiss of Death' which was followed in '83 by the album 'Court in the Act'. If truth be said the band were Occult influenced in name only and the track featured here is taken from the album and reveals a fine moment of British Heavy Metal. The bands pedigree is certainly more rooted to the pagan elements due to Graeme English and Steve Ramsey moving on to Skyclad with Martin Walkyier. 
For more info go to: www.neatrecords.com

Discography
Kiss of Death 7" 1982
Into the Fire cassette 1982
Court in the Act 1985
Dirt cassette 1986

Cloven Hoof

Similar in style to Saxon, this New Wave of British Heavy Metal act released one self titled album which was rich with occultist lyrics dealing with Witchcraft and Hell. Formed in 1979 under the name of Nightstalker [changing to Cloven Hoof in '82] the first release came in the shape of 'The Opening Ritual' 7" in '82. This was followed by the self titled album 'Cloven Hoof' in '84. Much overlooked at the time one can discover here with the track 'Cloven Hoof' from the debut album a well honed mystical piece of Heavy Metal. The band released two more albums with even less success and faded into oblivion. 
For more info go to: www.neatrecords.com

Discography
Opening Ritual 12" 1982
Cloven Hoof album 1984
Fighting Back [live] album 1986
Domination album 1988
A Sultans Ransom album 1989

Warhammer

Broseley, Shropshire - A small, picturesque village with more pubs than most towns, and not much else. The sort of place where fighting in the street between the locals is still a regular fixture on the weekend activity list. In a rural environment like this, an interest in something creative is definitely essential as a means of escape. Four friends that had grown up sharing a passion for Heavy Metal formed WARHAMMER in late 1984. A common interest in the more extreme sounds happening on the overseas metal underground at the time gave the inspiration to form a band that was to be unique for the UK. It is a fact that WARHAMMER were the first death metal band in this country. 
The main intention of the band was to create savagely extreme metal with lyrics that dealt with the darker side of life. A combination of speed and brutality with a touch of the macabre! Although none of the band had a deep interest in Satanism, the lyrics to many of the songs would feature references to the occult. Some of the titles were quite blatant. "Satan's Angel", "Blood On Satan's Claw", "Christian Slaughter" and "Malevolent Sinner" were prime examples. The track featured here on this compilation is another example of this. Although the lack of any sort of production is evident on this recording (the engineer was dumbstruck!), there is a resounding passion that shines through. It may also be of interest to note that the average age within the band was 18. 
For various reasons that are now blurred by the mists of time, the band only lasted for just over a year and a half. In this short space of time though, the band generated a respectable following on the international underground. During April 1986 the band even reached number one on the playlist of WBCR radio, New York. METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets" was at number two! The DJ was none other than legendary scenester and past and present Kerrang contributor Don Kaye. Subsequently, a short while after this quite unexpected achievement, the band went their separate ways…
Thanks to Mitch Dickinson for the biography notes.

Warhammer - Halloween
Taken from the "Abattoir Of Death" demo. Recorded 30/11/85

Line up: 
Mike Craddock - Bass and Vocals
Wayne Aston - Guitar
Mitch Dickinson - Guitar
Shane Embury - Drums