Praying Mantis is one of the earliest New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands. Indeed – I have a somewhat hazy recollection of seeing them supporting (I think) Gamma with the great Ronnie Montrose at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in possibly 1979.
Praying Mantis began in 1974 and was started by two college students, namely the Troy brothers. They, like so many other NWOBHM groups, got their start at the Soundhouse and recorded their first album at the Soundhouse recording studio. The resulting recording was named the “Soundhouse Tapes” and was recorded in 1979.
In 1980, Praying Mantis’ fame increased as they played on tour with such greats as Iron Maiden and Gamma (see, I thought I was right about that). By 1981, Praying Mantis had been signed to the prestigious Arista record label. Unfortunately, they were dropped due to an unstable group membership and problems with the group’s management.
The next label Praying Mantis signed to was Jet Records. The two recordings made with Jet were not that unsuccessful and the group broke up shortly afterwards.
Mantis remained popular in Japan with a dedicated fan base there. The Troy brothers put the band back together for a 1990 nostalgia tour which led to the group going back into music full time and recording. This spawned albums such as Live at Last, Predator in Disguise and The Best of Praying Mantis.
Their most recent release came out in 2009 and Praying Mantis are still a bona fide act right to this very day touring.
And here’s the proof. A video of the boys playing probably their best known song – Captured City earlier this year.