Here’s another “lost” band from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal days rediscovered with their output on CD. The band in question is Montreax.
The appeared at the start of the 1980s and were based in the Wolverhampton area – which was at the time home to many a NWOBHM act. As well as the likes of Black Sabbath et-al.
Montraux would have a fairly brief career, though not for want of trying. Gigging hard around the Black Country they’d attract a healthy local following and did bag some profile support slots here and there.
Although they’d call it a day in 1984 with little to nothing in the way of a recording legacy.
They were at the more melodic end of NWOBHM with a good use of keys/synths to add another dimension to the sound and complement the otherwise general “heaviness” and guitar work.
They cut a three track demo in 1982 which apparently was never released. Other than that, a live performance at Wolverhampton Polytechnic was captured. That appears to be the entire extent of Montreaux’s output – and it’s now available on CD in a limited run of 500 copies.
The demon is pretty good. Flashlights trots along nicely with a nice hook. Timezone Love Affair and Two Worlds Collide show plenty of promise as to what could have been.
Check out the band performing Flashlights below.
They arguably came more in to their own in a live setting. That’s certainly evidenced in the seven cuts here from that Wolves Poly show in 1984.
An enthusiastic and tight performance again evidencing the talent was there.
Goodbye Hollywood and Last Train to London could easily have been aimed at a singles release. Catchy as well as chunky rockers.
Night of the Hunter, The Masters Plan and What’s gone wrong show the more traditional NWOBHM leanings with Taking No Chances and Just the Other Day both fine songs in their own right.
So whilst Montreaux fall in to the “obscure but could have made it” category amongst the myriad of NWOBHM-era bands back then, we can treat our ears thanks to the CD release.
As mentioned earlier, it’s a limited 500 run. As usual for these limited numbers I bought mine through Sonic Age Records.
Got on over there now for yours: http://sonicagerecords.com
They have another obscure NWOBHM issue due later this month. Trial By Fire. Review to follow when it arrives.
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