Here’s some proper “under the radar” stuff from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal days. The band is Alverna Gunn. They formed in 1978 and were from Lowestoft way down in Suffolk.
They were not around for too long before splitting. Mainly it seems due to not landing a recording contract.
Attempts were made however as they ventured up to “that London” a couple of times to record demo tapes in 1980 and 1982. And here we have those demos plus a couple of other songs.
Sadly for the band those demos and some local support slots with big names such as Hawkwind and Budgie did not attract a queue of record companies wanting to sign them up.
The evidence from these demos however is that Alverna Gunn had the songs and ability to make a mark if given the opportunity.
We have nine songs which are nicely heavy and bounce along with chunky riffs, the bass nicely up in the mix, solid drumming, nifty solos and guitar breaks and energetic vocals.
My ears make comparisons with the more “straight ahead” stuff which Rush were doing early doors in their career, Budgie and perhaps a smidgeon of UFO.
Certainly the Budgie influence is strong here. That’s no bad thing.
Take Death Wish for example. A nice crunchy riff which bounces along with the bass. The quieter mid-section before it breaks out again building up the pace and that well placed guitar solo. Have a listen:
Lost Without a Trace has the gentle intro before the free-flowing riffage, a solo with a Lifesonesque tinge and a catchy hook. It would have fitted well on Fly By Night I think.
You Gotta Pay to Rock ‘n’ Roll is the fun heavy bluesy number with a thumping bass. Lots of Budgie in this one. Had Burke Shelley been singing it could have come off Power Supply.
East or West, Mad Dog and Once Bitten Twice Shy each nicely tight, fast and pacey not to mention catchy and heavy as they flow together.
Silent Running has something of a proggy edge to it. A “jaunty” number with some tasty guitar breaks.
Take the Easy Way has a relentless Budgie style bass line pushing it along then comes Lifeline with hard bits, quieter passages and more of those short yet effective guitar breaks.
Very solid stuff overall here to show Alverna Gunn had to talent if not the opportunity to go beyond these two demos back when NWOBHM was taking off around 1980.
This is a limited edition run of only 300 CDs. Issued by the Faster and Louder Records label:
https://www.fasterandlouderrecords.com
As I type this post, they are showing availability. May be available from others if you look around. For example I got mine from an eBay seller new and sealed.
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