Praying Mantis have a four CD box set of archival live recordings due to be released on 26th April 2026. Titled as The Official Bootleg Box Set Vol 1 – Live in Japan, it contains two performances from Nagoya.
Two CDs made up a show from 1993 and the other two discs from 1998. It’s through Cherry Red who always do these box sets so well. The usual sturdy clamshell box with the CDs and a booklet.
Now we all know, don’t we, that Praying Mantis were there at the front of the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal days coming to some prominence at the start with their song Captured City featuring on the Metal for Muthas compilation.
That bagged them a record deal with Arista Records and the Time Tells No Lies album released in 1981. That’s a NWOBHM-related classic.
A move to Jet Records didn’t work out and Mantis disappeared with the Troy brothers trying other stuff. Briefly – one of note was a band with the Troy brothers joining up with former Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr and ex-Grand Prix vocalist Bernie Shaw. Named as Stratus, there’d be a sole album – Throwing Shapes – in 1985. It’s a rather good album.
Praying Mantis reformed in 1990 with a new line up which included ex-Maiden man Dennis Stratton on guitar. Mantis retained quite some popularity in Japan and toured there quite a bit – with the shows in this box set being two of many performances over there.
The first is from November 1993 and the second from November 1998. The Iron Maiden connection remained strong with Mantis through line-up changes as Paul D’Anno had a brief stay in the early 1990s and Stratton hung around until 2006.
And of course Praying Mantis remain active to this day still with the Troy brothers at the helm.
For me, the band were at their best with Time Tells No Lies. Excellent NWOBHM-era stuff with a melodic edge to it. Saw them a couple of times back then. First supporting Triumph in 1980 and then in 1981 supporting Gamma.
Here’s Cheated from Time Tells No Lies:
I’ve not been impressed with their most recent output such as Katharsis and Defiance however.
Although it will be interesting to hear the two Japan recordings in this box set from the 1990s as I think they were a much better band back then.
I wonder if the Volume 1 in the title is a hint that there may be more old live stuff to follow…..?
As mentioned, the release date for this set is scheduled for 26th April 2026 via Cherry Red and can be pre-ordered from them for (at time of posting) a reasonable £28.99.
https://www.cherryred.co.uk
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