Stormtrooper hailed from the Bristol area being active around the turn of the 1980s as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was in its ascendancy. Labelled with the NWOBHM tag, Stormtrooper were more than that and it’s one of life’s great mysteries why the band didn’t break out of the pack.
Just one single was the band’s recorded output from back then. However a few years ago their other stuff they had in the can from those days was given a release as Pride Before a Fall – the Lost Album and that’s a cracker. The proggy, atmospheric edge and use of Taurus pedals brought comparisons with Rush and one can hear why when listening to Pride Before a Fall. It’s tremendous.
Stormtrooper reformed for a one-off at the 2017 Brofest which appears to have whetted their appetite to complete unfinished business with the release of Every Now and Then. The backstory being that it’s a mixture of new songs and some re-recorded from the old days.
The musical ability displayed here is remarkable and the songs are wide-ranging in style. The rockers, the melodic, the spacey/proggy and even some blues/boogie chucked in there. Colin “Boggy” Bond’s bass is stunning as is the guitar work of Bob Starling. Who whole bad is properly “on it” throughout and Bond’s liner notes explain each song.
As it all Disappears sets things off in reasonably straight-ahead style though the Taurus pedals and Moogs are there in the background. Lovely. Staff of Life is one of those which sounds not unlike period Rush and it’s hard not to draw comparisons – and I mean that in a good way.
The Birds is based on the classic old film and whilst a chunky melodic rocker has a bit of a spooky unsettling edge towards the end with the bird screeches just like the film.
Bogg’s Song all bluesy funk and then we have Flight of Fantasy. A Stormtrooper epic throughout which bring in the Rush comparisons again. Around seven minutes with the atmospheric stuff, the Moogs and Taurus pedals again as it swirls around building to a spectacular conclusion of phenomenal fretwork and considered power. Top, top stuff.
The jaunty, catchy Silverman is next and one of my favourites. Have a listen.
ETA has hit single written all over it and a monster hook. Mississippi Boogie is just that – all Southern fried.
Hand Grenade does indeed do some damage. Spectacular solo from Starling. Melodica another one of those excellent melodic rockers though with some power behind it before In the End brings it all down in style as the song looks back on days gone by and has it all going on.
Why oh why were Stormtrooper not massively successful? All the talent in the world and that bit different from most with their ability to write songs wide-ranging in style and delivery including those lovely Moogs and Taurus pedals.
Do your ears a favour and allow them the pleasure of listening to a band from the old New Wave of British Heavy Metal days who were were ahead of their time and with Every Now and Then show why.
>> STORMTROOPER EVERY NOW AND THEN ON AMAZON <<
And don’t forget to check out their Pride Before a Fall, the Lost Album – review here.
You should also be able to find Stormtrooper’s albums on Bandcamp:
https://bristolarchiverecords.bandcamp.com/album/every-now-and-then