Rekuiem

Rekuiem
Rekuiem
	Chitral Somapala with Rekuiem live in UK (2009)
Background information
Also known as	Requiem
Genres	Doom metal, heavy metal
Years active	1980–1984; 2002–present
Labels	Majestic Rock
Associated acts	Witchfinder General, Diamond Head, Jameson Raid, Angel Witch, Iron Maiden, Budgie, Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne
Website	www.rekuiem.net
Members	Chitral Somapala ; Steve Slater; Gordon Denny; Neil Taylor; Paul Rodgers
Past members	Yatta Yates; Karl Wilcox; Mike Reid; Tim Harris; Paul Perry

Last updated May 04, 2019

Rekuiem, formerly spelt 'Requiem', was founded in the beginning of the new wave of British heavy metal movement in the UK by Steve Slater (guitar), Gordon Denny (bass), Mike Reid (vocal), Karl Wilcox (drums). The band were pioneers of this new genre of rock amongst others such as Witchfinder General, Diamond Head, Jameson Raid, Angel Witch and Iron Maiden. Rekuiem pursued their own style of metal which later became known as doom metal. They were influenced by Black Sabbath and wanted to create something that was even heavier.

The new wave of British heavy metal was a nationwide musical movement that started in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Journalist Geoff Barton coined the term in a May 1979 issue of the British music newspaper Sounds to describe the emergence of new heavy metal bands in the mid to late 1970s, during the period of punk rock's decline and the dominance of new wave music.

The United Kingdom (UK), officially the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and sometimes referred to as Britain, is a sovereign country located off the north-western coast of the European mainland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the United Kingdom that shares a land border with another sovereign state, the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the North Sea to the east, the English Channel to the south and the Celtic Sea to the south-west, giving it the 12th-longest coastline in the world. The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland. With an area of 242,500 square kilometres (93,600 sq mi), the United Kingdom is the 78th-largest sovereign state in the world. It is also the 22nd-most populous country, with an estimated 66.0 million inhabitants in 2017.

Witchfinder General were an English heavy metal band from Stourbridge. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre. They were named after the 1968 British horror film Witchfinder General.

Early career

After many rehearsals the band began to play local gigs in the Midlands at venues such as Cannock Forum and the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton. The band soon built up a local fan base. This period also produced some early demos recorded at M.R.S. Studios in Walsall.

Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. At the 2011 census, it had a population of 249,470. The demonym for people from the city is 'Wulfrunian'.

Demo (music) song or group of songs recorded for limited circulation or reference use rather than for general public release

A demo is a song or group of songs recorded for limited circulation or reference use rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed format, such as cassette tape, compact disc, or digital audio files, and to thereby pass along those ideas to record labels, record producers, or to other artists.

In 1980 the band recorded at Foel Studios the now rare double A-sided single "Angel of Sin" / "Sacrifical Wanderer", mixed by Dave Anderson (Hawkwind). Two years after the founding, front man Mike Reid left the band due to musical differences, and his replacement was Steve Mills. Three further studio demos and gigs in the UK followed, both as headline act and as support act to Budgie on their European tour.

Single (music) Type of music release usually containing one or two tracks

In the music industry, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separately from an album, although it usually also appears on an album. Typically, these are the songs from albums that are released separately for promotional uses such as digital download or commercial radio airplay and are expected to be the most popular. In other cases a recording released as a single may not appear on an album.

Hawkwind are an English rock band and one of the earliest space rock groups. Formed in November 1969, Hawkwind have gone through many incarnations and they have incorporated different styles into their music, including hard rock, progressive rock and psychedelic rock. They are also regarded as an influential proto-punk band. Their lyrics favour urban and science fiction themes.

Budgie are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff. They are described by author Garry Sharpe-Young as one of the earliest heavy metal bands and a seminal influence to many acts of that scene, with fast, heavy rock being played as early as 1971. The band has been noted as "among the heaviest metal of its day".

After that the band worked on the release of their debut album 'Immanent', but this was never released. Despite the adversity, Rekuiem continued to gig around the UK. But in 1984 bass player Gordon left the band to form Rough Justice. He was replaced by Tim Harris. The band tried to reshape again, new songs were written, and a new image and concept discussed, but eventually at the General Wolfe in Coventry, Rekuiem came to an end.

Steve Mills and Tim Harris went on to work with Dave Brock of Hawkwind fame. Steve Slater and Karl Wilcox briefly joined forces to join Broken English and studio recordings were made entitled Makin' Out and Two Time Love. Wilcox then went on to join the progressive rock band Chase, before joining Diamond Head, with whom he has recorded several albums. Slater formed Predator who toured the UK extensively.

David Anthony Brock is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He plays electric guitar, keyboards, bass and oscillators. He is best known as being one of the founders and musical focus of the English space rock group Hawkwind. Brock is the only member of the group to have been a constant throughout the band's history. Brock was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the annual Progressive Music Awards in 2013.

Broken English was a British band formed in 1987 by Steve Elson, who at the time performed in a Rolling Stones tribute band.

Progressive rock is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States throughout the mid to late 1960s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the style was an outgrowth of psychedelic bands who abandoned standard pop traditions in favour of instrumentation and compositional techniques more frequently associated with jazz, folk, or classical music. Additional elements contributed to its "progressive" label: lyrics were more poetic, technology was harnessed for new sounds, music approached the condition of "art", and the studio, rather than the stage, became the focus of musical activity, which often involved creating music for listening, not dancing.

Reunion

In 2002 a new worldwide interest in metal, specifically the underground NWOBHM movement, brought Rekuiem back to the music scene. Enquiries from all over the world about past recordings and about the chance of a reunion brought some of the band members together again. Due to the founding of a couple of other bands in the past years under the same name, the band members decided to change the spelling in Rekuiem.

For a time period of three years, the band wrote and recorded the promised album that was never delivered twenty years ago. Three original members, Steve Slater (guit), Karl Wilcox (drums) and Gordon Denny (bass) joined forces with Paul Parry (vocals), formerly with Tredegar, and Neil Taylor (keyboards), who has worked before with Cloven Hoof, Demon and the Ozzy Osbourne tribute Ozzmosis.

Tredegar were a Welsh heavy metal band formed in 1982. It was named after the town in Wales.

Cloven Hoof are a heavy metal band from Wolverhampton, United Kingdom, that was active from 1979 to 1990, and again from around 2000 onwards. The band was associated with the new wave of British heavy metal movement, alongside bands such as Iron Maiden, Saxon and Diamond Head. Enduring many line-up changes, only founding bassist Lee Payne has remained present throughout the band's career.

Demon is an English rock band, formed in 1979 by vocalist Dave Hill and guitarist Mal Spooner, both hailing from Leek, Staffordshire. They are considered an important band in the new wave of British heavy metal movement.

The band released an EP for the rock press. This EP featured five demo tracks for the anticipated album, "Steelbreeze", "Angel of Sin", "Nightmare", "The Black Death" and "Outro". All of these are different versions to those that appeared on the finished album, and two of these songs do not appear on the album at all, making this a highly collectable piece. The taster EP was entitled "The Black Death".

The album Time Will Tell was released in April 2006 at Majestic Rock label. It featured ten original tracks (eleven on the Japanese edition) and one cover version of "Paranoid". The album was produced by Slater and Wilcox and was mixed by Mark Stuart (Magnum). The album also featured the newly recorded versions of "Angel of Sin" and "Sacrifical Wanderer".

A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing, promotion, and enforcement of copyright for sound recordings and music videos, while also conducting talent scouting and development of new artists, and maintaining contracts with recording artists and their managers. The term "record label" derives from the circular label in the center of a vinyl record which prominently displays the manufacturer's name, along with other information. Within the mainstream music industry, recording artists have traditionally been reliant upon record labels to broaden their consumer base, market their albums, and be both promoted and heard on music streaming services, radio, and television. Record labels also provide publicists, who assist performers in gaining positive media coverage, and arrange for their merchandise to be available via stores and other media outlets.

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.

In popular music, a cover version, cover song, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by someone other than the original artist or composer of a previously recorded, commercially released song.

In November 2007, Parry was replaced by the Sri Lankan born Chitral Somapala. He had recorded and toured with Firewind in the past and is currently working also with his own band Civilization One, and the German progressive metal band Red Circuit.

Currently the band is working on the release of their second album, 'Raise the Dead'.

Discography

Singles

"Angel of Sin" / "Sacrifical Wanderer" (1980)

Albums

Time Will Tell (2006)

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