Spartan Warrior

Formed in 1980 around the talents of Dave Wilkinson (vocals), Neil Wilkinson, (guitar), Tom Spencer (bass), and Gordon Webster (drums), Tyneside, U.K.-based hard rock outfit Spartan Warrior were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement that spawned acts like Saxon, Judas Priest, Def Leppard, and Iron Maiden. The band spent the ensuing two years honing its sound and deciding on a second guitarist, employing John Stormont and Baz Warne before settling on Paul Swaddle. The band landed two tracks on the Guardian Records sampler Pure Overkill before releasing its 1983 debut, Steel n' Chains. Though not a huge breakout hit, the album drew the attention of Roadrunner Records, which signed the group and released its eponymous sophomore album in 1984. Though the record found critical and commercial success, tensions within the group, as well as problems with the label, resulted in Spartan Warrior's demise the following year. The band reunited in 2006 and reissued a digitally remastered version of Spartan Warrior.