Description

Formed in Scunthorpe, England, in the late 70s, by singer, guitarist, and all-around main man Paul Gaskin. Gaskin was just one of hundreds of bands that were lumped into the popular New Wave of British Heavy Metal category. Gaskin gradually evolved from the early punk-tinged metal outfit toward a more melodic hard rock style in the vein of Def Leppard and Praying Mantis. After signing with independent Rondolet Records, they issued their first album ‘End Of The World’ in 1981, then hit the road across the U.K. ‘End Of The World’, opens with a flawless example of chart-conscious New Wave of British Heavy Metal in ‘Sweet Dream Maker’ — a track which compares to early Def Leppard in terms of songwriting or performance, and clearly proves the importance of major label muscle to a band's success. Except for another highly melodic moment on ‘Lonely Man’, however, the remaining material reverts to a noticeably rougher punk-metal style. First single ‘I'm No Fool’, the title track, and the ambitious ‘Handful of Reasons’ are perfect examples of this less hit-orientated but still remarkably solid sound. But ‘Victim of the City’ tends to waffle on a bit and so does ‘Despiser’. And then there are some blunders. ‘On My Way’ is quite simply Spinal Tap come to life; its similarities to such Tap classics as ‘Sex Farm’ and ‘Hell Hole’ having to be heard to be believed. Overall, End of the World establishes Gaskin as a very good N.W.O.B.H.M. band — a perfect find for serious fans of the genre, but maybe pointless for anyone else. 2011 cd release Track listing: 1. Sweet Dream Maker 2. Victim of the City 3. Despiser 4. Burning Alive 5. The Day Thou Gavest Lord Hath Ended 6. End of the World 7. On My Way 8. Lonely Man 9. I'm No Fool 10. Handful of Reasons