NWOBHM WEDNESDAY: CHARIOT

Andy says-
This week's NWOBHM choice was suggested by Mark and what a fine suggestion it is! Formed in 1983 London's Chariot played down to Earth/blue-collar heavy metal not too distant from what Saxon was all about. By 1984 they had signed to Shades Records. Similar to Megaforce Records the Shades label was formed by the group that ran the Shades record store in England. At the time the shop was quite well known and Chariot would prove to be their first signing. When "The Warrior" was released the NWOBHM scene had already been active for more than a few years. If anything Chariot were one of the last great bands to emerge during the twilight years of the NWOBHM movement. And yet despite showing up late to the party Chariot were able to make a name for themselves thanks to the superb single "When The Moon Shines". One of the best NWOBHM singles of all time the track would put Chariot on a path to immortality. At least in minds of NWOBHM collectors. The album "Burning Ambition" followed in 1986 before the band morphed into Dirty Deeds. Dirty Deeds became known as just Deeds. As Dirty Deeds though they again were the first signing of a new record company. Beast Records (run by Steve Harris of Iron Maiden) picked up the band and between 1997 and 2002 Deeds released three albums of hard rock said to be like a cross of AC/DC and Saxon. After that go round though in 2004 Chariot decided to try it's hand at pumping out old fashioned heavy metal again and in 2006 they released the album "Behind The Wire". Since then all has been quiet on the front in regards to Chariot although the band is still active by all accounts. Chariot's legacy will no doubt be "When The Moon Shines" a single that all but defined the greatness of the NWOBHM scene. If you have never heard the band "The Warrior" is a great place to start as it is an album full of top notch numbers like "Run With The Pack", "Warriors", "Evil Eye" and of course "When The Moon Shines".

Metal Mark says-
I never heard of these guys until about eight years ago when I saw their first two CDs on sale from a seller on eBay that I bought fromon occasion. I considered buying them several times, but never did. Actually I never got around to hearing those albums until just recently when I downloaded them. If I remember correctly I put off buying those discs and checking Chariot out because I read a few reviews that refered to them as being a run of the mill NWOBHM band. However I discovered those reviews to be off because these guys were certainly solid. These guys were kind of raw and even though those their first two albums were released in 1984 and 1986 they both sounded like they could have been done around 81-82. However I mean that in a positive way because fans of the NWOBHM style should love Chariot. These guys could crank out some heavy riffs, but they were also more into melodies and tempo changes than your run of the mill NWOBHM act. They did remind some of early Saxon only with deeper vocals and a more rough sound overall. Both of those early albums are forceful head bangers with no filler. I probably prefer "The Warrior" by a hair because the energy is a bit in your face, but you can't go wrong with either album. Plus you should really hear both. Wish I had bought them that time years ago, but I'll gladly make up for it by playing them over and over now.