Rogue Male-Liar

Remember Rogue Male? You may remember them for their post-apocalyptic stage attire or the praise given them By Kerrang! magazine. I remember them for their debut which was a solid blast of metal while their sophomore effort was decent, but not quite as sharp. Well, singer guitarist Jim Lyttle has a new version of the band back in action. Rogue Male will play three exclusive UK shows as they continue to write their new album, which is scheduled for release in 2012. Tour dates are as follows.

29 September: London, Purple Turtle
6 October: Birmingham, Roadhouse
8 October: Saltash, Livewire

Their brand new single "LIAR" is now available as a free download exclusively from the band's website http://www.rm2kmusic.com/ and the video to 'LIAR' will also be released shortly.

I listened to "Liar" a few times that I was quite impressed. It's similar to material from their 1985 debut "First Visit". There is a definite Motorhead influence just like on most of that album. It's a real charge ahead type of song with a heavy rhythm section chiming in. In fact if there is one major difference between this song and the band's 80's material it's that "Liar" is heavier. Plus the production is quite spectacular. I didn't know what to expect from Rogue Male at this point in their career. However if the rest of their next album will be as god as this then this will certainly be an album to look forward to in 2012.

NWOBHM WEDNESDAY: ROGUE MALE

Andy says-
As you can see for this weeks NWOBHM choice Metal Mark has already done a great job covering the short career of England's Rogue Male:
http://metalmark.blogspot.com/search?q=rogue+male
What more can be said than has been said already by Mark? Being dubbed by Kerrang as the "Next big Thing" does not in fact guarantee success. Rogue Male were a late entry into the NWOBHM movement. Formed in the early eighties by vocalist/guitarist Jim Lyttle (who had been in the Northern Irish punk band Pretty Boy Floyd and The Gems) after he had relocated to London. Exposed to the British metal scene he decided to take his punk rock roots and mix in some metal and thus Rogue Male was born. With a band put together Jim hit the road to bring his "new" sound to the masses (think Motorhead, Tank, Raven, Saxon and Judas Priest all mashed together) and sure enough before too long a record deal was in place. First Visit (released in 1985 on Music For Nations) established the band. Animal Man (also on Music For Nations) was released the following year. Both albums were well received and things looked promising for the band. As is par for the course with far too many NWOBHM acts though label issues would deal a death blow.The band would play their final show in late 1987. Fast forward to 2009 and Lyttle picked up the pieces and carried on. No doubt helped by the positive response to the Metal Mind re-issues Rogue Male released Nail It in 2009 to positive reviews. With retro metal bands all the rage these days Rogue Male just might be able to grab that glory that eluded them the first time around. If you haven't already make sure you check out First Visit. Despite the bands futuristic space theme (which made them look like they shopped at the same store that David Bowie did!) their music is what matters. First Visit is an album that while dated by 1985 is still a worthwhile NWOBHM release.



Metal Mark says-

Poor Rogue Male, every time they have or will ever be mentioned that unfulfilled prediction from Kerrang will always be brought up. I think that Kerrang was looking a new British band to hang their hopes on, but this wasn't the right pack. Now that doesn't mean these guys were not worhtwhile. Despite the prediction and their rather silly look this band were quite decent particularly on their debut. They sound like kind of a Motorhead lite with some early Tank thrown in. So they couldn't be accused of being the most original acts of all time. Yet they handled their rough and ready style of metal quite well as eveidenced in songs like "Crazy motorcycle", "Get off my back" and unemployment. The hooks are solid and I took to most of the tracks on this album right away. I can't quite say the same for the follow-up "Animal Man". Their sophomore album lacks the punch and the good production values of "First visit". It's not bad, but comes across as being rushed and contains ideas that are not quite fleshed out all of the way. I have yet to hear "Nail it" so can't really comment on it. Truthfully this is a band I was surprised to see return just because it had been so long sice they broke up, but credit to Lyttle for giving it another run. They may always be strapped with that label they never lived up to, but that doesn't change the fact that their debut is certainly worth a listen.

Rogue Male-Animal Man

Metal Mind
1986/2008 Re-issue

After “First Visit” this band did a U.S. tour to support the album, but they didn’t make the impression they were hoping for. They returned to the UK and put out an EP called “Belfast”. Then following some shifting of drummers they put together their second LP “Animal Man”. They may have looked like a cross between the cast of “Cats” and extras from a Mad Max film, but their debut had proven they could put forth a solid release. So I don’t know what exactly happened here, but this is a rather confused sounding album. “First Visit” had a very cohesive sound and a definite, if slightly dated musical direction. This album not only fails to pick up on that direction, but it also doesn’t seem to follow any real apparent direction that I could comprehend. There are several tracks that sound like they would have been very comfortable on the debut. However, there are also songs where the music lacks not just power, but also much of any identity. Several tracks rely on a more processed drum sound and the guitars are pushed into the background far more than they needed to be. The vocals also suffer as a few songs hear some kind of pop approach that just sounds completely misguided because they are not even focused enough to work as pop music. If this band wanted to change their style then they needed to go at it with confidence and do it completely. Instead this album is such a mixed bag that it reminds me more of an album of outtakes and previously unreleased material. I don’t know if the band were upset by the lack of success at this point, if outside hands messed with their style or if their numerous line-up changes had finally taken their toll. Whatever the reason this album suffered and I guess that Rogue Male suffered as well because they broke not too long after this album. Metal Mind’s re-issue includes a bonus track and the booklet has lyrics and a band biography.

Rogue Male-First Visit

Metal Mind
1985/2008 Re-issue

These guys were part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement and recorded two LPs and one EP. Yet their entire legacy seems to revolve quite a bit around the fact that Kerrang! magazine called them “the next big thing” and of course they failed to live up to that prediction. In fact that Kerrang! Claim seems to be the only thing most people ever said about this band and I could never find a decent description of their sound over the years. Now the album has been re-issued and I can finally judge for myself. The sound here has a definite Motorhead influence primarily from the Overkill/Bomber era plus there are several songs with a strong Judas Priest sound say from around the 1979-1981 period. The vocals are gritty and deep and the music is heavier than I would have figured, but fairly basic. The melodies make this almost as much a hard rock effort as it is a metal album, but the two styles work together well enough. This is very much a NWOBHM sound although for 1985 it’s a little dated because by that time I think most were moving beyond this approach. I enjoyed every song and this version includes two bonus tracks. My curiosity of this band had grown over the years largely due to the fact that no one would commit to saying much about them. The results are that it’s better than I figured it would be. However I can see why they didn’t make much of an impact, if this had come out in say 1982 instead of 1985 then I could have better understood someone thinking this band might make an impact. Another fine Metal Mind re-issue which includes bonus tracks and the booklet has pictures and a band biography.