Malcolm Dome explains why you haven’t seen it all when it comes to thrash until you’ve seen Heathen make the ground shake at Hammerfest II. Get your Hammerfest II tickets here!

What do you mean “Who are Heathen?”. If you know your metal history, you will be tremendously excited than this fine Bay Area bunch have been added to the bill for Hammerfest II. If you are new to the Heath-world, let me explain.

You’ve heard of Metallica, right? Exodus, Testament and a million of others from that area, all of whom made huge contributions to metal in the 1980s. Well, Heathen are right up there with them.

They started in 1984, but really got going two years later when the line-up finally stabilised. What made them different to so many was that there was a pure metal blood line. Influenced by the NWOBHM big wigs, they actually didn’t taint this with any hardcore or punk additives. This was dynamic, powering stuff that quickly got Heathen real acclaim on the tape trading scene, with their 1987 demo Pray For Death attracting serious attention.

They had blindingly epic riffs, some blazing vocals and the sort of anthemic punch that would knock out world heavyweight champ David Haye inside a minute. It was American metal, but with a chunky British sound.

Now if that whetted the appetite, then what followed was a metal gourmand’s fantasy. Debut album ‘Breaking The Silence’ came out in ‘87, and got rave reviews everywhere. Let’s put it this way: it’s right up there with Exodus’ ‘Bonded By Blood’ and Testament’s ‘The Legacy’ as a classic. It had energy, vibrancy, purpose and a sense of destiny. Hey, it even featured a cover of Sweet’s ‘Set Me Free’ that was far more than a token gesture at getting radio airplay.

Here was a band everyone tipped for big things. And that meant, of course, they just fell apart. Line-up changes meant nothing else was released until 1991, when the ‘Victims Of Deception’ record came out. You know what? It virtually pioneered technical, progressive metal. Severely underrated, that album is fit to stand alongside Cynic’s ‘Focus’, and pre-dated it by two years!

However, Heathen then went on a decade-long hiatus, only returning in 2001. By which point their place in history had been all but forgotten. Only vocalist David White and guitarist Lee Altus remain from the glory days of the ’80s. However, the new line-up is equal to the task not only of representing a treasured heritage, but of taking it forward.

You should care because Heathen pioneered so much we take for granted today. You will be witnessing a band whose legacy can be heard in so much we hear in 2009. Always more than a thrash band, they paved a path that has led us to Mastodon and Baroness among others.

You should care, because this isn’t a nostalgia trip, but a band who can kick and snarl with the best around right now. So, when Heathen go onstage at Hammerfest II you will be witnessing something special. You’ve seen Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, etc., but you can’t say you’ve seen and heard it all until you get the Heathen experience.

Malcolm Dome

Hammerfest II includes performances from DevilDriver, a UK exclusive show from Iced Earth, Skindred, Napalm Death, Epica, Dark Funeral, Akercocke, Orange Goblin, Malefice, Heathen, White Wizzard, Rise to Remain, Warpath, Conquest of Steel, Echovirus, Man Must Die, Sondura, No Made Sense, Cars on Fire, Panic Cell, Shining, Belligerence, Attica Rage, Godsized, Zico Chain, Huron, Hellfighter, Isolysis, More I see and Marshall Law

Next year’s Hammerfest promises to throw more horns and bang more heads than ever before in Prestatyn, North Wales on 11-13 March, 2010! Get your Hammerfest II tickets here!