Hobbs' Angel of Death

History

Hobbs' Angel of Death was formed in January 1987 in Melbourne as a solo project for ex-Tyrus guitarist Peter Hobbs. With assistance from ex-Nothing Sacred members Karl Lean (bass guitar), Sham Littleman (drums) and Mark Woolley (guitar), the band recorded two demos, Angel of Death and Virgin Metal Invasion from Down Under, which drew interest from overseas labels. Hobbs described the band's sound as 'virgin metal', a pure form of metal music. In February and March 1988, the band recorded their debut self-titled album at Musiclab studios in Berlin, produced by Harris Johns. Released in July on German label Steamhammer Records, it became a best-seller in Europe. The album lineup featured Hobbs and Woolley with Philip Gresik on bass guitar and Darren McMaster-Smith on drums. In 1989, Hobbs and Woolley toured with Bruno Canziani (drums) and Dave Frew (bass), both former members of Rampage. A second album, Inheritance, was released in 1995 but failed to repeat its predecessor's success and was an Australia-only release, difficult to obtain elsewhere. The band broke up soon after. In 2002, Hobbs reformed the band and released a compilation of early demos, followed by a European tour including Wacken Festival and shows with Destruction and Mayhem. Keyboardist Talie Helene, who never recorded or played live with the band, left in July 2003 to form Stone Maiden. In 2011, the band returned to live performance supporting Forbidden in Sydney, then undertook European tours in 2012 and 2013. Peter Hobbs appeared in the documentary Metal Down Under in August 2014, and the band toured the US later that year.