English Dogs
British band blending hardcore punk with thrash metal.
English Dogs got their start as a British band in the early 1980s, blending hardcore punk with heavy metal. The group had two distinct lineups: one that mixed punk and metal, which included original drummer Andrew "Pinch" Pinching along with later members Graham "Gizz" Butt and Adie Bailey, and another that stuck to punk, fronted by original singer Pete "Wakey" Wakefield.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Grantham, England
- Genre
- Hardcore punk
- crossover thrash
- heavy metal
- thrash metal
- Years active
- 1981–1987, 1993–1999, 2007–2016
Facts from the source article.
History
English Dogs got their start in Grantham in October 1981, and during 1982 they put out two demos, "Show No Mercy" and "Free to Kill." Early in 1983, they hit the road in Germany as the opening act for the punk band Charged GBH, then did a UK tour supporting Discharge. Later that year, they signed with Clay Records and dropped a six-track EP called Mad Punx and English Dogs in July 1983. Their first full-length album, Invasion of the Porky Men, came out a year later.
After that debut, the lineup shifted: vocalist Wakey left, and ex-Ultraviolent singer Ade Bailey took his place. Around the same time, the band wanted to expand their sound, so they brought in Tracey Abbott from the NWOBHM acts Overdrive and Witchfynde to help write new material for the To the Ends of the Earth EP. Abbott contributed songwriting and added metal riffs, but couldn't join permanently due to other commitments. Shortly after, they added former Destructors guitarist Graham "Gizz" Butt.
This change prompted a move from Clay Records to Rot Records, and the metal-tinged To the Ends of the Earth EP arrived in September 1984. The metal influence grew stronger with Forward into Battle, and then with the Metalmorphosis 12-inch and the Where Legend Began album, both released through Under One Flag in 1986. That spring, the Dogs toured the US, playing sold-out shows on both coasts. When they got back to the UK, Jon Murray left the band.
Later in 1986, they played a thrash bill at Camden's Electric Ballroom alongside Possessed and Voivod, promoted by Shades. Pinch also left around winter 1986. The remaining members—Adie, Gizz, and Wattie—kept playing with other musicians until they called it quits late that year. In 1993, Pinch and Gizz Butt reformed English Dogs with original "Mad Punx" vocalist Wakey and Future Damned bassist Stuart West.
They signed to German label Impact Records and released Bow to None. Wakey left soon after, and Stuart "Stu-Pid" Jones replaced him for the 1995 five-track EP What a Wonderful Feeling... to Be Fucked by Everyone on Retch Records.
More in English Heavy Metal Musical Groups
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