Grim Reaper (band)

Did You Know?

• A slightly re-edited version of the video for Grim Reaper's 1985 hit 'Fear No Evil' was initially used as the video for Weezer's song 'We Are All on Drugs'.
• Grim Reaper's song 'Lust for Freedom' was used as the title track for a 1987 women's prison movie of the same name.

History

The band Grim Reaper got its start in Worcestershire, with Paul de Mercado handling vocals initially. Their first demo, a full album's worth of material, was called Bleed 'Em Dry. After building a fan base in the northwest and Yorkshire, they got the attention of Heavy Metal Records, which took a re-recorded version of the track The Reaper from that demo and put it on their 1981 compilation Heavy Metal Heroes. A favorable mention in Kerrang!'s 'Armed & Ready' section came before the original lineup fell apart, leaving only guitarist Nick Bowcott. He then brought in bassist Dave Wanklin, drummer Lee Harris, and, most crucially, vocalist Steve Grimmett. This new group won a Battle of the Bands competition in 1982 that featured over 100 acts, earning studio time to record fresh material. At the time, Grimmett was also the unofficial singer for Cheltenham's Chateaux, a band signed to Darryl Johnston's Ebony Records. He passed the Grim Reaper demo to the label, which signed the band. Their first album, See You in Hell, came out in 1983 and was distributed worldwide by RCA Records.

The band quickly became known for Bowcott's guitar playing and Grimmett's distinctive head voice singing. They toured the world, including a support slot at Texxas Jam in front of more than 20,000 people. Their second album, 1985's Fear No Evil, featured better production and found moderate success in both the United States and Europe. A legal dispute with Ebony Records pushed back the release of their third album, Rock You to Hell, by nearly two years. It finally came out directly through RCA Records in 1987. By then, though, the metal scene had shifted toward heavier sounds like thrash and speed metal, leaving Grim Reaper's melodic style behind. Even major label backing and a popular music video for the title track couldn't turn things around. Just as work was about to start on a fourth album, reportedly titled Nothing Whatsoever to Do with Hell, another round of legal trouble with Ebony Records effectively ended the band, and they split up in 1988.