Jaguar (band)
English NWOBHM band, early speed metal innovators.
Hailing from Bristol, the English heavy metal band Jaguar came together in December 1979. During the early 1980s, at the peak of the new wave of British heavy metal, they found moderate success across Europe and Asia.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Bristol, England
- Genre
- Heavy metal, speed metal
- Years active
- 1979–1985, 1998–present
- Label
- Neat
- Roadrunner Records
- Majestic
- Angel Air Records
- Current members
- Garry Pepperd
- Simon Patel
- Nathan Cox
- Tamás Csemez
- Past members
- Jeff Cox
- Chris Lovell
- Rob Reiss
- Paul Merrel
- Gary Davies
- Les Foster
- Darren Furze
- William Sealey
- Jamie Manton
Facts from the source article.
History
The band came together after Jeff Cox and Garry Pepperd placed an advertisement in a local newspaper seeking a drummer. The initial lineup featured Pepperd on guitar, Cox on bass and vocals, and Chris Lovell on drums. That same year they entered Sound Conception Studios to record their first demo, finishing it on 22 March 1980 with the songs "Feel the Heat", "Battle Cry" and "Piledriver". In April 1980 a second advertisement for a vocalist brought Rob Reiss into the group. The completed six-song demo tape was sold to the public through an advertisement in the music magazine Sounds starting in February 1981, with approximately 540 copies sold. That ad led to contact with Dutch fan and promoter Frits Gijsbertse, who arranged several performances in the Netherlands. The magazine Aardschok featured Jaguar regularly, and its owner, known as 'Metal Mike', later became the band's Dutch promoter. In 1980 the band submitted their demo to a Battle of the Bands competition; they reached the Bristol heats, performed on 2 May 1981, and finished fourth. This result and the demo earned them a spot on the compilation Heavy Metal Heroes with the track "Stormchild", released by Heavy Metal Records. The same label issued the single "Back Street Woman" in the second week of November 1981; its initial pressing of 4,000 copies sold out within two months.
Musical style and legacy
Jaguar played faster and more aggressively than most other bands in the early NWOBHM scene, and are regarded among the originators of speed metal and thrash metal. Their influence extended to later groups including US bands such as Metallica. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic noted that Jaguar flourished early through a gritty, do-it-yourself approach but faded into obscurity as the movement's momentum declined.
More in New Wave of British Heavy Metal Musical Groups
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