ELIXIR - THE HISTORY 1983 In November, Phil joins Kevin, Nigel and Steve Bentley. They rehearse and write material together and go through a couple of name changes, including Purgatory and Hellfire, until one day Steve opens a dictionary, closes his eyes and puts his finger on Elixir. This becomes the new name adopted by the band. The band look for a vocalist and recruit female singer Sally Pike. They record a four song demo tape at Bark Studios, Walthamstow, and play two gigs at The Green Man, Stratford, before they part company with Sally. 1984 After auditioning numerous singers, the band are delighted when Paul Taylor comes to audition and he is immediately offered the vocalist job. The band returns to Bark Studios to record a new demo tape consisting of three songs: "Deal with the Devil", "Born Loser" and "Dead Man’s Gold", before parting company with Steve. After auditioning numerous guitarists, Norman Gordon joins in November. The band are almost as impressed with the way he squeezes a Marshall stack into the back of a Mini as they are with his playing!! This line-up rehearses throughout November and December preparing for their prestigious debut gig at The Royal Standard, Walthamstow 1985 The band play their debut gig supporting Tokyo Blade on January 4. This is the first of many shows throughout 1985. The band find time to record a new demo tape at Easter. The three songs are: "Treachery (Ride like the Wind)", "Winds of Time" and "Playing with Fire". In response to an overwhelming demand from fans at home and abroad, Elixir release their debut single "Treachery (Ride like the Wind)/ Winds of Time" in July. This single is reviewed by Ronnie James Dio in Kerrang! No 99 and is given the thumbs up. The band see out the rest of the year riding high on the crest of a wave playing shows to bigger and bigger audiences.
In January, the band travel to The Lodge Studios at Clare, Suffolk to record their debut album The Son of Odin. In February, the band are invited to the BBC studios to record a four song session for The Friday Rock Show hosted by Tommy Vance. In June the debut album is released and sells well. In September, the band shoot promotional videos featuring "The Son of Odin" and "Pandora’s Box" for the "Power Cuts" video release. The rest of the year the band tour throughout the UK promoting "The Son of Odin" album. 1987 Friday 13th February, after a disastrous day and gig in Bournemouth, Kev quits the band, shortly followed by Nigel. The band recruits Mark White on bass but struggle to find a permanent drummer. The band continues to write material. 1988 With the chance to record a second album at Nova Studios at Marble Arch, London, the band invite Clive Burr (formerly of Iron Maiden) to provide the drums. On 27th December, the band with Clive play at The Royal Standard, Walthamstow. 1989 Finally, the band find a permanent replacement on the drum stool. Stevie Hughes, an old friend of Norman’s, comes over from Ireland and joins the band. The band tour throughout the UK, playing the material recorded for the second album. In autumn, with his first son on the way, Phil quits the band. 1990 Sonic releases the second album and names it "Lethal Potion". The band puts touring and live appearances on hold, but their reputation grows and grows, with their albums becoming sought after amongst collectors. 2001 At Norman’s 40th birthday party, Norman, Paul, Phil, Kev and Nigel take to the stage to play "Treachery (Ride like the Wind)". The band have so much fun that they decide to record the third album. The band are offered a contract by Cult Metal Classics label to re-release ‘The Son of Odin’ in C.D. format with bonus tracks. 2002 Elixir headline the Heavy Metal Assault Festival in Athens, Greece. 2003 October 31st - Halloween, now signed with Cold Town Records, the band release "The Idol", an awesome collection of metal, described by Terrorizer Magazine as "the best British metal album of 2003." 2004 April 10th- Elixir make their first appearance in Germany at the Keep It True Festival. May - Cult Metal Classics release "The Idol" on 12-inch vinyl. July 10th - Elixir play the Headbanger's Open Air Festival in Germany. October 30th - Elixir's first appearance in Holland at the Heavy Metal Maniac's Festival. 2005 Paul and Phil travelled to Poland for a few days on 27th April to meet their new manager Bart Gabriel and to guest on Crystal Viper's cover version of the Elixir song "Treachery (Ride Like The Wind)", and on the cover version of the Cirith Ungol song "Chaos Rising". The band spend most of the year working on their new studio album, 'Mindcreeper', taking time out only to appear at the Motala Metal Festival in Sweden on November 19th. 2006 March - Elixir sign a
deal with the Majestic Rock label.
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Below are some pictures of interest from the private collection of Mario
Corbella. Click on a thumbnail to see the full sized picture
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