It is so often the case that the lesser known (though no less important) bands are most representative of a scene. And when it comes to the NWOBHM, no other band captures the essence of that movement quite like Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Satan. Born in 1979, they fully embraced the amphetamine-fuelled energy and do-it-yourself ethos of punk and melded it to blistering metal musicianship, the resulting sound was far ahead of the curve and foreshadowed the arrival of thrash and speed metal. True pioneers that were usurped by young American upstarts who refined their approach for mass consumption meant that Satan are criminally overlooked when the history of metal is written but this latest set, Out Of The Fire 1981-1985, collecting key releases from their formative years should elevate them to their rightful position.

Disc One: Court In The Act

The visionary nature of Satan’s debut album Court In The Act can be gauged by the reviews it received. Totally panned by Kerrang! magazine, it flummoxed reviewers because in 1983 there was no convenient point of reference, but with the benefit of hindsight it’s easy to see how it fits into heavy metal’s creative curve and today it would take a brave soul to argue that it isn’t a cornerstone of the genre. A good intro can really set the scene and ‘Into The Fire’ will sound familiar to anyone who grew up on Psychomania or Hammer Horror films, creating an eerie spell that’s abruptly broken by opener proper ‘Trial By Fire’, a cut that finds Satan arriving like cannon fire. You can definitely hear how Satan helped shape the nascent speed and thrash scenes and ‘Trial By Fire’ (indeed, the whole album) evidences a band who were pushing at musical boundaries. The twin guitar attack could rival Priest’s Tipton/Downing combination at their most vivacious and they tie the listener up in all sorts of knots, whilst Brian Ross unleashes the type of glass shattering shrieks that became synonymous with 1980’s metal. However, one thing Satan’s peers didn’t copy (but definitely should have) was the sheer variety in the band’s oeuvre; this album is not all proto-thrash, ‘Blades Of Steel’ and closer ‘Alone In The Dock’ ensuring it is a well balanced affair. But make no mistake Court In The Act is a heavy metal album and if it’s shredding solos and tough riffage you’re after, you’ve come to the right place.

It feels like the time is finally conducive for Court In The Act and it’s getting the plaudits it has always deserved and this issue, containing three bonus tracks, will only increase its standing in the metal community (and beyond).

Disc Two: Demos & Singles

That punk notion of seising control of the means of production, recording and releasing your own music, was one embraced wholesale by NWOBHM bands (even those with an aversion to punk; think Maiden’s Soundhouse Tapes) and thanks to that ethos we have a pair of killer demos from Satan. The first originates from 1981 when the band went under the name of Guardian, and even though the band were still finding their feet and finalising their line-up they sound very assured and confident, shaping and honing the sound that would come to fruition on Court In The Act. As with many early recordings, Satan hadn’t filtered out all of their influences; ‘Heads Will Roll’ totally rips off the riff from Rainbow’s ‘Gates Of Babylon’, but it’s all in the right spirit, the whole demo being classic metal played with punk energy (which is pretty much thrash metal in a nutshell).

Fast forward twelve months and the band recorded their second demo, and what a difference a year makes; Satan have tightened down the screws, the influences have (largely) been expunged and the band have streamlined their attack into a red hot laser beam. Five of these six songs are embryonic versions of the tracks that would appear on their debut album (plus a feisty rendition of ‘Pull The Trigger’); ‘Into The Fire’ is creepier whilst ‘Break Free’ throws off the shackles, but mostly this is a windswept demo powered by the impetuosity of youth (which is undoubtedly a good thing).

Satan cultivated a close relationship with the Netherlands, performing several tours and releasing their first album on Dutch label Roadrunner (except in the UK where it appeared on Neat). Closing this disc are three tracks from a set at the 1984 edition of the Earthquake Festival in Holland. Recorded on April 7th, it finds Satan in the full flush of youth and while the sound quality might not be the best, it provides an excellent contrast between pre- and post-album; with a full LP under their collective belts, Satan are the complete package, especially the crowd participation that seemed destined for the biggest stages (had destiny differed).

Disc Three: Live In The Act: Live At The Dynamo Club, Eindhoven, Netherlands, November 1983

In the 1980’s heavy metal was routinely ignored by the mainstream media so the live environment was the place where bands connected with their fans. However, the stage could be unforgiving and offered one shot at glory, any group trying to fake it would immediately be sniffed out, yet those operating with authenticity were guaranteed a receptive audience. Satan’s set at The Dynamo Club in 1983 (comprising the whole third disc) falls very much in the second camp, the rabidity of the crowd verging on Beatlemania. ‘Into The Fire’ is an intro that transfers very well to a live show and sets things up nicely for the one/two punch of opening couplet ‘No Turning Back’ and ‘Heads Will Roll’. From here on in, Satan deliver a foot-on-the-monitor, horns-held-high, dandruff-shaking celebration of heavy metal. The adrenaline that a live show generates means that these songs are played slightly faster than their studio counterparts, their influence on thrash being more evident and suggests that Satan could more than hold their own with the Big Four. A good live album should bottle some of the magic of a rowdy gig, and that’s exactly what Live In The Act does and is worth the price of admission alone.

CD Four: Out Of Reach (as Blind Fury)

The eye-watering amount of units that Def Leppard shifted with their 1983 album Pyromania caused a seismic shift within the NWOBHM scene. Tygers Of Pan Tang, Holocaust (as Hologram) and Saxon all Americanised their sound in the hope of taking a slice of the pie. I’ve always had a modicum of sympathy for such bands (especially if under record company duress, hey; we’ve all got bills to pay), and it was a route taken by Satan on their 1985 album Out Of Reach (under a new moniker; Blind Fury). It was a move that rarely worked out well, yet Out Of Reach proves itself an exception to the rule. The first thing to note is that this is a more polished affair, the edges smoothed somewhat, but not to the point of overkill; those frenetic solos are very much in evidence, yet things feel more planned out (and a tad more restrained) than on their debut. New vocalist Lou Taylor has an impressive range that recalls former Cloven Hoof warbler Russ North, and Cloven Hoof is a good comparrison for songs such as ‘Evil Eyes’ and ‘Dance Of The Crimson Lady Part 1’, this album inhabiting a power metal realm. Out Of Reach is not too far removed from Court In The Act and could have been released under the Satan moniker, but it does evidence an evolution, as all good bands should.

Whilst NWOBHM aficionados have always known the importance of Satan, their pivotal role in shaping what became known as speed and thrash metal has never really been acknowledged. Out Of The Fire: 1981-1985 should go a long way in rectifying that.

• Out Of The Fire: 1981-1985 is released via Cherry Red Records/HNE Recordings on 23rd October 2026.

Track List:

Disc One: Court In The Act

1. Into The Fire
2. Trial By Fire
3. Blades Of Steel
4. No Turning Back
5. Broken Treaties
6. Break Free
7. Hunt You Down
8. The Ritual
9. Dark Side Of Innocence
10. Alone In The Dock

Bonus Tracks:

11. Break Free (Remix)
12. Dynamo
13. Pull The Trigger

Disc Two: Demos & Singles

1. Kiss Of Death *
2. Heads Will Roll *
3. Oppression *
4. The Executioner *
5. Into The Fire/Trial By Fire **
6. Blades Of Steel
7. No Turning Back **
8. Break Free **
9. Pull The Trigger **
10. The Ritual **
11. Blades Of Steel ***
12. No Turning Back ***
13. Pull The Trigger ***

* Guardian Demo (1981)

** Into The Fire Demo (1982)

*** Live At Earthquake Festival, April 7, 1984

Disc Three: Live In The Act: Live At The Dynamo Club, Eindhoven, Netherlands, November 1983

1. Trial By Fire
2. No Turning Back
3. Heads Will Roll
4. Hunt You Down
5. Pull The Trigger
6. Break Free
7. Blades Of Steel
8. The Ritual
9. Kiss Of Death
10. Oppression
11. The Executioner
12. Blitzkrieg
13. Dynamo

CD Four: Out Of Reach (as Blind Fury)

1. Do It Loud
2. Out Of Reach
3. Evil Eyes
4. Contact Rock And Roll
5. Living On The Edge
6. Dynamo (There Is A Place)
7. Back Inside
8. Dance Of The Crimson Lady Part 1