Hollow Ground

As indie as indie gets — even by New Wave of British Heavy Metal standards — Hollow Ground were a short-lived quartet comprised of vocalist Glenn Coates, guitarist Martin Metcalfe, bassist Brian Rickman, and drummer Jon Lockney, whose solitary four recorded tracks have somehow transcended time and humble origin to qualify as classics of the genre. First featured in 1980's highly collectable Roksnax LP sampler (also showcasing two even more obscure but nowhere near as strong contemporary bands) and later packaged as 1981's Flying High EP (which, with its childlike, hand-drawn cover artwork, today swaps collectors' hands at exorbitant prices), these reveal a typically raw but energetic NWOBHM sound (shared with the likes of Blitzkrieg, Weapon, etc.) to go with a somewhat strained vocal style. Unfortunately, though they managed to demo a few more tracks prior to vocalist Coates' defection to competitors Fist, Hollow Ground quietly faded away in the following months. But luckily for collectors, all four of the EP's cuts were eventually reissued in British Steel's N.W.O.B.H.M. Rarities, Vol. 1, and "Fight with the Devil" was also included in the highly praised New Wave of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisited compilation, assembled by Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich and journalist Geoff Barton.