When one thinks about the early days of the NWOBHM, a couple of bands spring to mind. Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, and.. Praying Mantis.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Praying Mantis
ALBUM: Time Tells No Lies
LABEL: Arista
SERIAL: SPART 1153
YEAR: 1981
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: England
LINEUP: Tino Troy – vocals, guitars * Steve Carroll – guitars, vocals * Chris Troy – bass, vocals * Dave Potts – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Cheated * 02 All Day And All Of The Night * 03 Running For Tomorrow * 04 Rich City Kids * 05 Lovers To The Grave * 06 Panic In The Streets * 07 Beads Of Ebony * 08 Flirting With Suicide * 09 Children Of The Earth
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Praying Mantis Background
When one thinks about the early days of the NWOBHM, a couple of bands spring to mind. Iron Maiden, Saxon, Def Leppard, Diamond Head, and.. Praying Mantis.
Yes, these London based boys formed around the brothers Tino and Chris Troy. They were right there at the start, and had a commendable following to boot.
Drumming up support with a series of demo tapes between 1978-1980, the band also added to their reputation with solid UK tours. They played alongside Iron Maiden, Americans Gamma as well as one on their own.
Joining the band during 1980 were Dave Potts (ex Ten Years After), and another singer/guitarist in Steve Carroll.
After playing the Reading Festival, the band signed a deal with Arista, and got in Tim Friese-Greene (Touch) to produce the album.
The Songs
The band had a professional sheen by the time the recording was made. Evidenced on songs such as ‘Cheated’ and ‘Rich City Kids’.
The twin guitar approach from Tino Troy and Steve Carroll add some depth to the tracks. They can be heard on classic Praying Mantis tunes such as ‘Running From Tomorrow’ and ‘Panic In The Streets’. These both get an airing, and ensure the British-ness of the material.
The remainder of the songs are all solid efforts.
In Summary
For whatever reason, the album seemed to flop. Perhaps a year too late? Who knows. In any case, they soldiered on. Praying Mantis underwent some lineup changes, and there was talk of a second album but it never materialised.
They recruited Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr into the fold about 1985 and changed their name to Stratus. The result was excellent AOR but again, a flop.
They disappeared off the map during the latter part of the 80’s. However, during the 1990’s, the band got a second life thanks to incredible support from Japan. As a result, and very much to this day, the band are going stronger than ever.
Numerous albums were released between 1991 and current day. These included ‘Predator’, ‘Cry For The New World’, ‘Forever In Time’, ‘Legacy’ and ‘Gravity’.
An excellent band, and well worth rediscovering.
Praying Mantis on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
