Biography

Scotland's Holocaust emerged in 1977 with a gritty sound that echoed the sonic, working-class attack of fellow New Wave of British Heavy Metal luminaries like Judas Priest, Diamond Head, and Motorhead. Led by guitarist John Mortimer, who has remained the group's sole constant member throughout the decades, the band's early output proved to be a huge influence on the Bay Area thrash scene, with Metallica covering the band's 1983 single "The Small Hours" on their Garage Days Re-Revisited EP. Despite enduring myriad personnel changes and hiatuses, Holocaust has remained prolific, issuing a slew of well-received albums like The Nightcomers (1981), Covenant (1997), Primal (2003), and Elder Gods (2019), and carving out a tenacious four-decade career. Hailing from Edinburgh, Holocaust were formed in the late 1970s, and featured vocalist Gary Lettice, guitarists John Mortimer and Ed Dudley, bassist Robin Begg, and drummer Nicky Arkless. Like many New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands, Holocaust cut their teeth in local clubs during the waning days of punk, before finally scoring an independent record deal and issuing 1981's seminal The Nightcomers. Though commercially unsuccessful, the album has remained a favorite of the genre and was later cited as a major influence by members of Metallica, who covered the song "The Small Hours" from the band's subsequent release, 1983's Live -- Hot Curry and Wine. But the band was already experiencing internal strife and fell apart before the recording of 1984's disjointed No Man's Land, which featured sole surviving original member John Mortimer handling vocals, guitars, and bass, and backed by drummer Steve Cowen. Five years would pass before the duo (along with bassist David Rosie) resurrected Holocaust once again, going on to release a string of surprisingly solid efforts, including 1989's The Sound of Souls, 1997's Covenant, and 2000's The Courage to Be, among others. 2003 saw the band's work collected on the anthology Smokin Valves and the releaser of the studio LP Primal. A long hiatus preceded the arrival of band's tenth full-length effort, 2015's hard-hittin Predator, which feautred a lineup that included Scott Wallace on drums, Mark McGrath on bass, and intrepid leader Mortimer on guitar and vocals. That same lineup returned in 2019 for the punishing Elder Gods. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi