Black Axe

Carlisle-based hard rock band Black Axe formed in 1977 under the original moniker of Leviathan. It would be three years and the adoption of the Black Axe handle before the Cumbrian group would gain any kind of recognition thanks to the release of the Highway Rider single. The single not only enjoyed strong sales and a good deal of press interest from Sounds Magazine, but it led to a major recording contract with Chrysalis Records. However, in retrospect the Chrysalis deal struck a fatal blow to any possible success, the band being persuaded to take on a further name change to Wolf . The single Head Contact (Rock n' Roll) was released to favourable reviews, but a recorded album was shelved and the group dropped from the company roster. The LP, "Edge of the World" was finally released in 1984 on Mausoleum Records. Black Axe was featured on The Friday Rock Show on March 6, 1981, with the songs "Too Close for Comfort", "Shock Treatment", "Edge of the World", and "Night from the Blue" (recorded on February 4, 1981). Compilation appearances: - "Edge of the World" on The Friday Rock Show (BBC Records, 1981) - "Edge of the World" on Metal Explosion 2 (Dial Discos, S.A., 1982) - "Red Lights" on New Wave of British Heavy Metal '79 Revisited (Metal Blade/Vertigo, 1990) - "Highway Rider" on NWOBHM Vol. 1 (MIS, date unknown)