It’s our pleasure to introduce you to Nightblade.
Nightblade: The story so far.…
2010 – 2011
The nucleus of Nightblade was formed in 2010, consisting of Mark Crosby, Dave Parish and Bill Fitzsimmons, with Richard Jones completing the line-up on drums.
The debut album Servant To Your Lair was released in 2011 and Nightblade’s first tour soon followed. With the help of a critically positive article in the ubiquitous and highly regarded Metal Hammer magazine, the album attracted a lot of interest.
2011 – 2015
Whilst 2011-12 was mainly spent touring the UK, the band began work on their follow-up album, Closer To The Thres hold.
This much-anticipated album was released in 2013, Richard Jones departed and was replaced by Rich Lawley on drums.
The album was very well received both in the UK and internationally, scoring an average of 8 or 9 out of 10 in review articles. Powerplay magazine described the album as “excellent” and was “only just short of awarding it the full set of stars.”
It got the same reaction and score in Japan’s largest rock magazine, Burn.
The album led to an extensive tour, including gigs at the legendary 100 Club in Camden, and at the O2 where coincidentally the Black Sabbath reunion gig was taking place right next door. Nightblade were delighted to be able to hear the Sabbath soundcheck whilst in the process of carrying out their own.
2015 -2017
The Crisis Has No Prejudice ep is launched. It proved to be very popular, getting lots of airplay, and with the title track receiving great recognition and reviews, it again received high scores of 8 and 9 out of 10.
Numerous high-profile gigs followed which saw Nightblade taking to the stage with highly regarded international acts such as Snakecharmer, Wolfsbane and Diamond Head.
With a reputation for consistently producing a solid blend of exciting and attacking rock music, Nightblade continues to attract fans worldwide, particularly in Germany, Japan, Scandinavia and Europe in general.
2017 – 2019
Hiatus. All great bands have one!
Departure of Dave Parish and Bill Fitzsimmons.
2020
Nightblade reform with a settled, and indeed formidable line up of Mark Crosby on vocals, Sam Morse on Guitars, Tim Cutcliffe on Bass with Rich Lawley on Drums and Keyboards.
Nightblade’s combined creativity is a force to be reckoned with, producing fresh, innovative, inspiring and poignant material at a startling pace.
The album Ignorance Is Bliss is released, heralding a venture towards a more alternative rock sound, and with remarkable results, delivering powerful melodies, anthemic choruses and instantly infectious hooks.
Brimming with enthusiasm for this new direction, a refreshed Nightblade is ‘going for the jugular’.
Despite lockdown, Ignorance Is Bliss gets a great reception, including favourable reviews by Diane D at MMH Radioand Santiago Puyol of Metal Temple.
Five singles with accompanying videos are taken from the album:
Only You
Further From The Truth
Steering The Wheel
STOP!
Find The Strength Within.
All singles received lots of great reviews, plus repeated airplay on stations, including the BBC and Kerrang Radio.
2021
Frustrated at not being able to gig and fully promote Ignorance Is Bliss, the band turned their energies to writing and recording.
The album Unknown Territories is born.
Following on from Ignorance Is Bliss, this album contains 11 tracks, documenting a journey into mystery, darkness, and the fearful unknown– a quest to understand the human mind and its minefield of complexities.
Diverse and with typical disdain of conformity, this album is built with Nightblade’s creativity– confidant in the knowledge that it sounds good, whilst developing and refining what is ‘the Nightblade sound’ in the process.
UPDATE: July 2021: The album Unknown Territories is released, receiving extremely favourable reviews in all the best rock magazines, including HRH, Powerplay, Fireworks Rock & Metal.
2022
The 2022 release of “Hope To Be There” sees the completion of an unprecedented Nightblade album trilogy,
The first of their triple-pronged, relentless rock revelation came in 2020 with the release of “Ignorance Is Bliss”, then 2021 brought us “Unknown Territories” and in 2022 “Hope To Be There” arrived.
Even the pandemic-enforced downtime could not stem the tide that is Nightblade’s creative flow, resulting in this album riding on the crest of their creative wave of the last three years.
In defining their sound, the output of this album was fast and furious, resulting in 12 tracks that give it a running time of over an hour.
Nightblade always enjoy creating diverse albums, they thrive on that “keeping everybody guessing” element whilst maintaining their flow.
“We are proud that ‘Hope To Be There’ is the fitting end to the trilogy.” says vocalist Mark Crosby.
The addition of guitarist Chris Seldon reveals a new edge, adding a different dimension to the Nightblade sound.
Nightblade has evolved into a five-piece force of alternative rock creativity– and they are heading your way!
2023
May: Drummer Rich Lawley departs the band and is replaced by Harry Anson.
July: Recording of their sixth studio album, THAT’S THE WAY YOU WANT IT commences. December: Their sixth studio album, THAT’S THE WAY YOU WANT IT, is released on December 8th.
2024
February 3rd:
Nightblade perform live at the HMV store, Merry Hill, Dudley West Midlands.
Band Members:
Mark Crosby: Vocals.
Elliot Potts: Drums.
Chris Seldon: Guitar.
Alex Neale: Guitar.
Tim Cutliffe – Bass
Musical Influences:
About the latest release:
In an attempt to refine the Nightblade sound and to continue our diversity of sound.
What inspired the latest release?:
After 3 albums in 3 years, the creativity was still coming, so we continued the momentum.
Quick fire – Just for Fun
If you’re on the road…
- The absolute essential item for us on tour is…Music is constantly on. Bread, flapjacks, chocolate, peanuts, water, and haribo.
- Our most challenging journey for the least payoff led us to…London, with a tour bus, is always a challenge. Both driving and parking are so unbelievably trying and a thankless task! Getting payment always seems to end in heated negotiations.
- Keeping fit on the road requires…Regular workouts before you leave for the road are good for building up stamina, Planning, willpower and trying to eat and drink healthy.
- The coolest pit stop worldwide is…The Hard Rock Cafe.
- A must-have in our tour survival kit is…Red Bull/Energy drinks
- The weirdest gig we’ve ever played happened at…A festival in Worcestershire, whereby we played second on the bill to Chip Hawks from the Tremolos???
- The place with the best bathroom graffiti is…I’m sure it was the walls at the 100 Club in Camden that kept me amused.
- The best part of performing live is the feeling of…When you know the audience is appreciating your performance and engaging.
- The silliest thing ever said onstage was…Blown a raspberry
- How we prepare for a show….Practice meticulously and plenty of sleep the night before
• Tell us about an independent eatery in your hometown you love.
The Island Pool just outside Kidderminster is THE best for a carvery,I frequent there every Sunday without fail, its a religion.
• Shout out to a local business in your hometown, and why.
There’s an old-fashioned hardware shop In Kidderminster that may look small, but believe me, they stock everything. They must have an underground tunnel that goes to B&Q I reckon. It’s a family-run business, I’m sure it’s been going on for about 50 years.
• What’s the best attraction/place to visit/hang out in your hometown?
The gym I run😁 Flexible Fitness.
