Lizzy Borden Biography
|
|
 This theatrical heavy rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, USA in 1983, and took their name from the infamous axe murderess. Utilizing strong sexual and horror imagery, their visual style owed much to Alice Cooper. The original line-up featured Lizzy Borden (vocals), his brother Joey Scott Harges (drums), Mike Davis (bass), Gene Allen (guitar) and Tony Matuzak (guitar). Their contribution to the Metal Massacre IV compilation impressed Metal Blade boss Brian Slagel enough to offer them a recording contract. The EP Give ’Em The Axe emerged in the summer of 1984, followed a year later by Love You To Pieces, their official full-length debut. Both were highly derivative of Rainbow / Iron Maiden, with Lizzy’s vocals sounding similar to Geoff Tate’s of Queensrÿche.
Alex Nelson (1963, d. 17 May 2004, Palm Springs, Florida, USA) replaced Matuzak on guitar before the recording of The Murderess Metal Roadshow. This was a double live collection whose low-tech origins did little to flatter the band. Two more studio albums followed, including the abbreviated Terror Rising, which saw Betsy from Bitch duetting on a cover version of the Tubes’ kitsch classic, ‘Don’t Touch Me There’. Jesse Holmes replaced Nelson before the recording of what is arguably the band’s most enduring set, 1987’s Visual Lies. Loosely based around a central theme of illusions, the album was varied and hard-hitting, characterized by infectious hooks, anthemic choruses and smouldering guitar breaks. They played the Reading Festival the same year to an indifferent reaction and Borden disbanded this line-up shortly afterwards. He was joined by Harges, Davis and guitarists David Michael Philips and Ronnie Jude on the excellent Master Of Disguise, but put the band on hold shortly afterwards. Borden initially concentrated on a solo career before forming the retro-glam band Diamond Dogs in the 90s. He revived Lizzy Borden at the end of the decade with Harges, Nelson and new bass player Marten Andersson. This line-up recorded Deal With The Devil and set about re-establishing themselves on the metal scene. Alex Nelson was killed in a car accident in May 2004.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
|
This theatrical heavy rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, USA in 1983, and took their name from the infamous axe murderess. Utilizing strong sexual and horror imagery, their visual style owed much to Alice Cooper. The original line-up featured Lizzy Borden (vocals), his brother Joey Scott Harges (drums), Mike Davis (bass), Gene Allen (guitar) and Tony Matuzak (guitar). Their contribution to the Metal Massacre IV compilation impressed Metal Blade boss Brian Slagel enough to offer them a recording contract. The EP Give ’Em The Axe emerged in the summer of 1984, followed a year later by Love You To Pieces, their official full-length debut. Both were highly derivative of Rainbow / Iron Maiden, with Lizzy’s vocals sounding similar to Geoff Tate’s of Queensrÿche.