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Brocas Helm is a cult power metal band from San Francisco, CA founded in 1982, who have been extensively reviewed. As one of the longest running acts in the genre, they have a devoted fan base that extends from the US to Europe, especially Germany and Greece, where they have also recorded a live album. Observers have commented that they may actually have "started many of those metal clichés" of which they are "the living embodiment."
The band was founded in 1982 by Bobbie Wright (guitars, vocals), James Schumacher (bass) and Jack Hays (drums). With this line-up, Brocas Helm released their first demo in 1983. In 1984 the band signed with First Strike for the USA and Steamhammer for Europe, and in the same year they released their first opus, Into Battle. After several disagreements (for example, about the cover used for Into Battle, which was used without consent of the band), they mutually agreed to end the relationship with the labels, even though Brocas Helm still had an obligation for another album.
After a lot of searching for a new label that could fulfill their needs, the band decided to create and release a new LP themselves. For 5 years, the band worked hard in their "Caverns of Thunder" basement-studio, and the result was the album Black Death (with Tom Benhey on guitars). Brocas Helm recorded the Helm’s Deep demo primarily to get a label deal with the goal of a high-quality CD release. Brocas Helm didn’t find any label which could suit their needs, so the band self-released the Ghost Story EP in 1994, the Time of the Dark and the Blood Machine/Skullfucker singles (respectively in 1997 and 2000). In 2003 the band signed with Eat Metal records, which released the Live Album Black Death in Athens and re-released their two full-length albums with some bonus tracks and a new artwork. In 2004 the band recorded a highly anticipated new full-length album, Defender of the Crown, once again self-releasing the record.
In 2007, the band is celebrating 25 years of medieval metal mayhem with a European tour.
