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Nearly 10,000 days and nights have passed since the great Nordic god, Odin,
ripped open the sky and positioned the sun to reveal lead vocalist Randy O.,
guitarist Jeff Duncan, bassist Aaron Sampson, and drummer Shawn Duncan in
the limelight. As a heavy metal brigade collectively known by his namesake,
Odin has come to represent the god’s primordial attributes of magic, fury, and
excitement. The band also possesses his well known command of war and
battle.
In the heady days of 1980s Los Angeles, the concert stages Odin played were a
killing floor in the band’s meteoric rise to become the most dominant hard
rock/metal act of the west coast southland. An unstoppable force that sold out
nearly every major venue in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, including
The Roxy, Whisky A-Go-Go, The Troubadour, and Chuck Landis’ Country Club,
Odin is the only unsigned band as a headliner to have shattered attendance
records on multiple nights at both Gazarri’s on the Sunset Strip and The Palace
(now The Avalon). By the time their landmark Don’t Take No For An Answer Ep
was released in ’85, Odin had landed lucrative opening slots for some of the
most successful bands of the era including Warrant, W.A.S.P., Ratt, Tesla,
Dokken, Armored Saint, Bang Tango and Keel.
Odin’s popularity reached a whole new level of stratospheric heights when the
band released The Gods Must Be Crazy Ep in ’86. The opening cut on the
record is “Little Gypsy.†A hot-blooded paean to the seductive women who
packed the band’s live shows in droves, “Little Gypsy†and Odin are featured
front and center in Penelope Spherris’ classic documentary, The Decline Of
Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. The sun shone brighter and the
flames burned higher when Odin booked what were supposed to be three final
shows at Gazarri’s in ’88 before relinquishing their reign. All three nights sold out
in record time. Odin was put to rest, but the solar eye remained open. Hunger for
the band’s music went undiminished even as various members sought new
musical allies. Recorded the same year as The Gods Must Be Crazy, Odin’s first
full length disc, Fight For Your Life, was released on Japan’s JVC/Victor label in
1992.
As the end of an era fades further from view and the dawn of a new world
emerges at a reckless speed, the battle scars sustained in a music industry
jungle remain, but Odin is back with a vengeance. Performing a string of rare
one-off shows to SRO crowds at well known L.A. venues The Troubadour and
The Key Club, Odin has set the stage to return fire and restore their position in
the royal pantheon of metal lore. Cleopatra Records secured Odin’s master of
the song, “12 O’Clock High,†for inclusion on a definitive 4-cd box set entitled
Hollywood Rocks! A companion dvd to be released on June 10th features the
music video for Odin’s epic power ballad, “Shining Love.†Cleopatra has joined
forces with the band once again this year to release Best Of Odin. The
compilation features the entire Don’t Take No For An Answer Ep as well as a
brand new song, “Let The Show Begin.†An ultra rare recording from Odin’s
almost extinct debut Ep, Caution, plus a live track recorded in the era when metal
was more dangerous are also included. Rounding out the collection is a reserve
of the heaviest songs from both Fight For Your Life and The Gods Must Be
Crazy. In support of the upcoming release, Odin will perform at Club Vodka on
June 28th while July 12th sees their highly anticipated appearance at this year’s
Rocklahoma festival.
Entrenched for nearly 20 years with metal mainstays Armored Saint, Odin’s
guitarist Jeff Duncan is also the lead singer/guitarist of DC4 alongside brothers
Shawn Duncan (drums), Matt Duncan (bass), and former Dio guitarist Rowan
Robertson. Combined with a connection to Armored Saint and the current
phenomenon that is DC4, the resurgence of ODIN is the latest chapter in a longstanding
tradition of presenting the best hard rock/metal where only the strong
survive.
-- Greg Debonne
JEFF DUNCAN WOULD LIKE TO THANK ESP GUITARS AND KRANK AMPLIFICATION,
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