For many of us, the one good thing that came from punk rock was an explosive do-it-yourself attitude. It was this back to basics approach that fuelled the rise of the late 70s and early 80s hard rock explosion, a movement appropriately dubbed the NWOBHM. Amongst its principles were hugely successful acts such as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, closely followed by the likes of Samson, Saxon and... Praying Mantis. Formed by brothers Tino and Chris Troy, Praying Mantis developed a reputation for delivering thinking man's metal. Indeed, they had the musical chops to rival and, at times, outshine the competition by utilising twin lead guitar, ambitious arrangements and multi-layered harmonies; their songs were melodic yet intricately arranged and packed a ... read more