July, 2008: One of the most delightfully obscure treasures of the NWOBHM that has enjoyed the endorsement of many critics and aficionados is PARALEX's "Traveling Man" EP. One listen to the raw guitars and taut arrangements could leave one scratching the old melon, wondering why a full-length was never released. As luck would have it, the Nottinghamshire band is on the cusp of recording their first full-length, over twenty years after the original lineup was formed. To tell us more about it, PARALEX vocalist Phil Ayling was happy to give us a little past and future.

Marchman: How did the NWOBHM tape / single trading days differ from today's internet-fueled underground? What are some of your recollections of the era as far as singles and records go?

Phil Ayling: Well, to be honest, I was never into either scene anyway so I can't really tell you. What I can say is that we weren't really aware of what was happening around us other than dozens of other bands were doing the same thing - that is, getting out there, gigging hard and enjoying every bit of it. It wasn't until the term NWOBHM was coined that we realized we were part of something big.

Marchman: What are some of your recollections of the era as far as singles and records go?

Ayling: I personally was never a record collector - that is collecting for collecting's sake - but whether it was tapes and vinyl 20 tears ago, or MP3 today, the concept is much the same isn't it? Fanatics usually have to have everything by their favorite band, whatever the quality. It's just that MP3's are so much more accessible and distributable. I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, but then again, we ain't got a record out… yet!

Marchman: Who was Reddington's Rare Records, and how did you get involved with them initially

Ayling: Reddington's was (up until 2006) a small shop in Birmingham, UK, which specialized in rare vinyl recordings. As with most specialist shops, it has succumbed to the power of the 'net and now trades online only, selling records at a fraction of what they used to fetch only a few years ago. We got involved with them when PARALEX went to see the band Quartz at the famous Boat Club in Nottingham. A couple of members got talking to Malcolm Cope (drummer) and Mick Taylor (singer) after the gig. PARALEX had just finished a demo of the White Lightning in Hull a couple of weeks earlier and the Quartz guys said they would like to hear it with a view to releasing something through Reddington's with whom they had some involvement.

Marchman: The original EP has received some fantastic accolades over the years. What are some of your favorite endorsements, and are there any plans at all to make that music available to fans of the genre?

Ayling: Yeah, I feel really humble when I hear people say nice things about it, even today, as I didn't think it was that good. The track White Lightning is a really strong number, but the recording lets it down. When we signed with Reddington's, we were expecting to go back into the studio to make a decent job of it, but they decided to release the EP straight from the original demo tape. Travelling Man has the potential to be a great track with modern production treatment. Black Widow, in my opinion, is a bag of shit! Haha! Another one is when we came off stage at the Music Machine in London (now the Camden Palace) after opening for Quartz and Lone Star. I was stood with a beer on the balcony when a black figure emerged from the shadows, shook my hand, growled "good gig, man" and disappeared again. It was none other than Lemmy, from MÖTÖRHEAD! As to making the material available, no. The original demo's just aren't of releasable quality. I know lots of fans would lap this stuff up if we let it out, but I certainly wouldn't be happy with it. We always wanted to present the best possible when we were playing and that still holds true now. Those who want to hear the old PARALEX stuff need to wait just a little longer, as we are finally about to record a full-length album.

Marchman: How much effort / investment was involved back in 1980 for a band to record and press their own single? Can you take us through the process a little? Today, it's so easy for anyone to record a few songs and stick them on a cdr or website!

Ayling: Indeed! Although we gigged a lot, we never made much money, and everything we made we ploughed back into the band. We would save for months to try to afford studio time. Even then, it would have to be a budget studio and we would dash in and out over a weekend to record four or five tracks with the minimum outlay of cash! We never made any recordings with the intention to release, merely to send round the record industry to secure a deal so that we could then do it properly. Unfortunately, that never happened. Even towards the end of the life of the band, recording technology was getting cheaper and easier. Some of the strongest material PARALEX did was recorded on a 4-track cassette deck in a garage.

Marchman: I know that PARALEX did a lot of gigging in the early days with other East Midlands bands. Were there some shows with other well-known bands of the era?

Ayling: Well, the band that springs immediately to mind is the legendary RACE AGAINST TIME, fronted by the late Dave Halliday. They were doing great things at the time and the band had real charisma. We toured with them and Radium in the EMBC - East Midlands Band Cooperative - the idea being that all three bands pool their resources and share costs so that we could play larger venues than we would normally be able to on our own. We took turns at headlining gigs and it was an arrangement that worked well. It was an idea we copied several years later with 'Metalliance' which was a partnership between PARALEX and another Newark band, AVALON.

Marchman: What is the thought process behind keeping the “Travelling Man” EP completely unavailable for fans and potential fans?

Ayling: It's true, no PARALEX stuff is available at the moment, but please be aware that the band is about to start work on a full-length album, 27 years after their last collaboration!

Marchman: Where should the fans go to hear some classic PARALEX tunes?

Ayling: Youtube is the best place for now. There are four videos of live performances currently, that can be accessed at http://youtube.com/watch?v=pzFBBxcDbos .

Marchman: Tell me about your post-NWOBHM band METAL MESSIAH. Who was in that band, and were there any songs released on vinyl? What's the story?

Ayling: Hmm. I was very happy in that band. MM was formed by ex members of the punk band Varukas, which then became thrash metal band Arbitrator. I was approached by their drummer who lived in the same town as me and asked if I'd be interested in auditioning. I went and got the job. Metal Messiah was born and we went through the process of writing material and rehearsing 'til we were tight enough to gig. Some really good gigs followed and we also recorded a session for the Tommy Vance Rock Show, broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1988. We were really gathering some momentum. Then, out of the blue, I got a phone call one Sunday evening from the bassist saying the band didn't want to work with me any more and were working with another singer. I didn't even get the courtesy of a reason for being sacked, and I felt quite bitter about that. Some months after, they release a vinyl album 'Honour Among Thieves'. I bought the album out of interest, only to find that the singer sounded just like me! On top of that, they used my lyrics as well. Bastards! I haven't played since.

Marchman: Who is involved with the new material you mentioned, and how did the band come back together after so many years?

Ayling: OK. Dave Brett, our manager in those days, put some of our stuff on YouTube. As news spread that there was some PARALEX stuff on the 'net, Tony Speakman, our ex-bassist from 1981 got in contact with me. He has being playing since the PARALEX days, notably in tribute band Rainbow Rising and Hell, with whom he is currently recording an album. We got talking about the old days and he asked me if I would be interested in recording again. I said I would and we got other members on board - Kev Bower and Mark Gibson, the guitarists from the EP - and drummer Jez O'Donovan who replaced Neil Bryan from the EP Line-up. We're all very excited about it, although I must admit I'm a little nervous since I haven't worked with Tony or Kev for 27 years!

Marchman: Will any of the initial stuff like "Black Widow", "Satan's Arrow", "Southern Star" etc be included on the new record?

Ayling: For sure! I know for a fact "Southern Star" will make an appearance, along with updated versions of "White Lightning" and "Travelling Man". But much of the album will be taken up with some of the later music PARALEX were producing between '82 and '86. I'm really excited about doing this album after so long. It will be a great opportunity to make a release with modern recording and production techniques that were either not available or that we could never afford when we were a touring band. Hopefully this album will be something we can offer the fans and what they have patiently been waiting to hear for all these years. Sorry it's been so long coming!

Marchman: Looking forward to hearing it. Good luck, Phil!

Find out more about PARALEX both past and present at www.boldbelvoir.org.uk/paralex