Chris Troy of Praying Mantis

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by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

UK-based melodic rockers and NWOBHM veterans Praying Mantis celebrate the 30th anniversary of their 1981 debut Time Tells No Lies this year. Bassist and co-founder Chris Troy checked in with Hardrock Haven to talk about the anniversary, the band’s new EP Metalmorphosis, and what’s in store for Praying Mantis.

HRH: First, congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the debut album. How does it feel to reach such a milestone?

CT: Thank you Justin! There is no doubt that the music business is huge and we have been very lucky to have lasted this far! Normally bands either go their separate ways, kill one another, do drugs, booze overdoses, perform weird sex acts, etc. (laughs), so to reach this latter stage, yes there is no doubt we feel bloody proud.

HRH: The band has weathered lineup changes and changes in musical trends over the years, but your latest album Sanctuary is one of the strongest Praying Mantis albums to date. To what do you credit the band’s longevity and energy?

CT: Thanks so much for the great comments on the album. Based on the many amazing reviews we have had from the press and fans I think we too now believe that Sanctuary may be the strongest album we have done in 30 years. The bands longevity could be put down to either blind ignorance (laughs) OR striving to achieve that perfect album where all the press gives you 11 out of 10 (laughs)! Of course that can never exist, but with the energy generated from having this untenable goal its just possible that each album could get better. Well that’s the theory and I am sticking to it!

HRH: What made you decide to revisit some classic Praying Mantis material, and how did you choose which songs to re-record?

CT: The new EP is entitled Metalmorphosis and will be released at the end of February to celebrate this magical 30 year milestone that the band have reached. It also defines the time when our debut album Time Tells No Lies was released, which somehow became quite a cult album. Hence there are songs on the EP from that original album such as “Children of the Earth” and “Lovers to the Grave.” In addition there is the song entitled “Captured City” which was the one that really got the ball rolling for Mantis. Hence it seemed highly appropriate for that song to be included on the EP. These songs are also always requested at our live shows and always go down a storm and fans ask if they can get hold of the tracks! The songs have been re-recorded with the current line up and there is no doubt that there is some great vitality that has been injected into the songs!

HRH: Did the re-recording process give you get a new appreciation for or new perspective on these older songs?

CT: That’s a good question! Personally, it gave me a chance to revisit the original album. The new songs were recorded as we perform them 30 years later and we only noticed how much they had evolved with the band when we compared the new recordings with the originals. We feel the new recording is great and has a 21st Century feel; there are some tasty little additions that pull “Lovers to the Grave” out from its original mould yet without making it that different.

HRH: Are you planning any live performances to celebrate the 30th anniversary?

CT: There are a number of shows coming up in the UK and Europe! We would love the opportunity to visit America but it would take a huge investment to get a tour together…unless maybe a big festival would be interested! Contact can be made via our website www.praying-mantis.com.

HRH: What’s next for Praying Mantis?

CT: Oh for a set of crystal balls (laughs). We have crossed a number of boundaries in the 30 years of the band’s existence, but there are many still to conquer. Whether we have another 30 years to achieve that is debatable (laughs), but hopefully we’ll keep on rockin! We are also in the process of writing the next album.

Metalmorphosis is available directly from the band this month. You can read Hardrock Haven’s review here.