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Image was founded in 1976 by the current drummer, Randy (Rock) Wicker. Steve Simpson was the original guitarist and helped to define the future direction of style in Image's music. Steve was and still is an exceptionally talented writer. He wrote some classic songs in the 5 years he was in Image.Our thanks and appreciation goes out to Steve and his family. He is now located in Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1981 Brian Primm took over the duties of carrying on the Image tradition of powerful songs blended with powerful bass and drums topped with soaring and melodic vocal lines. Along with the help of Mike (Metal) Marek new and heavier songs were written and in 1982 a new direction in sound and fury was unleashed within the band. It was the onslaught of the 80's glam bands and we were right in the middle of it! Along with the new sound a new vocalist was added, which was David St. Clair. Up until this point Image had relied heavily on female vocalists, but it was time for a change and it turned out that David had the voice we were looking for.
Several years and many shows later we released a 4 song 'EP' simply titled "Image". That Ep has been converted to CD format now and is available here on the website. We are all proud of the EP as it shows Image at it's most pure and heaviest form! Much time, effort and money was put into it. Starting with the smashmouth 'Illusion', the tempo kicks in and you are barreling through vicious guitar riffs and a thundering and relentless rythm, combined with a catchy vocal wrap, this song sets the stage for the rest of the album. Next the Raven kicks in and the soothing sound of the intro lulls you into a world of serenity and peace, only to be abruptly awakened by a searing guitar riff for the ages. The cohesion of this song is something to be noted, be sure to check out the lead guitar solo, a masterpiece of work by Brian. After the barrage of metal, one has to wonder if they can endure the other side, but ah, yes the true metalist will roll on to the opening phrases of Scarlet Demons. Image proves that speed metal can be melodic and thoughtful. The lyrics make this song work! Written about a street gang called the Demons, the lyrics take you back to a time when battles were fought hand to hand on the streets of our cities. Each group looking to protect their 'turf'. The music itself portrays the viciousness and savage reality of these 'soldiers of the city'! Finally we come to the powerhouse song of the album: Metal Master, written by Mike, the ultimate metal head. This song swings you through so many emotions, from the opening rattle of the bass to the electrifying chords of the guitar, the song leads you into another world, the great and mysterious world of the Metal Master. As you follow the lyrics you see the reason metal music is born and the reason it has survived through the ages whether underground or on top of the world! The final section of the song features some of the best metal music you may ever hear. The lead guitar soars through the phrases of the song and delivers you into the final days of the Metal Master's reign. This EP was done with great care and love for our music, it is something we will always cherish.
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1986 was a big year for us. We played at the Memphis Musicfest with Nugent and Molly Hatchett and also opened up for Black Oak Arkansas and Snow for a couple of shows. We played out nearly every weekend at different locals around the mid-south. We became friends with the members of Krokus, who were riding high on their hit "Screaming in the night"! They were a great group of guys and very appreciative of the music we played that night. In 1988 we returned to the studio where we recorded our EP and did 8 more tracks. These songs were done basically as a follow up demo to be sent to the record companies. Most of these songs are now on the Image Resurrection LP. We continued playing regularly around town and developed a strong following, however in 1990 we had reached the burn out stage with our music and creativity and the decision was made to split up. It was a hard decision for all of us having been together for so long but we believed it was time to venture out and explore new avenues of creativity. Mike and myself would eventually form the band Rockwylder and Randy founded his own band Wizard's Way and Dave joined up with the band Blacklist. Several years and numerous bands later, we reformed. It was October of 2001. A good 10 years after our last gig. It took a lot of study and work to bring the Image music back to life again. We had to go back and scour our recordings to refresh our memories and playing styles. We even watched video tapes to recall certain parts of songs but finally Image was reborn. We played our first 'reunion' gig on November 16th, 2001 to a full house at the Stage Stop. We were quite jittery and didn't sound nearly as good as we were capable of so we scheduled another gig on January 5th, 2002. We absolutely blew everyone away! From the opening song we ruled and prowled the stage with power! It was a great show. Image has been and still is a powerhouse metal band. Our music is complex and shows the dedication we all have to it. We love what we do, it is in our blood. The greatest feeling in the world ,and I am sure other musicians will agree, is looking out in the crowd and seeing people totally getting into what you are doing. There is nothing else like it! That is why each and every one of our fans and followers are so important.
You are the reason that we rock!
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CD: RESURRECTION
Label: IMAGINARY RECORDS
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