Guitarist Paul Samson was one of those blue-collar guitarists who toil in semi-obscurity, releasing albums and gigging in his homeland without really making a major worldwide impact. However, from a metal history standpoint, Samson the band is important for two related reasons. One, this is the band where Bruce Dickinson first cut his teeth, before going on to fame and fortune in Iron Maiden (this is only one of several Samson/Maiden connections, the bands were very close in their infancy). Two, the two albums that Dickinson sang on (Head On and Shock Tactics), are bonafide NWOBHM classics, sounding little like Maiden apart from the vocals but nonetheless featuring standout songs and fine musicianship from guitarist Samson and hyperactive enigmatic drummer Thunderstick. Following the departures of Dickinson and Thunderstick (and later, bassist Chris Aylmer), the band first transitioned to a bluesy metal band with new vocalist Nicky Moore, and then to an on-again, off-again solo band that sporadically recorded up until Paul's unfortunate passing in 2002.