Atomic Rooster

From a purely metallic standpoint, Atomic Rooster barely fit the bill even during their heaviest period, yet they are often mentioned alongside other early pre-metal bands of the early 70's. They were formed in 1969 by Vincent Crane and the one and only Carl Palmer, who later found fame and fortune as one-third of Emerson, Lake and Palmer. Palmer left the Rooster after only one album, while Crane became the only constant member during their somewhat turbulent career. The album reviewed here is their second, 1970's Death Walks Behind You, regarded by many as the band's signature moment. Granted, this is 1970, and no one save Black Sabbath was doing anything really heavy at that time, but Death does sport a pretty cool heavy progressive rock style, occasionally reminiscent of, say, Yes, highlighted by Crane's keyboard work. They acheived some minor success with this album but in general never really rose above cult status. They changed styles radically later on, apparently going for a full-on funk sound on 1973's Nice 'n' Greasy. They initially disbanded in 1975, then reformed with yet another style change in the early 80's, recording two albums (one of which featured none other than Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour) before disbanding again. Crane's death in 1989 signalled the official end of the band.

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Discography

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