Lillian Axe | |
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Origin | New Orleans, Louisiana |
Genres | Glam metal,heavy metal,hard rock |
Years active | 1983–1995; 1999–present |
Associated acts | Angel, Apache Black, Blitz, Bon Journey, Brand New Machine, The Bridge, Catch Velvet, Circle of Light, Contraflow, Crowbar, Dirty Looks, Evildead, Far Cry, Hagan, Killian Dare, Krymson, Logan, Lowside, Madhouse, Metal Church, Moxi, Near Life Experience, Oz, Persia, Ratt Poison, Rottweiller, Savage White, Social Distortion, Stiff, Taboo, Taylor/Delatte, Velvet Poker Dogs, Veruca Salt |
Lillian Axe is a hard rock band from New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, best known for its major label albums, Lillian Axe, Love + War, Poetic Justice and "Psychoschizophrenia". Originally formed in 1983, the group is still active, though only the guitarist Steve Blaze and bassist Michael Max Darby remain from the original line-up.
The classic line-up came together when former Stiff members, Ron Taylor (lead vocals) and Jon Ster (rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), teamed up with Lillian Axe members Steve Blaze (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Rob Stratton (bass guitar, and Danny King (drums) in 1987. The band caught the attention of Ratt's management which led to a record deal with MCA and Ratt's Robbin Crosby producing the band's first album, Lillian Axe. However, neither this nor the 1989 follow-up, Love + War, produced by Tony Platt, met commercial expectations and the group was quickly dropped. A compilation of both MCA albums, (1987-1989) Out of the Darkness - Into the Light, was released in 1991.
The band found a new label home with Grand Slamm/I.R.S. Records for Poetic Justice, released in 1992, with Darrin DeLatte (bass guitar) and the former Dirty Looks member Gene Barnett (drums) replacing Stratton and King, respectively. The album peaked on the Billboard Top Heatseekers at No. 28, the band's biggest success to date, in part based on the strength of the single, "True Believer". Returning to the studio with the Swedish producer Leif Mases, the group issued Psychoschizophrenia in 1993, with Tommy Scott replacing Barnett on drums. Unable to capitalize on their previous success, Lillian Axe disbanded in 1995. Taylor formed The Bridge, while Blaze teamed up with his brother, the drummer Craig Nunenmacher, in Near Life Experience, and Scott, aka Tommy Stewart, found success with Boston's Godsmack, appearing on the band's platinum selling Godsmack and Awake albums.