19 - Praying Mantis - Time Tells no Lies (1981)

 

Mais uma banda da NWOBHM, que infelizmente tenho que descrever como 'mais uma', mas não tinha que ser assim, se é que me entendem. 

O Praying Mantis foi formado em 1974 pelos talentosos irmãos Troy: Chris Troy (Baixo / vocal) e Tino Troy (Guitarra / vocal) ambos de origem hispânica. No aniversário de 15 anos de Chris, sua mãe lhe deu uma guitarra espanhola, esperando que seu filho aprenda o estilo flamenco, mas seu irmão Tino foi o responsável pela entrada de Chris na banda, em 1974, depois de persuadi-lo a formar uma banda com amigos da escola. Todos da banda tinham empregos diurnos, Tino fazia faculdade e Chris estudava engenharia mecânica, mas após 2 anos trabalhando, estudando e mantendo a banda, eles optaram pela banda. Coisa que a sua mãe não quer que você faça, leu isso garoto!?

Em 1978, a banda gravou uma demo com 3 faixas em um estúdio no sudeste de Londres, as faixas são: ''Lovers to the grave'', ''Johnny Cool'' e ''Captured city''. Tino pegou a demo e entregou ao DJ Neal Kay, muito conhecido no cenário londrino, ele adorou o som da banda e deu a oportunidade de um show à banda. Devido a boa divulgação de Neal Kay, o Praying Mantis começava a crescer, em 1980 foram vendidas 15.000 demos e começaram o interesse das gravadoras pela banda.

 Em fevereiro de 1980, a gravadora EMI solicitou que o Mantis gravasse uma nova versão de 'Captured City' para colocar num álbum que seria uma coletânea de bandas de Heavy Metal chamado 'Metal for Muthas', que levam uma turnê com junta com o Iron Maiden e Neal Kay, isso estabeleceu o Praying Mantis como uma das principais bandas da NWOBHM.

Em abril de 1980, o baterista Dave Potts se junta ao Praying Mantis. Ele veio de Liverpool, em 1968, experiente baterista com passagem por diversas bandas. 

Em maio de 1980 começa a turnê do Mantis pela Grã-Bretanha, durante dois meses foram divulgando e conquistando o coração de seus fãs.

Em Junho de 1980, a banda se completa com a adição de Steve Carroll.

Em Agosto de 1980, Praying Mantis assina um contrato de longo prazo em todo o mundo com a Arista Records após o grande sucesso do show no Reading Festival, com um conjunto poderoso e emocionante.

E assim eles lançam o 'Time Tells no Lies'', que na minha opinião é de longe o melhor álbum deles, com as melhores músicas, todas excelentes, bem Heavyzão tradicional, cheio de lindas harmonias de guitarra, é até difícil escolher uma música preferida, mas darei idéias aqui, as que mais curto são: 'Cheated', 'Rich City Kids', 'Lovers to the Grave', 'Beads of Ebony', '30 pieces of Silver' (Que é bônus do CD) e 'Children of the Earth'. 

Quase o álbum todo, mas então, gostaram da história do Praying Mantis? Então ouçam, que o som é melhor que a história e o final é feliz. 

Praying Mantis - Time Tells no Lies (1981)

Tino Troy - Guitar / Vocals, lead on 2,4,6,8,10,11,12

Chris Troy - Bass / Vocals, Lead On 5,7,9

Steve Carroll - Guitar, Vocals, Lead On 1,3

Dave Potts - Drums

1. Cheated
2. All Day and All of the Night
3. Running For Tomorrow
4. Rich City Kids
5. Lovers to The Grave
6. Panic in the Streets
7. Beads Of Ebony
8. Flirting With Suicide
9. Children of The Earth
10. Thirty Pieces Of Silver
11. Flirting With Suicide (Live)
12. Panic In The Streets (Live)

Praying Mantis - Cheated

Download Album

 1 - Cheated

Lying here so weary girl
Just Crying over you
The colours in our rainbow
How they've all turned blue
Raindrop in the ocean
That's what you've made of me today
But still I search for the answer
To why you went away

I've seen darkness
I've seen the light
I felt the pain, oh the pain
In the dead of night

I've been cheated
My heart's been bruised
I've been cheated
All my life I've just been used

Let me tell you darlin'
If you read the lines upon my face
They're sure enough to tell you
My head's out of place
Maybe tomorrow girl
You'll come back to set me free
'Cos you know it's only you babe
Who holds the golden key

I've been cheated
My heart's been bruised
I've been cheated
All my life I've just been used
______________________________________

2 - All Day & All of the Night

I'm not content to be with you in the day time
Girl I wanna be with you all of the time

The only time I feel alright is by your side

Girl I wanna be with you all of the time
All day and all of the night
All of the time
All day and all of the night

I believe that you and me last forever
Oh yeah all day and night time yours leave me never
________________________________________

3 - Running for Tomorrow

Let the skies darken
So I can see the light
Let the clouds open
To drown my scent of fright
The sounds now all around me
Echo madly in my mind
My life may soon be over
In this game against mankind

Running through the wilderness
Never standing still
Hell is close behind me
Moving in for the kill
A pack of crazy demons
Follow neatly on my train
Will I ever see freedom
Or is this my turn to fail

Running for tomorrow
Hiding for today
Running for tomorrow
Can't look back on yesterday
__________________________________________

4 - Rich City Kids

As nighttime falls they come alive
And show their pretty faces
Out come the flash cars
And the girls who wait for longed embraces
The work they do is short and sweet
The money's there for the taking
Well daddy's rich and he don't care
It's all part of junior's making

Stay alive like the rich kids
Stay alive in the city
Stay alive like the rich kids
Don't get shot in the city

The esteem they hold has not been earned
But money talks so loudly
They walk on ground that's shared by stars
Who've climbed their ladders proudly
Society holds this place in our dreams
For those who ain't sitting waiting
While the rest of us stare in vain
It's all part of junior's making

Stay alive like the rich kids
Stay alive in the city
Stay alive like the rich kids
Don't get shot in the city

False friends know how far to go
Before they can be caught
But who knows who the real ones are
For only these have yet to be bought
The work they do is short and sweet
The money's there for the taking
Well daddy's rich and he don't care
It's all part of junior's making
__________________________________________

5 - Lovers to the Grave

Daylight giving way to night
Darkness roams the sky
Sinners of the night return to sanguinary cry
A virgin's life falls to the grave
Submitting to the call
Her blood to bathe the devil's needs
Her body has no soul

Lovers to the grave
They give their lives if there's no other way
Lovers to the grave
They've had their games and now it's time to pay

Dancing in the midnight sun
Children of the dark
Players in a game of death
Lovers with no heart
The web of doom may never die
Roots of evil grow
The devil's touch is in the heart
The fury in the soul

Lovers to the grave
They give their lives if there's no other way
Lovers to the grave
They've had their games and now it's time to pay

Oh Lord, oh lord, it's time to pay
______________________________________________

6 - Panic in The Streets

Oh freedom fighters, out there on the streets
Searching like vampires for the blood of their feast
All the super coll boys their bodies have no soul
They say they have a heart but you know it's made of stone

Fighting for a reason
It's something they call freedom
They stalk the streets like hungry wolves
In the midnight heat
Fighting for a reason
It's something they call freedom
But you know the reason
Is panic in the streets

And you'll always see the heroes retreat before defeat
In talk they breath fire out in action they are cheap
Oh freedom fighter sail on through the night
Ya say you're tough but that ain't enough
Ya gotta try to put it right
________________________________________________

7 - Beads of Ebony

You're poised there in such radiance
So unclouded, so serene
As other flock around you
Someday you shall be queen
Into the icy wastes you peer
With eyes of scrutiny
But who's to say in this new world
What is your destiny

You're the one my child
You are the chosen one
The one they want in your prime
Farewell my fearful beads of ebony
It's you who is the first this time

Who are those frightening creatures
How they stumble through the snow
Have they come to greet you
You are very soon to know
As he towers high above you with no mercy or no shame
No bullet, there's no scar that way
Oh, those screams of pain

You're the one my child
You are the chosen one
The one they want in your prime
Farewell my fearful beads of ebony
It's you who is the first this time

It's over now for another year
They've done their dirty deed
It's cold once more
But your sister waits to take your brother's seed
I thought I saw you on the Hollywood screen
You were the star of the show
She could not see those beads of ebony
Or the blood now covered by snow
____________________________________________

8 - Flirting with Suicide

To see the light
To see the light
Of the day that may never see night
The lady awaits to open the gates
Today there won't be a fight
And he knows it has to be that way
It's instinct you know not choice
An urge he only feels inside
That can't be expressed in his voice

Flirting with suicide
No return ticket
No place to hide
Flirting with suicide
'Cause this is just a one way ride

Winging his way on a path of pure ecstasy
Her scent draws him closer, a tear
Can he win over her heart, win it just that once
Her object is blatantly clear

Flirting with suicide
No return ticket
No place to hide
Flirting with suicide
'Cause this is just a one way ride

The encounter was usual the feeling was mutual
Now came the hardest part
As they exchanged glances he took no chances
Aiming his song at her heart
But the lady she knows it's been tried before
You've gotta admire her tact
And in the midday sun with no place to run
She commenced her sacrificial act
With a prayer to the Lord ha brandished his sword
Her passion raged like fire
In just a few moments the two had become
A fusion of frenzied desire
Glistening wings entangled limbs buttered just to her link'
If insect were man then he should be proud
He fell to her just like a vikin'
______________________________________________

9 - Children of the Earth

Where are the mountains
Where are the trees
Together with our ashes
They're blown in the breeze
Death and destruction
Has ruined our lives
But now it's the end as mankind truly dies

For we are children of the earth
Orphans of the universe
Children of the earth
But now our mother is dead

God help us open our shuttered eyes
To see what we've done
To this once paradise
Forgive us our sins
For we were blind to the fact
That we were ruining
This land and God's holy pact

For we are children of the earth
Orphans of the universe
Children of the earth
But now our mother is dead

Time has no meaning
Time tells no lies
Man has evolved as a predator in disguise
Collect all our evils, place them side by side
There you have the potion for mass suicide