Hunted
Fallen Angel (the Collection)
Deluxe gatefold card sleeve. Strictly limited to 300 copies In the early 1990s, the fashion in rock music was to schlep around in plaid shirts pretending to be glum in emulation of such grungemeisters as Nirvana and Pearl Jam. This was not a time to launch a career in well-crafted melodic hard rock with soaring twin lead guitars; the remarkable thing about Hunted was that they managed to achieve so much during their all-too-brief flowering. Guitarist and Hunted founder Bob Starling had already tasted a modicum of success with Bristol NWOBHM Stormtrooper. Joining forces with old chum and fellow guitarist Dave Preston in the spring of 1992, Bob swiftly secured the services of vocalist Andy Milsom, bassist Mark Williams and drummer Andy 'Woody' Knight. By Christmas, the band had clocked up gigs at all the key venues on the local live circuit. In January 1993 they recorded their first, self-financed EP, 'Streets of Fire' then entered and won Radio 1's Rock Wars contest in June, bagging a recording session at the legendary Maida Vale Studios which was broadcast twice on The Friday Rock Show. Now established as Bristol's leading hard rock act, they secured coveted local support slots with Lionsheart, and Paul Di'Anno and Adrian Smith's respective solo projects. 1994 continued on a high with an invitation to go to New York to discuss a potential development deal with RCA. Six new songs were recorded for the occasion and the A&R people were suitably enthusiastic, as A&R folks so often are. Back in the UK, Hunted played the Marquee and recorded more material for their proposed debut album, 'Crawl'. But the RCA deal fell through, hitting the band hard. With disillusion setting in, it was only a matter of time until the inevitable split. What they left behind are the tracks collected here for the very first time, which amount to Hunted's complete recorded output showcasing huge riffs, thunderous drums and powerful vocals. But there's plenty of versatility here, from driving rock to more intricate arrangements drawing on a variety of influences. In an alternative universe, they've got an A-list producer, a string of Platinum albums and a packed touring schedule of the world's biggest enormodomes heaving with devoted fans.