Elixir is a British heavy metal band, formed by Steve Bentley, Kevin Dobbs, Nigel Dobbs and Phil Denton in November 1983. They are notable for being associated with the

new wave of British heavy metal The new wave of British heavy metal (often abbreviated as NWOBHM) was a nationwide musical movement that began in England in the mid-1970s and achieved international attention by the early 1980s. Editor Alan Lewis (music journalist), Alan Lew ...

movement.

History

1983-1990

The band spent the first time after having formed writing material and rehearsing. After brief stints as "Purgatory" and "Hellfire" the members finally decided on naming the band "Elixir". According to the biography on the band's website the name was chosen through Steve Bentley closing his eyes, and putting his finger on a word in a dictionary at random. In need of a vocalist Elixir recruited singer Sally Pike, but after recording a four song demo tape and playing two gigs together, she left the band by the end of the year. In 1984, Pike was replaced by Paul Taylor, and later the same year guitarist Norman Gordon joined the band to fill the vacant spot left by Steve Bentley, who departed after Elixir had completed their second demo tape. In 1985, Elixir released their debut single "Treachery (Ride like the Wind)" / "Winds of Time". This single was reviewed by

Ronnie James Dio Ronald James Padavona (July 10, 1942 – May 16, 2010), known professionally as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal singer. He fronted numerous bands throughout his career, including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hel ...

in ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' (No 99), and was given the thumbs up. In 1986, the band recorded their first album ''The Son of Odin''. In issue 137 (November 2005) of ''

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'' magazine, the album was included in the top 20

power metal Power metal is a subgenre of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional heavy metal with speed metal, often within a symphonic context. Generally, power metal is characterized by a faster, lighter, and more uplifting sound, in co ...

albums of all time, alongside

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...

's ''

Painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

'',

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...

's '' Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II'' and

Cirith Ungol In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional world, fictional continent of Middle-earth, Mordor (; from Sindarin ''Black Land'' and Quenya ''Land of Shadow'') is a dark realm. It lay to the east of Gondor and the great river Anduin, and to the south of Mir ...

's '' King of the Dead''. Elixir recorded their second album, initially called ''Sovereign Remedy'' in 1988 with Mark White on the bass and former

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

drummer

Clive Burr Clive Ronald Burr (8 March 1956 – 12 March 2013) was an English musician. He was the drummer of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden from 1979 to 1982. Together with fellow Iron Maiden member Dennis Stratton, he joined Praying Mantis for the r ...

. Stevie Hughes replaced Burr for the band's live commitments through 1989. At the end of the year, Phil Denton quit the band and was replaced by Leon Lawson for several live shows before the band came off the road. Their second album was released by the Sonic label as ''Lethal Potion'' in 1990. In 2004, the album was re-released as ''Sovereign Remedy'' on the TPL label, as it was originally intended, with all the tracks, the original mix and new artwork.

2001–2012

In 2001 the band reverted to the Paul Taylor, Phil Denton, Norman Gordon, Kevin Dobbs and Nigel Dobbs line up and, in 2003, recorded their third album ''The Idol'', which was made up of material the band had written in the 1980s. With rising popularity, the band toured around various countries such as

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, Germany and the United States. Elixir recorded their fourth album ''Mindcreeper'' in 2006, which was released by Majestic Rock. Elixir released the album ''All Hallows Eve'' on 31 October 2010 on their own CTR label. Between 2006 and 2012, Elixir organised six editions of the "British Steel Festival", appearing on the bill at each event. From 2008 onwards, the festival was held at the

Camden Underworld Camden Underworld is a music venue in Camden Town, London, England. The venue is a part of the World's End pub, situated in the basement of the building. It has a capacity of 500 people. History Over the years The Underworld has become t ...

. Elixir disbanded in 2012, with members Paul Taylor and Phil Denton going on to form the metal/rock band Midnight Messiah. Clive Burr died a year later, due to complications related to MS.

2018–present

After writing new material in 2018, guitarist Phil Denton approached the other members of the band with a view to recording a new album. Paul Taylor, Norman Gordon, and Nigel Dobbs all agreed to re-form the band, but bassist Kevin Dobbs did not wish to be involved in the project. The resulting album, ''Voyage of the Eagle'', was released in 2020 with Luke Fabian on bass. On March 7th, 2020 Elixir performed at Burr Fest, a charity gig in London, in aid of MS sufferers in memory of Clive Burr. Kevin Dobbs performed at Burr Fest as a farewell gig with the band before being replaced by Mark Mulcaster. On June 15th, 2024 Guitarist Phil Denton announced his retirement from Elixir. After a lengthy search, on March 2nd 2025 the band recruited Vinny Konrad, known for playing in Pagan Altar and Thunderstick, to take over the long serving guitar position of Phil.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' The Son of Odin'' (1986) * ''Lethal Potion'' (1990) * ''The Idol'' (2003) * ''Mindcreeper'' (2006) * ''All Hallows Eve'' (2010) * ''Voyage Of The Eagle'' (2020)

Live albums

* ''Elixir Live'' (2006)

Singles

* ''Treachery'' (1985) * ''Knocking on the Gates of Hell'' (2006)

Alternative versions

* ''Sovereign Remedy'' (2004)

Members

Current

*Nigel Dobbs - Drums (1983-1987, 2001-2012, 2019-present) *Paul Taylor - Vocals (1984-1990, 2001-2012, 2019-present) *Norman Gordon - Guitars (1984-1990, 2001-2012, 2019-present) *Mark Mulcaster - Bass (2020–present) *Vinny Konrad - Guitars (2025-present)

Past

*Phil Denton - Guitars (1983-1989, 2001-2012, 2019-2024) *Kevin Dobbs - Bass (1983-1987, 2001-2012, 2019–2020) *Sally Pike - Vocals (1983) *Steve Bentley - Guitars (1983-1984) *Mark White - Bass (1987-1990) *Clive Burr - Drums (1988; died 2013) *Stevie Hughes - Drums (1989-1990) *Leon Lawson - Guitar (1989) *Luke Fabian - Bass (2019-2020) Timeline

References

External links

Official Web Elixir PageElixir
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elixir (metal band) English heavy metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1983 British musical quintets New Wave of British Heavy Metal musical groups Back on Black Records artists