Formed in the English city of Sheffield during 1991, Swampwalk were a four-piece band featuring guitarist Andy Barrott, who had previously been a member of the bands Geddes Axe, Chrome Molly and Baby Tuckoo. The self-released 12 inch vinyl ‘Rush of Blood EP’ appeared in early 1992 and was almost awarded ‘Single of the Week’ in Kerrang! by guest reviewers Mike Tramp (White Lion/Freak of Nature) and Gregg Fellows (Cerebral Fix) - but was beaten into second place by Pantera's steroid-metal anthem ‘Walk’ – a telling sign of how the 1990’s music scene would develop.

From the photograph of four pairs of well scuffed Doc Martin boots on the front sleeve to the statement of ‘Don’t Let The Bastards Grind You Down’ on the back, this was British street-metal all the way. To my ears Swampwalk sounded like a mix between ACDC, Sex Pistols, Wolfsbane and the late 70s/early 80s NWOBHM scene - the musical equivalent of a kick in the head from the boots on the cover.

The EP had metal riffs and punk attitude, but above all it included some pretty good songs –the full-throttle rock assault of the title track in particular could have been a hit in rock clubs throughout the land. Meanwhile, the “Why don’t we get what we know we deserve” refrain to ‘Could You Kill For Money’ is as catchy as hell and demonstrated the single-minded determination Swampwalk possessed. And check out this lyric from final track ‘Rip It Off’ for sleazoid metal genius:

“I can’t eat, sleep or drink, you’ve heard it all before,

This is not a love song, I sleep with a whore”

The success of the ‘Rush of Blood’ EP and subsequent touring led to a record deal with Bleeding Hearts Records which resulted in two albums, ‘Strangled at Birth’ (1993) and ‘Technicolour Vomit Jet’ (1996) but within five years it all appeared to be over when in 1998 Barrot resurfaced in a new band ‘Off Kilter’.

Some say that fortune favours the brave, unfortunately history often proves otherwise. Swampwalk took the direct route, playing their music exactly the way they wanted and aiming for success on their own terms. Despite a promising start they seemed to get buried by the grunge movement and nu-metal scene that was becoming mainstream around that time. The likes of Kerrang! soon forgot about bands such as Swampwalk. But the ‘Rush of Blood’ EP still sounds cool today, and the title track especially is still an undiscovered classic.

"Here come the zombies looking for their crowns" indeedy.