Welcome To Defiance Complete Recordings 1994-2001

After recording three LPs of hard-hitting rock and metal for Polydor Records between 1989 and 1993, The Almighty signed to Chrysalis Records in 1994. This 7CD set collects together all the recordings for this period up to 2001.

Scottish school friends Stump Monroe (drums), Floyd London (bass), and Ricky Warwick (guitar, vocals) formed The Almighty with guitarist Tantrum in 1988. Shifting to a sound more informed by the punk that had initially inspired them, their punk rock credentials were further brought to the fore on "Crank" (1994) by the Jamie Reid cover design, famed for his iconic and highly influential Sex Pistols artwork. Featuring the singles ‘Wrench’ and ‘Jonestown Mind’, "Crank" reached No.15 in the UK charts.

Recording a second record for Chrysalis, "Just Add Life" (1996) was eventually released by UK independent label Castle. Featuring the singles ‘All Sussed Out’ and ‘Do You Understand’, "Just Add Life" is also notable for its artwork by design legend and album cover guru, the late Storm Thorgerson.

Following "Just Add Life", The Almighty decided to call it a day, with singer Ricky Warwick pursuing a solo career. Reforming in 2000 around a line-up of Ricky, Stump, and Floyd, they were joined by guitarist Nick Parsons. By 2000, Castle Music had morphed into Sanctuary Records, who released the self-titled "The Almighty" (2000) swiftly followed by "Psycho-Narco" (2001), by which time Gav Gray had joined them on bass.

Whilst on tour in Japan supporting the release of "Crank", the band recorded the live album "Crank and Deceit: Live in Japan", recorded at Osaka’s IMP Hall on 16th July 1995, captured here on CD5. It features Almighty classics ‘Wild And Wonderful’, ‘Addiction’ and ‘Crucify’, as well as newer cuts such as ‘Ultraviolent’ and ‘United State Of Apathy’.

The seventh and final disc is based around a number of live recordings, including a show recorded on 3rd October 1994 at Stuttgart’s Kongret Zentrum whilst touring to support "Crank". Many tracks had appeared as B-Sides, but have been collected together here for the first time.

The band effectively split up following "Psycho-Narco" in 2002, but reformed their classic line-up of Ricky, Stump, Floyd, and Pete Friesen in 2006 for well-received live gigs, playing their final show in 2009. As well as continuing his solo career, Ricky Warwick was invited to join Thin Lizzy in 2009, with a line-up that formed the basis for Black Star Riders, who have subsequently released four very successful studio albums.