Black Spiders

Black Spiders came together as a five-piece in Sheffield, England during 2008 and already had a debut single out before the year ended. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Pete Spiby, who had previously played in the alternative-leaning 1990s band Groop Dogdrill, the group’s high-energy, melody-driven style was shaped alongside guitarists Andrew Lister and Mark Thomas, bassist Adam Irwin, and drummer Si Atkinson. Drawing from Black Sabbath and Motörhead on one side and ZZ Top and Guns N’ Roses on the other, the band’s lighthearted, post-Darkness irreverence combined with their straightforward riff attack quickly won favor among the U.K. metal media. Following a concentrated run of European dates, the quintet unveiled its first full-length record, Sons of the North, in 2011; two years later they delivered the U.K.-charting sequel This Savage Land, by which point they had already reached China and served as special guests for Thin Lizzy and Guns N’ Roses on British stages.