Necromandus

Once praised as the "Second Sabbath" in the pages of the esteemed British music weekly Melody Maker, Necromandus emerged around 1970 in West Cumberland as a little-known and commercially unsuccessful proto-metal band—then labeled heavy progressive blues—from the remnants of Jug and Heaven. The lineup featured vocalist Bill Branch, guitarist Barry "Baz" Dunnery, bassist Dennis McCarten, and drummer Frank Hall, though the group operated under multiple earlier monikers including Heavy Hand, Hot Spring Water, and Taurus until a radio station poll prompted the adoption of Necromandus. Despite persistent local performances, their efforts had produced no tangible progress by 1972, until Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath extended his support by placing the band on his Tramp management roster and thereby lifting them beyond the pub-rock circuit. Iommi also funded and oversaw recording of the debut album Orexis of Death at London's Morgans Studio for a planned 1973 release on the Vertigo label. The project was placed on indefinite hold, however, when guitarist and principal architect Baz departed in late 1973, and the album remained unheard until nearly two decades later. Necromandus disbanded abruptly soon afterward, with its members largely vanishing from public view—save for unconfirmed reports that several rehearsed with former acquaintance Ozzy Osbourne during the initial phase of his solo work—until the original tracks finally surfaced alongside assorted long-buried demos, live recordings, and studio outtakes.