Warhorse

Warhorse took shape in 1970, built around bassist Nick Simper after his departure from Deep Purple. Their sound merged the keyboard-driven progressive tendencies of early Deep Purple with the emerging force of heavy metal. Simper had exited Deep Purple in 1969 to front the touring group behind soul singer Marsha Hunt, where keyboardist Rick Wakeman briefly served. That ensemble supplied the core personnel for Warhorse, which cut two albums for Vertigo during the first years of the decade. Fronted by Ashley Holt, whose delivery could shift into lofty, dramatically serious registers, the band’s early hard-rock and metal approach drew comparisons to Black Sabbath, though it never generated the memorable hooks that propelled either Sabbath or Deep Purple to greater commercial reach. Keyboard textures also hinted at Yes, while occasional parallels surfaced with Uriah Heep. The group dissolved in 1973; drummer Mac Poole moved on to Gong, and both Holt and replacement drummer Barney James joined Rick Wakeman’s band.