Viking Skull

British rock band

Viking Skull are a heavy metal band originally from Corby, Northamptonshire, England. Formed in 2002, the band currently features vocalist and guitarist Roddy Stone, guitarists Frank Regan and Dom Wallace, bassist Kevin "Waldie" James and American drummer Jess Margera. Founded by Stone, Regan and Waldie with guitarist Darren Smith and drummer Gordon Morrison, the group were initially intended as a semi comedic support band for Raging Speedhorn, which featured some of Viking Skull's members. After releasing Chapter One and Born in Hell, Viking Skull came closing to breaking up when Smith and Morrison left the band in 2006. Julian "Jules" Cooper and Jess Margera replaced the departed members and released Chapter Two in 2007. With Rich Vose replacing Cooper and the addition of Dom Wallace, Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey was released in 2008. Regan returned for 2012's Cursed by the Sword, and following a brief hiatus, their self titled studio release Viking Skull was released in 2016.

Viking Skull were formed in Corby, Northamptonshire in 2002 by Raging Speedhorn members Frank Regan, Darren Smith (both guitar) and Gordon Morrison (drums), along with their guitar technician Roddy Stone (vocals) and their merchandising manager Kevin "Waldie" James (bass). After playing at local shows for a number of months, the band recorded their debut extended play (EP) Chapter One over the course of two days with a budget of approximately £500, releasing the finished product in 2003 through Grand Union Recordings. In promotion of the EP, Viking Skull toured throughout 2004 in support of acts including Dio, HIM, Sum 41, Alice Cooper and Brides of Destruction, as well as performing at that year's Download Festival. However, Regan left the band part way through the tour, forcing Stone to take on guitar duties in addition to vocals. Twisted Sister's guitarist Jay Jay French later commented on the event, rejecting the group's claim that they were "thrown off" the tour and accusing the tour's management of misleading them. Later tour dates included support slots for Clutch and CKY. while AllMusic's Greg Prato criticised its lyrics. The following January they were signed to 456 Entertainment, a record label co founded by television and radio host Carson Daly. The label was used for the US release of Born in Hell later in the year, which also coincided with a short UK tour of four shows in June.

In September 2006 it was announced that both Smith and Morrison had left the band, with Stone appealing for new members. By November, Julian "Jules" Cooper (formerly in Echobelly) and CKY drummer Jess Margera had replaced the departed members, with the new line up beginning work on an album shortly after being finalised. Margera has claimed that he "unwittingly had something to do with" the near breakup of the band, after encouraging the members to drink on his tour bus, which led to arguments and the departure of Morrison. Explaining that CKY took a lot of time between album releases so he "had plenty of time to do it", the drummer also noted that Morrison left to focus on Raging Speedhorn. The recording of the new line up's first album was funded by Margera and took place in Philadelphia. A short promotional tour for the album took place in the UK in January 2008, with support from Year Long Disaster. The band played their first show in the United States on 26 July 2008 at the Filthy Note Theatre in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Margera's hometown. At the time of the show's announcement, it was also reported that the group would be commencing work on their third album Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey whilst in the US, with Ginsburg leading its production. It was supported on a UK tour in December, as well as a stint supporting Clutch in the US before the end of the month. Original guitarist Frank Regan rejoined Viking Skull at the beginning of 2010 and the group set about work on their next album, which a posting on their MySpace page described as being "balls out, meat and potatoes riffs (as always), but having the humour of Chapter One and Born in Hell". The band's third studio album Cursed by the Sword followed in May 2012, released by Transcend Music. The group went on hiatus after the album's release.

In January 2015, the band started a Kickstarter project in order to fund a potential new studio album entitled Chapter III (later renamed Viking Skull), asking for £10,000 in donations from fans. although this was later pushed back to early 2016. The band also completed a short tour of UK venues in February 2016.

Viking Skull have been categorised as a heavy metal, hard rock and stoner metal band. They are said to be heavily influenced by Black Sabbath, with additional stylistic comparisons including AC/DC, Motörhead, The Who, Riot, Thin Lizzy, Kiss and W. A. S. P. In a review of Born in Hell for Blabbermouth. net, Keith Bergman described the group as "swaggering UK cock rockers", while Greg Prato of AllMusic dubbed them as "down 'n' dirty biker rock". Drummer Jess Margera described the band's sound in a 2008 interview as "straight up beer drinking rock in the vein of Motörhead, [Iron] Maiden, [Black] Sabbath, and AC/DC", while the Crew Guardian noted that the band mix the musical styles of their influences with "whiskey drenched vocals" to create "an uncompromising brand of classic metal of their own."