Argus

The story of Argus begins in the late 70's when two members of a band called Bullet decided they wanted to start their own project. Up until that time, guitarist Glenn Enriquez and drummer Tony Pizzoferrato (aka Michael Anthony) were mired in the same rut that a lot of local musicians were forced to endure, which was having to play the same old standards at the same old venues over and over again just to get a gig. The national music scene was awash in a mix of disco, southern rock and pop radio music so boring that the death of rock-n-roll seemed imminent. However, after a chance meeting with former Spartacus guitarist Dave Aylor, who seemed to share their vision of bringing a full concert-type, show to an unsuspecting local club, concrete ideas began to take shape and seeds were planted that would grow into an unimaginable harvest.



The search was on for the right singer to front an undertaking of this magnitude and when the guys experienced the showmanship of fiery vocalist Frank Caballero (aka Frank St. James) in a local watering hole after rehearsal one night, the stage was set for the formation of what would become the premier heavy metal act not only in the Tampa Bay area, but in much of the Eastern United States and several foreign countries. After auditioning more than a few bass players, the band decided on a young and relatively unknown Jerry Ryburn and began bombarding the East coast club circuit with cover tunes by bands that at the time were known only by those who had extensive European record collections. The Scorpions, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Riot, Krokus, Underdog, Saxon and Yesterday and Today, just to name a few. Many of these bands would eventually go on to make names for themselves, but in the late 70's they were virtually unheard of in the United States. The band also played a 30 min. Black Sabbath medley that would leave crowds in awe. The band still performs it when time permits.



At first, it was not easy to convince skeptical club owners of the merits of this type of approach but gradually, they began to see the light. They discovered along with everybody else that Argus was not just another bar band and that when they saw one of their shows, it was something unlike anything else out there at the time. The lights, fog, pyrotechnic effects, state of the art sound system and the bands penchant for engaging its audience, all combined with the unbelievable stage presence and flawless musicianship that had been carefully honed through countless meetings and rehearsals was just too good to not like no matter what kind of music you listened to. Argus became a legend at every club they played and when it was time them to return, people would talk about for weeks in advance was what was going to happen on stage the next time they saw the band. The club owners absolutely loved it.



Then, in the early 80's the heavy metal scene exploded and Argus found themselves riding the crest of a wave and playing huge concerts with bands like Rick Derringer,Foghat, Golden Earring, Motor Head, Helix, Elf, Pat Travers, Head East, Brian Adams, Accept and many others as well as headlining large festivals in the Tampa Bay area along with fellow local favorites Stranger. The success of these shows facilitated the recording of their self titled EP in 1983 on the Rainbow Records label. Radio stations located in the cities and towns in which the band performed played the songs on a limited rotation and the record was reviewed in Billboard Magazine in June of 1983. In March of that year the band made a trip to Medellin, Colombia to headline a show in a bull-fighting arena, playing to a heavy metal crazy crowd of 20,000 plus. Argus returned to the states and the club circuit playing to larger crowds than ever, while their management company had started negotiations with several major record labels. The band was poised to skyrocket to stardom but before a deal could be reached; they started showing signs of fatigue. After more than six long years of constant touring, they decided to take a short break, which turned out to be a longer break than any of them could have imagined.



Fast-forward to 2005, when Glenn decided that it was time to fill that empty spot a seasoned musician gets in his gut when he is not playing music on a meaningful level anymore. An attempt was made to bring all the guys back together for a reunion of Argus but alas, the chains of adulthood prevented the original line-up from accomplishing this. Only Frank was available and living in the area when the time came to reform the group that started it all. Not easily deterred, Glenn set out to recruit the best musicians available and before long had cobbled together a very good collection of musicians with the same level of proficiency and aggressive attitude as the original Argus line-up. With Frank signed on to continue his prowess as the consummate front man and Glenn resuming his role as guitarist extraordinaire, they were fortunate enough to hook up with drummer Mike Browning, of Morbid Angel, Nocturnus, and After Death, fame. Then Glenn Dillman, the former guitarist for Keith Collins Krunch, who unselfishly took a page from Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler and traded in his guitar to play bass for Argus. Demian Heftel, who has played with Brutality, Contorted and After Death, rounded out the line-up on guitar, and the band stated re-working some of their old tunes and writing new ones for an upcoming session.



The feedback so far has been fantastic after only a few live dates and the new material has been well received both by fans from their heyday and by many young metal enthusiasts who have never seen the band perform before until recently. If their reaction is any indication, the metal monsters from Tampa Bay will once again be riding that train and leading the march of metal mayhem into the 21st century. Welcome back Argus, it's about time.



Argus - LadyKiller Live - Better Version



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