ODIN

Nearly 10,000 days and nights have passed since the great Nordic god, Odin,

ripped open the sky and positioned the sun to reveal lead vocalist Randy O.,

guitarist Jeff Duncan, bassist Aaron Sampson, and drummer Shawn Duncan in

the limelight. As a heavy metal brigade collectively known by his namesake,

Odin has come to represent the god’s primordial attributes of magic, fury, and

excitement. The band also possesses his well known command of war and

battle.



In the heady days of 1980s Los Angeles, the concert stages Odin played were a

killing floor in the band’s meteoric rise to become the most dominant hard

rock/metal act of the west coast southland. An unstoppable force that sold out

nearly every major venue in the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles, including

The Roxy, Whisky A-Go-Go, The Troubadour, and Chuck Landis’ Country Club,

Odin is the only unsigned band as a headliner to have shattered attendance

records on multiple nights at both Gazarri’s on the Sunset Strip and The Palace

(now The Avalon). By the time their landmark Don’t Take No For An Answer Ep

was released in ’85, Odin had landed lucrative opening slots for some of the

most successful bands of the era including Warrant, W.A.S.P., Ratt, Tesla,

Dokken, Armored Saint, Bang Tango and Keel.



Odin’s popularity reached a whole new level of stratospheric heights when the

band released The Gods Must Be Crazy Ep in ’86. The opening cut on the

record is “Little Gypsy.” A hot-blooded paean to the seductive women who

packed the band’s live shows in droves, “Little Gypsy” and Odin are featured

front and center in Penelope Spherris’ classic documentary, The Decline Of

Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years. The sun shone brighter and the

flames burned higher when Odin booked what were supposed to be three final

shows at Gazarri’s in ’88 before relinquishing their reign. All three nights sold out

in record time. Odin was put to rest, but the solar eye remained open. Hunger for

the band’s music went undiminished even as various members sought new

musical allies. Recorded the same year as The Gods Must Be Crazy, Odin’s first

full length disc, Fight For Your Life, was released on Japan’s JVC/Victor label in

1992.



As the end of an era fades further from view and the dawn of a new world

emerges at a reckless speed, the battle scars sustained in a music industry

jungle remain, but Odin is back with a vengeance. Performing a string of rare

one-off shows to SRO crowds at well known L.A. venues The Troubadour and

The Key Club, Odin has set the stage to return fire and restore their position in

the royal pantheon of metal lore. Cleopatra Records secured Odin’s master of

the song, “12 O’Clock High,” for inclusion on a definitive 4-cd box set entitled

Hollywood Rocks! A companion dvd to be released on June 10th features the

music video for Odin’s epic power ballad, “Shining Love.” Cleopatra has joined

forces with the band once again this year to release Best Of Odin. The

compilation features the entire Don’t Take No For An Answer Ep as well as a

brand new song, “Let The Show Begin.” An ultra rare recording from Odin’s

almost extinct debut Ep, Caution, plus a live track recorded in the era when metal

was more dangerous are also included. Rounding out the collection is a reserve

of the heaviest songs from both Fight For Your Life and The Gods Must Be

Crazy. In support of the upcoming release, Odin will perform at Club Vodka on

June 28th while July 12th sees their highly anticipated appearance at this year’s

Rocklahoma festival.



Entrenched for nearly 20 years with metal mainstays Armored Saint, Odin’s

guitarist Jeff Duncan is also the lead singer/guitarist of DC4 alongside brothers

Shawn Duncan (drums), Matt Duncan (bass), and former Dio guitarist Rowan

Robertson. Combined with a connection to Armored Saint and the current

phenomenon that is DC4, the resurgence of ODIN is the latest chapter in a longstanding

tradition of presenting the best hard rock/metal where only the strong

survive.

-- Greg Debonne



ODIN "Don't Take No For an Answer" Club Vodka 2008



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