Griffin

A San Francisco band with ties to the local thrash scene, but whose additional influences from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (read: Iron Maiden) and all manner of odd time signatures predated future eccentrics like the Lord Weird Slough Feg and Hammers of Misfortune, Griffin recorded two independent albums in the mid-'80s that have since become cult collector's items. Founded in 1982, the band honed its over-the-top sound over the course of two demos before signing with the Shrapnel label for the release of 1984's Flight of the Griffin, which featured the lineup of Willi...