Vardis

Though they enjoyed a reasonably long career by New Wave of British Heavy Metal standards, Wakefield, England's Vardis never really fit in with the genre's standard denim-and-leather credo. Instead, they employed a pretty unique style of raw, energized boogie with roots in hard-edged '70s glam and a very uncharacteristic sense of humor to boot. Initially going by the handle of Quo Vardis (an obvious homage to the influential Status Quo), the band was led by singer/guitarist Steve Zodiac, whose larger-than-life Johnny Winter-meets-Ted Nugent persona shared the stage with bassi...