Founded by Saxon guitarist Doug Scarratt and James Fogarty (of Old Forest, formerly In The Woods), British heavy metal band Venger‘s debut studio album, Times Of Legend, was released earlier this month via Silver Lining Music. It’s now followed by their second single ‘Navigate The Labyrinth’.
The video for ‘Navigate The Labyrinth’ is based on an imaginary console game from the world of Venger, apparently a planet where classic heavy metal thrives and 16-bit gaming is the bees-knees in home entertainment.
Explaining the idea behind it all, Fogarty said: “The video tells the story of when the band received a mysterious package from the 1980s; it contained an imaginary computer game detailing the story of Theseus and the minotaur.”
He continued: “You are Theseus, legendary warrior of ancient Greece. Your love for the beautiful princess Ariadne has angered her father, King Minos! As punishment, you have been thrown into the Labyrinth; a subterranean maze filled with demons, goblins and monsters. To complete your journey back to the light, you must find and battle the mighty Minotaur. Get ready for the fight of your life!”
For those of us less adventurous, we can just watch the video by band drummer Sven Rothe here at RAMzine, alongside that for Venger‘s first single ‘From Worlds Unknown’. Fogarty commented on that one thus: “The song engages a subject Doug and I have a shared interest in, which is ufology.”
He added: “It was written from the perspective of imagining that you were down by Stonehenge once and this UFO turned up but there’s no one else there to witness it. And does that really matter? Ultimately, I don’t think it does.”
Venger feature the aforementioned Doug Scarratt on lead guitar and guitars, James Fogarty on guitars, synthesisers, bass, and backing vocals, Sven Rothe on drums, and Franz Bauer on vocals. Matt Mitchell features on vocals for ‘Tower Of Babel’.
Written and produced by Scarratt and Fogarty, Times Of Legend is said to offer an utterly refreshing reminder that endlessly engaging entertainment exists within the realms of history, folklore and fantasy.
“I like the idea that Times Of Legend could be like a heavy metal version of those 1950s schoolboy books where every chapter was a different story,” said Fogarty. “Each song is its own individual story and listening to the whole album gives people a collection of tales.”
“We’re both fans of cinema,” added Scarratt. “So you’ve got all the classic horror movies in there as well as some historical elements too. I’ve always loved anything connected with fantasy and movies. We’re surrounded by enough reality for me. When it comes to entertainment, I want some escape!”
Scarratt‘s history with Saxon is well-known, whilst Fogarty comes from a varied array of projects embracing several genres including black and progressive metal, with bands such as In The Woods and Old Forest. Even though Venger only came together in 2024 when Scarratt‘s son was playing his own show at a bar in Brighton, UK, and Fogarty introduced himself, the pair soon discovered common musical ground.
Spending time together started to quickly feel like having an afternoon between old friends down at your local hostelry: a safe space with genuinely fine people who share common interests such as metal, cinema and an appreciation of the art of storytelling.
In terms of workload, Scarratt is a guitarist’s guitarist, whilst Fogarty enjoys the melodies. Drummer Sven Rothe is in another of Fogarty‘s projects, whilst vocalist Franz Bauer is also an associate from Fogarty‘s musical alliance who guests on the album.
“James writes great harmonies and melodies but doesn’t solo, and I love improvising solos. I like to just listen to the track and see what happens,” said Scarratt. “I’ve always loved that. Some of the solos start with melody parts, harmonies, and then go into some free fall, but I like the free fall because I love the randomness of guitar.”
He continued: “You know, I’m not always able to totally recreate solos and stuff live because guitars are so random. I can get it very, very close but I can’t always make that harmonic exactly the same as I did on the recording. And as for the songs: settle in and get ready for stories.”
In an era where the world seems to want to rush at digital speed into digital things, Venger (the name comes from the one-horned sorcerer in the game Dungeons & Dragons) and their debut album, Times Of Legend, intend to shed new musical light on figures and stories of old.
Times Of Legend is available on vinyl, CD, and via digital formats. Tracks featured are: ‘From Worlds Unknown’, ‘Pharaoh’s Curse’, ‘Navigate The Labyrinth’, ‘Crystal Gazer’, ‘The Legend Still Remains’, ‘Séance’, ‘Throw The Switch’, ‘Impaler Of Souls’ and ‘Tower Of Babel’.
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