Founded by Saxon guitarist Doug Scarratt and James Fogarty (of Old Forest, formerly In The Woods), British heavy metal band Venger will release their debut studio album, Times Of Legend, on 9th January 2026 via Silver Lining Music.
Out now is Venger’s first single, ‘From Worlds Unknown’, with Fogarty commenting, “The song engages a subject Doug and I have a shared interest in which is ufology,” continuing 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.”
You can check out the video for ‘From Worlds Unknown’ by band drummer Sven Rothe below.
Venger feature Doug Scarratt on lead guitar and guitars, James Fogarty on guitars, synthesisers, bass, and backing vocals, Franz Bauer on vocals and Sven Rothe on drums, with Matt Mitchell featured 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, “that each song is its own individual story and that listening to the whole album is giving 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 the aforementioned 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 to have common musical ground in a couple of areas, and 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 that 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. And 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 harmonics 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, have wrought wide ranging inspiration and shed new musical light on figures and stories of old.
Times Of Legend will be available as a vinyl, CD, and on 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’ – It can be ordered here.
