Thora Jee Lay

With pummeling percussion, incendiary guitar riffs, and powerhouse vocals akin to bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Label Society, and Saxon, Bigfoot are a heavy metal and hard rock outfit from Wigan, England. Made up of vocalist Anthony Ellis, guitarists Mick McCullagh and Sam Millar, bassist Matt Avery, and drummer Tom Aspinall, the band formed in early 2014 out of members in various groups on the Manchester rock scene. Once assembled, the band wasted no time in writing their own material, which traversed an array of styles influenced by artists such as Judas Priest, Pantera, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin. The band put out a self-titled EP in 2015, followed by the Stone Soldiers EP in 2016. The EPs and extensive touring in the U.K., including an appearance at the 2015 Bloodstock Festival, caught the attention of Italian hard rock imprint Frontiers Records. After signing with the label, Bigfoot started writing and recording their label debut and first full-length. The eponymous album was released in the fall of 2017. ~ Rob Wacey