WILDFIRE was a courageous and hardworking British Heavy Metal Band formed at the height of the NWOBHM by vocalist PAUL MARIO DAY, who actually briefly sang for one of the early incarnations of IRON MAIDEN, before moving on to front MORE. After Debuting with the track SOLDIER on the 1980 BBC METAL EXPLOSION compilation MORE was signed by ATLANTIC and recorded their first album, WARHEAD in Detroit. They supported DEF LEPPARD, KROKUS and SAXON on British tours, and opened the 1981 MONSTERS OF ROCK FESTIVAL at CASTLE DONNINGTON, before commencing the recording sessions of their second album BLOOD AND THUNDER, produced by PETE HINTON. Halfway though the sessions PAUL MARIO DAY quit the band claiming that the band wasn't big enough for both guitarist KENNY COX and himself. MICK STRATTON would quickly replace PAUL and even rewrite all the lyrics to the previously recorded tracks.

Some months later PAUL MARIO DAY while visiting friends and fans in Belgium where MORE had been rather successful called on the local WEA offices fishing for a deal for his new band; WILDFIRE. HERMAN “SHERMAN” SCHUEREMANS immediately told PAUL “if it's loud and heavy you're best bet is to go see ALFIE FALCKENBACH. PAUL and I immediately hit it off in a grand way, and by the end of the afternoon we had hammered out a deal. A couple of weeks later I always suspected he was still in the process of putting his band together, and having a record-deal helped him do just that. He ended up recruiting guitarist JEFF SUMMERS and drummer BRUCE BISLAND, both ex-members of WEAPON, and bassist JEFF BROWN, who came over from biker band DUMPY'S RUSTY NUTS. The line-up was completed with the addition of second guitar player MARTIN BUSHELL.

So WILDFIRE arrived in Brussels. Five musicians and JOHN McGOWAN the producer, all stuffed in the most minuscule museum-quality Honda van you'd ever seen. I put them up in a bed-and-breakfast dive, and the next day they started recording their first album, BRUTE FORCE AND IGNORANCE, at SHIVA, a studio held together by the grace of spit, chewing gum and indefinable substances, and owned by my dear friend JACK MAUER. We released BRUTE FORCE AND IGNORANCE in 1983, and subject to international acclaim it racked up more then decent sales.


WILDFIRE was always more refined than most British bands of that era and they certainly proved it with the release of their second album SUMMER LIGHTNING, once again recorded at SHIVA in Brussels, but with overdubs done at WEST THREE, and the final mix at EZEE, both London studios. Also this time around veteran producer GUY BIDMEAD was enlisted to ensure the best possible result. GUY had previously worked with artists as diverse as MOTORHEAD, EXCITER, COZY POWELL, keyboard wizard DON AIREY and even YES. SUMMER LIGHTNING was without doubt one of the best records we ever released on the MAUSOLEUM label, a classic album of the 80s. It contained eleven imposing songs and highlighted the technically sophisticated and mature musicianship WILDFIRE was by now capable off. The compact disc album version of SUMMER LIGHTNING reissued as part of the MAUSOLEUM 20th ANNVERSARY series furthermore contains JERUSALEM, a beautiful and soaring ballad, which was previously only ever available as a limited edition vinyl 45RPM single.

The lack of the truly huge success they undoubtedly deserved was perhaps just one of the reasons for WILDFIRE splitting up in 1985. My good friend PAUL MARIO DAY joined the revamped SWEET, and I regret not having heard from him since. Ex-MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP vocalist GARY BARDEN enrolled all remaining members of WILDFIRE into his band STATETROOPER as replacements for guitarist STEVE JOHNSON, bassist PAUL “FASKER” JOHNSON, drummer ED STRATTON and keyboardist STEVE GLOVER. BARDEN, who had the same management as WILDFIRE, had always been very impressed by their talents and saw the departure of PAUL MARIO DAY as the ideal opportunity to upgrade STATETROOPER.

In 1987 ex-THIN LIZZY and MOTORHEAD guitarist BRIAN ROBERTSON joined the band replacing MARTIN BUSHELL, and with this line-up STATETROOPER recorded the eponymous album, produced by another old acquaintance; PHIL CHILTON. I released STATETROOPER On the ULTRAPRIME imprint, a label I had founded after the temporary demise of MAUSOLEUM late 1986.

Alfie FALCKENBACH