Grim Reaper was a staple of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement and MTV “Headbanger’s Ball” era in the mid-1980s thanks to a trifecta of albums that still resonate with fans three decades later. See You in Hell, Fear No Evil and Rock You to Hell had the band trending upward long before trending upward, or even social media lingo or the Internet, were “things.”
It all came to a crashing halt, however, after that third and most successful Grim Reaper album mostly due to record-label issues. Vocalist Steve Grimmett resurrected Grim Reaper a few years ago with all-new members, and Steve Grimmett’s Grim Reaper toured behind fourth album Walking in the Shadows, venturing to the Rock Box in April and October 2016.
Then a more disastrous turn took effect. Not just on the band. But on Grimmett’s life.
Four months after those Rock Box gigs, the diabetic Grimmett was treated in South America for a foot infection that spread more quickly than it could be treated. Grimmett had his right leg amputated in Ecuador, but because his insurance company refused to cover his bills, a GoFundMe page was started just so he could fly home to England.
Improbable might be the best way to describe what has happened since. Grimmett refuses to allow his plight determine his career path. He has played a few shows alternating between a cane with a prosthetic leg and singing via headset while in a wheelchair. He has recorded fifth album At the Gates, which drops Oct. 11, with the first single “Venom” available now via various outlets. And he kicked off a North American tour this weekend in New York, from which he phoned in yesterday to Alamo True Metal for an exclusive interview.
With Chaz Grimaldi filling in on bass for this tour after playing both of the Rock Box shows, plus Ian Nash on guitars and Paul White on drums, Grimmett’s band was traveling through mountainous territory when the vocalist discussed his “traumatic” experience, why he decided to carry on musically, the new album, the MTV days, his memories of the 1985 Texxas Jam before 80,000 people and his uncanny resemblance to Greece’s “hated” prime minister.
Click below for a slideshow and to hear our conversation. Click here to hear our 2016 discussion that covered other topics. Special thanks to Grimmett and Chipster PR for graciously going “Into the Pit.”
