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In the year of 1986,
in a small town named Stathelle, in the south of Norway, four young
boys decided to form a band and play "heavy metal".
Two of them was in the age of fifteen, and the other two in the age
of sixteen and seventeen.
They already knew each other from school and from playing together in
other bands.
This boys was: Ove Thorkildsen - vocal, Lars Tinderholt - bass, Ronny
Arntzen - drums and Per Einar Watle on guitar.
They named the band: "Intruder", and by influence of music
from bands like: Van Halen, Malmsteen, Led Zeppelin, TNT and others,
they started to play covers as well as making their own music from the
very beginning. But their first gig was a straight TNT cover concert.
They also started
to record their own music from the very first song, and shortly after
the forming of the group they joined a professional recording studio
and made their first cassette. This was the most common media for amateur
bands at the time, because almost nobody had a CD player in those days.
They even had their own concert in the same period, gathering about
200 local young rock lovers. This was sensational for an amateur band
of this age, playing their own music.
But this success
continued to follow the young rockers, and soon they was the favorite
rock band in the hole region, the province of Norway named Telemark.
The first cassette was very soon sold out, and the band went back to studio
for another recording.
This time the cassette was released with the name One step Closer,
which was exactly what happened too.
The local newspapers wrote about the band almost every week, and wherever
the youth was gathered, Intruder was there to play their own popular
material in concerts with loud guitar, smoke and pyrotechnical fireworks.
The public loved them, and the cassettes was once again sold out. Their
music was also daily heard on radio stations, both local and national.
Then late in 1987 Intruder was signed by a small record company named
Hill Records, and started recording in January 1988,
A 12" vinyl single with 3 songs was released, and Intruder was
once again in the center of attention in that part of Norway. They Also
released another cassette, this time with the very creative name: Volume
3.
The band was
now in a steam of productivity and did also appear on a local 7"
vinyl single together with another local band.
All the attention
in local press and national radio, gave them the opportunity to play
support for famous Norwegian musicians as: Stephen Ackles, Åge
Aleksandersen, Stage Dolls and many others. They also was first choice
in every local arrangements including musicians, and this also gave
them support gigs for international super stars as: Little Steven and
Dr. Hook. There was also an opening for a support job, playing on the
Iron Maiden tour, but the financial terms was completely unrealistic
for an upcoming amateur band from Norway at that time. However the band
was, by this time, well known in the right circles, and was also recorded
live on "TV Norge" from the stage "Bootleg" in Oslo
on two different occasions. This two concerts was sent several times
in full length on this national TV station.
The fourth cassette,
and the very last recording made by Intruder, was named Changes.
In this period the band faced some internal social problems and disagreements,
and the fact that a Danish record company wanted closer contact as well
as winning the Regional Championship of Rock, was not enough
to keep the band together. Two of the members wanted to play jazz, and
the world missed the new recordings they made.
Changes was never released or sent to any contacts, radio
stations or friends in the business.
Unfortunately, in 1990 the fun was over, and the rest is memories.
A lot of good memories tough, but still just memories.
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