Lancashire, U.K.-based rock band
Massive Wagons pay homage to the bombast of heavy rock without sounding dated, mostly due to advancements in music production. After relentless gigging and the release of their debut album, 2012's Fire It Up, the group forged ahead, building on their anthemic sound with every record. Their adherence to style and reputation as an exhilarating live act paid off with their fourth full-length album, 2018's
Full Nelson, which saw the band attain much wider popularity.
Massive Wagons formed in 2009 when Barry "Baz" Mills (vocals) and Adam Thistlewaite (guitar) left their previous group,
Ace Face, in pursuit of something with more heft. They brought in Adam's brother Alex Thistlewaite (drums) as well as Adam Bouskill (bass), and Carl Cochrane (guitar) to create
Massive Wagons. With proven knowledge of their local live music scene, the band began plugging away, finding time to release their debut EP, Sniff the Riff, which caught the attention of Casket Records. 2012 saw the release of their debut album, Fire It Up, although it went under the radar for anyone who wasn't already aware of the group. Undeterred,
Massive Wagons entered and won the Highway to Hell competition in 2013, landing a record deal with Off Yer Rocka. The band's new label went on to release their next two albums, 2014's Fight the System and 2016's Welcome to the World, the latter of which finally afforded them some national recognition.
The following year,
Massive Wagons underwent some changes, with a switch to Earache Records and the replacement of Cochrane with Stephen "Stevie" Hull. 2018 saw them achieve even more success, with the release of their fourth studio album,
Full Nelson, entering the U.K. official charts at number 16. Following its release, the group headed out on tour in support, with shows at Download Festival and a support slot for idols
Status Quo also taking place. 2019 saw
Massive Wagons head out on tour with
Lynyrd Skynyrd as the opening act on their farewell tour, before rounding off the year with their own headline tour. At the beginning of 2020, the band returned to the studio to record what would become their fifth album, this time with producer
Colin Richardson (
Trivium,
Sepultura) and engineer
Chris Clancy (
Killswitch Engage,
As I Lay Dying). Earache issued
House of Noise midway through 2020. ~ Liam Martin