This Short-Lived Heavy Metal Supergroup From the 80s Was Formed by a Medley of Rock Icons

Heavy metal supergroups came together often in the 1980s, but one particular group did not last nearly as long as it should have. That heavy metal supergroup was Gogmagog. Never heard of them? You’re not alone there. Despite being packed with famous metal talent of the time, this 1985 supergroup didn’t make it past one year together.

Gogmagog released a three-song EP titled I Will Be There in 1985. The EP features the songs “I Will Be There”, “Living In A F*cking Time Warp”, and “It’s Illegal, It’s Immortal, It’s Unhealthy, But It’s Fun”. And after the EP dropped, the band promptly broke up.

Iron Maiden was growing in popularity in the mid-1980s. So, naturally, it only made sense to capitalize on that success by putting together a supergroup composed of several Iron Maiden members, as well as a few other super-talented rock stars of the time. 

Gogmagog, formed in 1985, was formed by producer Jonathan King and featured Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno and drummer Clive Burr. Former Gillan guitarist Janick Gers was brought in as well, who would later join Iron Maiden. Former Def Leppard shredder Pete Willis was also involved, as was former Whitesnake bassist Neil Murray.

The Short-Lived Legacy of Gogmagog

It’s been difficult to find any information about this supergroup through online research. Even the headline photo I used predates Gogmagog’s formation; it was one of the very few photos I could find of Paul D’Anno and Clive Burr alone together. There’s very little in the way of promotional material out there for Gogmagog. And at first, I couldn’t figure out why.

Now that I really sit with the information I could find, it makes sense why there’s so little in terms of promotional material out there. 

This heavy metal supergroup didn’t write any of their own material. The three songs they produced were efforts from King and KISS collaborator Russ Ballard. 

Likewise, the original plan for the supergroup didn’t involve any of the members who made it to the group. It was originally supposed to be a supergroup that revolved around Whitesnake’s David Coverdale. King originally wanted John Entwistle of The Who and drummer Cozy Powell involved. However, it just didn’t work out. By the time new members were brought on, King had apparently lost interest, and the band fell apart. Di’Anno would later refer to the project as “nothing.”

“That was some f*cking idiot who got us doing that sh*t,” said Di’Anno.

I really do think that if the band had stuck together and started contributing their own material, Gogmagog would have been something amazing. Even though the short-lived supergroup was a commercial failure, it did pull in a cult following. Imagine if they got back together nowadays? Though, I can’t imagine it would be the same without the late Di’Anno and Burr.

Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images