Hollow Ground are a heavy metal band from Newcastle upon Tyne, formed in 1979 during the rise of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Their early material combined classic heavy metal with hard rock and gained a strong reputation among collectors, particularly the 1980 single Flying High and their contributions to the Roksnax split and the 1981 demo. These recordings later became staples of NWOBHM reissue culture and appeared on several important compilations, including New Wave of British Heavy Metal ’79 Revisited in 1990.
Although the band originally split in the early eighties, Hollow Ground reformed in 2007 to perform at the Headbangers Open Air Festival in Germany. Since then their activity has been intermittent, centred on festival appearances and archival releases rather than continuous touring or recording. Their catalogue has been expanded through releases such as Raw Tapes ’79 in 2007 and Warlord in 2014, issued through High Roller Records.
The current line up features Glenn Coates on vocals, Martin Metcalf on lead guitar, Brian Rickman on bass and John Lockney on drums. Several members have also worked with Fist, another key band from the North East metal scene. While public updates have been limited in recent years and their social media presence has been quiet since 2024, Hollow Ground remain an active name within the NWOBHM community and continue to be associated with High Roller Records and the wider revival of early British metal.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hollowgrounduk
High Roller Records: https://www.hrrecords.de/HOLLOW-GROUND