Killers

Not to be confused with Paul Di'Anno's post-Iron Maiden project (which they in fact predated by several years), French heavy metal band Killers were formed in the town of Bardos (near Bayonne) circa 1984, and have released over a dozen albums during a 20-plus-year career. Through it all, the group -- led by guitarist/vocalist Bruno Dolheguy -- has remained largely unknown internationally due to the bandmembers' commitment to penning lyrics entirely in French. Killers have also endured mind-bogglingly frequent personnel turnovers, which certainly haven't helped matters much. In fact, widespread musician swapping has taken place between all but their first two, highly regarded speed metal albums, 1985's ...Fils de la Haine and 1986's Danger de Vie, featuring Dolheguy, vocalist Patrice Le Calvez, guitarist Didier Deboffe, bassist Pierre Paul, and drummer Michel Camiade, and, much later, the millennium-hugging triplet of 1999's 109, 2000's Mauvaises Graines, and 2001's Killing Games (their first concession to English lyrics), recorded by Dolheguy, guitarist Thierry Andrieu, bassist Patrick Oliver, and drummer Nicko Andrieu. Betwixt these sets, Killers (or at least Dolheguy and what passes for the band at any given moment) rarely took a year off until 2002, but they were back in 2007 with their 14th studio album, called A L'Ombre des Vautours.