Although best known today as the band where lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson served his Metal apprenticeship prior to joining those eater of worlds, Iron Maiden, Samson are still rightly regarded as one of the pivotal bands from the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement of the 80s. Taking their name from guitarist and leader, Paul Samson, the band first emerged in 1977 from the ashes of another eponymously named band, McCoy whose leader bassist John McCoy was headhunted for Ian Gillans's eponymously named band, Gillan, following the vocalist's departure from Deep Purple. 'Head On' was Samson's second album released in June 1980 and along with Paul Samson and Bruce Dickinson (although then going by his stage name Bruce Bruce), bassist Chris Aylmer and drummer Thunderstick (noted for disguising his identity by wearing S&M masks and playing live in a steel cage), completed the line-up. In deference to the crass cover artwork, the album boasts a breadth of writing and playing ability above much that the NOWBHM movement had to offer. Tracks such as 'Vice Versa', 'Hunted' and 'Walking Out On You' helped the album achieve the band's highest ever chart placing of number 34. 'Head On' also displays perfectly the power and range of singer Dickinson whose vocal agility earned him the title, the Air Raid Siren, as well as showcasing Paul Samson's considerable talent as a guitarist and writer and reinforces the loss to the metal community due to his death from cancer in 2002, aged just 49.