Sparta is one of the more obscure bands of the glorious New Wave Of British Heavy Metal period. The band was formed in late 1979 by Tony Foster on lead guitar. The line-up was completed by Tony Warren on bass guitar, Karl Reders on vocals, Steve ‘Snake’ Reders on guitar and Paul ‘Radge’ Reders on drums.
In 1980, Nottinghamshire-based label Suspect Records put out Sparta’s debut single pairing “Fast Lane” with “Fighting To Be Free”. In 1981, the band unleashed their second 7" single »Angel Of Death« (with “Tonight” on the flipside), once again on Suspect Records. The same year their label published a compilation of local bands under the name of »Scene Of The Crime« (the original vinyl sells for anything up to 100 English Pounds nowadays). Sparta quickly gained a healthy local following by gigging with Diamond Head, Praying Mantis, Lionheart and Budgie.
In 2011, »Use Your Weapons Well«, the ultimate Sparta compilation featuring 25 songs and spanning the band's whole career from 1979 up until 1990, was issued on vinyl and CD via High Roller Records.
The record was very well received and the profile of the band got bigger than it ever was. This led to the classic Sparta line-up recording their first-ever studio album entitled »Welcome To Hell« (after 35 long years!).