Still Taking No Prisoners: The Alcatrazz Story

In advance of their forthcoming 2025 studio album, Alcatrazz reveal a new release to land just in time for their extensive November/December European tour.

PRIOR CONVICTIONS (which releases November 7th, 2025, contains newly re-recorded versions of nine 1980s era Alcatrazz songs, all featuring new vocalist Giles Lavery. Plus two brand new band compositions “Transylvanian Requiem” and “Stand And Wait Your Turn”.

These new versions of classic Alcatrazz tunes (plus the pair of new songs) continue the powerful hard hitting metal direction Alcatrazz have demonstrated since reactivating in 2020! This is now their forth release this decade, and the band show no signs of winding down any time soon!

While founding members Jimmy Waldo and Gary Shea continue the Alcatrazz musical legacy they started in 1983! Giles Lavery (Warlord/Jack Starr/Dragonsclaw) honors that same musical legacy of these classic metal anthems and proves that he is indeed the right choice to take the band forward into their next Heavy Metal chapter!

Alcatrazz, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles, has been as well known for the legendary players and singers who have passed throughout the bands ranks as much as they have for their music.

Formed originally by the trio of Jimmy Waldo, Gary Shea (both fresh from late 70’s hitmakers New England and the short lived band Warrior featuring a pre-Kiss Vinnie Vincent) along with vocalist Graham Bonnet (himself with impressive credentials having been a then recent member of Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group) the band set about completing the line up with drummer Jan Uvena (formerly of Alice Cooper) and a then very young Yngwie Malmsteen, a guitarist who had quickly made a name for himself upon arriving in the USA in the early 80’s.

The band issued their now classic debut “No Parole From Rock N Roll” album (1983) which was met with universal critical acclaim. Yngwie was soon to depart in favor of Steve Vai just in time for the bands second album “Disturbing The Peace” (1985).

The bands mission has always been a not necessarily stable line-up, but of an evolving union of established performers all forming a “supergroup” of sorts, one with perhaps more guitar fire-power than many, but definitely also with the songs to back it up.

I sat down with founding member Jimmy Waldo and discussing all things past, present and future, we began way back in the mists of time:

Past:
With you, Gary and Graham having formed Alcatrazz back in 1983, and although the band has gone through some break ups, now splintering and such, but all that aside, please tell us what your feelings were when it was all coming together for you in those early days - “I was very excited, we were writing great songs, and I could see a great future for the band.”

With Graham, Yngwie and original Maiden drummer Clive Burr on board from the off (albeit he obviously only lasted a few days and was replaced by Jan Uvena), both you and Gary must have thought you had hit the supergroup lottery! - “Yes, things were looking very bright, and yes I felt we had hit the lottery. Clive was a great guy and drummer, just didn’t work out, but I really felt we were on our way to great things.”

Is it true that it was Gary who named the band Alcatrazz and if so, why did he choose that name? And were there other frontrunners at the time? - “We hadn’t discussed any other names. Gary came up with the name and we all liked it, didn’t over think it, just used it and moved on and within a few weeks the label came up with the logo and away we went.”

And what was it about keyboards that drew you to them and away from either lead guitars or drums at an early age? - “I used to play guitar in my band in high school, but having taken some piano lessons years before, I bought an organ and played both in the band so we could play songs that needed an organ.”

With band members coming and going, what were you finding to be the biggest issues with trying to keep the guys together, to keep a stable musical entity together long enough to plan the writing/recording of a new album? - “Personalities!! Everyone needs to be on the same page about the direction of the music. It always seemed that some guys would become unhappy with the direction that we needed to go in, so getting people that were easy to work with and someone you could hang out with was, and still is hard to find.”

Present:
Your upcoming brand new album is entitled Prior Convictions and is due out later this year so is it all done and dusted now? - “Yes, it is done, and singles are being released as I write, and the album will hit the streets before our next tour this November.”

Who created the cover art for it and have they worked on other releases for you, perhaps? And did you have a say in what you wanted portrayed on the cover? - “An artist in Australia that we have used before and we make very few changes, as he really understands what the image of the band is and needs to be, so usually he nails it pretty quick.”

The tracks (save for two) are all re-recorded songs from the early eighties Alcatrazz era, now with new vocalist, and former manager Giles Lavery at the mic, so please tell us more about why Giles was chosen to be the new lead singer? - “We had heard Giles sing all these songs at soundchecks before he was in the band, so after our previous singers, we new Giles would be perfect and was a great fit both musically and personally.”

I assume you were at the helm of choosing which songs to re-record, so why these ones and which couple are ones you are most proud of having reworked for this album (and why)? - “Giles, Joe and I decided on which songs to record, based on the fact that we had done over 100 shows with Giles as the new lead singer. Singing these songs from No Parole was an easy choice of what songs to record as I really love the way they all came out. My favorites are Jet to Jet, Hiroshima, and Skyfire and Stand and Wait your Turn.”

The two new songs - please tell us more about both Transylvanian Requiem and Stand And Wait Your Turn and how new they actually are? - “Transylvanian Requiem was an instrumental Joe wrote a few years ago, and we just recorded recently and Giles wrote Stand and Wait your Turn just a few months before we recorded it.”

I would be remiss if I didn’t ask your honest thoughts on Graham’s aforementioned splinter group version Alcatrazz. I understand all the animosity and bad feelings that have come to the fore over the years, but what are your honest thoughts on that situation here today? - “I had seen some videos of his attempt at doing that some years ago and I didn’t think he sounded good live, and the band did not play the songs correctly; as he was using different musicians at ever show, with no keyboard player.”

Also, and being politely curious, does this mean that Graham has a copyright attachment to the name Alcatrazz and therefore can still tour using it as his version of the group? - “No he does not! I own the name worldwide. Graham tried to do it several years ago with no success because it was not very good.”

Future:
Your version of Alcatrazz, as opposed to Graham’s splinter group, has released four albums this decade alone, so what has kept you going (personally) in such a way that your day job is still providing for you all these decades later? - “I never had a day job so touring and recording is all I do.”

And given you are an album-releasing tour de force, are there plans afoot already for an album of new material to come in 2026/27, perhaps? - “Yes, we are writing for the next record now, which will be out next year.”

You have a European tour upcoming at the end of 2025, out there on the road with Girlschool, so have you toured with them before down the years? - “Yes, quite a bit, they are a great band, and are really fun to tour with.”

Given that band members come and go, it seems like Alcatrazz could go on forever as a musical entity, so is that how you see it also? - “Yes, but I think this current lineup is solid and will be around a long time”

Finally, and yes, we ask everyone we interview this question (as we are putting together a cute book for children about them), do you like penguins and do you possibly have a story about growing up with one (a soft toy or one at the zoo, etc.)? - “Just seeing them in zoo’s, but never had the pleasure of meeting one up close.”

Interviewed by: Russell A. Trunk

Alcatrazz
Giles Lavery - Vocals
Joe Stump - Guitars
Jimmy Waldo - Keyboards
Gary Shea - Bass
Mark Benquechea - Drums

Alcatrazz hit the road in Europe later this year with Girlschool:
13/Nov Se - Gothenburg | Skeppet
14/Nov Se - Sala | Rockland (Alcatrazz only)
15/Nov SE - Rock At Sea Cruise
18/Nov Fi - Turku | Nirvana
19/Nov Fi - Helsinki | On The Rocks
20/Nov Fi - Tampere | Tavara-Asema
21/Nov FI - Nakkila | Verstas
22/Nov Fi - Kuovola | House Of Rock
25/Nov Be - Kortrijk | DVG *
26/Nov NL - Tilburg | Little Devil *
27/Nov DE – Kassel | Goldgrube *
28/Nov DE – Passau | Zauberberg *
29/Nov AT – Steyr | Kulturverein Röda *
30/Nov At - Vienna | Escape Metal Corner *
02/Dec CZ – Olomouc | Bounty Rock Cafe *
03/Dec DE - Leipzig | Hellraiser *
04/Dec DE - Nürnberg | Hirsch *
05/Dec DE – Selb | Rockclub Nordbayern *
06/Dec DE – Mörlenbach | Live Music Hall *
07/Dec DE – Dortmund | Musiktheater Piano *

* BANGALORE CHOIR also on the bill

ALCATRAZZ “JET TO JET” from the Album PRIOR CONVICTIONS on BraveWords Records (Official Audio Video)

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