Martyr is a powermetal band from Utrecht that has existed since 1982. During its existence a set of demo cassettes were released, as well as a number of long players. The general public first became acquainted with Martyr in 1985, when the song "En Masse (Stand Or Die)" appeared on the collective album "Metal Massacre VI" of the legendary American label Metal Blade. Other greats on this record included Possessed, Hallow's Eve, Dark Angel, The Obsessed, Hirax, Hades and Nasty Savage.
The debut album "For The Universe" from the same year is still considered a classic in heavy metal circles. For example, the leading website "Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives" wrote the following about this album: "Martyr's songwriting is vastly superior to most of its competitors". In 2014, the group was honored by the "Dutch Steel (80's Metal From The Netherlands)" collector for Martyr's contribution to Dutch heavy metal history. The then mayor of Utrecht, Jan van Zanen, did not miss either, he sent the group a personal letter in early 2018 to thank Martyr for their ambassadorship for the city.
The group frequently performs locally and abroad, as headliner or supporting bigger acts within the heavy metal spectrum (for example as support of Trivium, Iced Earth, Saxon, Raven, Flotsam & Jetsam, Lizzy Borden, Vicious Rumors, Evergrey and ex-Iron Maiden singers Paul Di'Anno and Blaze Bayley). The absolute highlights of Martyr's career so far have been their 3 tours in Japan, which featured frenzied crowds. The feedback Martyr receives based on their performances is purely positive.
In 2022 MARTYR released their latest album Planet Metalhead to great success. It was voted "Album Of The Year 2022" by Metalfan.nl. The album was released worldwide in collaboration with 5 other labels. Due to the great success of the record, MARTYR switched to the Rock Of Angels Records label in early 2023, where Planet Metalhead has been re-released. Martyr continues to tour with many headline, festival and club shows in Europe and beyond.
