Max And The Broadway Metal Choir

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he Devil gave us death metal and God gave us Max - that's how the bumf apparently introduced late 40's something Maximilian Gelt, a Jewish delicatessen owner in Miami Florida. It all started when Max was invited by a friend to go to London to see the band Broadway Metal Choir, featuring Jan Cyrka (guitar), Kevin Riddles (ex-Angel Witch/ex-Tytan; bass), Kevin Fitzpatrick (keyboards) and Andy Beirne (drums). The band lacked a vocalist, however, and Max offered up his services but after six weeks of touring he broke his leg and was forced to go home. Later he would return to London armed with new songs and, together with FM guitarist Steve Boltz, backing vocalists Suzie O'List and Gillian O'Donnovan, they recorded 10 tracks of Led Zeppelin sounding material if Mel Brooks was singing on their one-and-only recording And God Gave Us Max (1986). The press loved the novelty of Max and his adventures but hated the resulting album. The band split with Max then going back home to face another type of music when his wife launched divorce proceedings claiming that his new obsession with heavy metal music had driven him 'insane'. Cyrka, for his part, went on to minor guitar hero status.