“I was enthralled by the way they swapped instruments, and also the music they played. I was hooked”: The British thrash metal icon who adores prog eccentrics Gentle Giant (and he’s not the only one)

Gentle Giant in 1974. Clockwise, from top, centre: John Weathers, Ray Shulman, Derek Shulman, Kerry Minnear and Gary Green. (Photo by Michael Putland/Getty Images).

Evile guitarist Ol Drake has a passion for Gentle Giant. “If anything I love them too much,” he said in 2011. The British thrash metal icon blamed his father for introducing him to the charms of the eccentric prog outfit.

“He used to show me all sorts of older bands through YouTube. I’d end up asking who this band or that band were. One day he got up a video of Gentle Giant playing some of the songs from Octopus. I was enthralled by the way the musicians swapped instruments, and also the music they played. I was hooked.”