After more than 30 years playing in the legendary band Acero, Alfonso Peña (vocals) and José Piqueres (drums) decided to take the step towards a harder style, with more double bass and more distorted guitars. For this, they enlisted Luis Frutos (Bronka, ex-Acero) on guitar.
Searching for musicians in Alicante, they recruited the younger members of the band, Jordi Cabrera (Garra) on guitar and backing vocals, and Luis Varó (ex-Mortis Cruentus) on bass. The band’s name is inspired by the freighter Stanbrook, which was the last ship to sail from the port of Alicante on March 28, 1939, carrying 2,638 refugees from the Spanish Civil War. Captain Archibald Dickson disobeyed orders not to evacuate civilians and loaded the ship even beyond its capacity, causing it to list several times during the voyage. On November 19, 1939, the Stanbrook was torpedoed in the North Sea by the German submarine U57, causing the freighter to sink and taking the lives of its entire crew.
They began rehearsing at the end of 2014. With this lineup, the band has been thundering since its inception. After a year of preparation, they recorded their first album, “One Hour of Heavy Metal,” which was released on May 25, 2016. This milestone led them to tour throughout Spain, sharing the stage with bands such as Obús, Lujuria, Ram, Gigatrón, Celtibeeriano, and Semilla Animal. They even presented their debut album at the XIII edition of the Leyendas del Rock festival. In 2019, they began preparing their second album, but the recording was postponed due to the COVID-19 health crisis. After many difficulties and setbacks, on March 28, 2023, they managed to release their second work, titled “Death Does Not Forgive.”
This album marks a step forward in the musical maturity of the group, and they presented it for the first time at the II edition of the Sant Joan Rockfest, sharing the stage with Runa Llena. Currently, Stanbrook has several concerts scheduled to bring their powerful live performances to different cities across Spain’s geography.
