From the swamps of Florida to the heart of Medellín: Glenn Enriquez revisits ARGUS Legacy.....INTERVIEW

In the early 80s, long before Florida became globally associated with death metal, the region’s underground scene was driven by traditional heavy metal and early thrash acts, deeply influenced by the NWOBHM. From this humid and untamed territory emerged bands such as CRIMSOM GLORY, SAVATAGE, TEMPTER, and ARGUS. Although ARGUS never achieved the same level of recognition as some of their peers, their legacy holds a unique place in metal history. In 1983, they became one of the first  (if not the first)  international heavy metal bands to perform in Colombia, playing to nearly 10,000 people at La Macarena arena in Medellín. The following interview is with Glenn Enriquez, guitarist and founding member of ARGUS, who has recently announced the band’s reunion for one last Show performing their legendary EP live at the BAHRF (Bay Area Hard Rock Fest), marking the festival’s comeback after a 17-year hiatus, on March 13, 2026, at 4:00 PM. So beware, or better, be there to witness the power of ARGUS....

Hi Glenn, it's an honor to be able to bring to our readers a bit of Argus history, how did Argus get started and tell us what you can remember about the Florida Heavy Metal scene in the early 80's? Nowadays that sound of Argus sound so appealing for those many fans of American Traditional Heavy or fans of the NWOBH that lurks into the underground to find old and not so know acts like Argus itself, by the way, a very welcome to our pages, Glenn!!

Hi, and thank you for having me. The story of Argus is a long one but I'll do my best to explain it. The drummer Micheal Anthony and myself were in a band called Bullet and before that in a band with some guys we went to school with. I wanted to start another band to go out and play heavier music than just the same dance music every other band was doing and put on a concert style show. We then added Dave as a second guitarist and then went on to add a bass player and vocalist. We went out and started playing some clubs but something was not right we needed more energy. Frank was in another band at the time but was not happy so we brought him in and the final piece was to replace the bass player with a young Jerry Ryburn. I convinced the band to move to much heavier music, Black Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, Angel Witch, early Scorpions etc. We put all of our money back into the band for PA, Lights, Stage Gear. We were having success and soon started writing our own music. Our manager got us into a new studio in Miami and we recorded the EP. It made it's way to Colombia. It was getting heavy air play and soon plans were in the works to due a few shows in Medellin, Cali, Bogota. But for some reason Cali and Bogota never happened.

What memories do you have about the composition and recording of the self-titled EP? A vinyl release that came out on 12-inch under a label called Rainbow Records. Is there a reason why this EP hasn't been re-released, considering the vinyl resurgence, it's not even on CD, as far as I can remember, you've never received proposals from labels to re-release this EP?

As far the writing of the songs on the EP they were all written while we were out on the road. Dave or myself would have an idea of the main riff and we would start working on it. We would get into the club early the we were playing at and put the songs together we all were there at the same time writing guitar, bass, drum, parts and even writing the lyrics. When I can up with main riff for Another Gloomy Day we were in South Carolina and I woke up very early in the morning with that riff in my head so I got out of bed and went to the bathroom with my guitar and started playing it over and over so I would not forget it because I didn't have a way to record it. We had played that night so the rest of the guys were sleeping and we parted a bit late so it didn't go over so well when i woke them all up and played it for them to help me remember it. Haha I have been contacted by a few small labels but nothing has ever come from it. I have to be careful we that because we all own rights to those songs so we all have to agree on the deal. The other issue is we don't have the master tape it is lost or destroyed. There are other songs that never made it to the studio that can be found on the internet from the live show in Medellin. Satan's Reign, The Hell Ranger, Save The Tears. 

MEDELLÍN COLOMBIA 1983

It is inevitable to ask you about the concert that Argus did in Medellín Colombia in 1983, tell us what you can remember about that experience, how did the contact come about and what memories can you bring up about that night that many people still remember? Did you know that the organization that paid for the Argus concert in Medellín and which was called Medellín Sin Tugurios, was an organization sponsored by Pablo Escobar Gaviria, the infamous Drug Lord? Besides Colombia, did you have the opportunity to play in other places outside the United States?

About how we made the contact to get to Medellin, the people that owned the studio that we recorded at had a friend in South America that was in the import and export business so we were told. Haha. So the guy in Medellin took the record to a rock radio station and they played it on the air and started getting lots of phone calls requesting to play the record, we were told the it was number 1 requested album for a while. So the arrangement was made for us to go down there and the show to be on March 11th if I remember correctly. Our crew went down a week  before to get things ready for the show. We flew to Miami 2 days before the show and then flew into Medellin, and what a flight or least the landing because the plane had to circle around a few times once we were inside the mountains so he could get low. When we left the plane felt like it was going straight up, that was a little scary. When we got off the plane in Medellin there what looked like hundreds maybe more of people there with signs welcoming us to the city, it was awesome to see and made us all very happy.

43 years after that presentation that was held in the Plaza de Toros La Macanera on March 11, 1983, songs that did not appear on the EP were heard, such as MetalLust, Hell Ranger, Satan's Reign, why could they never get a full-length album? And apart from these songs, surely they have more material composed?

As far as a full length album there were many songs and ideas that we were working on but never finished and i still don't understand why we didn't except for the fact that we playing all the time and just having fun after the show was over. In other words parting a lot.LOL. 

Have you ever heard the pirated recording of that live in Medellín, someone should edit it and release it on CD, or why not on vinyl? In this mythical concert, Argus covered Angel Wicth, Trespass, and Scorpions, flagship bands of the NWOBH.

I have that recording from the show in Medellin it was sent to me by a friend Hugo from the band WitchTrap. I just do think the sound quality is that good, but maybe could be cleaned up a bit in the studio. 

Argus Live in Medellín Colombia, 11 03 1983

*This interview was translated into Spanish and originally published in Midnight Funeral Zine #2

*Read a review of ARGUS – Argus EP (Rainbow Records, October 6, 1983) - SPANISH

Otro pvt0 podcast EP 5 ARGUS en vivo en MEDELLIN 1983

ARGUS es una banda originaria de Tampa, Florida conformados en 1980 para descargar un potente Heavy Metal Americano, 3 años después, hacia 1983, el quinteto floridano se convirtiò en posiblemente la 1ra. banda extrangera del estilo en pisar tierras colombianas, más exactamente el  11 de marzo de 1983, junto alrededor de 8 a 10 mil expectadores, ARGUS descargó 11 canciones en más de una hora. Este es el tema del 5to episodio de Otro Pvt0 Podcast. 

ARGUS ES:

Frank St. James    Vocals (lead)

Dave Aylor Guitars (lead), Vocals

Glenn Enriquez Guitars (lead), Vocals

Jerry Ryburn Bass

Tony Pizzoferrato Drums

Gracias por ver. Por favor suscríbase a mi canal y compren mi fanzine. 

ARGUS - En vivo en Medellín Colombia - 11-03-1983 - Bootleg tape

Boleta del evento

La verdad apenas nos desayunamos que en Medellín/Colombia, hacia principios de los años 80s, hubo un toque por "todo lo alto", con una agrupación proveniente de tierras salvajes y pantanos atestados por cocodrilos; no estamos hablando del Norte de Santander, Colombia, donde también los hay y bien grandotes, sino de Florida/USA, la tierra del Death Metal, que en los 80s, era más que nada geby. No es secreto que allí surgieron bandas como SAVATAGE, NASTY SAVAGE o ARGUS, de Tampa. Los protagonistas de aquel concierto. Ellos (los ARGUS) no pasaron a mayores como sus coterráneos, pero sí dieron de que hablar en su época cuando lograron grabar su EP "Argus-'83", un plástico de 12" que debía ser reproducido a 45 rpm, en el que salían 4 cortes (2 por cada lado) de lo que hoy por hoy encasillaríamos como Heavy Metal tradicional, con momentos movidos, otros más rítmicos, voces agudas y obviamente solos de guitarra octavados. Sin embargo, como se dijo anteriormente, ARGUS, no tuvo mucho impacto en la escena Yankee, pero, a pesar de esto, se podría decir que su música trascendería las fronteras.

ARGUS bajando del avión en Colombia años 80s

Y sería más especialmente las fronteras del denominado Valle de Aburrá, en Medellín Antioquía, donde el quinteto floridano arribaría para descargar metal pesado ante cerca de 10 mil espectadores que los aguardaban en la plaza la Macarena, la noche del 11 de marzo de 1983, lo que quiere decir que mientras lees esto, se están cumpliendo exactamente 35 años de aquel show en el que los gringos estuvieron acompañados por una agrupación local llamada FENIX y COMPLOT, quienes solo aparecieron en la publicidad y boletería porque no tocaron, o eso fue lo que averiguamos. El set completo de ARGUS (que lo puedes descargar pinchando acá) duró un poco más de una hora y estuvo cargado por 11 cortes, con incluso algunos covers de ANGEL WITCH, SCORPIONS (con 2 covers) y TRESPASS. La calidad de dicho tape es bastante bueno, lo que me lleva a especular que la fuente de la que proviene podría ser el mismo soundboard original, en el que incluso se escucha el bullicio de los metal bangers asistentes. Debemos decir que el toque de ARGUS sería uno de los primeros eventos organizados en la capital de la montaña con primero, una cuota internacional y segundo, con los recursos dignos de un concierto profesional, con backline, sonido, luces, mejor dicho, todo un sueño húmedo para un metalero en su época.

Ahora, como dato insólito, el toque sería promovido por la organización de inclusión social "Medellín Sin Tugurios" que como bien saben, estaba al comando de Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, este dato puede ser complementado viendo el video que colgamos más abajo en el que aparece un jocoso testimonio de Raúl Velázquez, uno de los empresarios que hizo posible tan memorable evento, que evidencia que a los NARCOS también les gustaba el rock duro, o sino, vayan y le preguntan a Carlos Lehder, antiguo socio de Pablito, quien se dice era un fan del rock que llevó a la posada alemana a tocar a los Stones, pero lo cierto es que eso fue solo un mito; lo único cierto de dicha historia, es que Lehder, sí anduvo con un Stone (Ronnie Wood) y hasta con un Beatle (Ringo Starr), pero, no en Colombia, sino en una de sus mansiones de Lehder en las Bahamas, en donde los músicos se la pasaron esnifando coca y tocando algunas canciones con los instrumentos del tristemente célebre traqueto. Y no es más. 

ARGUS en Medellín '83