Aria

For the first time ARIA established itself as a band by releasing their first album in autumn of 1985. The album sounded very professional and looked like nothing performed in the USSR before. The title of the masterpiece was modest but pretentious - "Megalomania". The story began in 1984 when lead guitarist Vladimir Holstinin left a band called Alpha, which music was not tough enough for him. Wishing to form his on band he was soon followed by bass player Alik Granovsky and in the beginning of 1985 they meet Victor Vekshtein - the manager of VIA "Poyushiye Serdtsa" (VIA - the USSR-stage specific abbreviation standing for Vocal & Instrumental Ensemble; Poyushie Serdtsa can be translated as "Singing Hearts"). When Vekshtein heard first "metal" riffs he decided to became manager of the new band. Search for a vocalist didn't take much time. The first candidate was found suitable in all aspects. His name was Valery Kipelov. Shortly after that Vladimir Holstinin offers a name ARIA for the band. The name carried a kind of "hidden sense" cause all musicians and their fans began being called as "Arians" (aria nation people). There were also other members taking part in the recording of "Megalomania": Alexander Lvov - drums and Kirill Pokrovsky - keyboards. Almost all songs were written by Holstinin and Granovsky; lyrics were by Alexander Elin. All guitars were recorded by Holstinin himself but there was a need for a second guitar player to perform gigs. So the second guitar maestro turned out to be Andrey Bolshakov. And the final line-up change was Igor Molchanov replacing Aleksander Lvov on drums. Even with absolutely no promotion on TV or in any mass media "Megalomania" got a great response because every gig became almost underground since communists prohibited band name to be printed on posters. Scandal was round the corner and it burst out on the band's first gig in February 1986 organized by Dmitry Shavyrin, the music reviewer of "Moskovsky Komsomolets" ("Moscow member of Komsomol") newspaper. Audience divided in two parts: one talking that "It's a crime against art" and another saying "That's great!". The show ended up with 40 people taken away to the police station. And scandal raged on: at the "Rock-Panorama'86" festival someone threw water onto power cables right during the ARIA set that resulted in a short circuit and a 40-minutes break in a show. But those terrorists failed to achieve their goal cause nobody left the venue patiently waiting the band to continue. More of it - the band became laureates of the festival in spite of the terrible sound after diversion. Later "Melodiya" company released 2 LPs with a recording of that festival but throwing ARIA songs away. Some musicians taking part in that gig started saying that all ARIA is a shame upon all rock-music; well-known rock-poets refused to work with the band: "It's a dead work, all we write for you will go to nowhere. You will play for yourself and a couple of your friends only!" - they were saying to the band. Meanwhile ARIA was rising up rapidly. Shortly after "Rock-Panorama'86" they went to Vilnius (Lithuania) to perform at "Lituanika-86" fest where they were granted for their professional work on stage. The popularity of the band those times was represented by sold out tickets, completely devastated venues and brawls in the streets after shows. Some regions were closed for the band to perform cause local authorities were very much afraid of destruction. All this was taken care of by the manager Victor Vekshtein who tried to calm the people down each time. But mass-media still had no reflection of the band, except for "Moskovsky Komsomolets" that frequently published its charts where ARIA was present in almost all categories. During the recording of the second album "Whom Are You With?" ARIA became suffering of musical differences. Bolshakov and Granovsky offered to switch to a more thrashy music but Holstinin and Kipelov remained with the band's own style. That led to split-up followed after very successful sequence of gigs at "Druzhba" venue in January, 1987. So four musicians (Andrey Bolshakov, Alik Granovsky, Kirill Pokrovsky and Igor Molchanov) left ARIA and were replaced by Sergey Mavrin (guitar), Maxim Udalov (drums) and Vitaly Dubinin (bass). Line-up change worked fine for ARIA cause after 6 months of hard rehearsals the band recorded one of their best albums "Hero Of Asphalt" which included such immortals as "Rose Street" and "Ballad About Ancient Russian Warrior". Unlike first two releases distributed only on tapes, "Hero Of Asphalt" was finally released on LPs by "Melodiya" company (but only in 1988). And there were some problems too: initially album title was "Serving Evil Force" but "Melodiya" changed it (without notifying the band) to "Hero Of A Speedway" which was also a mistake cause the real name of the track was "Hero Of Asphalt". Also name misprintings occurred: so Holstinin was named Valery and Udalov was claimed as Mikhail and "Striker" instead of drummer. Overall sound of LP was much worse than of the original studio tape. But all those troubles didn't make any problems for sales: album sold in more than 1,000,000 copies at first print and became collector's item in one year. Lyrics were written by Margarita Pushkina. One thing to notice is that ARIA received no royalties for the LP since communists considered as a great honour not to pay money to musicians. After recording ARIA began touring which lasted 2 years and was accompanied with tickets totally sold out, venues totally crushed and parties totally drunk out. In Vologda city during the performance of "Ballad About Ancient Russian Warrior" someone threw a chair leg and hit vocalist Kipelov to his head making him singing something really "censored" instead of some lyrics. In the beginning of 1988 ARIA got invited to the Capital Radio fest to London. And troubles once again: all official letters from England were replied by Goskontsert (concert organizing company in the USSR) that "band cannot visit your fest". At the same time ARIA was still touring gathering stadiums so the whole situation seemed to be a kind of bullshit. Meanwhile Dmitry Mamatov and Sergey Komarov shot a video for "Rose Street" song which was shown on TV in "Muzykalny Lift" ("Musical Elevator") show. Filming of that video caused a lot of fans coming to see the process. Both the band and organizers didn't expect 7,000 people attacking them having absolutely no security. So after two hours of struggling with the crowd they escaped leaving various parts of their clothes and cars for souvenirs. And that sacrifice was honoured by video taking #1 in "Music Elevator" charts. In winter of the same year ARIA went to Berlin, Germany for their first abroad tour. The band made three gigs there and was invited to the "Days Of Wall" festival that took place in summer 1988. Right before ARIA to play announcer went out to the 120,000 audience and said: "And now - heavy metal from Moscow". Crowd began laughing cause they had recently seen "Avtograf" (Autograph) and "Mashina Vremeny" (Time Machine) and were expecting a kind of that again. The band name and intro of "Santa Lucia" by Robertino Loretti just make them laugh louder… But already after the first song audience changed its mind. When the show was over security head came up to the band and said: "Yesterday on TV I've seen the signing of mid-range missiles elimination agreement and today I saw Russian Iron Maiden. It seems that Perestroyka really comes true in your country". There were as much alcohol drunk for international friendship that nite that nobody could hardly say anything clever until the band returned to Moscow. It could result in custom service problems in Poland where the band was asked "Who are you?" and replied "We are Arians!". It's interesting that all next tours to Germany were organized by ARIA members themselves without any help of their manager. Conflict closed up. Victor Vekshtein who actually helped the band to live through all troubles began saying that "The band's music became out of fashion and there is no sense to work over the new album; we need to change music". That resulted in Maxim Udalov quitting the band in summer 1988 after tour in Bulgaria. His place was taken by Alexander Manyakin, who shocked the band at audition by playing all songs without any rehearsals. In November of 1988 ARIA decided to quit relations with their manager Victor Vekshtein and then started recording of their new masterpiece "Play With Fire" songs for which were ready long ago. The new manager Yury Fishkin was a friend of Dubinin and Holstinin who helped them during their Volshebnye Sumerki (Magic Twilight) band era. The new album was released in spring of 1989. Music became more aggressive and dynamic. All music was composed by Holstinin and Dubinin and lyrics written by Margarita Pushkina. After the new one released the band shot a video for "Dai Zharu!" (title that could be approximately translated as "Kick Some Ass!") directed by Evgeny Pahomenkov and went to a long Germany tour. There on "Rock Summer" fest German TV decided to shoot ARIA gig and pay them for it like it is always made in the whole world. But when band members began dividing 12,000 DM all the money were taken by a suddenly arrived Goskontsert representative which slightly upset the band. Nevertheless the whole tour (through four cities) was very successful. In spring of 1990 Dubinin and Mavrin got signed by some German label to help one female-singer with recording left the band. So the replacements were found in Dmitry Gorbatikov (guitar, ex-Galaktika, ex-Krasnaya Ploshad) and Alexey Bulkin (bass) who became a friend of the band during ARIA's visit to Saransk city in 1986. After month of rehearsals ARIA continued touring and drinking. And guitarist Gorbatikov always confuses other members by being involved in various stories with women, truly justifying his nickname "loverboy". In August of 1990 being tired of separation Dubinin and Mavrin returned to the band and ARIA played 5 years anniversary celebration gig in DK ZIL venue in October of 1990. The new album "Blood For Blood" was released in autumn '91 and showed the new sounding of the band using guitar synth and acoustic guitars. Lyrics (again by Margarita Pushkina) as always continued eternal struggle of Good and Evil. Album was released on Syntez Records but quality of production and printing was even worse than of Melodiya one. From 1991 to 1993 ARIA wildly crushed hotel rooms Russia-wide beating ROLLING STONES record by throwing TV set out of the window twice while gigging in Tomsk. In 1993 the band lowered its concert activity as a result of overall chaos in the whole country. At the same time ARIA Records studio was born. In 1993 ARIA signed a 5-years contract with MOROZ Records. And the results followed almost immediately: all band's 5 albums were released on CDs, including not released before "Megalomania" and "Whom Are You With?", in summer of 1994 and the band began recording of their sixth album. In September having recorded drum tracks ARIA went to Germany for the fourth time gigging in seven cities and at legendary Berlin Hard Rock Cafe. After the show members were informed that they wouldn't get paid since all the money were spent to organize tour. Scandal resulted vocalist Valery Kipelov (worked in a band for 10 years) to leave the band. After returning to Moscow he didn't show himself in the studio and soon was rumored to be gigging with MASTER. Being shocked by such kinda disaster the left members began searching for the new frontman recording instrumental tracks at the same time. And a new impact struck our heroes: guitarist Sergey Mavrin became upset by the whole depressive situation and said he had lost his faith. Then he left… All changes nearly caused the band being dropped by MOROZ Records. But help came in the person of Sergey Terentyev (guitar). He recorded his own solo album at ARIA Studio in summer '94 and remained there drinking his beer and looking at the remains of the band. Having fed up by looking he offered his hand as a session musician, he then played his solos and continued drinking his beer as already a full member of ARIA. But the vocalist problem was unsolved still. Then Alexander Morozov stepped into and told the band that he would never release anything without Kipelov doing vocals. So Kipelov returned and did all vocals for the new "Night Is Shorter Than Day" album which saw the light in the end of 1995. Besides traditional ARIA hits like "Spirit Of War" and "Angels' Dust" music contained more major moods and the lyrics written by Margarita Pushkina differed a lot from the early ones. They became less pathetic and there were such non-ARIA-like songs like, for example "Go Away And Don't Come Back". To promote the new one the video for "Take My Heart" was shot by Dmitry Velikanov. A new manager Sergey Zadora gathered a strong administrative group and organized many gigs in Moscow and other cities. During that tour the band celebrated its 10 years anniversary and releases 2CD-Live album "Made In Russia" which unexpectedly took high positions in various charts. In the beginning of 1997 "MOROZ Records" proposes musiciants to release the best songs from all the band's history in the serie "Russian Rock Legends", which this company releases. The album included such songs as "Rose Street", "Hero Of Asphalt" etc. The song "Give Me A Hand", which was previously released only in first MC-version of "Hero Of Asphalt" album became a bonus-track. Also the album included a booklet with full history of the band, previously unreleased photos. The album was remastered. In 1997 Summer "arians" dispersed to studios and "independently" created some (actually, there are two of them) solo projects. Vitaly Dubinin and Vladimir Holstinin took part in one of them; another one have been recorded by Valery Kipelov and Aria's ex-guitar player Sergei Mavrin. "Avaria" and "Dark Age", as these projects were named, have been released during the same year's winter and have shown many-sided musiciants' points of view, but team-working was going on and during half of year since 1997 Summer 1997 at "ARIA Records" studio new Aria's masterpiece was created. After long time of doubts about the album's name musiciants stopped on the term "Generator Of Evil". Before releasing the album band is going to visit large number of cities in Russia and ex-USSR; large presentation is planned in Moscow after it. In the middle of '99th ARIA have released a mini-CD "Tribute To Harley Davidson", which contained both old songs and two cover-versions. As a New Year present to fans, in the end of the year ARIA have released also a compilation "2000 And One Night" - album contained old ballads by the band and two brand-new songs. The year of 2000 saluted Aria's 15th anniversary. The band is mostly famous by its shows, and it was the reason for their anniversary tour to be such a great present to the band's fans. That was the first time when a headliner of the tour was a Russian band and a legendary German band RAGE was a guest-star. Each of the bands has played great live sets about 90 minutes long. In Moscow a gig had taken place at Ice Palace CSKA which was overcrowded. Now, there is no further doubt that Russian heavy-metal is same-level comparable to the Western bands. The autumn of 2000 had brought another great show of Aria - now in Palace of sports LUZHNIKI. Less than in half-a year after the triumphal Aria's shows dedicated to the 15th anniversary since the release of the first band's album, Moscow and Saint Petersburg were shaken as the "Arians" have presented their next album with the mystical name "Chimera" (and this time it was a studio album). Though this time the information with many details as to the new masterpiece of the oldest and, for certain, the leading Russian heavy-metal band began to appear in press some months prior to the end of studio work, it hasn't reduce the impatience of the fans, waiting for the album to come out. As "Aria" is not the kind of band to disappoint even the most demanding fans. "Chimera" did not become an exception... None can say that Aria's manner is being changed vastly in the last years - well, the band are what they've ever been - but the "arians" really adore changing the sound, the arrangements and a rider of some other little improvements, and the band never miss a possibility to try something new. In case with "Chimera" album, the metal legend Udo Dirkschneider's (the ex-member of the great German metal band Accept and now - the leader of U.D.O.) participation in recording of one of the songs became such a feature. To say the truth, you won't hear the famous burger's "ear-tearing" voice - it's sad, but the provisions of the contract sometimes don't allow the use of the musician's own voice and even name, but you can see Udo's face in the video for the song "Calm", where he rests and works together with "Aria", drinks a bit and tries to pronounce Russian words about sailors-cannibals, unknown to him. By the way, last time on "Generator of Evil" the "arians" also let a stranger to be the vocalist, but it was a well-known stranger - it was a bass-guitarist Vitaly Dubinin, who sang one whole song. Besides, this was unusual for Aria's style ballad. In "Chimera" the musicians decided to experiment with overall control over the album's creation - well, it's better to say "the total absence of control". "This album was recorded without any producer's intervention, even in view of that we ourselves were the producers, - explains Vladimir Holstinin. - I mean, each musician worked only on his own songs, including arrangements and lyrics ideas. Also there was no distribution of roles in studio - Terentiev was recording all the guitars only for his songs, and I was only for mine." From the date of the new album's release the band had some performances - in April there was a tour over the whole country along with U.D.O., the band of legendary German rocker Udo Dirkschneider, and in August the band had participated in the biggest music festival of 2001 Summer "Nashestvie" in Ramenki (not far from Moscow). The gig was seen not only by 100 000 fans, who were right on the field, but also by millions of TV-watchers, who were able to see it on TV6 channel! Of course, ARIA and DDT, as the headliners of the festival were the most interesting for the public and mass-media. - DDT played their set in the end of the festival and Aria had played in the end of the first day. The band was well-prepared for this performance. ARIA's appearance on the stage was accompanied by the great lighting and pyrotechnic effects. But participation in the show of the musicians of International symphonic orchestra "Globalis" became the real the drawing card of the show. Concurring with the orchestra ARIA played "Lost Paradise", "Splinter of Ice" and "Torero". In the end of September ARIA participated in another festival - "Modernizatsiya" in St.Petersburg. In November the band headed to "shake mountain of Ural and to kindle by it's flaming music the snow of Siberia", as it had been said in advertising on "Nashe Radio" (the informational sponsor of the tour). But the main event of the year 2001 took place on December 1st in Moscow. The performance that took place in the Palace of Sports Luzhniki on that day (well, actually - on that evening) became the most brilliant and memory-holding music event of the year (at least - on the Russian rock stage) seemingly not only for the band's fans, but also for the "arians" themselves. The promoters were working hard to convince the administration, security and fire-protection service of Luzhniki that dropping even the least element of the show will break the whole concept. Negotiations and approvals of the scene's design and the show's script took not less than a month, but the show was worth it! Generally, the preparation to the show took almost three months as the discussions of the first ideas have started during the trip to St.Petersburg for "Modernizatsiya". On December 1, 2001 more than ten thousand fans, who filled up the Palace of Sports Luzhniki, as well as millions of TV6-channel watchers (the channel had broadcasted the TV-version of this performance on the same evening) witnessed the real brilliant show. "ARIA" was the first band in our country, who was took the courage to build the stage in the center of the hall, like Paul McCartney and Metallica did before. This allowed to use a huge number of lighting, laser and pyrotechnic effects including live fire and also to add other tints to their music by inviting two percussionists, three back-vocalists, quartet of cellos and even a choir! The "Arians" put their fans in ecstasy once again and shocked "next-to-music" public, who, considering that nobody in Russia had done anything like this, were comparing this performance with fantastic shows of Metallica of the beginning of 90-s and to the fire show of "German steelmakers" - RAMMSTEIN (who played in Moscow not long ago). In the beginning of November 2002 Aria declared the new line-up: on the drums now sits Maxim Udalov (he's been playing in Aria already once), the new guitarist becomes Sergey Popov (ex-"Master"), new vocalist - Artur Berkut (ex-"Autograph"). Musicians at once started working on a new album. The ninth Aria studio album "Baptizing By Fire" was released on May, 29. The next page of history of band "ARIA" has opened. Soon after the album was released, the band goes touring with the new program; meanwhile, a new double-CD live album is released. The album features the songs from Aria's show in Luzhniki. The new release is entitled "Searching For A New Victim..." Those are words taken from Aria's song "Vampire" from the Chimera album. In 2004 Aria released another live double CD and DVD called "Live Fire" which was also recorded in the above-mentioned venue Luzhniki. A little later Aria became winners in the "Concert of the Year" nomination and play at Kremlin Palace in Moscow. In 2005 Aria celebrated it's 20th anniversary. On this occasion they went on a big tour, for which they recorded a new version of their song "Will And Reason." To do this Aria invited a few of their friends, such as Gleb Samoilov, Vadim Samoilov, Constantine Kinchev, Yuriy Shevchuk, Viacheslav Butusov, and also two former Aria's guitarists, Sergej Mavrin Mavrin and Andrei Bolshakov. In summer 2006, the band released a new single "Alien" featuring a a self-titled song to be included in the new album. After that Aria went touring taking the name of their yet unreleased new album as a name for their tour. The tenth studio album "Armageddon" was released on September 15 the same year. The Armageddon tour was over in April of 2007, after which Aria won the Fuzz magazine award as the best live band of 2006. A month later another set of live double CD and DVD "Dance of Hell" hit the stores. In autumn the band went on another tour timed for the twentieth anniversary of their album "Hero of Asphalt."

Discography

Mania Velichia (1985)
(Megalomania) S Kem Ty? (1986)
(Who are you with?) Geroy Asfalta (1987)
(Hero of asphalt) Igra s Ogneom (1989)
(Playing with fire) Krov za Krov (1991)
(Blood for blood) Noch Koroche Dnia (1995)
(Night is Shorter Than Day) Generator Zla (1998)
(Generator of the evil) Himera (2001)
(Chimera) Kreshenie Ogneom (2003)
(Christening by fire) Armageddon (2006) (Armageddon)

Paragon

Paragon is a speed metal/power metal band from Hamburg, Germany.
Paragon was founded by guitarist Martin Christian (who in many of the band's album booklets is written as Martin Wöbcke when it comes to songwriting-credits). After releasing some demo tapes and a mini-CD, they were able to release an album in 1994, the debut World of Sin. Shortly after this, their record company Blue Merle went bankrupt, and Martin decided to put the band on hiatus. About two years later, Martin found four new members (Andreas, Jan, Markus, & Claudius) and recorded the album The Final Command. In 1999, it was time for the release of Chalice of Steel. In 2001, Paragon released Steelbound, engineered and produced by Piet Sielck of Iron Savior. Piet has worked with the band on every album since then. After the recording of Forgotten Prophecies in early 2007, the band's longtime bassplayer Jan Bünning quit the band because of "musical differences." Shortly after the band had found a replacement in Dirk Seifert. In late 2007 the band changed label and now lies on Massacre Records, a new album is planned to be released in 2008.

Discography

Albums
World of Sin (1995)
The Final Command (1998)
Chalice of Steel (1999)
Steelbound (2001)
Law of the Blade (2002)
The Dark Legacy (2003)
Revenge (2005)
Forgotten Prophecies (2007)
Screenslaves (2008)

Other releases

Into The Black [EP] (1994)
2000 Promo CD [Demo] (2000)
Eye Of The Storm [Single] (2003)
Larger Than Life [EP] (2008)

Overload

Overload is a heavy metal band from Bollnäs, Sweden. The band was formed by Tony Sunnhag (earlier known as Tony Frisk) and Tony Sandberg back in 1987. They got most of their present sound when Stefan Jonsson joined the band 1992. They have some kind of old style thrash metal sound, with rhythm, harmony and melody as their foundation. Their inspiration comes from life itself, both good and bad things. Their lyrics are not just fantasy, many of their lyrics comes from their dreams. Overload has a sound, influenced by bands like Pantera, Metallica and Judas Priest. Overload recorded their first record 1989. It was produced and engineered by Overload and Bror Törnell at FS Studio in Sweden. This first record didn’t have any name, but it was to be called “Whiskey Drinking Woman” It was released in Jan 1990. Their second album was recorded and mixed in 1990. Produced and engineered by Overload and Bror Törnell at FS Studio. A single influenced by Harley-Davidson Motorcycles, named “Second Stroke”. It was released in 1991. 1992 they got a record contract with Black Mark Productions [10] [11] and they recorded their third record and first CD. Engineered by Overload and Bror Törnell at FS Studio. It was released in 1993. 1994 - 1995 they recorded several tracks which never got released. Except for one, a ballad called “Age Of Loneliness”. It was released on a CD collection with FS Studio 1994. For a few years they took a break and 2006 they decided to re-establish their musical crusade, and they got back to finish the recordings that was left unreleased in 1995. 11 years later, in 2006 they released their fourth record “Back On Track”. All 8 tracks were recorded 1994 - 1995. 2007 they recorded 11 tracks, and released "The Dark Side Of Ambition". They also produced videos for three of the tracks. Their singers daughter (Malin Sunnhag) put her vocals in the two first verses on "A Voice From The Dark", 12 years old at the time. 2008 they recorded 11 tracks and released "The Procession Of Tartaros". They also produced videos for two of the tracks. And they recorded a live DVD video from the Rock The Mountain Festival in Söderhamn, Sweden.

Discography

1990 Whiskey Drinking Woman (EP Vinyl)
1991 Second Stroke (EP/Single Vinyl)
1993 Difference Of Opinion (CD Album)
1994 National Confusion (CD Collection)
2006 Back On Track (CD Album)
2007 The Dark Side Of Ambition (CD Album)
2008 The Procession Of Tartaros (CD Album)

W.A.S.P.

Blackie Lawless, born Steven Duren on 4th September 1956. He lived in Staten Island, New York, where he hung out with Ace Freley who went on to be in Kiss. At the age of 13, Blackie was stabbed in a fight and at 14 was sent to Military School to learn discipline. After 18 months of a two year sentence he was thrown out after beating up a Sargent Major. Blackie was nine when he got his first guitar and in that same year he earned 16 dollars and 35 cents in his first band called THE UNDERSIDE. At the age of 16 Blackie played with an East Coast band called BLACK RABBIT, tauting his talents around local bars. Another early band was called ORFAX RAINBOW in which he played for quite a while. When a singing vacancy came up with the legendary NEW YORK DOLLS, after Johnny Thunders leaves, Blackie takes it up - he had just turned 18. After six months playing with the then dying NEW YORK DOLLS, Blackie and fellow DOLLS bassist Arthur Kane decide to leave New York and head to L.A. They form a band called KILLER KANE and release a 33 ½ EP. This includes the tracks MR COOL on Side 1, LONGHAIRED WOMAN and DONT NEED YOU on Side 2. Blackie is known at this time as "Blackie Gooseman". Eventually KILLER KANE breaks up, Arthur decides to go back to New York and Blackie stays in L.A. In 1977, Blackie and Randy Piper join together to form a band called SISTER. SISTER where amongst the first groups in L.A. to experiment with occult symbolism and face make up. It is also believed that Nikki Sixx (Motley Crue) also played in the band for a while. Out of the SISTER experience Blackie meets up with Chris Holmes. While browsing through the "Beaver Hunt" section of Hustler magazine, Blackie spots ex - U.S. Marine Chris and decides to contact him. Unfortunately, the late 1970's were a bad time for Heavy Metal and SISTER failed to generate record company interest despite their loyal club following. Other bands that Blackie had played in around this time were CIRCUS CIRCUS and LONDON. Blackie and Randy stayed in contact and in 1982, when Blackie felt that he had good enough material to form a new band he contacted Randy. Chris and Tony Richards were also added to the line up. The band also dabbled with bassist Don Costa for a while before he joined Ozzy. W.A.S.P were now formed and in late 1982, they started live gigging. Their first gig was at a place called "The Woodstock" in Orange Country, and by May 1983, they were able to sell out the then 3000 seated "Santa Monica Civic Hall". Momentum continued with a number of sold out gigs at the "Troubador". Late in 1983, Iron Maiden manager Rod Smallwood went to see the band. He was extremely impressed with the music and outrageous live performances he decided to get involved. A substantial recording contract was agreed with Capitol Records in early 1984 and the band started to record their debut album "W.A.S.P". The bands first single "ANIMAL" was not included on the album as it would have meant it being banned from major chain stores. Capitol planned to release it as a single only in Europe, in a black plastic bag with a sticker warning of offensive lyrics. At last minute Capitol backs out and the single is salvaged when W.A.S.P strikes a one off deal with "Music For Nations", who release it in its original sleeve in April of 1984. In August the album "W.A.S.P" (the original title was planned to be "Winged Assassins") is issued followed by the single "I Wanna Be Somebody" in September. Just before the start of their British Tour, Tony Richards decides to leaves the band. He is replaced by ex-Keel drummer Steve Riley. After the tour a further single "School Daze" is issued. In May 1985, work begins on the bands second album "THE LAST COMMAND", working with Spensor Proffer at Pasha Studio's in L.A. The band also goes on tour without their signature of blood and guts stage show and open for such major acts as Kiss. The album is released in September, with the first track off the album called "BLIND IN TEXAS" being released in October. Wild Child is issued in June of 1986. Around this time the band comes up with two major inconveniences. Firstly Randy Piper leaves the band and is replaced by bassist Johnny Rod (King Kobra). This enables Blackie to switch back to playing rythum guitar. Also the band starts to run up against on organisation called the P.M.R.C. This was run by U.S. senators wives and wannabes trying to protect decent society from Rock Music. They referred to Blackie as being sick. The summer of 1986 was spent recording in L.A, with plans to return to Europe to do an Autumn tour. Their first single from the new sessions "9.5. N.A.S.T.Y." was released in September and the tour began in October. To co-inside with the tour, the bands third album called "INSIDE THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS" was released. Before the start of their British Tour, W.A.S.P fly into London a few days early to appear live at the "Town and Country Club" for a BBC2 special called "Rock Around The Clock". Their usual grand finale with Blackie's cod piece exploding in a shower of sparks was deemed to be unsuitable and was not filmed. Also around this time there were bomb threats at arenas were W.A.S.P were playing and Blackie had his life threatened by gunshots. In 1987 W.A.S.P were listed fifth on the bill of the Castle Donington, "Monsters Of Rock" festival in the U.K, which was headlined by Bon Jovi. Their act included the return of the "Torture Routine" in all its glory. The week before the festival, "SCREAM UNTIL YOU LIKE IT", the theme tune to the horror movie"Ghoules 2" was released. This was then followed by the release of the bands forth album called "LIVE..... IN THE RAW". February 1988 leads to Music for Nations following up the original "ANIMAL" release with a live version. By the end of the year the band were putting finishing touches to their forth studio album called "THE HEADLESS CHILDREN" in Baby O Studios in L.A. Before recording had began, Steve Riley leaves the band and Frankie Banali drummer from Quiet Riot was borrowed for the album sessions. The finished record had a better sound than its predecessors, with the addition of Ken Hensley (ex-Uriah Heep) on keyboards and string arrangements being used on certain tracks. Mean man was issued at the end of February 1989 and becomes the bands first U.K. Top 30 Hit. The actual album was issued in April and they planed to tour that month too, but the bands inability to find a suitable drummer lead to the tour being re-scheduled for May, when Frankie was free to join the band after finishing touring with Quiet Riot. Their British tour was supported by Zed Yago and was completed at the end of May. Also in May "THE REAL ME" (a cover of The Who's classic from Quadrophenia) was issued. FOREVER FREE was also released and gets to number 25 in the U.K. singles chart. Rumours start to amount that Chris Holmes has left the band and this is confirmed. Blackie announces that he is working on a new project, a rock opera, which is to be called "THE CRIMSON IDOL" without Chris. In March of 1992 the single "CHAINSAW CHARLIE" (the first single in three years) is released followed by the album "THE CRIMSON IDOL" in June. It was recorded at Blackie's Fort Apache studios and was written and produced by the man himself.. Frankie Banalli left the band during the recording sessions and Stret Howland took over on drums, also Johnny Rod does not play on the album, but he is later re-recruited for the tour . Bob Kulluck is included and takes over on guitar for studio work only. August 1992 W.A.S.P play Castle Donington, Monster of Rock festival in the U.K, headlined by Iron Maiden, and also tour later that year. The touring line up included Blackie, Johnny Rod, Stret Howland and Doug Blair. The single "SUNSET AND BABYLON" is issued in October 1993, followed by the release of the album "FIRST BLOOD….LAST CUTS" in the same month. Around this time Blackie declares that he has disbanded W.A.S.P to pursue a solo career. Blackie signs a new record deal with Castle records and in June 1995, the album "STILL NOT BLACK ENOUGH" is released still under the name W.A.S.P. Blackie stated that at the time that he had began writing the album, he had intended to put W.A.S.P behind him, but as the album come together there were songs in the classic W.A.S.P style and it seemed natural to call it a W.A.S.P album, anything else would not have been true to the many legions of W.A.S.P fans who had shared the experiences. "BLACK FOREVER" a CD single was also issued too. W.A.S.P do not tour, but Blackie makes personal appearances to promote the record. March 1997 leads to the release of "KILL FUCK DIE" through Raw Power and a one track limited edition CD of the same name was released a month earlier. The album has a much darker mood to it and has included the return of guitar player Chris Holmes to the band. Stret Howland is also in the band and Mike Duda is added on bass guitar. The band tours and their stage show is very outrageous, it included the raping of a nun and the cutting up of a pig. W.A.S.P sign a new deal with CMC International Records and Blackie wins a court case against Capitol and contains full control of the W.A.S.P back-catalogue. He re-masters the catalogue and re-issues them with B sides and live performances added. "DOUBLE LIVE ASSASSINS" is released in the U.K. in February 1998 and in the U.S. in June. This is a live album which was recorded on their world tour in 1997. They join the Metal Manics tour with Iron Maiden, but due to problems with the tour they pull out. In January of 1999 Blackie announces the name of the new album which is called "HELLDORADO" it is to be released in May followed by a European tour. After completing a successful European Tour in June 1999. Blackie at to postpone the U.S. Tour due to a injury on his elbow. February 2000, W.A.S.P embark on their long awaited American Tour. A Best Of CD entitled 'The Best Of The Best' is released in March. The CD included classic songs such as Animal, L.O.V.E Machine and Wild Child. Also there were two extra tracks on the CD, a version of the Elton John hit 'Saturday Nights Alright For Fighting' and a new track entitled 'Unreal'. The band play a show at the Key Club in Los Angeles on April 22nd 2000. This show was broadcasted live all around the world via the internet. This was an historic event in W.A.S.P history and fans came together from all over the world to watch the same show. It was amazing. In May of 2000 W.A.S.P took part in charity show sponsored by Concreate Marking in which all proceeds of the ticket sales went to the T.J. Mashal foundation. Other bands that took part in this event where Great White and Megadeath. Parts of this show was also recorded for an Hollywood film. October 2000 saw the release of a CD called 'The Sting'. This CD is a recording of the Netcast show that took place at the Key Club Los Angeles on April 22nd 2000. W.A.S.P. released Unholy Terror through the Metal-is label, on April 9th 2001. It was Recorded in Los Angeles with W.A.S.P main man Blackie Lawless at the production helm, 'UNHOLY TERROR' dealt with many issues that Blackie sees in the world today, and never being afraid to comment on these issues through his music said: ''One subject that this album deals with is socio, religious, and political hypocrisy. I had a fundamentalist Christian upbringing and I grew up seeing the world through a different pair of eyes''. In the song 'Charisma', Lawless, who has constantly been the target of religious zealots throughout his career, explains: ''There's a dark side of charisma that mesmerizes all of us when we look at the world figures who possess that dark gift. In the song there's a line that goes 'Preaching fear and using religion with the Bible and Koran', as often organised religions wield a mighty power over it's congregations in the name of God''. That said, this is still a Rock n' Roll record, and sees W.A.S.P's trademark high octane brand of relentless, driving rock, standing shoulder to shoulder with songs about Disaffected Youth and Dictators, Popes and Politicians, and will surely go down as one of their most accomplished albums to date. They played some European festivals in June, July & August of 2001, before returning to the U.S.A to do an Autumn Tour. On June 11th, shock rock innovators W.A.S.P. will release their most inspired effort to date through Sanctuary/Metal-Is Records.. On the heals of 2001's critically acclaimed Unholy Terror (heralded as an "…excuse to flay your carcass more ruthlessly than anyone else can…" by L.A. Weekly and "…hard, nasty and loud…" by Hit Parader Magazine), Blackie Lawless and company are unleashing a 10-track demonstration of inspiration through aggression entitled Dying For The World. With a lineup that currently consists of vocalist/guitarist/ringleader Blackie Lawless, longtime contributing drummer Frankie Banali and bassist Mike Duda, and newcomer Darrell Roberts (who joined the band just prior to the Unholy Terror U.S. Tour), Dying For The World was recorded and mixed at Blackie's studio in Los Angeles. The album was actually inspired by letters received from troops who fought in the Gulf War. Blackie explains: "Our motivation for this record was prefaced by letters sent to us from the tank divisions during the Gulf War, where the troops would actually go into battle blaring 'Fuck Like A Beast' and 'Wild Child.' After the events on 9/11, we felt we would give them a fresh batch; in essence, we've literally made an album to go kill people by." Consisting of songs entitled "Shadow Man," "Hell For Eternity," "Trail Of Tears," "Rubberman," "My Wicked Heart," "Stone Cold Killers," "Hallowed Ground," "Hallowed Ground #5 (acoustic)," "Black Bone Torso," and "Revengence," Dying For The World emphasizes a method of dealing with anger. A native of Staten Island, Blackie elaborates: "This problem isn't going to go away; we WILL have to deal with the Middle East eventually. There is no longer an 'if', it's 'when'!"s 'when'!

Discography

Animal (Fuck Like A Beast) (1982, independent demo tape)
W.A.S.P. (August 17, 1984)
The Last Command (November 9, 1985)
Inside the Electric Circus (November 8, 1986)
The Headless Children (April 15, 1989)
The Crimson Idol (June 8, 1992)
Still Not Black Enough (1995)
Kill Fuck Die (1997)
Helldorado (1999)
Unholy Terror (2001)
Dying for the World (2002)
The Neon God: Part 1 - The Rise (2004)
The Neon God: Part 2- The Demise (2004)
Dominator (2007)

Live albums

Live...In the Raw (November 27, 1987)
Live...Animal (EP) (November 27, 1987)
Double Live Assassins (1998) The Sting (2000)

Iced Earth

Few emotions register as deeply in the human subconscious as fear. Few historical events are meaningful enough to enter the collective memory of a nation. Merging the recollection of your first-known terror with the significance of a sociological phenomenon, Iced Earth's Horror Show is destined to become a landmark album in the consciousness of a world hungry for something musically extraordinary. Briefly known as Purgatory and founded by the burning ambition of a 16-year-old runaway in Indiana, Jon Schaffer's vision has remained unadulterated since day one because of the obvious: nothing is more important to him than the music he writes and the fans who support Iced Earth. Remaining faithful and dedicated to defiant, non-commercial heavy metal, Iced Earth have indisputably established themselves as one of the most dynamic and musically multi-dimensional bands in the world. Terrorizer Magazine aptly describes their characteristic sound this way: "Take the best bits off [Metallica's] Ride The Lightning and Master Of Puppets, combine them with equally classic Priest and a healthy shot of vintage Maiden and you're about halfway there." Iced Earth's self-titled debut spread steadily throughout the European underground in 1991, while in North America the metal market was soon to undergo a drastic change. Through their persistence of vision and in spite of the U.S. trend-laden music scene, Iced Earth never succumbed to the pressure of going mainstream. Songwriter and guitarist Jon Schaffer added vocalist Matthew Barlow to the band's nucleus in 1995, which strengthened the band's writing and solidified its forceful delivery. The incredible praise Barlow earned for his work on Iced Earth's third studio album, Burnt Offerings, brought only a hint of the powerful things to come. The Dark Saga, with its trademarked orchestral elements, was released in 1996 and heralded the band's breakthrough in the United States. Sales of Iced Earth's back catalog increased with every newfound fan. Band members frequently faced inquiries about their demo recordings and unreleased rarities. Using the benefit of updated recording technology for their 1997 offering Days Of Purgatory, they meticulously reconstructed all of the material from their infamous Enter The Realm demo tape and reworked selected songs from their first two classics, Iced Earth and Night Of The Stormrider, so fans could enjoy classic Iced Earth material written between 1986-1994. Now, with the legacy of seven albums, they have built an unwavering legion of loyal-to-the-death followers around the world. In turn, they have returned that loyalty ten-fold to their fans. In 1999, they embarked on a successful six-week national U.S. tour in support of Something Wicked This Way Comes. In Europe, they dominated stages at the Gods Of Metal festival in Italy, the Dynamo festival in The Netherlands, and the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Words often fail the attempts to describe first-hand accounts of the raw power felt at an Iced Earth concert. Jon Schaffer has returned for the first studio album in three years with lead singer Matthew Barlow, fellow guitar player Larry Tarnowski, and new drummer Richard Christy (Control Denied, Death, Incantation, touring drummer for Demons & Wizards). Using the trusted production skills of Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios in Florida where Iced Earth have recorded all of their studio work, they have unquestionably harnessed their collective professional talents to create a monumental contribution to the genre of heavy metal. Adeptly adjoining Schaffer's penchant for musically technical constructions with his impeccable storytelling abilities, Horror Show extols a brilliant and dramatic seamlessness from the first note to the last. Encapsulated here is a ravaging collection of songs bearing tribute to the timeless legends of evil that have plagued our nightmares since childhood: The Werewolf, Damien Thorne, Jack The Ripper, The Mummy, Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Dracula, Frankenstein. Collectively, this album is an invocation of all your greatest fears, blatantly challenging you to look at your own malevolence. With artwork expertly handled by the team of Danny Miki (Spawn and The Creech comic book artist) and Travis Smith (cover artist for Jag Panzer and Opeth), both have created another masterful design package that's as richly detailed and haunting as the music and lyrics. This is an album generations of fans will be justifiably proud of. This is metal for the new millennia.

Discography

1990 Iced Earth
1991 Night of the Stormrider
1995 Burnt Offerings
1996 The Dark Saga
1998 Something Wicked This Way Comes
2001 Horror Show
2004 The Glorious Burden
2007 Framing Armageddon
2008 The Crucible of Man

Skid Row

Manifested in 1986, Skid Row first began as a songwriting partnership between Dave and Rachel. After a year of swapping coplementary song ideas," as Rachel put it, the guys put together Skid Row's final line up in the fall of 1987. For Scotti Hill, becoming a member of the rock band was inevitable. Having jammed with Bolan in a previous band and also landing a job at the Garden State Music store where Bolan has hanging out made him perfect for the role as Skid Row's second riff thrasher. Another Skid Row co-founder, Dave Sabo, who had been employed by a Garden State Music store, was looking for the right people to form a band. He was already in process of songwriting with Rachel Bolan. Dave has been infuenced by Kiss and his guitar hero was Ace Frehley. I went to the store with a bunch of dollar bills, rolls of quarters and pennies, and I said 'I neead that Guitar.' This spunky young pup picked up his new Ibanez Iceman, went home and stood in front of the mirror for few hours each day, played his nine chords, and saw Ace Frehley or Paul Stanley for a reflection. Dave Sabo was soon learned how to write a song or ten, before deciding it was time to set up his own band. Since Rob Affuso and Dave knew each other from times before, it was an easy choce as who would take the Skid's stool. Rob's heavy banging talents are natural for Skid Row's non-bullshit edge. Rob has been trying to get into the band by following Dave and calling him constantly. Finally Rob came to the studio and jammed on "Midnight Tornado". After, Rachel and Dave looked at each other and asked him: "Do you want to be in the band?" With the rest of the band set, the quest for the ultimate frontman had began. Nine months later, Sebastian Bach flew in from Toronto after Skids sent him a tape. In the business, a match-up like Sebastian Bach,a frontman with a talent, energy, balls bravado, and, most importantly, chemistry. A front man who would breathe, eat, sleep, and shit Skid Row! The business, and Skid Row is known as SCORE! COUP! MIRACLE! Bands with attitude of Skid Row don´t grow on trees, and neither do people like Baz! Born in the Bahamas and raised in Peterborough, Canada before moving to Toronto, Canada, Baz remembers with typical flair how the first meetings went! When he heard "Youth Gone Wild", he knew it had been written for him to sing. They jelled as a band right away. It was like missing pieces; they had been looking for each other. We got along, and that was the important thing. Skid Row did their first gig together as a band, on Jan 1st, 1988 in ROCK 'N ROLL HEAVEN, a small, no more exsisting rock club in Toronto, Canada. That place had a Skid Row history in itself! "Worked out" is an understatement. Ah c'mon, you all know just what it did: five million in U.S sales, while international fever ran high whenever the Skids hit another country. Top 10 singles, magazine poll-winners, cover stars - - Skid Row took on the world and won. Skid Row' 89" went quadruple platinum world-wide! That left them with the task of a follow-up album "Slave to The Grind", the first album to debut at #1 in three years on Billboard, is another example of their commitment and attitude to the perfection of ballsy music. The band crancked out successful jams such as, Monkey Business," QuickSand Jesus",Wasted Time" and Slave to the grind", a song which speaks out on the evil's of becoming a slave to the system. That song is about being tired of everyday's life. If you allow your self to be a slave to the system, then you're fucked. Slave to the grind sold more than four million units world-wide and they headlined in over 20 countries. Touring all 1989, opening for Bon Jovi in US then for Motley Crue in Europe, Skid Row has proved that they werent another follow up rock band but had their own sound. Skids sometimes took over Aerosmith's shows so when Aerosmith would go on stage they'd get booed with people yelling: Skid Row, Skid Row, Skid Row! Skids had killed lots of bands they had opened for. Slave to the grind tour was the longest tour in a history of Skid Row. 18 Fucking months of hotel rooms went just unbelievable great for the guys! Skid Row had played all kinds of different festivals around the world including two biggest ones, "DONINGTON" in 1992, opening for Iron Maiden and Rio De Janeiro "Rock in Rio". Around 100.000 people had attended the show. Thats pretty much how many fans Kiss had on their last make up date in Rio in 1983. Before ending their 18 month world tour, Skids have played last 6 months in USA with Pantera opening! Skids took about two years off to have some fun and to write their next disk which is called Subhuman Race". That album is the best CD in the history of homosapians!!! Subhuman Race" is a masterpiece with different variety of styles and sounds. Sound ranges from Pantera's to Kiss', from Alice In Chains' to even some hardcorish Biohazard type of thing! White Zombie and Metallica riffs also present. On the Subhuman Race tour Skid Row were opeing for Van Halen U.S dates and it went really great. Guys were playing outdoor amphitheatres, and packing large clubs and smaller arenas on their days off. We can say Metal in 1996 isn´t dead yet! It will last a lot longer. As for the present of Skid Row, guys are working on a new CD which will be hopefully be out by March. The band wants to get on tour with Reunited Kiss as soon as possible, so if they get their guts going, we may see them hitting the stage sometime in 1997. Sebastian has been following the Kiss reunion tour all over the USA. He has attended the Detroit Kick-off , four nights at the NY Madison Square Gardens with the rest of the band and in his home town Toronto.


Discography
1989 Skid Row
1991 Slave to the Grind
1995 Subhuman Race
2003 Thickskin
2006 Revolutions per Minute

Mezarkabul

Mezarkabul (Pentagram in Turkey) is a Turkish heavy metal and speed metal band formed by Murat İlkan (vocals), Hakan Utangaç, Metin Türkcan (solo guitarist), Tarkan Gözübüyük, and Cenk Ünnü. Pentagram is known for integrating Anatolian elements into their music. Mezarkabul was formed in Istanbul in 1986 by guitarist Hakan Utangaç and drummer Cenk Ünnü. By 1987, bassist Tarkan Gözübüyük had joined and they started doing live shows. Their first songs were released in 1990 on the self-titled Pentagram album. In 1992, a second guitarist Demir Demirkan joined the band, as well as a new lead singer, Bartu Toptas, helping Hakan to concentrate on his guitar duties. Several gigs were played with the new line-up until Bartu decided to move back to Sweden. He left the band in march 1992 just when the band had started to record the "Trail Blazer" album. The voice in the beginning of "Secret missile" belongs to Bartu who left the band during the recordings. Substituting Bartu vocalist Ogün Sanlısoy was added to the line-up. They released their second album Trail Blazer in the same year and enjoyed a rapidly-growing fanbase - both in Turkey and worldwide. In 1993 guitarist Ümit Yılbar was killed by terrorists on the mountain of Cıraf while serving the Turkish Army. They made the tribute song Fly Forever in memory of Ümit Yılbar and the band also dealt with this issue in subsequent songs as "1,000 in the Eastland" and "Anatolia" (both from the album "Anatolia"). For the next three years, the band toured in their homeland and over the world. In 1995, vocalist Murat İlkan replaced Ogün, and they started working on their next album, Anatolia. Anatolia was released in Turkey in 1997, and several weeks after the release, Century Media approached Pentagram for a worldwide release. The lyrics of Anatolia mainly deal with issues of war, pain and ignorance, often in an unusual way. In "1,000 in the Eastland" it is stressed that "thousands of people are dying in the East, all ignored by the West, where one death becomes a tragedy", at the same time emphasising that "fighting with hatred feeds the rich men". They released a live album in 1998 called Popçular Dışarı (literally "Pop Lovers Out"). Guitarist Demir Demirkan departed, and was temporarily replaced with Onur "Mr. Cat" Pamukçu. The band started recording their next album in 2000 in their own studio in Istanbul. Guitarist Metin Türkcan officially joined the band during the recording session. They composed 17 songs, and decided to split it up into two different CDs. In 2001, Unspoken was released worldwide. In 2002, Bir ("One") was exclusively released in Turkey. For their releases in Turkey, they use the name Pentagram. However, due to an American doom metal band called Pentagram, they go by the name Mezarkabul (literally "Acceptance To Grave") for international releases. They got a new concert DVD album by Sony music called 1987 in 2008 including their 20th anniversary concert in Bostancı Gösteri Merkezi on 4 February 2007. Mezarkabul is often considered to be the pioneers of heavy metal in Turkey. Their work has inspired all forms of rock music, and helped it to gain popularity in Turkey. They were known to collaborate with the late vocalist of Vitamin, Gökhan Semiz, and Vitamin itself. Also, Tarkan Gözübüyük has worked with numerous artists and bands, producing, arranging and sometimes performing. For example, Mor ve Ötesi's (literally "Purple and Beyond" or "ultraviolet") groundbreaking album Dünya Yalan Söylüyor (literally "The World is Lying") had Gözübüyük as its producer. Other than contributions to rock music, Mezarkabul members continued to contribute to popular music as well. Demir Demirkan, as he pursued his solo career, wrote the lyrics and produced the first Turkish song ever to win the Eurovision song contest. Tuna Kiremitçi, of the Vatan newspaper, wrote an article about the band, praising their contributions.


Current Lineup

Murat İlkan - vocals (1995-present)
Hakan Utangaç - guitar (1986-present)
Metin Türkcan - guitar (2000-present)
Tarkan Gözübüyük - bass (1987-present)
Cenk Ünnü - drums (1986-present)

Former members

Ümit Yılbar - guitar
(1986-1989) Murat Net - guitar (1989-1990)
Bartu Toptas - vocals (1990-1992)
Ogün Sanlısoy - vocals (1992-1995)
Demir Demirkan - guitar (1992-1998)
Onur "Mr. Cat" Pamukçu - guitar (1998-2000)

Discography

1990 - Pentagram
1992 - Trail Blazer
1997 - Anatolia
2001 - Unspoken
2002 - Bir
2009 - Untitled Sixth Studio Album Live Album


Live Album

1998 - Popçular Dışarı
2008 - Pentagram 1987

Demo

1991 - Live at the Trail DVD

DVD

2008 - Pentagram 1987

Dokken

Any band that’s managed to stick around for 18 years has a few battle scars to prove it and Dokken has a few more than most, as those familiar with its history can attest. But survival in rock ‘n’ roll comes down to one secret weapon: great songs, and Dokken has delivered eight albums full of them with multi-platinum success and the enduring appreciation of a worldwide audience. Having survived the vagaries of a volatile music scene and internal volatility as well, Dokken approaches the new millennium armed with some of the strongest music it has ever created. With the addition of guitarist Reb Beach, who joined the band last spring, and a return to the big, hard-rocking, harmonized sound it temporarily abandoned on the experimental Shadowlife (1997), Dokken is back and in full control with the appropriately named Erase the Slate on CMC International Records. "We have the means to take the talent that we have and make it go the distance," says bassist Jeff Pilson. "We’re all focused and going forward in the right direction. It’s time to erase the slate and get a new start with everything." The result of that concentrated effort is a collection of 11 new tracks, including the powerful first single "Maddest Hatter," an electrifying new take on "One," the 1969 Three Dog Night hit, and the double bass burner "Erase the Slate," which became the album’s title after Dokken’s Internet fans chose it over IX in a landslide vote. "The intention was to make another great high-energy Dokken record with a lot of melody and plenty of harmonies," says Pilson. The writing and recording of Erase the Slate was a more collaborative process than Dokken had recently experienced, thanks in great part to new member Beach, who Pilson describes as "a great player and very conscientious writer who’s right in line with where we want to go. He brings an excitement about playing both older songs and the new songs with a touch of the older style, and it’s nice to have that energy and excitement around us." The working vibe, however, was laid back, "100% more comfortable and relaxed," according to Wild MickBrown. Dokken, without a permanent guitarist since the departure of George Lynch in November 1997, had re-established a friendship with Beach the previous summer on tour with Alice Cooper. The former Winger six-stringer and Cooper sideman, a Dokken fan, readily came aboard—and fit right in. "In Dokken, he can burn, shred, whatever he wants to do. There’s no restrictions on him," says Don Dokken. "If you’ve got a great player, let him play." Beach was thrilled: "I’ve never been in a band where I get to play so much," he raves. But Beach isn’t the only one who gets to shine. Pilson’s playing is spotlighted for the first time via the bass solo "Little Brown Pill," a hidden track on Erase the Slate, and Brown sings lead on the playful "Crazy Mary Goes Round." "Don Dokken’s vocals on this record are the best he’s ever done," says Pilson. "Every one gives me goosebumps." Erase the Slate is the latest in a long line of accomplishments that include a 1989 Grammy Award nomination and over six million records sold, encompassing platinum-plus sales for Tooth and Nail (1984), Under Lock and Key (1985) and Back For the Attack (1987), which hit the million mark in three weeks. That year, Dokken also mined platinum with the Unchain the Night video compilation, and scored the following year with the "Dream Warriors" video, a tie-in to the Freddy Krueger thriller Nightmare on Elm Street 3. Opening for Aerosmith from October 1987 through March 1988, and as part of the Monsters of Rock tour that summer with Van Halen, Metallica, the Scorpions, and Kingdom Come, Dokken played their biggest shows ever, including the Iowa Jam, and an L.A. Coliseum crowd of 93,000. "We played for a million people in one month," Dokken recalls. "We started out nobody and we ended up in stadiums." On January 27, 1988, Dokken got the Key to the City from Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, who proclaimed it Dokken Day, but the distinction was somewhat ironic, as the band is not a product of the L.A. club circuit. Though formed in the city, Dokken went to Europe to record and release Breaking the Chains in 1981, remixed and reissued Stateside in 1983 after the band was signed by Elektra Records. From there, says Don Dokken, "We went straight into arenas with Blue Oyster Cult." Tooth and Nail, featuring "Alone Again," "Into the Fire," and "Just Got Lucky," launched Dokken at radio and on MTV, and the momentum continued with "In My Dreams" and "It’s Not Love" from Under Lock and Key, and "Burning Like a Flame" from Back for the Attack as the band played stadiums. But during the Monsters of Rock tour, "The internal problems had taken over the performances," says Don. Dokken officially disbanded after the last date on the tour. The live album Beast from the East (1988) was its final release, and the members went their separate ways. Don Dokken recorded solo, receiving an American Music Award nomination in 1991. George Lynch and Mick Brown formed Lynch Mob, and Jeff Pilson fronted War & Peace. But when Dokken and Pilson’s paths crossed in 1992 and started writing together again, "the old chemistry was back. In a pretty short amount of time we had what became the Dysfunctional record," Pilson says. Recording began in early ’94 without George Lynch, who came aboard in time to finish the record for a 1995 release via Columbia/Sony. In December1994, Dokken recorded the live acoustic album One Live Night for release in Japan, and in November 1996 it became the first domestic release under Dokken’s new deal with CMC. "It gave us a new outlook on the old music, and it really worked. It really surprised everybody. Then we hit the bump in the road, and things got a bit chaotic," Pilson laughs. But now, two years later, "All the pieces are in place and we’re ready to move forward." As Erase the Slate confirms, it’s about the music, and that has been the key to Dokken’s survival. Without the #1 hits or trendy image that helped but ultimately hurt some of its rock contemporaries, the band has the kind of timeless credibility that transcends genres. "18 years proves we have something to say," underlines Don Dokken, pointing out that the band stuck to those convictions in the grunge-ruled early ‘90s in the face of negative opposition. "At first it hit me hard and then it inspired me. ‘You know what? Kiss my ass!,’ " he told the nay-sayers. "It’s over when we say it’s over. If you don’t listen to your own instincts you might as well give it up. You’ve got to fight for what you believe in." That tenacity has been rewarded by the renewed strength of the rock market, indicative, Pilson believes, of the fact that people miss fun music. "They’re hungry for exciting rock music again. And we really feel that we finally have a record where the music and the timing and people’s tastes are going to converge. I speak for everybody when I say we’re very confident about this record," he says of Erase the Slate. "Wherever we end up going is going to be a result of great music and a band that’s ready to tackle it and focus on it."

Discography

Breaking the Chains (1983)
Tooth and Nail (1984)
Under Lock and Key (1985)
Back for the Attack (1987)
Beast from the East (1988)
Dysfunctional (1995)
One Live Night (1996)
Shadowlife (1997)
Erase The Slate (1999)
Live from the Sun (2000)
Long Way Home (2002)
Hell To Pay (2004)
From Conception: Live 1981 (2007)
Lightning Strikes Again (2008)

The Melvins

The Melvins have been a band for a long, long, long time... A very long, long, long time. They're somewhere in between a novelty act and yesterday's news. It's a strange place for a band with a Peter Pan complex to be in but there it is! What the hell right? We all want to just get on a space ship and watch the earth explode, don't we?

The band still includes founding member King Buzzo and almost founding member Dale Crover, alongside long-time friends and musicians Jarod Warren and Coady Willis. This is extraordinary considering how hard it is for bass players and others to stick around the Melvins camp for more than two minutes. Everyone always loses their minds with or without drugs, but mostly with. They can't explain why, but the list of former members is about 40 and counting. Well, 40 might be a bit of an exaggeration but not by much.

In 2006 the Melvins released A Senile Animal, some 22 years after they started the band. It is one of the best-received records of their career, also marking the end of a revolving door of musicians with the very welcome annexation of Jarod and Coady. The refreshed quartet, now featuring double drummers, graced the cover of The Wire, received a 5/5 in Alternative Press, a 9/10 in Revolver and Pitchfork commented, "(A) Senile Animal stands as the band's most no-frills, accessible, and flat-out best album since Stoner Witch."

Discography

1987 Gluey Porch Treatments
1989 Ozma
1991 Bullhead
1992 Lysol
1993 Houdini
1994 Prick
1994 toner Witch
1996 Stag
1997 Honky
1999 The Maggot
1999 The Bootlicker
2000 The Crybaby
2001 Electroretard
2002 Hostile Ambient Takeover
2004 Pigs of the Roman Empire
2006 (A) Senile Animal
2008 Nude With Boots

Twisted Sister

A product of New Yorker City's early-'70s glam rock scene, Twisted Sister were eager students of the New York Dolls, with the theatrics of Kiss and the shock rock of Alice Cooper thrown in for good measure. While providing an excellent role model from an artistic standpoint, the Dolls' disappointing record sales and subsequent implosion would make it difficult for such faithful disciples as Twisted Sister to land a record deal, and the band wound up struggling for nearly a decade before finally getting their big break in the early '80s. Unfortunately, when this break finally came, the band would then embody one of the most gruesome examples of record company overexposure in the history of rock & roll (or at least since Kiss' late-'70s decline), bringing an abrupt end to their brief moment of glory. Founded in December 1972 by guitarist Jay Jay French (who as John Segal, legend has it, played in a pre-Kiss band called Rainbow with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley), Twisted Sister based their every move on the aforementioned New York Dolls. Their apprenticeship on the local club scene was a slow one, but by late 1975 a somewhat stable lineup had coalesced around French, fellow guitarist and high school buddy Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda, bassist Kenneth Harrison Neil, and drummer Kevin John Grace. A number of different vocalists filed through their ranks, but it was only with the arrival of Dee Snider in early 1976 that the band found its true leader. Snider brought a strong Alice Cooper influence to the band, giving their by then antiquated, fey glam sound a welcome kick in the ass. He also quickly developed into the band's dominant songwriter, and with new drummer Tony Petri in tow, Twisted Sister really started making a name for themselves in and around the city. A significant growth spurt ensued; Snider wrote a wealth of original material and the band's live performances grew in local legend, setting attendance records that still stand in many clubs and culminating in a fruitful May 1978 recording session that would yield most of the material released 20 years later as the Club Daze album. Twisted Sister's transformation from glam rock also-rans into metallic hard rock contenders was completed later that year with the arrival of ex-Dictators bass player Mark "The Animal" Mendoza. November 1979 saw another studio session (this time at Electric Lady Studios with famed Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer), which resulted in their first single, "I'll Never Grow Up Now!," released on the band's own TSR label in early 1980. Another single, "Bad Boys of Rock'n'Roll," followed that summer, but for all their hard work, come 1981 the band had only a growing collection of record company rejection slips to show for their efforts. Finally, independent Secret Records decided to take a chance on the group and after cutting the four-track Ruff Cuts EP, the group flew to England with new drummer A.J. Pero (ex-Cities) to record their first full-length album, Under the Blade, under the direction of UFO bassist Pete Way as producer. And despite obtaining only a mediocre sound from the inexperienced Way, the album became a surprise underground success, generating enough buzz to attract Atlantic Records, which came calling with a major distribution contract -- the final ingredient for Twisted Sister's assault on the charts over the next two years. 1983's seminal You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll laid the groundwork for things to come with its more polished production values and more consistent material, yielding only one chart-flirting single in the title track (for which the band filmed their first, incredibly cheesy, but rather amusing video) but garnering serious cred with the metal crowd. Later that year, L.A.'s Quiet Riot topped the charts with their smash hit Metal Health (the first heavy metal album to do so), and Twisted Sister took advantage of this sympathetic musical climate to unleash their own definitive statement, Stay Hungry. Digging deep into his pop and glam roots, Snider infused added commercial appeal to the band's hard rock onslaught, and with such monster hits as "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" leading the way to radio and MTV saturation with their hilariously tongue-in-cheek videos, the album soon exceeded multi-platinum sales. The extensive touring that followed guaranteed the album's stay near the top of the charts for many months to come and, against all odds, helped make the "sick mo-fos" from Long Island into household names in America. Of course the backlash, when it came, was equally sudden and incredibly vicious. Overexposed to the breaking point after converting every angry teenager in America and most of their parents, Twisted Sister had lost the edge of their dangerous image, not to mention the respect of their loyal but terribly possessive core metal fan base. To complicate matters, 1985's Come Out and Play album was very uneven; attempting to cater to both the band's hardcore elements and their newfound pop constituency and introducing an excessively glammed-up image makeover to boot, it quickly slid off the charts. Not even Atlantic Records' timely reissue of Under the Blade (with an added bonus track, "I'll Never Grow Up Now!") could staunch the bleeding, and a dumbfounded Twisted Sister found themselves quickly transformed from media darlings to favorite whipping boys. For his part, Snider remained in the camera eye, however, appearing before a Senate committee later that year (along with such rock & roll luminaries as Frank Zappa and Bob Denver) to testify against the Parents Music Resource Center's demands for music censorship legislation. Sadly, it would prove to be Twisted Sister's highest profile appearance all year, as their concerts were frequently marred either by low attendance or crowd animosity. Adding insult to injury, drummer Pero had rendered his resignation at tour's end, opening the door to a very troubled 1986 for Twisted Sister, as rumors ran rampant about an irreparable rift between Snider and French over the band's direction. They eventually re-emerged with 1987's Love Is for Suckers, featuring new drummer Joey "Seven" Franco, but not even the services of flavor-of-the-month pop-metal producer Beau Hill could save the album from disappointing sales, and despite still getting by on the basis of their reliably fierce concert performances, Twisted Sister wound up disintegrating shortly thereafter. Except for Dee Snider, who gamely soldiered on with an ultimately unsuccessful new hard rock band named Desperado (later renamed Widowmaker and featuring guitarist Bernie Tormé and drummer Franco), the members of Twisted Sister pretty much vanished from sight over the next few years. Grunge came and went, and posthumous releases like 1992's Big Hits and Nasty Cuts and 1994's Live at Hammersmith provided the only memory of Twisted Sister's meteoric flight across the hard rock firmament. As the '90s wore on, Snider's voice was heard promoting the New York State Lotto as often as shouting "I wanna rock!" and by decade's end he'd transitioned into a widely syndicated radio DJ and even sometime movie producer. He wrote and starred in the 1998 horror flick Strangeland, for which he also managed to reunite Twisted Sister's final lineup to record a brand new song entitled "Heroes Are Hard to Find." His reconciliation with TS founder Jay Jay French (who'd kept busy managing bands, most notably nu-metallers Sevendust) eventually paved the way to a never-dreamed-of, full-fledged reunion of the "classic" Stay Hungry lineup, which performed publicly for the first time in almost 15 years at a post-9/11 benefit concert for New York City. By then, Spitfire Records had reissued much of Twisted Sister's original catalog, along with a pair of Club Daze collections documenting the band's "lost" '70s recordings, and, in 2004, released a re-recorded Stay Hungry (retitled Still Hungry) to mark its 20th anniversary. All of this activity fostered further demand for a more permanent return to action -- they even released a holiday album (Twisted Christmas) in 2006 -- and Twisted Sister has since toured sporadically across the globe, even, as documented by 2005's =Live at Wacken DVD, performing to massive European festival audiences. Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide

Discography

Under the Blade (1982)
You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll (1983)
Stay Hungry (1984)
Come Out and Play (1985)
Love Is For Suckers (1987)
Big Hits and Nasty Cuts: The Best of Twisted Sister (1992)
Live at Hammersmith (1994)
Club Daze Volume 1: The Studio Sessions (1999)
We're Not Gonna Take It(1999)
Club Daze Volume 2: Live In The Bars (2001)
The Essentials (2002)
Still Hungry(2004)
Live At Wacken: The Reunion (2005)
A Twisted Christmas (2006)

Scorpions

At the start of the new millennium and exactly 35 years since the foundation of Germany’s most successful hard rock band of all time, SCORPIONS Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs can look back together on a spectacular career in the international music business.Like many youngsters born in post-war Germany, Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker were influenced by the music and other life-enhancing delights imported into their homeland by American GI’s – Elvis Presley, chewing gum, blue jeans and leather jackets, but most of all rock ‘n’ roll. From an early age, both of them had an irresistible urge to grab a guitar and step into the limelight. In the early 1960s the Beatles sparked off the beat revolution. By the mid-1960s Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker, both of whom were blessed with understanding parents, had also taken to the stage with their beat groups. In 1965 Rudolf Schenker started up the SCORPIONS in Hanover. Rudolf’s younger brother Michael Schenker was, like Matthias Jabs, smitten by beat music and the burgeoning rock culture. Guitarist and songwriter Rudolf Schenker’s earliest influences were the raw riffs of bands like The Yardbirds, Pretty Things and Spooky Tooth, who in those days were regarded as the real hard rockers.At New Year 1970, the younger Schenker brother Michael, who despite his youth had already established himself as an outstanding guitarist, left the Hanover-based group Copernicus, along with singer and composer Klaus Meine, to join Rudolf Schenker’s SCORPIONS. Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine teamed up to form the accomplished Schenker/Meine songwriting duo, so laying the foundations for a spectacular success story.In 1972, the SCORPIONS released their remarkable début album, Lonesome Crow, produced by Conny Plank in Hamburg. The vocal and instrumental ingredients which over the years were to develop into the typical, unmistakable SCORPIONS sound, were already recognisable: uncompromising, guitar-orientated hard rock, on the lines of what Jimmy Hendrix, Cream and Led Zeppelin generated in the mid-1960s. The distinctive SCORPIONS style came from the combination of two electric guitars, a fusion of fabulously forceful power riffs with dazzlingly exuberant guitar solos. Added to which was the instantly recognisable voice of singer and front man Klaus Meine with his highly expressive and polished delivery. In one respect, the SCORPIONS were unique on the German rock scene of the period. Because, right from the start, the band was aiming for the very top of the international hard rock business, Klaus Meine wrote all his lyrics in English. In the creative partnership of Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine Germany had finally found its answer to the famous beat and rock composing teams of the English-speaking world.The first album Lonesome Crow set the band on the path to international success. The SCORPIONS toured as support band with Rory Gallagher, Uriah Heep and UFO. Throughout their history Rudolf Schenker has been the unshakeable driving force behind the SCORPIONS. He adopted his father’s philosophy of life – nothing is impossible as long as you believe in it. Right from the foundation of the SCORPIONS, he had only one declared ambition: "one day the SCORPIONS will be one of the best heavy rock bands in the world!" It was an idea to which all the band members were committed. The SCORPIONS were constantly on the lookout for fresh challenges. Every change in the line-up was seen as an opportunity to move closer still to success and the achievement of absolute professionalism.In 1973, following a joint tour with UFO, Michael Schenker joined the British rock group. He was replaced as SCORPIONS lead guitarist by Ulrich Roth. He too was an exceptional guitar player with an almost mystical talent. With Ulrich Roth, the SCORPIONS continued unwaveringly to explore the hard rock genre.In the 1970s, the SCORPIONS undertook tours of Western Europe, playing countless venues and conquering one country after another. They would appear wherever there was somewhere to plug in their instruments. In 1973, they accompanied The Sweet on their first European tour. The SCORPIONS went on to record their next four studio albums with Ulrich Roth. Fly to the Rainbow, (1974) features a solid, high-energy brand of heavy rock never before heard from a German band. The title track Speedy’s Coming typifies the SCORPIONS style of ultra-hard rock combined with catchy melodies. Beginning with their third LP In Trance, (1975), they began their working relationship with well-known international producer Dieter Dierks. They were firmly launched on their hard rock career. In Trance was the best-selling RCA album in Japan, where a regular SCORPION mania broke out.In 1975 the SCORPIONS toured Europe, sharing top billing with KISS. In Germany that same year, they were voted best live group. During their first UK tour in 1975, the SCORPIONS entered what might be called "the lion’s den", playing at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club. In the birthplace of hard rock, they succeeded in gaining the acceptance of the most dyed-in-the-wool British fans. Gigs at the renowned London venue, the Marquee, were further highpoints of the mid-1970s.The SCORPIONS achieved their ambition to be the top German hard rock band, when their fourth album Virgin Killer (1976) won the "LP of the Year" award in Germany. In Japan, Virgin Killer gained them their first Gold Disc. Their follow-up album Taken by Force (1977) was also awarded a Japanese Gold Disc. In 1978 the SCORPIONS toured Japan, the world’s second largest music market, where they got a foretaste of what it was like to be superstars. When they arrived at Tokyo airport, the five heavy metal men were mobbed by adoring fans. Ulrich Roth left the band after the 1978 Japanese tour. The highpoint and conclusion of the SCORPIONS’ Ulrich Roth period is the double album Tokyo Tapes (1978) which even now is cherished around the world as a collector’s item. Michael Schenker filled in briefly (he recorded several songs on Lovedrive (1979) until Matthias Jabs finally entered the fray.In 1978 an advertisement appeared in the Melody Maker: the SCORPIONS were looking for a new lead guitarist. In London, they auditioned 140 hopefuls, before deciding on Hanover-born Matthias Jabs. Thrown in at the deep end, Matthias Jabs immediately joined the band in recording Lovedrive (1979) which was then in production. The album was to be the group’s biggest triumph so far, and is still one the SCORPIONS’ best-ever albums. The sleeve received a prize for the best artwork of the year.In 1979, Michael Schenker rejoined the SCORPIONS for a short spell, but left the band while on tour. In 1980, he founded MSG, the Michael Schenker Group. Matthias Jabs once again leapt into the breach and achieved the amazing feat of learning, literally overnight, the entire programme for the current tour. His baptism of fire came when the SCORPIONS played to 55,000 fans as support act for Genesis on their German tour. In Matthias Jabs, the SCORPIONS had finally found the lead guitarist whose creativity, virtuosity and enthusiasm continue to make a decisive contribution to the band’s success. With him, the band achieved an even more solid sound. Like the missing piece in the jigsaw, his guitar style fitted to perfection into the group dynamic, creating the unique SCORPIONS sound. Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs still form the musical backbone of the band. With bass man Francis Buchholz (who joined the SCORPIONS in 1973 at the same time as Ulrich Roth) and drummer Herman Rarebell (who first featured on Taken By Force in 1977), they finally established the combination that was to continue its victorious progress across the globe right up until Wind of Change.Already hailed as a super group during the 1978 tour of Japan, in 1979 the band, comprising Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs, set out to conquer the vast US market. Their weapons: a professional attitude paired with a steely determination to succeed and a philosophy of friendship, both within the band and towards their fans, as well as great musicality. As a rock band working on the international scene, the SCORPIONS had long since created their own musical identity. In the 1980s, the USA was the biggest market of all for hard and heavy rock. Since 1974, the SCORPIONS had built up a considerable following in the States. Van Halen launched their musical career in the mid-1970s with cover versions of SCORPIONS songs: Speedy’s Coming (from Fly to the Rainbow) and Catch Your Train (from Virgin Killer).In 1979, now professionally managed and boosted by the success of Lovedrive, the SCORPIONS with their definitive line-up – Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs – embarked on their first major tour of USA rock arenas as opening act with Aerosmith, Ted Nugent and AC/DC. In Chicago, the SCORPIONS swapped the headliner billing with Ted Nugent, since the SCORPIONS had more fans in the city. On this first American tour, the SCORPIONS quickly learned the rules of the game in the international rock business.Their seventh album Lovedrive was released in the USA in 1979, and was the first SCORPIONS production to receive a Gold Disc there. Animal Magnetism followed in 1980. With the two albums, the band finally made their North American breakthrough. On their second US tour the SCORPIONS were top of the bill. The era of SCORPIONS monster tours had begun.After more successful world tours, in 1981, while recording Blackout, Klaus Meine lost his voice. Not wishing to stand in the way of the band’s success, Klaus Meine wanted to pull out. But the unshakeable friendship between Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine and the close and supportive relationship within the band allowed the seemingly impossible to happen. After lengthy vocal retraining and two operations on his vocal chords, Klaus Meine overcame the trauma. And that was not all: in 1982, he re-emerged with a much increased vocal range. One critic wrote: "They have given Klaus Meine metal vocal chords." The band’s decision to stand by their lead singer through this troubled time later proved to be the most crucial the SCORPIONS ever took in the their entire career. It was Klaus Meine who in 1989 composed their smash hit Wind of Change.In 1982, on their second US tour as headliners with Iron Maiden as support act, the SCORPIONS promoted their groundbreaking album Blackout, with Helnwein’s stunning sleeve design. The single No One Like You and the Blackout LP reached the US Top Ten, the LP was voted Best Hard Rock Album of the year and awarded a Platinum Disc. One hit followed another, and in the 1980s the SCORPIONS captured the hearts of hard rock fans around the world.In 1984 the SCORPIONS became the first German hard rock band to play three successive gigs in front of 60,000 fans at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The SCORPIONS had finally scaled the Mount Olympus of rock. With three albums featuring simultaneously in the US charts: Animal Magnetism (1980), Blackout, (1982) and Love at First Sting (1984), the SCORPIONS spent two years on the road playing as headliner or co-headliner at all the big rock festivals that sprang up around the world after Woodstock.The SCORPIONS toured the globe, with a fleet of articulated lorries, Nightliner buses, helicopters, private jets and the inevitable limos. Hanover’s heavy metal band played all the main rock venues in North, Central and South America and Europe. In Asia, they played in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan. This was the golden age of heavy rock.With gigantic stage and light shows and dramatic firework effects, the SCORPIONS unleashed a pyrotechnic display of sound and light. Their relentless energy sent the fans wild. To US audiences, the SCORPIONS, with their polished, hard-edged "melodic rock" and Klaus Meine’s dramatic power singing with its dizzying top notes, came to epitomise the best in heavy rock. Groups like Bon Jovi, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard, later to become mega bands, were support acts on the SCORPIONS’ worldwide tours, learning what it meant for a band to hold its own in the rock arena in front of an audience of millions. Love at First Sting became one of the most successful albums in rock history. It includes the SCORPIONS’ most electrifying numbers Rock You Like a Hurricane, Bad Boys Running Wild, and the masterpiece Still Loving You. The critics struggled for superlatives.Rolling Stone called the SCOPRIONS "the heroes of heavy metal". The SCORPIONS were admitted to the exclusive club of the world’s 30 greatest rock groups. Their ballad Still Loving You became an international rock anthem. In France alone, the single sold 1.7 million copies. The song unleashed a wave of hysteria among French fans not seen since the Beatles and became the SCORPIONS’ musical trademark around the globe.The SCORPIONS’ most memorable appearances as headliners were at the 1983 US Festival in California’s San Bernadino Valley in front of an audience of 325,000 and at the first Rock in Rio in 1985 where they were cheered by 350,000 enthusisatic South American SCORPIONS fans. The 1985 double album World Wide Live, a counterpart to the 1978 Tokyo Tapes, impressively documented the band’s more recent international triumphs.In 1986, the SCORPIONS topped the bill at the legendary Monsters of Rock Festival and played in the Hungarian capital Budapest, their first-ever appearance in an Eastern Block country. By now the SCORPIONS were a household name, with hard rock hits like Rock You Like a Hurricane, No One Like You, Blackout, Big City Nights, Dynamite, Bad Boys Running Wild, Coast to Coast and The Zoo featuring in the charts around the world. In the 1980s, the SCORPIONS created a kind of modern hard rock that is just as popular today.Their authentic power rock ballads, such as Still Loving You, Holiday and later Wind of Change, Send Me an Angel, When You Came Into My Life and You and I, along with acoustic based songs such as Always Somewhere and When the Smoke is Going Down have managed to win over even the most unyielding haters of hard rock Savage Amusement, the last album co-produced with Dieter Dierks, was released in 1988. It reached N° 3 in the US chart and N° 1 in Europe. Even after years of touring the USA and the rest of the world, the SCORPIONS did not rest on their laurels and continued to seek out fresh challenges.As a prelude to their 1988 Savage Amusement world tour, they penetrated the Iron Curtain to give 10 sell-out concerts in Leningrad for 350,000 Soviet fans. They were the first international hard rock band to play in the former USSR, cradle of Communism. Hard rock, heavy metal and especially the SCORPIONS’ ballad Still Loving You had already found their way through the Iron Curtain. The SCORPIONS are still given a rapturous reception in Russia today.A year later, in August 1989, 20 years after Woodstock, the Soviet authorities, encouraged by the success of the SCORPIONS’ 1988 Leningrad concert, gave permission for the legendary Moscow Music Peace Festival. Here, the SCORPIONS shared the stage with other international hard rock acts, including Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Cinderella and Ozzy Osbourne and the Russian band Gorky Park playing to 260,000 Soviet rock fans in Moscow’s Lenin Stadium. In September 1989 Klaus Meine drew on his impressions of the Moscow Music Peace Festival, to create the SCORPIONS’ smash hit Wind of Change.Then, in November 1989, came a completely unexpected event. The fall of the Berlin Wall. Throughout the world, Wind of Change became the hymn to glasnost and perestroika, providing the soundtrack to the opening of the Iron Curtain, the fall of Communism and the end of the Cold War. One year later, in 1990, the SCORPIONS played in Potsdamer Platz where a section of the Wall once stood, in Roger Waters’s spectacular production, The Wall.The SCORPIONS recorded a Russian version of Wind of Change. They also gained a distinguished fan. In 1991, the members of the German band were invited to the Kremlin to meet Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet head of state and party leader. It was a unique event in the history of the USSR and rock music.worldwide mega seller the Wind of Change CD, Crazy World (1990), their long relation ship with Dieter Dierks, the Cologne-based producer of so many successful recordings, came to an end. The very first album to be produced by the SCORPIONS themselves, Crazy World, made in Los Angeles, co-produced by Keith Olsen and featuring the smash hit Wind of Change, immediately became the most successful CD to date. Not only was Crazy World the most successful album, Wind of Change was the worldwide top single of 1991, occupying the N° 1 slot in 11 countries. In 1992, they received the World Music Award as the most successful German rock act.Crazy World is impressive testimony to the songwriting talents of the SCORPIONS’ masterminds: Matthias Jabs’s contribution is the dynamic title track Tease Me, Please Me, while Rudolf Schenker once again proves his ability to hit the spot with his classic SCORPIONS ballad, Send Me an Angel, and Klaus Meine displays his brilliance as a composer in Wind of Change. At the end of the 1992 Crazy World tour, the SCORPIONS parted company with their long-time bass player Francis Buchholz. The 1993 CD Face the Heat (co-producer: Bruce Fairbairn), featured the band’s new bass man, conservatoire graduate Ralph Rieckermann.In 1994 the SCORPIONS again received a World Music Award. Yet another high point of their career came when, at the invitation of the family of the "King of Rock ‘n’ Roll", Priscilla and Lisa Marie Presley, and the "King of Pop", Michael Jackson, they performed their cover version of His Latest Flame at the 1994 Elvis Presley Memorial Concert in Memphis, Tennessee. In the same year the SCORPIONS committed themselves to helping United Nations efforts on behalf of refugees from the civil war in Rwanda. In only one week the band produced and released their benefit single White Dove.At the end of 1995, just before completing the Pure Instinct CD, co-produced by Keith Olsen and Erwin Musper and released in 1996, the SCORPIONS’ veteran drummer and long-time companion Herman "The German" Rarebell left the band.During the 1988 Savage Amusement tour, the US heavy metal band Kingdom Come, whose producer was Keith Olsen, had been a warm up act for the SCORPIONS. Even then, the Germans were impressed by the style of the group’s Californian drummer James Kottak. In 1995 the SCORPIONS engaged former AC/DC manager Stewart Young¸ and it fell to him to call James Kottak on the phone and hire him as drummer for the upcoming 1996/97 Pure Instinct Live Tour. James Kottak became the first American to play in the German rock band. With the two new members, bass player Ralph Rieckermann and drummer James Kottak, the SCORPIONS had introduced a new generation of musicians into the group.On the Pure Instinct world tour, the SCORPIONS proved that they were still among the global players on the international rock scene. Not only did they play in Europe, the USA and South America. In countries like Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, they continued to notch up well above average record sales and collect gold and platinum discs. In November 1996, the SCORPIONS were the first international hard rock band to play to fans in Beirut after the end of the civil war in Lebanon.On the 1999 recording of Eye to Eye, produced by Peter Wolf, James Kottak worked in the studio with the SCORPIONS for the first time. The cover of Eye to Eye marked a change of image for the SCORPIONS. Only the founder members of the band, Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine and Matthias Jabs feature on the front cover. The album itself is a statement of the SCORPIONS’ awesome talents as songwriters and instrumentalists. Songs like Mysterious, Mind Like a Tree, Eye to Eye, Yellow Butterfly and A Moment in a Million Years show the band at the pinnacle of their creativity. With Du Bist So Schmutzig (You’re So Dirty), the SCORPIONS are heard for the first time singing a German lyric. As part of their 1999 Eye to Eye world tour, at the invitation of Michael Jackson, they played at the Michael Jackson and Friends benefit concert in Munich.True to their motto "Don’t stop at the top" the SCORPIONS are starting the new millennium with a new musical challenge: a crossover project with the internationally renowned classical orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic, once conducted by the great Herbert von Karajan.In 1995, the Berlin Philharmonic was exploring the possibility of a crossover project and was on the lookout for a suitable band. Over the years even this classical orchestra had been aware of the SCORPIONS' success and international reputation. The two Mercedes of German music agreed on a joint venture under the direction of the internationally successful crossover producer, composer, conductor and arranger, Austria’s Christian Kolonovits. As early as 1995 the SCORPIONS began their preparations. Since then, both groups of musicians have continued to working on the project, while still fulfilling current engagements around the world and bearing in mind the timing of EXPO 2000 in Hanover. After the release of the Eye to Eye CD in 1999 and the subsequent world tour, the SCORPIONS got down to serious business in the autumn of the same year.The SCORPIONS gave a foretaste of what is to come when, at the invitation of the German government, they played in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate on 11 November 1999, the 10th anniversary of German reunification. Joining them in their performance of Wind of Change were 166 cellists. The work was conducted by the distinguished cello virtuoso Mstislav Rostropovich. In January 2000, the SCORPIONS and Christian Kolonovits began studio recordings in Vienna. The Berlin Philharmonic recorded the orchestral parts in April 2000. The complete work was mixed during April and May 2000 at the Galaxy Studios in Belgium, using the state-of-the-art Surround System Atmos 5.1.The crossover CD Moment of Glory, featuring the SCORPIONS with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, was released on 19 June 2000. The first live performance took place at EXPO in Hanover on 22 June 2000. The album also includes the official EXPO anthem Moment of Glory.The enthusiasm and open-mindedness of the SCORPIONS with regard to their flirt with the classic-genre was not finished by any means. In February 2001 the band performed three concerts in a portuguese monastery. These concerts served as a basis for the new album Acoustica. The unusual choice of the recording location also pointed out the musical development of the extraordinary musicians: For the first time in their career the SCORPIONS did their performance without electric instruments to the greatest possible extent. Klaus Meine's voice sounds pure and unadulterated rocking, together with Matthias Jabs and Rudolf Schenker playing their acoustic guitars. The recordings of the SCORPIONS in Portugal, together with some very special guest musicians belong to the greatest milestones in rock history. Not only the single "When love kills love", that was released on April 30, 2001, shows the outstanding quality of the SCORPIONS as performers and songwriters. The album Acoustica, that was released on May 14, 2001 contains real treasures: Besides four completely new titles, the greatest classics as "The zoo" and "Hurricane" show themselves in a new acoustic sound and impress as well as the brilliantly arranged cover-versions of bands like Queen or Kansas. 30 years in the rock 'n' roll circus did not stop the band from exploring different projects in a refreshing, intelligent way. With the upswing of hardrock worldwide it was time to go back to where the band came from and to team up again with Dieter Dierks, the man who had played such an important part in the Scorpions' history, producing many of those multi platinum albums in the 70s and 80s. There are two new songs that were specially recorded for this album. Bad for Good, is a new recording combining the classic Scorpions' style with a new arrangement. Cause I Love You, is a typical Scorpions' Rocker about a love affair with a guitar. The next studio album won't be ready for a summer release, but the Scorpions have nevertheless booked an extensive co-headlining American tour with Deep Purple in summer 2002, with Ronnie James Dio in support. A brief hiatus in July, the same year, will allow the band to perform additional symphonic shows in Europe, including an appearance in Luxembourg at the start of the Tour de France. Reflecting on past accomplishments, the band feels fortunate to have been part of music history and participate in memorable shows. Headlining the biggest festivals in Europe from 1978. The "US"-Festival, Rock in Rio, the Monsters of Rock Tour with Van Halen and Metallica in 1988, Pink Floyd's The Wall in Berlin 1990, the many performances associated with "Wind of Change. " The biggest audience, an amazing 750. 000 fans, came to see the Scorpions rock Poland in 2000. But according to their motto "Don't Stop At The Top" the band feels that there is always more to accomplish. "There are still some places we haven't been" says guitarist Matthias Jabs. "Who knows? This year we may go to China!" As for other wishes, "It would be great if we could stay at the top in America and Europe," says Rudolf Schenker, but he is not ungrateful for the level of success the Scorpions have already achieved. "To be able to play our music for people all over the world makes us feel so good. We're happy right now. " He can't conjecture how many more years the Scorpions have in their future, but he's sure they will make the most of their present. "The biggest challenge for us is to come up with a great rock record that will be an album in the best Scorpions tradition", vowing to continue as long as they have fun and the passion for performing motivates them. Klaus Meine surmises that the Scorpions will be remembered for that above all. Yes, their catalog of hits will endure. But as a band most at home on the concert stage, that image is the one Meine hopes will be their legacy. "This is a live band that always gave 200% on stage," he says. "Wherever there was electricity, we plugged in. " And rocked like a hurricane.
Discography
Lonesome Crow (1972)
Fly to the Rainbow (1974)
In Trance (1975)
Virgin Killer (1976)
Taken by Force (1977)
Tokyo Tapes (1978, live)
Lovedrive (1979)
Animal Magnetism (1980)
Blackout (1982)
Love at First Sting (1984)
World Wide Live (1985, live)
Savage Amusement (1988)
Crazy World (1990)
Face the Heat (1993)
Live Bites (1995, live)
Pure Instinct (1996)
Eye II Eye (1999)
Moment of Glory (Berlin Philarmoniker ile, 2000)
Acoustica (akustik, 2001)
Unbreakable (2004)
Humanity: Hour I (2007)
Taken B-Side (2009)