2nd Heat - Shreddervision (1994)

Country: Germany
Year: 1994
Line-up: Marcel Robbers (vocals), Kai Braue (guitars), Mathias Gollink (bass), Frank Alper (drums).

Track Listing:

1. Homeless Children 02:41   2. See the Sun 05:09   3. Words I Say 04:52   4. Fuel to the Fire 04:06   5. The Rain 05:30   6. Electric Dick 05:22   7. Shreddervision 04:50   8. Swallow My Load 04:29   9. Soul Survivor 05:58   10.  Stripper! 04:33   11.  You Smell like Mother 02:51   12.  F..cked Up Slut Groove    03:06   13.  Eighty Proof Alert 04:14   14.  Cyan Eyes 04:47

Fletchanator's comment: With the word "shredder" in the album name, it's quite obvious this is going to be a bit harder than your average hard rock. And it is, bordering on melodic heavy metal with bursts of power metal-esque guitar riffs, while remaining entrenched in hard rock due to the lyrics and vocal harmonies. Despite some ridiculous song titles (Electric Dick? Stripper? F*cked Up Slut Groove?) the songwriting is actually pretty solid.
Information on this band is fairly sparse, but as far as I can tell this was their only album, and the band seems to have faded into obscurity (although they do have a MySpace page with some demos and unreleased songs).
If you like metal-edged hard rock with guitar shredding, ala Steeler or Cacophony, this will right up your alley.

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Javan - Somewhere in the Night (1991)

Country: Germany
Year: 1991
Line-up: Bernd Martin (vocals), Oliver Schwung (guitars), K.B. Hard (guitars), Rainer Herrmann (bass), Winni M Schap (drums), T.J. Rath (keyboards)

Track Listing:

1.   Moon   2.   Somewhere In The Night   3.   Call My Name   4.   Time Of Revival   5.   Back In My Life   6.   In My Heart   7.   Can't Get Enough   8.   Vicious Rumours   9.   Our Love   10.   Eyes   11.   Sophisticated Women   12.   Dreams

Fletchanator's comment: Javan are a German band that as far as I know only put out this one album. It's an interesting slice of melodic hard rock, sometimes bordering on melodic heavy metal but mostly having an AOR-ish sound thanks to the keyboards. Singer Bernd Martin has a strong voice that sounds like he should be fronting a power metal band (and has a prominent German accent in places) - I'm not sure he perfectly suits the kind of music Javan plays. This one will appeal to fans of keyboard-oriented AORish hard rock bands like Zinatra and 1st Avenue.

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Fair Warning - Fair Warning (1992)

Country: Germany
Year: 1992
Line-up: Tommy Heart (vocals), Helge Engelke (guitars, keyboards), Andy Malecek (guitars), Ule W Rigten (bass), CC Behrens (drums)

Track Listing:

1.   Longing for Love   3:49 2.   When Love Fails   3:41 3.   The Call of the Heart   4:13 4.   Crazy   3:50 5.   One Step Closer   3:59 6.   Hang On   4:03 7.   Out On the Run   3:53 8.   Long Gone   4:39 9.   The Eyes of the Rock   3:47 10.   Take a Look at the Future   3:55 11.   The Heat of Emotion   3:03 12.   Take Me Up   4:25

Fletchanator's comment: This album is a must-have for all fans of hard rock music. To date Fair Warning have released 8 studio albums (the most recent in 2013) and this is where it all started for the German rockers. From start to finish this is a near-faultless album - great songwriting, fantastic guitar-work and the stellar voice of Tommy Heart. There are no weak songs, just song after song of top-notch AOR-edged hard rock.
Because of their nationality and the way that Heart pronounces words, it's easy to compare Fair Warning to fellow countrymen like Scorpions and Bonfire. They definitely sound like those bands (with a bit more of an AOR flavour due to the keyboards), but are also comparable to the likes of Bad English, Firehouse and Victory.
If you have never heard Fair Warning, you're in for a treat!

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Victory - Culture Killed the Native (1989)

Country: Germany
Year: 1989
Line-up: Fernando Garcia (vocals), Herman Frank (guitars), Fargo Peter Knorn (bass), Tommy Newton (guitars), Fritz Randow (drums)

Track listing:

1.   More and More   2.   Never Satisfied   3.   Don't Tell No Lies   4.   Always the Same   5.   Power Strikes the Earth   6.   Lost in the Night   7.   On the Loose   8.   Let it Rock On   9.   So They Run   10.   Standing on the Edge of Time   11.   The Warning   12.   Into the Darkness

Fletchanator's comment: German band Victory were formed in 1984 and for their first three albums featured ex-Ted Nugent singer Charlie Huhn on vocals, with ex-Accept guitarist Herman Frank joining after the debut album. That line-up isn't bad, but Victory didn't reach their full potential until this, their fourth album, and the arrival of new singer Fernando Garcia. He sounds a lot like Tesla's Jeff Keith, while the band's overall sound is along the lines of American bands like Dokken, Y&T, Ratt and Firehouse, with Frank pulling off some killer riffs.
In short, this album rocks from start to finish - all killer, no filler. In my opinion it's one of the best examples of the American glam metal sound of the late 80s, ironically supplied by a German band. I can't recommend this one highly enough!

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EZ Livin - After the Fire (1991)

Country: Germany
Year: 1991
Line-up: Peter Henrics (vocals), Hans Ziller (guitars), Hermann Brauer (bass), Jurgen Wiehler (drums)

Track listing:

1.   Die 4 Rock   4:06 2.   Body Talk   3:40 3.   Too Late for Paradise   4:57 4.   Ez Livin'   3:39 5.   See the Tears   4:43 6.   After the Fire   4:35 7.   Rockin' Into the Night   3:31 8.   Taste My Sweet Love   3:26 9.   Too Hot to Handle   3:33 10.   Take Me    4:00 11.   Hold On   4:02

Fletchanator's comment: After he was fired from Bonfire in 1989, lead guitarist Hans Ziller created EZ Livin. Ironically Bonfire vocalist Claus Lessmann was originally planned to be the singer for EZ Livin (while remaining in Bonfire) but record company inteference stopped that. Lessmann and Ziller would reunite in the band EX in 1995, then in Bonfire in 1995. This was the only EZ Livin album until 2014's Firestorm.
Due to Ziller's stellar guitaring, this EZ Livin album ("After the Fire", get it?) naturally sounds a lot like Fireworks/Point Blank-era Bonfire, but with a harder, melodic metal edge. Henrics' voice is also higher-pitched and more raw than Lessman, but good in its own right. This is much better than the Ziller-less Bonfire album that came out the same year, Knock Out!

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Heartline - Gentlemen Agreement (1991)

Country: Germany
Year: 1991
Line-up: Jojo (vocals), Michael (guitar), Sergio (guitar), Heiko (bass), Rabin (drums).

Track listing:

1.	Balls Have To Roll
2.	Listen
3.	Living On A Frontline
4.	Takin' Water To The Sea
5.	Too Late
6.	Need You More
7.	Young Heart
8.	Don't Taste The Fire

Fletchanator's comment: This one's a bit of a rarity and goes for decent money on ebay (two up for grabs for $50 and $65 right now). From the information I've been able to gather, this is the only release by German five-piece Heartline. The songs are nothing too special and the production value is average, but this one will appeal to fans of heavier-edged hard rock with high-pitched vocals, ala Dirty Looks, Heavy Pettin' and Warrior. Not as good as any of those bands IMHO, but still a good listen and pretty damn rare, so this should be a welcome addition to any collection.


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Vice - Made for Pleasure [1988]

Country: Germany

Year: 1988

Line-up: Jan Ghiantinic (vocals), Christian Limburg (guitar), Jorg Hargeschmier (guitar), Peter Juhve (bass), Fritz Randow (drums)

TRACK LISTING

1. Feel My Body

2. Last Day of War

3. Red Light Night

4. Trouble in Paradise

5. Bad Girl

6. Made for Pleasure

7. Running

8. Rocking All Over The World

9. Hot Summer Night Party

10. Boys Got The Fever

11. Sally

Requested by: Patrick S

Fletchanator's comment: Okay, the album cover is... lame. No doubt. But this album, the debut effort by German melodic rockers Vice is pretty good party rock. Catchy, full of gang vocals - you'll think these guys are from sunny California rather than Germany.

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Bandit - Tuff 'n Dirtee [1992]

Country: Germany

Year: 1992

Line-up: Bernd Mader (vocals), Chris Kolb (guitar), Dave Chow (bass), Andi Nitsch (drums)

Track Listing
1. Sound So Good
2. Slut Groove
3. Bad Beat Boogie
4. Down Town Riot
5. Damn Pretty
6. Backseat Shuffle

Requested by: Justin

Fletchanator's comment: I don't really know too much about this one, other than the band is German and this indie release is the only album they ever put out. The sound is run of the mill party rock, with some good guitar hooks. The vocalist is the weak point, but if you look past that it's listenable at least.

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Darxon - Shout! [1992]

Country: Germany

Year: 1992

Line-up: Massimo De Matteis (vocals), Frank Dielewski (guitar), Thomas Hanscheidt (guitar), Ingo Geiger (bass), Jan Yildiral (drums)

Track Listing
1. On The Run
2. Walk In The Shadows Of Madness
3. Dancing Undercover
4. Waiting For Your Heart
5. Shout!
6. Down And Dirty
7. Don't Think Twice
8. White Line
9. Heart Of Stone
10. Down By The River

Requested by: Eldoopa1

Fletchanator's comment: The album cover may look like that of a death metal band, but don't be fooled - Germany's Darxon is a hard rock band who play a brand of guitar-oriented, hook-laden rock in the style of Dokken or Firehouse. It's good stuff - check it out!

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