I talk so much about American and UK bands on my blog, but I probably don't give enough praise to German metal bands. The Scorpions get their share of praise, but they are one of the few who are widely known. Accept get some praise in some circles here. There was once a great outpouring of speed metal bands from this country back in the mid to late 1980's. The "big three" was a term used for Kreator, Sodom and Destruction. They rose to the top of the German speed metal pack by say 1988-89. Warlock got some notice over here after a few albums. They probably got notice due to lead singer Doro Pesch was often in pictures in the metal magazines. She went solo after the band broke up, but her career never really took off here. Then there are some old style straight up metal bands like Grave Digger and pirate themed band Running Wild. Both bands are still going although they each only have one original member left. Beer themed thrash band Tankard might actually be the most productive thrash band of the last twenty years if you count how many albums they done. There are also Scorpions' related acts such as the Michael Schenker group and Uli Jon Roth, both of whom were former Scorps' guitarists. So make it a Metal Oktoberfest and celebrate by listening to some German metal.
*Feel free to add your favorite German metal artists that I didn't mention.
German bands that I listen to besides the ones you mentioned:
ReplyDeleteBlind Guardian
Edguy
Brainstorm
Helloween
Gamma Ray
Primal Fear
Mob Rules
Axel Rudi Pell
U.D.O.
Stormwitch
Rage
Iron Saviour
Angel Dust
Sacred Steel
Pink Cream 69
Craaft
Masterplan
Jaded Heart
I did most off the top of my head and then I cheated and brought up my collection list. Mostly Power Metal/Heavy Metal bands but a few Hard Rock bands snuck in there (Craaft, Jaded Heart).
I'd say my favorite German band is the Scorpions. Second place to Accept. Third goes to either Micheal Schenker (solo or MSG) or U.D.O.
Sorry, scratch that third place.
ReplyDeleteIt's a three-way tie, add Primal Fear in there.
whoo, look at Rhode go, man! Glad you mentioned Primal Fear too...good call!
ReplyDeleteI have the new Tankard album for review and it just seemed like I did their previous one about 5 months ago! They sent me an awesome Kreator DVD that's supposed to be part of the Enemy of God revisited. It's the Wacken show of 2005 and really damned good.
Grave Digger are working on a new studio album...
I like a lot of those german thrash bands, especially those that you mentioned. Kreator's Extreme Aggression is one of my favorites. Sodom is a really prolific band too. They still put out a record every 1-2 years.
ReplyDeleteWOW! All I could come up with was Nena of "99 Red Balloons" fame!
ReplyDeleteSteve-I have heard maybe half of those, the older ones of course. Rage are a band who a number of people like, but I never could get into them. Blind Guardian is another one I just don't get. Just nothing special to me.
ReplyDeleteRay-Tankard have been going for twenty years and I don't think they have gone over two years without releasing an album.
Fred-Sodom's first few efforts were messy, but they got it together by Persectuion Mania.
Mike-That's some fame for her.
Probably my favorite of the lesser known German speed metal bands was Deathrow. They started out being a lot like Kreator, but they progressed rather quickly.