Forgotten Gems: Hardware-Heavy Nights

In 1988 the Dutch band Hardware released their lone-album, "Heavy Nights". Issued on Polypoeka, which was a Spanish label, it featured only six tracks but given that it runs 30:35 ("Foreign Skies", for example of a track on this beauty, is seven minutes long!)  it leaves nothing to be desired! Track after track of gem-worthy heavy metal with a gent named Wim Landers acting as the lead vocalist. Leave it to the a place like the Netherlands to give us such a simple and yet brilliant affair and then make it a one and done release! What gives? Here we have a Dutch band that had to sign with a Spanish label? Why? Seems odd right? I mean considering that Holland (supposedly) had more then it's fair share of in-country labels at the time why was a a cool band like this left to fend for themselves? Whatever the case the effect this album has had on collectors and fans alike speaks volumes as to it's lasting impact. The guitarists  for Hardware were Rob Van Lierop and Hans Heeregrave and what's (also) odd in regards to "Heavy Nights" is the fact that it looks as if none of the guys involved with this release did anything else. Metal wise and all. If someone has information about what happened next for any of the five members of this band I would love to hear from you. And speaking of the members, the other two gentlemen present on this release are Erwin Van Turnhout and Rob Hendriks (bass and drums respectively). Otherwise the only another thing I could dig up was this album was recorded at Chateau Studio's Tilburg. That's it. Seeing as I have yet to see a vinyl copy of "Heavy Nights" I can only go by the brief bits of information that I stumbled upon online. You can get a digital copy of this traditional heavy metal gem from Vibrations Of Doom while my personal copy (acquired in a trade) is a bootleg on Hot Metal Records and is packaged with the 1986 self-titled LP from Belgium's Breathless. the downside of my copy is that it's a less-then-desirable rip and yes, it's a bootleg. I'd much rather have a legit release so the band members could get their proper-due.
Get a digital copy here:
http://vibrationsofdoom.com/test/test2/Hardware2.html

You can listen to the album here:
http://www.metal-samples.com/2012/01/hardware-nld-heavy-nights-1988.html