BRAINSTORM
Liquid
Monster
Andy B. Franck – vocals
Torsten “Todde“ Ihlenfeld – guitars
Milan “Mille“ Loncaric – guitars
Andreas Mailänder – bass
Dieter Bernert – drums
Formed
in 1989 by Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric
on guitars and Dieter Bernert on drums, BRAINSTORM
released their first demo “Hand Of Doom”
after one year of existence. Following shows with
Stormwitch, Exciter and Rage, the tracks “Kings,
Queens and Sins” and “Law” appeared
on a compilation LP. After completing their line-up
with bassist Andreas Mailänder, the band released
the second demo “Heart Of Hate” in 1992,
which quickly gained cult status in the local metal
scene.
Initially
unable to find a suitable singer, the band solved
the problem when Marcus Jürgens joined the
band, being named “Newcomers of the Month”
by the German Rock Hard magazine with their third
demo “The Fifth Season”, released in
1994. After releasing yet another demo and single
tracks on compilations, the band signed their first
recording contract in 1997.
The
self-produced debut album “Hungry” was
an immediate winner with fans and journalists alike,
enabling BRAINSTORM to tour with Morgana Lefay,
Solitude Aeturnus, Skyclad, and Maraya. In 1998
the band hired the illustrious producer team of
Dirk Schlächter (Gamma Ray), Harald Sprengler
(Stormwitch) and Charlie Bauerfeind (Blind Guardian,
Gamma Ray, and many others) to guarantee a perfect
production for their sophomore effort “Unholy”.
The following tour of Europe alongside Iced Earth
and Sentenced totally fulfilled the high expectations
created by an already overwhelming reaction from
the metal press.
In
1999 the vocalist position became vacant again,
but the band managed to fill it with one of the
best metal frontmen worldwide, Andy B. Franck (also
in Symphorce). Finally everything was falling into
place, and only two months after Franck joining,
the band signed a contract with Metal Blade Records.
The long awaited third album “Ambiguity”
was recorded at House of Music Studio with Dirk
Schlächter and Sascha Paeth (Rhapsody) producing,
and was received with euphoric reviews everywhere.
Successful tours with Armored Saint and King Diamond
as well as various celebrated festival appearances
further cemented the band’s popularity, making
the “Swabian Five” one of the hottest
live bands around.
In
October 2001 the band released “Metus Mortis”,
a high-energy metal classic produced by Achim Köhler,
which became Album of the Month in several metal
magazines, paving the way for a successful tour
with Grave Digger and Tierra Santa. More festival
gigs across Europe and single shows with Saxon followed,
gradually getting BRAINSTORM the recognition they
deserved.
In
March 2003 the band returned to the studio (House
of Music, as well as the band’s own Storm
Your Brain Studios) with Achim Köhler to record
“Soul Temptation”, already the fifth
album in their career. What followed the release
can only be described as a triumph for the band:
A massive tour with Edguy and festival shows the
world over resulted in the band’s definitive
incorporation to the World’s Champions League
of Metal. BRAINSTORM had finally arrived where they
belong – at the top!
But
whoever thought the group would now take a break
and rest upon their laurels would be taught better
soon enough. With the incredible energy and atmosphere
from their live shows still fresh in their minds,
the band began writing new material in their rehearsal
studio in September 2004. From November on, the
band started recording their new album with Achim
Köhler in their usual working environment;
fully conscious this might be the decisive album
for their career. Now it’s done – “Liquid
Monster” has been completed, showcasing the
enormous progress the band has gone through, surpassing
even the most optimistic of predictions. The single
“All Those Words” will be released on
March 7, meant as an appetizer for the fans before
the full album is released on April 4. On top of
that, the limited first edition of “Liquid
Monster” will include a bonus DVD chock full
of video footage shot by the band on their last
tour and an extra bonus audio track.
The
band has already booked and confirmed a headlining
tour which will take them all around the globe.
So now beware… because the MONSTER is going
to rise!
RADIO
ADD DATE: APRIL 5TH 2005!
Discography:
• “Hungry” (1997)
• “Unholy” (1998)
• “Ambiguity” (2000)
• “Metus Mortis (2001)
• “Soul Temptation” (2003)
• “All Those Words” – CD-Single
(feat. 4 Non Album Tracks & Video)
