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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) |
2004