About
This German heavy rock quintet comprised Udo
Dirkschneider on vocals, guitarists Jan Kommet and Wolf Hoffman, drummer Frank
Friedrich and bassist Peter Baltes. Formed in 1977, their power metal sound was
characterized by Dirkschneider's guttural howl and the speed drumming of Stefan
Kaufmann, who replaced Friedrich after the band's debut album. 1981's Breaker
also featured guitarist Jorg Fischer, who left following a support tour to Judas
Priest (although he did return briefly in the late 80s). Restless And Wild from
1983 epitomized their blitzing style. This had an undeniable influence on the
thrash movement which developed during the late 80s, though Metal Heart adopted
a more melodic approach. Unhappy with this style, Dirkschneider quit and formed
his own outfit, Udo. A series of replacement vocalists came and went, including
Rob Armitage (ex- Baby Tuckoo), David Reece and Jim Stacey (Stacey stepping in
to complete tracks on Eat The Heat after Reese and Baltes had a physical
confrontation on tour in the US). Several lacklustre albums were released during
these years, which received little critical acclaim or commercial reward.
Internal problems persisted, with Kaufmann contracting a muscular disease and
being replaced by Ken Mary (House Of Lords). The band eventually disintegrated
in 1989. For Restless And Wild and Balls To The Wall their reputation as a metal
act is still high. Reese would form Bangalore Choir while old sparring partner
Baltes contributed to Don Dokken. The band reunited in the 90s with a revised
line-up (namely Dirkschneider, Hoffman, Baltes and Kaufmann).
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Copyright Muze UK Ltd. 1989 - 1998
|
|
