Year : 2019 (No Dust Records Limited Edition)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Melodic Heavy Metal
Country : Netherlands
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 135 mb
Bio:
Germane is one of the best hidden gems from the dutch hard rock / metal underground.For all fans of Allied Forces, Picture, Emergency.”The Untouched Series Vol.1 : All Time Highs”, a compilation of all ’80s recordings from Dutch melodic hard rockers GERMANE.GERMANE is one of the best hidden gems from the Dutch hard rock metal ’80s underground. The group recorder several songs between 1984-1988, some of the used for metal bands compilations in the ‘Metal For Mutha’ fashion.Musically the band’s sound is similar to Allied Forces, Picture, Emergency – just to mention Dutch bands – but also the melodic hard rock sound at the time coming from UK, Germany, Sweden.All of the recordings have been remastered / restored from the original source and now collected into this CD for the very first time on this Limited Edition CD.
Album:
Well, this is really a nice surprise.Feed yourself with a full hour of GERMANE songs, the band in which LOVELL'S BLADE and PICTURE guitar player Andre Wullems used to play before he joined PICTURE on their "Traitor" tour in 1985. These fifteen tracks have been recorded in 1984-1988, the years when we were still young. In this review, we slowly go back in time, meaning that we start in 1987 with the first three songs. On the cover of the CD, you will read 'No Nonsense Hardrock' and that's exactly what you get here. "Society Girl" starts off with a very pleasant catchy sound, which may remind you of bands like for example EMERGENCY or ZINATRA. The guitar licks are really breathtaking and it definitely lifts the sound of GERMANE up to a higher level. The evolution of GERMANE is perhaps comparable to the story of HORIZON. Once the years pass by, their music became a bit more accessible. "Back To The Future" is a great sing-along tune with a catchy chorus and more phenomenal guitar parts. When speaking of HORIZON, "Movin' Down The Line" would fit very well among the classics on the "Master Of The Game" album and HORIZON fans will definitely like this. The axe work in "Keep Movin' On" is finger-licking good and it perfectly spices up the melodic sound of the band. The next two songs are from the well-known "Metal In Rocks" compilation. You will recognize "Back To The Future" from the first four songs. When listening to it again, I also hear some influences from the melodic PICTURE years. "She Tells Me Stories" is a great pounder and the flashing axe work will make your mouth water again. Also check out the beating drums at the end of this song. "Strangers In The Night" has got nothing at all to do with ol' blue eyes Sinatra. It's a feel-good rock song from (R)oc(k)tober 1986, just like the other two rock songs. The sound is crystal clear and perfect to start a rock party. However, there is more than meets the eye. Just tune in to the magnificent "The King", that will make you poised on the edge of your seat the whole time. It's melodic, but it also has got a great epic atmosphere. It displays the other side of GERMANE. The obligatory ballad shows itself in "You And I", which could have been a classic back in those days, as it's that good. I start asking myself why this never happened. The very emotional vocals of Thijs Hameleers give it a true ballad kind of atmosphere. WHITESNAKE couldn't have done it any better. Dutch bands were always good in writing and performing heavy metal songs and this one is another good example of it. After this, we have arrived in 1985 for four songs. When listening to "Armageddon", it's quite obvious that this sounds so much more metal than their earlier material. High-pitched screams and wild guitars will reach my room and it sounds awesome. "Movin' On" is another good example of how heavy metal should sound. It shows how talented this band really was and what a shame that this compilation only sees the light of day thirty-five years later after these songs were originally penned. Better late than never and I must admit that I'm glad that the fans now are able to discover the sound of this amazing Dutch metal band. Just check out "Princess Of The Desert" and you'll get my point. "Mother Earth" is a great song and I would describe it as hard rock with a progressive twist. I even heard some PINK FLOYD influences here and there. The overall sound is also good. It's old fashioned hard rock with an adventurous twist and it never really gets too far away from the paved path, so both thumbs up for one of the highlights on this album, as far as I'm concerned. The last two songs are from the earliest line-up of GERMANE, the one where it all started in 1983. "On The Loose" sounds catchy and you will realize that there is more in the world of Dutch hard rock and heavy metal than VANDENBERG, VENGEANCE, BODINE and PICTURE. This magnificent overview closes with the balladesque "Hold Back The Night". The CD comes with a booklet, including some great pictures and a good overview of the various band line-ups over the years. The foreword is written by Andre Wullems and it contains a brief story of GERMANE. The original line-up consisted of Paul Bruijn on drums, Ronald Schouten on vocals, Gerard Struif on bass (R.I.P.) and Ruud Ruitenschild on guitars. It evolved until the line-up of 1989, when the band decided that it was over an out. Back then, the band consisted of Paul Bruijn on drums, Andre Wullems on guitars, Peter Wullems on bass, Dino Arconada on guitars and Johnny Beijer on vocals. Gerard Struif (bass) and Thijs Hameleers (vocals) have sadly passed away, but the legacy of GERMANE will live on and on now. No all-time lows on this one, just all-time highs and it's a must have for every devoted fan of solid melodic Dutch metal and GERMANE easily stood the test of time.
Line Up:
Band [1983-1984]:
Vocals – Ronald Schouten
Bass – Gerard Struif
Drums – Paul Bruijn
Guitar – Ruud Ruitenschild
Band [1984-1985]
Drums – Paul Bruijn
Guitar – Co Oudhof, Ruud Ruitenschild
Vocals – Rob de Jong
Band [1985-1986]
Bass – Peter Wullems
Drums – Paul Bruijn
Guitar – Co Oudhof, Ruud Ruitenschild
Vocals – Thijs Hameleers
Band [1986-1988]
Bass – Peter Wullems
Drums – Paul Bruijn
Guitar – Andre Wullems, Eric Nootebos, Ruud Ruitenschild
Vocals – Thijs Hameleers
Band [1988-1989]
Bass – Peter Wullems
Drums – Paul Bruijn
Guitar – Andre Wullems, Dino Arconada
Vocals – Johnny Beijer
Tracklist:
01. Society Girl
02. Back to the Future
03. Movin’ Down the Line
04. Keep Movin’ On
05. Back to the Future
06. She Tells Me Stories
07. Stranger in the Night
08. The King
09. You and I
10. Armageddon
11. Movin’ On
12. Princess of the Desert
13. Mother Earth
14. On the Loose
15. Hold Back the Night
Track 1-4 Recorded May 1987
Track 5-6 Recorded 1988 (for Metal In Rocks Compilation)
Track 7-9 Recorded October 1986
Track 10-13 Recorded September 1985
Track 14-15 Recorded September 1984
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
