Year : 1988 (Koch International Records)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal , Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Austria
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 84 mb
Bio:
Reward is a heavy metal/hard rock band from Innsbruck, Tyrol, Austria, that was formed in 1986.On September 2nd, 1988, the Tyrolean band REWARD probably reached its peak.Completely unnoticed in the local metal scene, they were able to support IRON MAIDEN in the Innsbruck Olympiahalle on that memorable Friday (only for the band). The band did well, but disappeared from the scene relatively quickly. Their only musical legacy was a 7" ("Lonely Nights") taken from the album "Break Out". There is also supposed to be a contribution to an American sampler, but I don't have any more details about that.The debut album "Break Out" (1988) itself isn't bad, but it can't compete with the domestic competition like MANIAC, NO BROS or GREIFENHAGEN. In contrast to their fellow countrymen, the band simply has less tinder up its sleeve. Nevertheless, the four of them know how to deliver a very passable heavy rock album. There is plenty of crunchy stuff with biting guitars and groovy rhythms on "Break Out". Anyone who counts the earlier GOTTHARD, KROKUS or AUTOGRAPH among their favorites will be happy with numbers like the tough gas pedal rocker "Lightnin", the dynamic "Break Out", the incredibly fast "Fire In LA", the ponderous, powerfully grooving "Evil Dreams" or the beautiful instrumental exit. "Serenade Of The Night" immediately.Compilation appearances: "Lightnin'" on The Very Best Heavy Metal From Europe CD (Nesak Int., 1989) , "Extasy" on Die Besten aus dem Wilden Westen CD (Schubl, 1995).
Album:
Break Out is an awesome heavy metal debut and last album.This album is a rarity in the heavy metal world.I like rare and obscure heavy metal from the 1980’s.There was so much heavy metal back and many forgotten heavy metal bands. Reward from Austria are one of those bands that are sadly forgotten. Thankfully, their music has been archived and preserved over time. There’s not too much information about this Austrian heavy metal band. They did manage to release at least one full-length album. There’s a few catchy numbers on here. A few of these songs could have been big hits in the 1980’s, especially Lonely Nights. Lonely Nights was released as a single.There’s good backing vocals on this album. The best backing vocals are found on Lightnin, the title track and Radio. The lead vocals by Claus Führer are quite fantastic on Break Out. He has a unique voice. No one else in heavy metal sounds like him. He sounds excellent on all of the tracks. He mostly sings about dreams and fantasy, yes there’s even a song called Fantasy. The title track has optimistic and positive lyrics, it’s about expressing yourself and breaking out. Radio has interesting and optimistic lyrics about him wanting to become a rockstar. Fire in L.A. has interesting lyrics about the L.A. metal scene. I wonder if Reward has actually been to L.A. or they just guessed how it would be like. His best vocal performances are on Lightnin, the title track, Radio and Evil Dreams. The title track and Radio have the most catchy sounding vocals. Not only is he a fantastic singer, he’s good on keyboards. His keyboard playing can be found on Evil Dreams and Serenade of the Night. Oh there’s a little bit of keyboards in the beginning of Ligthnin. He’s a super talented musician and it’s too bad that he’s unknown.The guitar playing by Günther Plaschg is quite good. I really like the guitar distortion he uses. He puts the distortion to good use. He plays some catchy guitar riffs. They are found on the Lightnin, title track, Fantasy, Radio and Out on the Run. Those songs have riffs that are worthy enough to be on hit songs, especially on the title track and Radio. He might be influenced by Eddie Van Halen, even though he doesn’t do any major shredding. He doesn’t do any fancy technical techniques on the guitar. His guitar solos are pretty good. His best guitar solos are on Lightnin, Fantasy, Radio and Evil Dreams. The bass by Felix Ortner is quite good as well. I like the bass tone he uses. It sort of sounds heavy. His best bass moments are on Lightnin, Break Out and Sernade of the Night. Reward could have had a second guitarist to be even better, however I guess Plaschg wanted to be the only guitarist in the band.The drumming by Roland Egger is excellent. He knows how to play in time quite nicely. He has some creative and awesome beats. His drumming is mostly mid-paced and he doesn’t go too fast. He also drums slow at times like on Out on the Run and Lonely Nights. His best drumming can be found on Lightnin, the title track Stranger and Fire in L.A. and Evil Dreams. Fire in L.A. has his fastest drumming. His drumming is on fire on in that song. He doesn’t do anything technical or outrageous. He’s simply an average 1980’s heavy metal drummer.Lonely Nights could have been hit since it’s a ballad. It’s a pretty good ballad, but kind of cheesy. It’s somewhat of a pop song too due the keyboards. The keyboards sound brilliant on this song. I know many heavy metal bands tried to capitalize on the pop sound of the 1980’s, especially during the late portion of the 1980’s. A few them did succeed and make lots of money off those kind of songs. It’s too bad Reward didn’t make that much money off Lonely Nights, I’m guessing. Reward did not get an award or even a reward for this song, I’m also guessing.Break Out is the only album that Reward has released, which is too bad. They could have had one more album. For those who are into obscure heavy metal from the 1980’s, I totally recommend it. It’s one of those 1980’s heavy metal gems that you might be looking for. It’s too bad that it’s not that well known. It’s a must-have for those who can’t get enough of classic sounding heavy metal. I don’t think you will be disappointed by this one at all. It’s a fun album that you will most likely enjoy.
Line-Up:
Claus Führer - Vocals, Keyboards (1986-1992)
Günther Plaschg - Guitars, Vocals (backing) (1986-1992) - See also: Poor Boy
Felix Ortner - Bass - Bass (1986-1989) - See also: Trace (Aut)
Roland Egger - Drums (1986-1992) - See also: Markus Linder, The Incredible Southern Blues Band
Production:
Made By – Koch Digitaldisc
Artwork – Grafic Design Studio, Innsbruck
Co-producer – Patrick Cox
Edited By – Robert Fuchs
Engineer – Martin Maier
Photography By – Rudi Margreiter
Producer – Reward
Tracklist:
01. Lightnin'
02. Stranger
03. Break Out
04. Fantasy
05. Radio
06. Fire In L.A.
07. Out On The Run
08. Lonely Nights
09. Evil Dreams
10. Serenade Of The Night
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