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