AFM [Release date : 22.09.23]
MMMXXIII is a suite of three albums re-recorded by German Rock giants, Bonfire.
The band’s continued popularity and success through the decades confounds critics, of the genre at least, if not the band.
That of course is down to the influence and leadership of mainman/ songwriter/guitarist, and only remaining original, Hans Ziller.
Ziller has rebuilt his band several times over the years, considering it to be a continual work in progress. His current lineup, an international collective, includes Frank Pane, Ronnie Parkes, Fabio Allessandrini and Dyan Mair, a Greek vocalist, now resident in the UK… “one of the greatest musical talents of our time”.
This is not the first time Ziller has resurrected older material. 2016’s Pearls saw the band rerecording a double album of fan favourites. And again, the band’s last release, another double album, Roots, had an interesting blueprint, again taking some older material and giving it a fresh, “almost unplugged” spin.
With MMMXXIII, Ziller’s gone a considerable step further, re-recording the first 3 albums, Don’t Touch The Light (1986), Fireworks (1987), Point Blank (1989).
On release, Don’t Touch The Light, a rapidfire succession of melodic hard rock gems, if a bit rough around the edges, basked in the glow of universal acclaim. European music scribes drew comparison with global giants Bon Jovi and later with Whitesnake and Def Leppard.
Big hitters ‘Staring Eyes’ and ‘Hot To Rock’ were and still are monster Melodic Rock songs. It’s an album that seldom shifts tempo. What the re-recording does is bring some additional production polish to the table, forming the music’s driving, relentless energy into a more unified sound.
Similar story on Fireworks and Point Blank. The songs are robust and thunderous, the melodies tough but buoyant, and the choruses vertiginous.
‘Ready 4 Reaction’, ‘American Nights’, ‘Give It A Try’ from Fireworks, and ‘You’re Back’ and ‘Know Right Know’ from Point Blank are as good as the genre gets.
In recording the albums using today’s cutting edge technology, almost conversely, Ziller has captured the analogue warmth and indeed the underrated sonic clarity of many hard rock recordings of the genre’s eighties’ heyday. An arrangement tweak here, a marginally reshaped riff there. It doesn’t need much. Like several other talents, he knows that you do nothing for show and everything for effect. ****
Review by Brian McGowan
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024
In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections
Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)
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