Year : 1992 (VIC Records Edition 2025)
Style : Thrash Metal , Speed Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 150 mb
Bio:
Risk was a German thrash metal band from Witten. Founded in 1986 they notably released five albums and one EP on Steamhammer Records.Known since 1967 as Faithful Breath, they decided to rename after changing their style from plain heavy metal to thrashy speed metal in 1986. They are well known by the singular artwork in the first four albums, which contain cartoons of savage animals, similar to computer games or comics. Their first release was The Daily Horror News in 1988, then the band released LP per year in a prolific carrier up to five albums and one EP. Although they started out quite successfully, sold 25,000 units of their 1990 album Dirty Surfaces and went on tour with Manowar, Rage and Sabbat, the two followed albums were not good received by the critics and the band called quits in 1994. The sound of Risk is particularly hard, with a many-sided vocal work, slicy guitars and a careful work of musical production, that making this band one of the classics of the German metal.
Album:
4th album.As thrash metal gave its last gasps at the emergence of grunge, groove and alternative metal at the beginning of the 90s, many thrash outfits saw fit to modify their core aesthetic in a struggle for significance and ultimately, survival. Risk’s fourth LP narrowly avoided becoming another brick in the wall of inconsequential failed experiments of that type, like Kreator’s Renewal or Exodus' Force of Habit amongst others. The Reborn still remains entrenched within the thrash metal tradition, albeit at a cost: Risk would abandon their colorful Hells Animals mascots, along with, and more importantly, the speed of their previous four releases. Mikus and the boys seemed to follow the Countdown to Extinction formula, attempting a mid-paced, more commercial-friendly vision of thrash, hybridized with heavy metal.After a brief and solid instrumental intro, the band’s second longest track opens the album, the nine-and-a-quarter minute-long “Last Warning”. It pretty much sums up the aesthetic that we find on The Reborn; mid-paced, almost post-thrash rhythmic riffs, backed up by a mid-paced classic heavy metal rhythmic section, with some interesting ideas (Mid-Eastern feel, male chorus, atmospheric keyboards) thrown in. Thankfully, there are still some decent good guitar solos. The production values for the guitars don’t make them as loud as on groove metal releases of that day and age, possessing a good tone, beefy and heavy, but not exaggerated. Mikus’ singing remains pretty much the same, although he attempts a marginally darker, gruffer tone, as if impersonating Tom Waits (“Be No More” being the most evident example of this). I don’t mind the change, and in fact I find it suitable for the music here. He was never outstanding behind the mic, but at least he did try different approaches and explored his own limitations during his career.There are some solid tracks here despite the obvious change in style, though most of the time the album’s stuck in mid-tempo, somewhat monotonous, but still head-bang worthy. “Turn Back to Ecstasy” almost seems will burst into some speed after its initial build up, but ends up becoming another mid-paced, post-Rust in Peace Megadeth-esque number. The riffs are pretty solid, nonetheless. But something resembling speed will only appear around the 3:35 mark of track no. 8, “The Night Will Fall”, and won’t reappear anywhere on the record. “Armageddon (Fight Back)” is another solid slab of mid-paced thrash with concise riffing not unlike Prong and a memorable Accept-like chorus. The darker, more serious tone of the record saves it from becoming stale or flavorless, and so does its ominous ballads “Lullaby” and “No One Will Remember”, my favorite pieces here.How much you’ll like or dislike The Reborn will depend on how much you prefer Risk’s older style to this, more suitable for fans of Metal Church’s The Dark or Forced Entry’s first two LPs, rather than fans of Tankard or Running Wild. If they hadn’t entirely abandoned their power/speed roots, I might be holding this one in greater regard, perhaps even the top overall spot in their discography, but while the quality of the music wasn’t lowered, I do think the energy and level of amusement are just not as good. Still, the end and unescapable void of inconsequence was nearing for Risk, and thus, Heinz Mikus' decades-spanning career, but The Reborn isn't a bad specimen of his lifework.
Line Up:
Heimi Mikus - Vocals (1986-1993), Guitars (1987-1989) - See also: ex-Faithful Breath, ex-The Magic Power
Christian Sumser - Sitar, Guitars
Roman "Romme" Keymer - Guitars (1986-1993) - See also: ex-Angel Dust, ex-Centaur (live), ex-Crows
Peter Dell - Bass (1986-1993) - See also: ex-Faithful Breath
Jürgen Düsterloh (R.I.P. 2014) - Drums (1986-1993) - See also: ex-Faithful Breath
+ guest:
Backing Vocals – Gudrun Laos
Production:
Recorded At – Fairland Studio
Recorded At – Tonstudio Mohrmann
Mixed At – Tonstudio Mohrmann
Mastered At – Studio-Nord-Bremen
Concept By [Story Conception] – Edgar Klüsener, Peter Dell
Producer – Heimi Mikus*, Risk
Written-By, Composed By, Arranged By – Risk
Tracklist:
01. Arise 00:46 instrumental
02. Last Warning 09:16
03. Be No More 04:30
04. Lullaby 04:02
05. Awakening 01:15 instrumental
06. Turn Back to Ecstasy 04:49
07. Eclipse 00:52 instrumental
08. The Night Will Fall 05:37
09. Phantasmagoria 04:18
10. Armageddon (Fight Back) 04:08
11. No One Will Remember 07:12
12. Be No More (Bonus Track)
13. Last Warning (Bonus Track)
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