METAL JUKEBOX

Jackal - Rise (1990) (Japan Edition 1993)













Year : 1990 (Japan Edition 1993)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal , Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Denmark
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 121 mb

Bio:

Not to be confused with outrageous American hard rockers Jackyl.Jackal from Denmark formed in 1987, they put out a demo cassette the same year, then recorded three great melodic HM albums: 1990's "Rise" (on major EMI), 1993's "Vague Visions" and 1994's "A Safe Look In Mirrors".Guitarist and lead songwriter Benny Petersen "The Riffmeister" was actually a member of some of the finest bands from that country, such as Pretty Maids, Artillery and Mercyful Fate during their demo stages, so we’re talking about someone who had a ton of experience when Jackal released their first three albums in the early 90s. Line-Up was completed with Brian Rich on vocals (who also recorded vocals for the band Narita on their 1992 self titled album), Per Fisker on drums and Claus Weiergang on bass replaced in 1993 by Søren Hee Johansen. There was immediate european and japanese success already with the release of their first album. In 1995 after releasing "A Safe Look In Mirrors" they toured with Mike Tramp's (Ex-White Lion) band Freak Of Nature. The group played just one gig of the tour before a tragedy struck. Their tour bus crashed and frontman Brian Rich received a serious head injury; he was hospitalized for five days and spent more than a year and a half in treatment recovering from the injury.Rising Sun, the group's label at the time, gave the band some to to recover from the accident, but simply couldn't wait any longer for the group to become active again, so left the band and Jackal soon split. Jackal return with "IV" album in 1999 but featuring only Brian Rich from the original line-up. Brian had passed away on 4th April 20123, these reprints are a homage and tribute to his talent.

Album:

Japan edition from 1993 issued in a standard jewel case with 14-page booklet including English release information and lyrics, Japanese lyrics and commentary, also includes an obi.It was also issued CD in Japan with the different cover."Rise" is a hard rock/heavy metal debut album recording by JACKAL released in 1990 on CD.They play an style of "Euro-hard rock/metal" and distinguish themselves from their competitors thanks to the exceptional lead guitar work of Peterson, and the powerful -inspired voice of Rich.Jackal had immediate European and Japanese success with the release of their first album on EMI.Label difficulties dogged the band after that.Vocalist Brian Rich was replaced by Carsten Olsen in 1996, but the band immediately became Encore with a new bass player Jesper Bang replacing Søren Hee Johansen.Brian Rich reminded me of some singers of the NWOBHM time and the songs even have some vibes to it too..."Into The Night","Stealing Hearts","Is It Love","Escape" (good instrumental song),"Walking In The Distance" & "Why?" are my faves...A very good Hard Rock/Heavy Metal album....recommended this album !!

Line Up:

Brian Rich - Vocals - See also: ex-Shermann Soldiers, ex-Narita, ex-Evil Prayer (R.I.P. 2013)
Benny Petersen - Guitars - See also: ex-Encore, Benny Petersen, ex-Artillery, ex-Mercyful Fate, ex-Pretty Maids, ex-Evil, ex-Devil's Symphony, ex-Harlot, ex-Trash
Claus Weiergang - Bass (1989-1991) - See also: ex-Gutrix, ex-Furious Trauma, ex-Evil, ex-Zoser Mez, ex-Breakin' the Law (Judas Priest tribute), ex-Centari, ex-Hank's New Carpet, ex-Harlot, ex-Judaz Fucking Killaz (Judas Priest tribute), ex-M.I.R. (Masters In Rock), ex-The Charlies, ex-Link Wray Band (live)
Per Fisker - Drums - See also: ex-Encore, Grumpynators

Production:

Recorded At – Soundscape Studio
Mixed At – Soundscape Studio
Mixed At – Media Sound Studios
Arranged By – Jackal
Artwork [Frontcover], Design – Patrick Leis
Booking, Management [Personal] – Michael H. Christensen
Engineer – Flemming Naumann
Liner Notes [Japanese Lyrics] – 渡邊穣司
Lyrics By, Liner Notes – Brian Rich
Music By, Composed By – Benny Petersen (tracks: 1, 3 to 12), Brian Rich (tracks: 2, 4, 10, 11), Per Fisker (tracks: 4, 8)
Photography By [Back Cover Picture] – Christina Hauschildt, Mette Bäcklund, Michael Hauschildt
Photography By [Innersleeve Pix] – John Mortensson, Pia Juul
Producer – Flemming Naumann, Jackal

Tracklist:

01. Into the Night 03:05
02. I'm Lying 03:26
03. Alone 02:06 instrumental
04. Stealing Hearts 04:16
05. Is It Love 04:52
06. Escape 05:45 instrumental
07. Hot Love 04:14
08. Walking in the Distance 03:32
09. Hold On 04:12
10. Why? 03:43
11. I Must Be Dreaming 03:02
12. Rise 05:14




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

Jackal - Vague Visions (Japan Edition) (1993)













Year : 1993 (Japan Edition)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal , Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Denmark
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 122 mb

Bio:

Not to be confused with outrageous American hard rockers Jackyl.Jackal from Denmark formed in 1987, they put out a demo cassette the same year, then recorded three great melodic HM albums: 1990's "Rise" (on major EMI), 1993's "Vague Visions" and 1994's "A Safe Look In Mirrors".Guitarist and lead songwriter Benny Petersen "The Riffmeister" was actually a member of some of the finest bands from that country, such as Pretty Maids, Artillery and Mercyful Fate during their demo stages, so we’re talking about someone who had a ton of experience when Jackal released their first three albums in the early 90s. Line-Up was completed with Brian Rich on vocals (who also recorded vocals for the band Narita on their 1992 self titled album), Per Fisker on drums and Claus Weiergang on bass replaced in 1993 by Søren Hee Johansen. There was immediate european and japanese success already with the release of their first album. In 1995 after releasing "A Safe Look In Mirrors" they toured with Mike Tramp's (Ex-White Lion) band Freak Of Nature. The group played just one gig of the tour before a tragedy struck. Their tour bus crashed and frontman Brian Rich received a serious head injury; he was hospitalized for five days and spent more than a year and a half in treatment recovering from the injury.Rising Sun, the group's label at the time, gave the band some to to recover from the accident, but simply couldn't wait any longer for the group to become active again, so left the band and Jackal soon split. Jackal return with "IV" album in 1999 but featuring only Brian Rich from the original line-up. Brian had passed away on 4th April 20123, these reprints are a homage and tribute to his talent.

Album:

Second full-length album.Japan edition from 1993 issued in a standard jewel case with 17-page booklet including English release information and lyrics, Japanese lyrics and commentary, also includes an obi."Vague Visions" is a hard rock/heavy metal second album album recording by JACKAL released in 1993 on CD.They play an style of "Euro-hard rock/metal" and distinguish themselves from their competitors thanks to the exceptional lead guitar work of Peterson, and the powerful -inspired voice of Rich.Jackal had immediate European and Japanese success with the release of their first album on EMI.There are albums that remain undervalued throughout their lives.Works that are known and appreciated, but never really accorded the respect that their musical class evokes.‘Vague Visions’, the second album by the Danes JACKAL, is just such an album, released in 1993 - one of the hardest years for classic metal due to the Seattle movement with all its (sometimes grandiose) anthems of despair and weariness.Born in difficult times and admittedly rather tastelessly packaged, this album is by no means a classic 10-point album full of immortal hits, but the mere fact that the second JACKAL can still be listened to with pleasure sixteen years later without discovering any real weaknesses should be enough proof of its quality to place it in the ranks of the classics.Some say ‘Vague Visions’ was the best IRON MAIDEN disc since ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’. Some claim that JACKAL were the true heirs to the epic artistry of a god band like ARTCH. I can live with both approaches, see the parallels to both super bands today more clearly than ever and say quite clearly that ‘Vague Visions’, as well as the successor ‘A Safe Look In Mirrors’ (which shows clear borrowings from greats like QUEENSRYCHE and METAL CHURCH) is one of the best European metal albums of the 90s and can still please traditional bangers today as well as prog fans and friends of solid hard rock sounds. Melodic power metal with a penchant for hard rock, a love of proggy structures and a deep bow to the NwoBhm is what makes up songs like the brisk title track, the gentle ‘No Sign Of Heaven’ or ‘There By The Tress’, emphasising JACKAL's fresh and unspent touch and making the combination of great guitar work and superb vocals with transparent production over the full playing time an indispensable pleasure far removed from all clichés and obtrusive ingratiation.In the land of smiles, JACKAL were superstars! In our part of the world, they were an insider tip for all those metal fans who, despite the grunge wave, sought their salvation far away from woollen jumpers and discarded second-hand jeans. JACKAL are probably still an insider's tip today and anyone who doesn't know this band and who is just as fond of the above-mentioned acts as younger bands like DESTILLERY, WOLF or JACOB'S DREAM is advised to get hold of this album, which is no longer so easily available, at the next available opportunity.

Line Up:

Brian Rich - Vocals - See also: ex-Shermann Soldiers, ex-Narita, ex-Evil Prayer (R.I.P. 2013)
Benny Petersen - Guitars - See also: ex-Encore, Benny Petersen, ex-Artillery, ex-Mercyful Fate, ex-Pretty Maids, ex-Evil, ex-Devil's Symphony, ex-Harlot, ex-Trash
Søren Hee Johansen - Bass - See also: ex-Konkhra
Per Fisker - Drums - See also: ex-Encore, Grumpynators

Production:

Manufactured By – Toshiba EMI Ltd
Produced For – Grip Musik
Recorded At – Wave Digital Studios
Mixed At – Wave Digital Studios
Cover, Artwork [Cover Artwork], Design – Patrick Leis
Engineer [Additional] – Alan Pangelinan, Brian Griffin, Scott Nelson, Tonny Eriksen
Liner Notes – 西田光宏*, 西影憲介
Liner Notes [対訳] – ゼロ・コーポレーション
Photography By – Steen Fogh-Nielsen
Producer – Eric "Griffy" Sølvbjerg, Jackal
Recorded By, Mixed By – Griffy, Jackal, John Kronholm

Tracklist:

01. Vague Visions 04:08
02. Only a Crime Away 05:03
03. Still Not Gone 04:53
04. Being Alone 04:29
05. No Sign of Heaven 03:16
06. Virgin in Black 04:58
07. Breakin' Time 05:18
08. Our Love Is My Religion 04:51
09. There by the Trees 04:01
10. 2001 03:48 instrumental




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

Jackal - A Safe Look In Mirrors (Japan Edition) (1994)













Year : 1994 (Japan Edition)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal , Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Denmark
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 114 mb

Bio:

Not to be confused with outrageous American hard rockers Jackyl.Jackal from Denmark formed in 1987, they put out a demo cassette the same year, then recorded three great melodic HM albums: 1990's "Rise" (on major EMI), 1993's "Vague Visions" and 1994's "A Safe Look In Mirrors".Guitarist and lead songwriter Benny Petersen "The Riffmeister" was actually a member of some of the finest bands from that country, such as Pretty Maids, Artillery and Mercyful Fate during their demo stages, so we’re talking about someone who had a ton of experience when Jackal released their first three albums in the early 90s. Line-Up was completed with Brian Rich on vocals (who also recorded vocals for the band Narita on their 1992 self titled album), Per Fisker on drums and Claus Weiergang on bass replaced in 1993 by Søren Hee Johansen. There was immediate european and japanese success already with the release of their first album. In 1995 after releasing "A Safe Look In Mirrors" they toured with Mike Tramp's (Ex-White Lion) band Freak Of Nature. The group played just one gig of the tour before a tragedy struck. Their tour bus crashed and frontman Brian Rich received a serious head injury; he was hospitalized for five days and spent more than a year and a half in treatment recovering from the injury.Rising Sun, the group's label at the time, gave the band some to to recover from the accident, but simply couldn't wait any longer for the group to become active again, so left the band and Jackal soon split. Jackal return with "IV" album in 1999 but featuring only Brian Rich from the original line-up. Brian had passed away on 4th April 20123, these reprints are a homage and tribute to his talent.

Album:

Third full-length album.Japan edition from 1994 issued in a standard jewel case with 14-page booklet including English release information and lyrics, Japanese lyrics and commentary,."A Safe Look In Mirrors" is a hard rock/heavy metal third album album recording by JACKAL released in 1993 on CD.They play an style of "Euro-hard rock/metal" and distinguish themselves from their competitors thanks to the exceptional lead guitar work of Peterson, and the powerful -inspired voice of Rich.Jackal had immediate European and Japanese success with the release of their first album on EMI.They reached a considerable success with their first album, but label and personal issues put the band back in anonymity. Performing a pretty straightforward Heavy Metal with glimpses of Power Metal here and there, Jackal managed to compile a good song selection in A Safe Look in Mirrors. What we have here is a talented band at their peak, with vocalist Brian Rich stealing the show with his mix of high-pitched and gruffy voice, and competent riffing and songwriting. It's a shame that Rich committed suicide in 2013, because he was a great singer and a talented artist. Fast passages are represented in songs like the title track, while the heavier approach rests in "When the Light is Comin' Down" and "What's it Gonna Be". It's safe to say, though, that the band has a more melodic influence, illustrated well by the choruses throughout the album, especially in songs like "Just a Little Closer", "Dream On" and "The Lonely".This was a favorite of mine back in my teenage days, and listening to it all these years later makes it even more enjoyable. It has high quality production if we take into consideration the time of release and the fact that this was a band that never really had a prominent role in the industry, resting in the European underground scene after the label issues mentioned above. Maiden fans, as well as Traditional Metal fans in general with a taste for diversity in their music should dig this.

Line Up:

Brian Rich - Vocals - See also: ex-Shermann Soldiers, ex-Narita, ex-Evil Prayer (R.I.P. 2013)
Benny Petersen - Guitars - See also: ex-Encore, Benny Petersen, ex-Artillery, ex-Mercyful Fate, ex-Pretty Maids, ex-Evil, ex-Devil's Symphony, ex-Harlot, ex-Trash
Søren Hee Johansen - Bass - See also: ex-Konkhra
Per Fisker - Drums - See also: ex-Encore, Grumpynators

Production:

Manufactured By – Toshiba EMI Ltd
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Rising Sun Productions
Copyright © – Rising Sun Productions
Recorded At – Horus Sound Studio
Arranged By, Songwriter [Songs Made By] – Benny (The Riffmeister) Petersen*, Per Fisker
Arranged By, Songwriter [Songs Made By], Lyrics By – Brian Rich
Artwork [Cover] – Patrick Leis
Engineer [Assistant] – Sascha Paeth
Liner Notes – 藤木昌生
Liner Notes [対訳] – 山崎智之
Mastered By – H. Halve
Photography By – Jørgen Bach
Producer, Mixed By, Engineer – Charlie Bauerfeind
Recorded By – Frank Bornemann
Songwriter [Additional Riffs] – Søren* (tracks: 4, 7)

Tracklist:

01. A Safe Look in Mirrors 04:48
02. Nothing to Lose 03:05
03. Just a Little Closer 05:37
04. What's It Gonna Be 03:34
05. Dream On 05:19
06. Taken Away 04:19
07. When the Light Is Comin' Down 05:06
08. The Lonely 04:17
09. Journey 06:13
10. Up the Aisle 04:16




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

Jackal - IV (2009)













Year : 2009 (Pure Steel Records Edition)
Style : Melodic Heavy Metal , Melodic Hard Rock
Country : Denmark
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 111 mb

Bio:

Not to be confused with outrageous American hard rockers Jackyl.Jackal from Denmark formed in 1987, they put out a demo cassette the same year, then recorded three great melodic HM albums: 1990's "Rise" (on major EMI), 1993's "Vague Visions" and 1994's "A Safe Look In Mirrors".Guitarist and lead songwriter Benny Petersen "The Riffmeister" was actually a member of some of the finest bands from that country, such as Pretty Maids, Artillery and Mercyful Fate during their demo stages, so we’re talking about someone who had a ton of experience when Jackal released their first three albums in the early 90s. Line-Up was completed with Brian Rich on vocals (who also recorded vocals for the band Narita on their 1992 self titled album), Per Fisker on drums and Claus Weiergang on bass replaced in 1993 by Søren Hee Johansen. There was immediate european and japanese success already with the release of their first album. In 1995 after releasing "A Safe Look In Mirrors" they toured with Mike Tramp's (Ex-White Lion) band Freak Of Nature. The group played just one gig of the tour before a tragedy struck. Their tour bus crashed and frontman Brian Rich received a serious head injury; he was hospitalized for five days and spent more than a year and a half in treatment recovering from the injury.Rising Sun, the group's label at the time, gave the band some to to recover from the accident, but simply couldn't wait any longer for the group to become active again, so left the band and Jackal soon split. Jackal return with "IV" album in 1999 but featuring only Brian Rich from the original line-up. Brian had passed away on 4th April 20123, these reprints are a homage and tribute to his talent.

Album:

Rare 4th full-length and the last album... because lead singer Brian Rich died in 2013.Jackal are Danes that had released three good album back in the Nineties.In 1996 the band then split, followed by a demo in 2003, which had the same title as this album: ‘IV’. Unfortunately only singer Brian Rich is left from that line-up, all instruments have been recorded by a Carsten Falkenlind on his own. Still they have stayed true to their old style, which means that we are still treated to Melodic Metal with strong US Metal influence. Who loves bands such as Warrior, Leatherwolf or Pretty Maids might very well like Jackal as well, because with some few exceptions we get very good, if not outstanding songs with melody and power. High-flyers such as ‘In To The Core’ or ‘Disciple Of The Night’ would not have been out of place on their best album ‘A Safe Look In Mirrors’. The rest is not as strong, but still they never go under a certain level, only the horrible chorus of ‘Innocence’ really rubs me the wrong way, but other than that, thumbs up!

Line Up:

Brian Rich - Vocals - See also: ex-Shermann Soldiers, ex-Narita, ex-Evil Prayer (R.I.P. 2013)

Production:

Distributed By – Twilight Vertrieb
Recorded At – 5th Vision
Manufactured By
Glass Mastered At – kdg – 673.223
Artwork By – Jon Holmstrom, Timo Wuerz
Instruments – Falkenlind
Layout – Markus Lorenz
Producer – Carsten Falkenlind
Words By, Music By – Brian Rich

Tracklist:

01. Reinforcement 01:01 instrumental
02. In to the Core 04:38
03. Innocence 03:35
04. Angels 06:08
05. Disciple of the Night 07:11
06. No Lifeguard on Duty 05:16
07. When the Heart Is Strong 04:54
08. Endgame 04:42
09. No One 04:05
10. Hunter 04:52




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/