Year : 1990
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Melodic Heavy Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 201 mb
Bio:
Victory is a German heavy metal and hard rock band from Hanover, most successful in the 1980s. With extensive tours and radio airplay, the band also made a breakthrough in North America.Victory was formed in 1984 from the remnants of the band Fargo. Bassist Peter Knorn, the two guitarists Tommy Newton and John Lockton and drummer Bernie Van de Graaf had all previously worked together in that band. After originally working with singer Pedro Schemm, former Gary Moore- and Ted Nugent-singer Charlie Huhn became the band's singer. Recommended by Scorpions' guitarist Rudolph Schenker, the band sign a management deal with David Krebs (who managed, among others, Scorpions and Aerosmith).A self-titled album appeared in 1985 on CBS Records to mild controversy because of the cover art: a scantily-dressed woman lying on her back with her legs spread, forming a V. The hype worked and the album made the charts. But before the first US tour, drummer Van de Graaf was replaced by Fritz Randow (ex-Eloy). Apart from playing 60 concerts, the band was also in the two largest festivals of the country, Day In The Green in Oakland before 60,000 and the Texxas Jam in front of over 80,000 spectators. After his return to Germany, John Lockton was replaced by the former Accept guitarist, Herman Frank.With their second album Don't Get Mad... Get Even the band again toured through Europe and America and the single Check's In The Mail gave them a radio hit in the USA. The third album Hungry Hearts came out in 1987 leading to yet more European and North American live work. A concert in Hamburg was recorded for a live album, which appeared in 1988 under the title That's Live. After its release, Huhn left the band, in order to join Humble Pie. For his replacement the band auditioned, among others, later Thunderhead-frontman Ted Bullet, but eventually decided for a 22-year-old Swiss, Fernando Garcia.The fourth album Culture Killed The Native achieved #19 in the German charts and also entered the charts in the USA again. A Europe tour as support for Gary Moore followed, before Victory started their first headline tour through America, as well as their first concert in Canada. Both Singles Never Satisfied and Don't Tell No Lies again received airplay on Radio and MTV. By 1990 a second studio album with Garcia was released: Temples Of Gold appeared in the top 20 in Germany and the first edition of it added a six song live EP, of recordings made in Los Angeles. An additional US-Tour followed, before 1992 the Album You Bought It You Name It was released.Victory now ranked alongside Scorpions, Accept and Helloween as the most successful German band but announced their split in 1994 with the double live album Liveline. But two years later they returned with the new album Voiceprint. Frank was replaced by the new, then Los Angeles–based guitarist Jake Paland (who has also worked with PFL, Timo Maas and Jimmy Somerville amongst others), and Randow by Matthias Liebetruth (who some years later would play for Running Wild). The album's release was accompanied by an extensive tour and the single releases Deep Inside The World and Cyberia, of which the latter again received airplay on all major music-TV channels. Varying personal interests among the band members though led to the final dissolution for the band.Newton made a name as a producer (he worked on Helloween's Keeper of the seven keys), Knorn became manager of Uli Jon Roth, Glenn Hughes and Michael Schenker. Huhn joined (in 2000) Foghat and Garcia (from 2004) sang for Swiss metal band Godiva. Randow in the meantime played for Saxon, Liebetruth became drummer for Running Wild and Paland continued working as a studio guitarist and focusing on his own projects.In 2002, rumours of a reunion of Victory started. Garcia declined to participate, which made it all the more surprising that in 2003, the album Instinct appeared with the almost original lineup of Huhn, Newton, Frank, Knorn and Randow. Victory played some concerts in Russia and Bulgaria as well as Wacken Open Air - a festival in northern Germany. Since Huhn was living in America, tour activities were difficult and he was again replaced, now with Jioti Parcharidis, the singer of Human Fortress.With Parcharidis, the band released the album Fuel To The Fire, containing re-recordings of their best-known songs in January 2006. Thereafter yet another line-up change followed. Randow left Victory and was replaced by former Sanvoisen drummer Achim Keller. Appearances followed at Bang Your Head!!! and Sweden Rock-festival as well as a European tour in support of Metal Church in May and June 2007. Four years later the band released Don't Talk Science in what they were calling their final album. The album was recorded in 2009 and was releasecd in May 2011 on Label Golden Core /ZYX music.In 2013 Herman Frank who is member with Accept since their reunion in 2009 decided to continue Victory together with singer Jioti Parcharidis, guitarist Christos Mamalitsidis, Peter Pichl on bass guitar Running Wild and drummer Michael Wolpers. Since their first show at Rock of Ages-festival in July 2013 Victory keeps on succeeding. So upcoming rumours can´t be stopped about recording the next Victory album.
Album:
I gave this record a 100%. I know that should probably be a no-no on a rating scale with 100 points, but I am not kidding with that number.Now, what this record is is 100%, spot-on, hard rock/metal of the type that dominated and then faltered back in the 80's/early 90's. Back when Dokken was originally rockkin' and radio top-10 included actual (light) metal bands, Victory was also doing their thing. They seemed to peak in America a little late with Culture Killed the Native in 1990, which came out right before this record. That was a very good record, even great in places, though I always felt it was a little bit "over-produced," little too radio-aware in places. Certain songs on it were, however, just the right, darker, less saccharine, more metal approach that could pull a Priest or Maiden fan over, even though Victory had a lot of the trappings of an MTV "hair band." This record is all that better part.Don't let the first song fool you. "Rock and Roll Kids Forever" has a silly name and a couple bars of something that does not rock in the front, but then it cranks up and it's all hard rockin' riffs, upbeat tempos, catchy hooks, and Fernando Garcia doing his thing. He is the singer I think of most and am most impressed by of the several front men Victory has sported over their career. Charlie Huhn on the first several records was a solid rock/metal vocalist, and he kills on that later album, Instinct, which came after the Garcia era. This Jioti Parcharidis they have singing on the last record is great, too. But Garcia had a distinctive voice that could carry a hooky chorus with enough angst and desperation to bring that edgier tinge that nudges Victory (along with a nice, dark guitar tone and hard driving drumming) into that border zone between hard rock/metal and true heavy metal. This is a place where only a certain few can stand and earn respect from folks who really like the rock more and also garner true love and respect from headbangers who really like the heavy metal side of things. A place right nearby where Accept could stand.Which brings me to Herman Frank, who played guitar straight through all of Victory's catalague and also played with Accept (from way back on Balls to the Wall and more recently on Blood of the Nations and Stalingrad). This is a metal guitarist who can bring the guitar tone, attitude, and memorable hooks in spades. High energy. He is doing his thing really well on this record.Now, Temples of Gold is not an Accept album, nor would it ever be mistaken for one. It is more rock where Accept is more metal. But Temples of Gold is one heavy rocker. Catchy, with choruses that will stick in your head and guitar riffs you will want to crank. Several of the songs are pretty driving even as the guitar draws on something a little bluesy or the chorus is calling for you to put a lighter in the air.I don't know if I have done enough to convince you that you missed this gem and that even though you will probably have to order it from over seas for more than you want to pay to get your hands on an actual copy now, you really need it. Some of the songs on here deserved to be heard in America back in the day, and if I missed it, then so did a lot of you. I bought Culture Killed on cassette when it came out, and I became a fan of the band, but I never laid eyes on Temples or heard tale of its existence for years. Only recently did I actually pull the trigger on a reasonably priced copy. What a great time capsule that actually holds up phenomenally well today.So, a great hard rock/metal album, heavy on the metal yet still definitely a rocker. And with Fernando Garcia and Herman Frank on here, you are missing a piece of rock/metal history without this in your collection. Happy hunting.
Line-Up:
Fernando Garcia "El Toro Loco" - Vocals - See also: ex-Godiva, ex-Biss, ex-Wicked Sensation
Tommy Newton - Vocals, Guitars - See also: ex-Fargo, ex-Joal, ex-Pancake, ex-Sphinx
Herman Frank - Guitars (1986-1996, 2003-2011, 2013-present) - See also: Accept, Herman Frank, Poison Sun, ex-Hazzard, ex-Moon Doc, ex-Sinner, ex-The Element
Fargo Peter Knorn - Bass
Fritz Randow - Drums
Production:
Recorded At – Wisseloord Studios
Engineer [Mixing] – Erwin Musper
Engineer [Recording] – John Smit
Management – Tom Marzullo
Mixed By – Erwin Musper (tracks: 1 to 12), Tommy Newton (tracks: 13 to 15)
Photography By – Geoffrey Thomas (2)
Producer – Albert Boekholt
Words By, Music By – Fernando Garcia (5) (tracks: 1 to 12), Fritz Randow (tracks: 1 to 12), Herman Frank/White* (tracks: 1 to 12), Mick Contenz (tracks: 1 to 12), Peter Knorn (tracks: 1 to 12), Tommy Newton (tracks: 1 to 12), Victory (3) (tracks: 13 to 15)
Tracks 1 to 12 recorded at Wisseloord Studios (Hilversum, Holland) during March and April '90.
Tracks 13 to 15 recorded live in L.A.
Tracklist:
01. Rock'n'Roll Kids Forever 03:18
02. Backseat Rider 03:12
03. Standing like a Rock 03:25
04. All Aboard 03:17
05. Hell and Back 03:19
06. Temples of Gold 03:51
07. Take the Pace 04:02
08. Rock the Neighbours 03:24
09. Mr. President 03:00
10. Break Away 03:21
11. Fighting Back the Tears 06:41
12. The 9th of November 04:30
13. More And More 03:12 (Bonus Track)
14. Don't Tell No Lies 04:42 (Bonus Track)
15. Never Satisfied 02:42 (Bonus Track)
+ Video "Rock'n'Roll Kids Forever" (Official Video)
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