Wicked Sensation Creates an Adrenaline Rush

German melodic hard rockers Wicked Sensation hit back with a fourth album and the first since 2010´s Crystalized. The band was formed in 1999 in Karlsruhe, Germany by guitarist and songwriter Michael Klein. The original band was made up by Klein, guitarist  Sang Vong, lead vocalist Francis Soto, keyboard player Bernd Spitzner, bass man Martin Mannhardt and finally drummer Björn Gref. They released a self-financed and self-titled debut maxi-CD in 2000 which landed them a deal with now-defunct German label MTM records. Before releasing the highly praised Reflected through that label in 2001 Dutch vocalist Robert Soeterbeck (ex-Highway Chile, ex-Vulture) took over the mike from Soto. The album was a great debut album with huge choirs and hooks galore. Reflected was named album of the month in the large German magazine Rock IT! The album was well received by both fans and media. Tours followed with the likes of Axxis and Dare.

It took the band three more years to carve out another melodic masterpiece in the form of Exceptional, released in 2004. This is as the title suggests an exceptional album. I might not be objective because the lead vocals were handled by one of my all time favorite singers - Fernando Garcia (ex-Victory) replacing Soeterbeck. To this day, this is in my book a hugely underestimated effort with 12 great melodic gems with some great guitar playing from Vong/Klein as well. The songs and the riffs were all memorable and the stars aligned at that moment. Yet again the new album received rave reviews and was named album of the month in Spanish magazine Rock Hard. After another tour, the band called it quits in 2006 citing "musical differences". Ever heard that before?

Guitarist and main songwriter Michael Klein felt that the band had not yet run its course and in the summer of 2009 he reconnected with Robert Soeterbeck and started to write new songs. They were joined by Pink Cream 69 bassist and producer extraordinaire Dennis Ward, original keyboard player Bernd Spitzner and new drummer Dirk Bruinenberg (ex-Elegy, Bob Catley). They recorded the comeback album Crystalized which was released through the German Metal Heaven label. It contained all the typical trademarks of the earlier albums - strong songs, modern production, and top notch musicianship. Although not reaching the highs of Exceptional it was still a good comeback effort. It also featured a guest appearance from Andi Deris (Helloween, ex-Pink cream 69) on the song "My Turn To Fly!"

Adrenaline Rush!

So at the end of last year it was time for another Wicked Sensation album but it was a long way and a really bumpy road to even get it released in the first place. Wicked Sensation seems to be plagued by bad luck throughout the whole career and this new album is no exception. When the songs for Adrenaline Rush had been written by Soeterbeck and Klein the recording process started with Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69) at the helm. During that process, Soeterberck was diagnosed with a cyst on his vocal chord leaving operation as the only suitable option. He asked the band to find a singer that could finish the album and get it released although still staying with the band and a plan to come back when rehabilitation was finished. David Reece (ex-Accept, Bangalore choir, ex-Tango Down among others) offered his services and the album could finally be completed. The album also sees original members Sang Vong and Martin Mannhardt back in the fold.

Track by track comments 
So what does the new offering, Adrenaline Rush, sound like. Old fans won´t be disappointed, The band hammers through 11 songs in the classic Wicked Sensation heritage. It is a very solid effort with a whole bunch of strong songs filled with energy. This is how hard rock with a melodic edge should sound like! It´s filled with no-nonsense hard rock, filled with hooks and straight to the point. The songs are really catchy and stick easily in your head.

Wicked Sensation in action live
Picture courtesy of the bands Facebook page.

The album starts with grand opener "King Of My World" which is a great melodic song with a huge hook. David Reece does a great job on this and a nice riff and solo duel from Vong/Klein. The chorus has a habit of sticking in the head for a while after listening to this song and I find myself involuntarily toe-tapping. Lyrically it´s about nightmares and facing your fears. Then it´s time for "Same Old Situation" which is a straight ahead rocker lacking the predecessor's strong hook line. It´s still a solid rock song with some nice keyboard fills from Spitzner. It deals with a relationship that's been going on for too long. Third spot is occupied by "Misery" which starts off with a cool bassline from Mannhardt. A great riff with some fancy stuff on the guitar from Klein during the verses adds value and the song has a nice bridge building up to a memorable chorus line. There is also nice dual guitar duel from Klein/Vong in the midsection of the song.  One of the stronger songs on the album - definitely. It´s predecessor dealt with the negative side of relationships and this song is about the other side, about falling in love, having a crush and all the euphoric emotions that come with it. It is followed by the blues infused "Leave Me Like A Fool" and we get some nice Hammond organ sounds too. A notch heavier song that is getting more melodic for the chorus line. The song reminds me a bit of late 80´s Whitesnake. Relationships are again the main theme here and never finding the woman you are looking for and if you do, you find out she is not interested in you. Next up is "Blue Painted Sky" and we are now reaching midway through the album. Not glancing at the cover I first thought this song was called "Out On The Beach" with a gang vocal on that part of the lyrics, but it is not. Again it´s a strong effort with a nice hook with and a great gang vocal on the chorus. The lyrics deal with the feeling of driving your car on a nice sunny day heading for the beach with the wind in your hair listening to your favourite song - a situation I think we all can relate to.

Main songwriter Michael Klein
Picture courtesy of the bands facebook page

A familiar song title is up next for those of you familiar with the David Reece back catalog, a song called "Angel In Black". For those who are familiar with the Reece fronted Bangalore Choir might recall this is exactly the same song title as the first track on their debut album. This song continues on in the trodded line of melodic hard rock and you will have all features here with a hooky chorus line and a nice vocal melody during the verses. The dark lyrics deal with nightmares and fears. We are then treated with the first power ballad in "Living On My Memories" or maybe it´s a slow rocker? Anyway it´s again a song about bad relationships and a strong effort with a nice vocal from Reece. "Desperate Nation" is up next and now we´re back in the heavier department with a heavy riff driving the song and a layer of keyboards floating on top of that. With the heavier arrangement, it adds variation to the impression of the whole album. It's also different when it comes to the lyrics which are more "political" and describes a situation with ethnic cleansing (too common in our world today) and fighting for your life in a war you did not want. It´s now time for the title track and the fastest song so far on the album which also features a guest appearance by original UDO guitarist Mathias Dieth. The tempo is shifting up a gear for the chorus line. The song has several nice tempo changes and it´s a really strong song with a memorable hook. As the title suggests it's about driving your car at a high speed and the adrenaline rush that comes with it. One of the stronger songs on the album with interesting and different arrangements.  "No More Lies" starts of with a heavy and scratchy riff and some nice guitar harmonies soon kicking in. A heavy driving riff gets the song off the ground and in my opinion the strongest song so far. The message is to stand up for your beliefs and let nobody change who you are (including your partner!). The album rounds off with the acoustic ballad "This Time" . It represents a nice shift, adding some new elements to this excellent album. I guess it's during this song the phones will be brought forward (lighters are out of date I guess). The song seems to be about reaching out for help and the decision to take the chance "This Time".

Summary

Wicked Sensation 2014. Picture courtesy of
the band's Facebook page.

I´m sure you could argue that there is a lack of originality and that Wicked Sensation does nothing to reinvent the scene but that was never really the issue here. When you get this kind of quality songs and great music there is really not much to complain about! Wicked Sensation certainly have the kind of qualities that are so rare in today's music biz. I don´t think it reaches the highs of Exceptional (that really is an exceptional album!) but it´s not far off. You will get what you expect and demand from Wicked Sensation and that means catchy choruses, solid production, great vocal and guitar harmonies and some nice keyboard fills here and there.

This album should merit at least 8 geeks out of 10 for the consistency in the songwriting department, a solid vocal performance by David Reece alongside some nice licks from Klein/Vong. The more you listen to the album - the more you find small details - a drum fill here, a riff in the background there and so on. It´s still a very head on and straight hard rockin´ album that you can easily digest. If it´s in the race for the long run is hard to say. I wish Robert Soeterbeck a speedy recovery and would love to see this album promoted in a live situation. Well done boys!

The Lionsheart.



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Wicked sensation on the world wide web!

BUY Adrenaline rush here!

Unbroken: An Interview With Rene Thomsen

Several months ago I discovered the band Thomsen through their October 2014 released Unbroken CD. Not being familiar with them before I was pleasantly surprised upon spinning the CD when the lead track, "Draw The Curtain", drew me in right away with its meaty power metal ingredients. You can read my full album review here: A Power Metal Delight: A Review Of Thomsen's Unbroken. Fast forward to February 2015, when the opportunity arose for me to have a brief Skype chat with Rene Thomsen himself, I jumped at the chance to talk with this multi-talented musician.

Seated at the helm of the good ship Meister (also known as my computer desk) I made the Skype call and after we rectified and disposed of a minor technical difficulty we were off.  The minute we said hello to each other Rene was excited to let me know right away that just before we started our Skype chat he had released a new video for "Break That Spell". Literally posted live just before I placed the call, "Break That Spell" is the fourth track on the Unbroken album and the third to receive the video treatment. I could tell through his voice even though I'd never spoken to the fabulously talented German musician previously that he was on the edge of his seat and brimming with excitement about the new video. "It's been released just since three minutes ago" he exclaimed. "New guitars, new bass, new drums, new vocals. It's out of the rehearsal room with the current line-up."  Rene went on to say that it was shot one day in November when drummer Andre Hilgers (Rage/Silent Force) had the time to meet with them. Rene, who recorded and mixed the song himself, says "It's much more aggressive than on the CD" and "for a video directly out of the rehearsal room it's OK, but it has HiFi sound so you can listen to it no problem". I disagree Mr. Thomsen! I watched the video after our little talk and I'd say it's more than just OK! The video for "Break That Spell" appears below so you take a look and a listen and judge for yourselves.

The compositions of Unbroken have been crafted musically by Thomsen himself with the lyric portions being supplied by writing partner Helge Engelke. "I can't write lyrics," Thomsen laughs "even though I did for the first album." For the lyrics of the album's title track, "Unbroken", Helge Engelke took inspiration from the trials and tribulations that Rene Thomsen went through in making this album, Thomsen says.

Rene has assembled a band of hard working and talented musicians for the live show that include himself as the guitarist, Andre Hilgers behind the drum kit, bassist Ingo Luhring, guitarist Michael Pesin and Russian vocalist Denis Brosowski (pronounced Dennis even though there's only one "n" and Brozoffski). In fact, Rene says: "When Denis was cast as the singer for Thomsen during his auditions at The Hannover Musikzentrum in his very first appearance with the band I decided to record it right away". That recording, "Tears Of The Sun", serves as the last song featured on the 2014 Thomsen Unbroken album. The accented, but well-spoken German guitarist also had nothing but good words to say about the musicians that went into the making of the Unbroken album. He spoke very highly of each of the drummers that contributed, Andres Hilgers, Bobby Jarzombek (Halford/Riot/Sebastian Bach) and Vinny Appice (Dio/Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell) and the different styles that each one brought to the recording. Also held in high regard were other guest musicians including guitarist Mathias Dieth (Sinner/U.D.O.) and guest vocalist the German legend himself, Udo Dirkschneider (U.D.O./Accept)! Udo's gravelly vocals appear on the track "We Made It" which Rene wrote musically about the late great Ronnie James Dio the night after the legend's death.

Throughout our conversation, Rene Thomsen is extremely good humored, laughing and joking during the whole chat. At one stage, he was quite comical when discussing his temporary fake tattoos, "I need to make money with customers, so I can't have my name on my lower arm. People will go: What's wrong with this guy?" After explaining where he has them made he continued with (voicing both himself and the imagined person he's talking to), "You make it two or three days before you want to show it and then people go: Oh Rene is it a fresh tattoo? And then: Why do you put your own name on your arm, what's wrong with you? Well, it's my band name, I'm a rocker! Umm hmm OK....wanna have a beer?" He laughs as we agree that not everyone understands being a rocker. "My parents go like: Rene? Ya? What have you done to your arm? Well, I put my name on it in case I get old like you people. And if they're in a good mood they laugh and if not they hang up." he jokes. A complete pleasure to talk with and a professional dedicated to his craft.

Rene himself is a hard worker, a perfectionist, wanting to deliver the best that he can to his fans as evidenced by phrases he said such as "technically the album was done correctly, but it wasn't metal enough for me, so it's been mixed twice." Rene also spoke of how hard it was for a small band like his to get found or discovered, "It's a local thing here". Determined to give only a "safe, clear" performance, it's hard for Rene and his band to play gigs unless they are nearby his hometown of Hannover, Germany, with the expenses of travel, gear and the personnel required to give the best show that he can to the audience. "I don't want to gain any money playing live," he says, "but I need to cover my costs." There will be some shows in promotion for the album, "March 20th we make a kick off for live here in Hannover and it's good sold already. People remember my last show because I bring extra lights. I bring extra staging so I make the stage deeper so we can set up the full nine yards." This is good news for The Meister as I hope to catch a live Thomsen event during my three week Europe vacation in June 2015.

We also spent a moment on the evils and positives of the age of the internet. "I-Tunes is cool for me 'cause I have all the rights on digital and it worked well. The I-Tunes sales are great, and the people buy the full album," he informed me. And with those high I-Tunes sales I was surprised when he let me know that people are buying the full album, something that I didn't think was taking place in today's marketplace.

As a former guitar tech Rene Thomsen has "been handed through from one major guitar player to the next one". Working as a guitar tech for Mathias Dieth, the former guitarist for U.D.O., Rene has been on tour with bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, U.D.O., Helloween, and Guns 'n' Roses. "Mathias and I we got to know Zakk Wylde and then I did the sound checks for U.D.O. and Ozzy when he wasn't there. I played every afternoon on tour and then I did the sound checks for the guitar players, I always learned one song to be able to do a guitar song that was of the band so that if they had a promo or an in-store I was prepared well if they weren't there." Rene admits that "Zakk 
Wylde is my absolute guitar hero" and you can tell that he's beaming as the words roll off his tongue. Rene had the opportunity to meet and learn from Maestro Wylde during that tour. "Zakk, I only have one question: Ya, what is it? What's the correct official riff, how do you play it for "I Don't Know"? And he teach me. It needed a week 'cause it's not so easy as people say. I have very small fingers and then I have my fingers on the fretboard and he say: no, no, no Rene, a bit more, a bit more and then he took my fingers and spread them over the fretboard and I say ahh, ahh. Yeah well, you have longer fingers you have no ahh, so now you have ahh. So this was very, very funny. A very fine guy, it was very nice getting to know him these days and we had a good time."

A third record is planned with a mixture of live recordings, re-recordings with Denis on vocals and two or three new songs. Rene hopes that it may even be featuring Zakk Wylde as a guest guitarist! "Zakk Wylde is the next musician I do my record with. He can only say no! I ask him and I try to convince him. I'm a riff player same as he is, so maybe I have something he likes." I'm hopeful for ya Rene!

When asked if there's anything else he wanted to mention he paused for a fair length and responded amidst a raucous bout of laughter with "Buy my fuckin' record!" a sentiment that The Meister agrees with all the way. Support the artists and keep the music coming. I highly recommend Thomsen's Unbroken for metal fans across the world!

Both Rene Thomsen and Decibel Geek would like to extend special thanks to Dustin Hardman of Hardman Press Promotions or the opportunity for this interview.

BUY: Thomsen - Unbroken

Cheers,
The Meister

(The Meister on Facebook) (Meister on Twitter)

(Thomsen Website) (Thomsen Facebook) (Thomsen YouTube)

First Roar From TWENTY DARK SEVEN

"Roar" is the debut album by the new German/Dutch hot "supergroup" 20 Dark Seven released in late 2014 on Metalopolis records. These guys are no strangers to the stage or the heavy metal/hard rock scene. Supergroups seem to be the fashion of the day with bands like Level 10, Sweet & Lynch and Serious Black showing up everywhere! 20 Dark Seven is made up of four veteran hard rockers, vocalist extraordinaire Marcus Jürgens (ex-Brainstorm, ex-Pump), guitar wizard Peter Wagner (ex-Wicked Temptation, ex-Piledriver), bass man Alex Jansen (Fox, ex-Mennen) and skin basher Hans In´t Zandt (ex-Vengeance, ex-Mad Max, ex-Bangalore Choire,  Praying Mantis). 

Picture courtesy of 20 Dark Seven Facebook

The band started out in January 2013 in Karlsruhe and Dortmund, Germany, with Jürgens teaming up with Wagner and originally two other former Pump members were part of the original band; drummer Achim Keller and bass player Stephan Bürk. Both soon left due to work commitments and other musical projects meaning they could not put in the time and effort the new band demanded and needed. Jürgens and Wagner started to search for a new rhythm section and soon found Fox bass man Alex Jansen and  Dutch drummer Hans In´t Zandt who were ready to take on the challenge. The German/Dutch quartet soon started to record their debut album titled Roar which was mixed by Achim Köhler at Indiscreet Audio. A deal was struck with indie label Megalopolis records and this album saw the light of day in October of 2014.

Track By Track Comments:

The album starts off in fine style with fast paced heavy rocker ”Do You Like The Dark” which has a really catchy chorus, some nice guitar playing from Wagner and solid rhythm section building up this song. Lyrically it´s about taking revenge in the dark. Second song is called ”Come Undone” and starts off with a cool guitar riff from Wagner that reminds me of Judas Priest ”Heading Out To The Highway”, although it is not completely the same the similarities are there. It continues with a melodic verse where Jürgens shows his skills and erupts in a cool chorus line. A great and surprising start to this debut album. The song is about waking up hungover and looking back on your failures and how you tried hard. Third song is ”Heart Of A Lion” (Lionsheart LOL!). It starts off with a slow guitar solo which quickly turns into some really heavy riffing from Wagner and by far the heaviest song this far. Wagner really shines on this song with some nice twists and turns on the guitar. Again a very melodic and memorable chorus sung by Jürgens with a choir backing him up. The theme of the song is the adrenaline rush before a fight and trying to catch fame and fortune. Three really strong songs are firing this disc off in a great manner. Fourth space on this disc is

Courtesy of 20 Dark 7 Facebook

 occupied by ”So Damn Insane” which starts with another guitar intro by Wagner and changes shape into a mid-paced rocker but not having the strong chorus of the previous songs, it´s maybe the weakest song this far. A good song with a  nice guitar solo but nothing that really stands out. Now ”Killing With Kindness” (odd song title) follows suit and in the now established style it starts with a slow guitar intro that yet again turns into another mid-paced and heavy rock song. This is a really strong song and one of my favourites on the album. A nice bridge leading up to a memorable and very melodic chorus line that sticks in your head for a while. Definitely one of the highlights on this album. The lyrics deal with some people being nice on the surface hiding what's below. Up next is ”Edge Of A Knife” with some very melodic vocals during the verses and another feel-good chorus line which continues on in the same vein as the previous song. A nice guitar solo from Wagner with a great vibrato. A regular lyrical theme of a cold hearted woman finally reaping what she has sown.”You Don´t Know Me” starts with a heavy riff and a scream from Jürgens and continues with a pumping bassline and heavy drumming from Hans In´t Zandt. A heavy and aggressive rocker that sometimes reminds me of Dream Evil or even Jürgens previous band Brainstorm. An epic chorus line with some heavy riffing in the background builds up this song.  Up next is ”Stand Your Ground” which starts off  with a short intro and gives the impression from the start that we´re up for a power ballad but are then served the Wagner riffs again and a mid-paced rocker takes form with some additional nice tempo shifts. Lyrically it´s about standing your ground in a cold and harsh environment. We´re now moving towards the end of the album with ”Back In The Dirt” which is a gritty rocker with Jürgens being ”sick and tired” of being "Back In The Dirt!". It´s another heavy, grooving, mid-paced rocker. The lyrics are filled with anger and frustration of things being the way they are in today´s world. That is also what I find the lyrical theme in general throughout the whole CD. The album ends with Jürgens screaming ”Man there will be "Hard Times Coming"!. With a pumping bass and a driving riff from Wagner, it´s a rather nice acquaintance. Another song showing the frustration of what the world has come to.

Summary: 
If you are familiar with the member's previous bands you will know what to expect from 20 Dark Seven. Here you will get 10 catchy, guitar-oriented hard rock tracks in the old school. You will get a ton of catchy riffs and hook-laden songs that is so typical of many German hard rock/metal bands. Jürgens personal voice is easily recognizable and the riffs from Wagner are as memorable as ever before.

I really dig this record that has some really nice riffs and very melodic playing from Wagner. Marcus Jürgens is great as always but compared to his latest band Pump the songs sound fresher, melodic and updated which makes this a really nice surprise. I realize we have a love or hate situation here. Either you love Jürgens vocals or you don´t. His raspy and somewhat rough vocals do not fit everyone. Vocally he sounds  similar to David Reece for example.  I know Jürgens from back in the days in Brainstorm in the late 1990s and I always thought the Pump records were a mixed affair.

I always wondered where Marcus Jürgens went and what happened to Pump but here we get the answer. The new outfit 20 Dark Seven is a really nice surprise. With few exceptions, you have some really strong songs on this album with both great guitar playing from Wagner and some really nice, memorable hooks and melodic chorus lines.  The first part of the album is a bit stronger than the second half. The album might have benefited from one or two faster songs and maybe the odd ballad to add some variation to the mix. Here you get 10 mid-tempo rockers. Still a strong debut that merits 7.5 out of 10 geeks in my book and it will be nice to follow the band in the future. If you are into hard rock with a melodic edge and some songs to sing along to in the shower then this one is for you. This is nothing groundbreaking (and certainly not meant to be either) but it´s a well-crafted album performed by top notch musicians. I hope they will bring this album out on the road.

The Lionsheart

20 DARK SEVEN on facebook

BUY the album here!