Formed in 1989 by Torsten Ihlenfeld and Milan Loncaric on guitars and Dieter Bernert on drums, BRAINSTORM released their first demo “Hand Of Doom” after one year of existence. Following shows with Stormwitch, Exciter and Rage, the tracks “Kings, Queens and Sins” and “Law” appeared on a compilation LP. After completing their line-up with bassist Andreas Mailänder, the band released the second demo “Heart Of Hate” in 1992, which quickly gained cult status in the local metal scene.
Initially unable to find a suitable singer, the band solved the problem when Marcus Jürgens joined the band, being named “Newcomers of the Month” by the German Rock Hard magazine with their third demo “The Fifth Season”, released in 1994. After releasing yet another demo and single tracks on compilations, the band signed their first recording contract in 1997.
The self-produced debut album “Hungry” was an immediate winner with fans and journalists alike, enabling BRAINSTORM to tour with Morgana Lefay, Solitude Aeturnus, Skyclad, and Maraya. In 1998 the band hired the illustrious producer team of Dirk Schlächter (Gamma Ray), Harald Sprengler (Stormwitch) and Charlie Bauerfeind (Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, and many others) to guarantee a perfect production for their sophomore effort “Unholy”. The following tour of Europe alongside Iced Earth and Sentenced totally fulfilled the high expectations created by an already overwhelming reaction from the metal press.
In 1999 the vocalist position became vacant again, but the band managed to fill it with one of the best metal frontmen worldwide, Andy B. Franck (also in Symphorce). Finally everything was falling into place, and only two months after Franck joining, the band signed a contract with Metal Blade Records. The long awaited third album “Ambiguity” was recorded at House of Music Studio with Dirk Schlächter and Sascha Paeth (Rhapsody) producing, and was received with euphoric reviews everywhere. Successful tours with Armored Saint and King Diamond as well as various celebrated festival appearances further cemented the band’s popularity, making the “Swabian Five” one of the hottest live bands around.
In October 2001 the band released “Metus Mortis”, a high-energy metal classic produced by Achim Köhler, which became Album of the Month in several metal magazines, paving the way for a successful tour with Grave Digger and Tierra Santa. More festival gigs across Europe and single shows with Saxon followed, gradually getting BRAINSTORM the recognition they deserved.
In March 2003 the band returned to the studio (House of Music, as well as the band’s own Storm Your Brain Studios) with Achim Köhler to record “Soul Temptation”, already the fifth album in their career. What followed the release can only be described as a triumph for the band: A massive tour with Edguy and festival shows the world over resulted in the band’s definitive incorporation to the World’s Champions League of Metal. BRAINSTORM had finally arrived where they belong – at the top!
But whoever thought the group would now take a break and rest upon their laurels would be taught better soon enough. With the incredible energy and atmosphere from their live shows still fresh in their minds, the band began writing new material in their rehearsal studio in September 2004. From November on, the band started recording their new album with Achim Köhler in their usual working environment, fully conscious this might be the decisive album for their career. Now it’s done – “Liquid Monster” has been completed, showcasing the enormous progress the band has gone through, surpassing even the most optimistic of predictions. The single “All Those Words” will be released on March 7, meant as an appetizer for the fans before the full album is released on April 4. On top of that, the limited first edition of “Liquid Monster” will include a bonus DVD chock full of video footage shot by the band on their last tour and an extra bonus audio track.
The band has already booked and confirmed a headlining tour which will take them all around the globe. So now beware… because the MONSTER is going to rise!
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