Capture the Night

In these days the movie "Teutonic Thrash" sets a cinematic monument to the German thrash awakening in the early / mid 80s. That’s fantastic, because this time and its spirit will never come back and bands like Sodom or Kreator have been an influence for legions of other thrash and even black metal musicians. But Germany had more to offer than these well-known formations. In the shadow of the very violently playing bands sailed some formations that combined traditional heaviness with speed metal. Lions Breed, Tyran’ Pace, Atlain, Steeler, Tyrant or Noisehunter (you see, I want to be the king of the day in terms of namedropping) connected Judas Priest and Accept with the then newly discovered love for velocity, but they never forgot to integrate a proper quantum of melodies as well. Brainfever were also a link in this chain. They recorded their debut from May to July 1984 and believe me, the album is really a child of its time.

First of all, it is the warm sound that revitalizes the pioneering days of German metal. The bass guitar does not show up, so what, the guitar lacks sharpness but shines with a solid degree of heavy vibes and everything is neither blurred nor overly defined. I get nostalgic feelings when listening to albums like this one… but that’s irrelevant, let’s come to the music itself. “Into the Sky” welcomes the listener with an up-tempo approach, powerful riffing and clean vocals. Lead singer Horst Neumann (by the way, great old school name) shows his skills right from the beginning, including some high-pitched screams. The opener is among the highlights of the conventionally constructed tracks, but the B side starts even better. The excellently riffing band anthem and the partly double-bass driven title track also put the focus on (more or less) high speed, they fascinate with their no frills design and are crowned by catchy choruses. Not to mention the really heavy guitars that give the songs a proper depth. This feature (the guitar tone) is also the ace of “Hangman”, the second track on the A side. Its intro is unexplainably bad, but as soon as the number really begins, it turns out to a great traditional metal song. “Danger of the Night” shines with a very smooth chorus, while the remaining tracks of the A side deliver only average food.

Like all the other aforementioned power / heavy / speed metal bands from Germany (and in sharp contrast to early Sodom and Kreator), Brainfever were able to transport not only aggression, but also feelings like melancholy or pain. “Midnight Train” is one of these tracks whose melancholic touch delights me. At the latest with this title it becomes clear that Brainfever were blessed with the great gift to write captivating choruses. “Tool for the Show”, heavy and wistful at the same time, confirms this finding for the last time.

No, “Capture the Night” is no must-have work, because it cannot hide that both A and B side lose quality towards the end. But it is an honest and energetic vinyl that tells the listener a lot about the unconcerned spirit of the golden pioneering days of authentic metal. And all these bands contributed to the rising metal euphoria that made Germany to one of the most important metal regions worldwide. Therefore, I strongly recommend to lend an ear, even though I doubt that ever a film will be made about the German heavy / speed Metal bands of the early 80s.

This is one of those European metal artifacts that has slipped under the radar, a record once regarded as a classic that has fallen deep under the waves of history. The reasons why are two. Firstly, Mausoleum records released it, a label not well regarded at the time and poorly distributed in the US. Secondly the band were propped up as speed metal titans at the of it’s release which was a far from correct assessment of their style and sound. What we have here is a very solid German band consecrated with a very heavy and compressed sound, who performed tight and snappy songs full of both raging guitars and tight rythyms. The next Bathory, they were not. So much the better, really, because as “Into The Sky” lashes out, the band’s imposing sound and smart writing shapes into a damn impressive power metal form. After it’s goofy intro, “Hangman” also gets down to serious tactics, and for only featuring one guitarist in the band, it’s remarkable how heavy this album manages to sound. There really isn’t a weak place in sight here, and the band’s theme tune “Brainfever” is easily a major highlight with it’s cool guitar solo and gnashing guitar work. Singer Horst Neumann does a job that is both strong and understated, fitting perfectly into the raging but wise approach the band take. A relic of Eurometal, sure, but a very good one all the same.