History & Biography Tyrol is known for many things mostly tourist-related, but heavy metal is not one of them. There were many Maniacs running around the heavy metal scene but these Austrian speed metal fanatics were one of the earlier ones having been formed in 1983. There were several line-up changes between the two albums. Bela Kasper guested on keyboards on the group’s second and last outing. The maniac said 'bye-bye' after issuing a demo called Bumkicker in 1990.
Reviews MANIAC - Same - KOCH 
There are many Maniacs running around the metal scene with this one being an early one and hailing from Austria. The band mixes heavy, power and speed metal to mostly good effect, but there are aspects that impress less. We'll get to those momentarily, but past a mundane intro metal fans will know it has to be good when the album begins with the "We love playin' fast/We love playin' loud" line. Soon we also have more promising content such as, "We are here to shock, shock/Spreadin' heavy metal everywhere."
You Don't Know It, the opening cut, immediately makes several things obvious. The band has loads of energy, chunky riffs and a singer whose wails can pierce the ears. The production is thin and lends an air of authenticity to the band - for those seeking the real vintage stuff - nowadays. The sound nods at Living Death whose debut arrived a year before the Austrians with a few solos reminiscent of Helloween's debut EP. It's likely that these bands all shared the same influences. On the down side, the meters and rhyme are too obvious. Words like "burn" and "lean," "tonight" and "right" and "power in the air" and "show us that you care" are elementary. Get Ready is one of the better cuts. It has a pounding rhythm, mature riffs and a manic solo. Alas, the lyrics are repetitive. The backing vocals are almost ubiquitous and overused. Here are some lyrics though: "Get down on your knees/Now touch my gun and/Squeeze and get ready" or how about "In defense of the night/Searching for the girls/Till the morning light…"? Some fifteen years earlier Led Zeppelin's The Lemon Song had elucidated, "Squeeze me, baby, till the juice runs down my leg/The way you squeeze my lemon, ah/I'm gonna fall right out of bed…" So, Maniac was just following tradition, not to mention nature, with its lyrics. Even the Manowar-ish God Of Thunder, a more bland track, could point to Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song as a forebear. Ride On has a Judas Priest influence and things become steamy again. "You found someone to love/A caring little girl/Giving you more than you ever got before…" Shout It Loud has a thrilling start. This one is a banger and has the best breaks and solos. We Swear At You, which closes the album, is an odd one for the Maniac. The socially conscious lyrics and effects are sci-fi even if the song ends with the "right to rock" line. A riff on this song is similar to Faithful Breath's Gold 'N' Glory (1984), a song from an album with more than a cursory reference to Vikings incidentally.
It is a good album that nonetheless does show signs of being dated. It is metal that makes sense to this day and, at a superficial level, is just plain fun, as well as fast and heavy. The songs are consciously written and designed for the stage. The band's singer and bassist would be replaced before the sophomore outing so it has to be this album to hear those two. - Ali "The Metallian"
Interviews
|
