This is an important album for a boatload of reasons but I think being the debut release has the number one. Yes, this is the debut for the band SON OF A BITCH who even before putting their name in the album’s cover artwork, had to find a different moniker. When these 20-year old, wannabe-musicians were taking baby steps, being clueless what really meant signing a contract, and approached by the French label Carrere, they learned that SOB could not happen. Fortunately, they had the album’s cover artwork ready (Biff says that he was the model for this) that inspired them to go from ANGLO SAXON to just SAXON. Remember, those days were night and day compared to how the music industry operates today. Meaning, a band needed a contract (usually with the worst conditions) to get the word out and started playing shows with ‘proper’ advertisement.

It is very unfair to know CONCEPTION as the band that Roy Khan used to sing before joining KAMELOT. However, there is an excuse for people like myself who missed this band, especially around the release of the impressive “Parallel Minds” which happened in 1993 - yes, when Grunge was on the rise and the Metal scene was having a rough time because of it. Still, the video for “Roll The Fire” got into MTV but still failed to lure my young ears which were deep into the mainstream Heavy and Power Metal, having little to no interest for the ‘too complicated’ Progressive Metal.

I remember browsing through the records in the local Radio Shack one day back in 1987 when MCAULEY SCHENKER GROUP's “Perfect Timing” showed up. I'd never heard of Michael Schenker at that point and knew even less about the record in general. But I couldn't take my eyes of the blonde guy with the guitar in the back of the picture while a friend commented that this was nothing to compare to BON JOVI, DEF LEPPARD or whatever poodle-band she had the hots for that week. (come on, we were 14...) I ended up buying the record anyway (most likely went back the next day and picked it up) and what I heard would change how I took on music forever.

Looking at the 90s in general everything about Heavy Metal was dead for the major part of the decade but for some reason MOTÖRHEAD always managed to stay actual and fit in regardless the trend. Ok, even they struggled around the time of “March Or Die” was released… But the ones counting them out couldn’t be more wrong. So the skeptics stating MOTÖRHEAD had done their share in the music-world really missed their mark, the vitality in the band’s releases during the 90’s is fantastic straight through the series of records put out; from the fantastic “1916” to one of my absolute favorites “Snake Bite Love”. I remember coming home from the local record store with my copy of “Overnight Sensation” and cranking it up in the stereo and the speakers almost fell off the shelf where I’d put them when “Civil War” kicked off.