Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Mad Max
Label: SPV Records
Release: 2015
Running time: 95:05
Rating: 4/5
Mad Max are hard rockers from Münster, Germany, and their beginnings go all the way back to the seventies. The compilation »Thunder, Storm & Passion« is a two-disc set. After getting more active again from 2006 on, the band racked up a string of new studio albums through 2013, and with the release of the current »Interceptor« (2013) they decided to look back down the road they’ve traveled. They looked back at their eighties work. Interestingly, Mad Max chose not to include any tracks from their debut studio album »Mad Max« (1982) on this compilation. Instead, »Thunder, Storm & Passion« covers only three studio albums released between 1984 and 1987: »Rollin’ Thunder« (1984), »Stormchild« (1985) and »Night of Passion« (1987). From each of those albums, the revamped Mad Max lineup picked four highlights to their own taste, which adds up to 12 completely re-recorded classics from the band.
The band’s undisputed chief Michael Voss, who counts as one of the best-known producers in German hard rock and metal too, certainly doesn’t lack experience, and the studio work this compilation demands suits him down to the ground. Organic, lively, confidently laid-down vocals, a tightly built performance of material that grabs you instantly! The songs follow the order they had on the studio albums, first to last, historically. It’s fascinating to watch the band’s gradual shift from the early heavy metal rawness, which already had a polished musicality to it, as embodied by the album »Rollin’ Thunder«, toward more and more melodic rock waters. Of course, when we talk about German hard rock bands, we have to keep in mind that they’re always sworn to a hard-edged production. The guitars are cranked sharp, the contrasts between instruments are pushed to the max, and Michael Voss’s vocals have kept, even into his later years, that desirable bite, a dark contour and overall good shape. All in all, the sound is “metalized” and extremely raw, while the musical side brings a distinct touch of bombast.
The second CD holds the band’s complete live set from 2014, when Mad Max played the renowned Bang Your Head festival in the middle of Balingen, Germany. This recording also shows the band in great form on the day. Rain somewhat messed up the plans at the festival that day, and Mad Max played before noon, in the middle of the day. Despite the nasty weather, a nice crowd of loyal fans packed in front of the stage and cheered the band on. The band fired through an old-school setlist, mirroring the first CD of this compilation, and added a cover of The Sweet’s Fox On the Run, which counts as the band’s first single, released way back in 1986. That Mad Max have always been big fans of The Sweet is also hinted at by their performance of another The Sweet cover, which you can find on the album »Interceptor« with the song Turn it Down. Their inspiration from those role models shows in the very format of the songs, which has an exceptional amount of musicality and a prominent bombastic element, shaped of course by the skillful arrangement of multi-part backing vocals in the choruses. That’s exactly what you can’t miss in the genres of melodic hard rock and AOR.
The release is of course immensely useful for all fans of this genre, which is played especially in central Europe (Switzerland, Germany), as well as for those of you who haven’t had the chance to get to know the band’s older work. »Thunder, Storm And Passion« is a great jumping-off point for diving into the world of Mad Max. Classic material played anew, plus a bonus live CD! Something real fans of the band have had at home for ages!
Lineup
Michael Voss – guitar, vocals
Jürgen Breforth – guitar
Roland Bergmann – bass guitar (CD2 only)
Thomas ‘Hutch’ Bauer – bass guitar (CD1 only)
Axel Kruse – drums
Production
Michael Voss
Track list
CD 1 (Re-Recorded Classics)
1. Fly Fly Away (04:33)
2. Losing You (04:08)
3. Rollin`Thunder (04:24)
4. Thoughts Of A Dying Man (05:58)
5. Never Say Never (03:16)
6. Lonely Is The Hunter (05:40)
7. Stormchild (03:46)
8. Heroes Die Lonely (03:37)
9. Burning The Stage (05:35)
10. Wait For The Night (04:21)
11. Night Of Passion (03:52)
12. Hearts On Fire (03:45)
CD 2 (Bonus CD Live at Bang Your Head Festival 2014)
1. Burning The Stage (05:23)
2. Night Of Passion (03:53)
3. Rolling Thunder (05:03)
4. Wait For The Night (04:40)
5. Lonely Is The Hunter (06:24)
6. Never Say Never (03:52)
7. Thoughts Of A Dying Man (06:19)
8. Fox On The Run (06:25)
