AMPYRE - Ampyre Vinyl MLP

Style: Melodic Metal, Hard Rock, AOR, Female Fronted Metal.

Extent: LP with printed inlay (rare photos, liner notes etc.)

First official release since the recordings in 1991!

Produced by Hardy Heinlin (Scarlet, Poison, Abraxas, Death In Action).

Recorded at Marquee Studio (Mayfair, Aurora, Notwist, Schweisser).

For fans of Heart, Chastain, Warlock, Pat Benetar.

Sometimes you really have to do some research to understand why a band isn't (world) famous today, but an underground rarity. Already in the late eighties, parts of Ampyre were active in groups like Tindale Creek, Silk'n'Steel or Dark Haze, which could show releases. With singer Elke Grötzinger, who still successfully rocks the stages today, they had made a perfect catch. So you had a good start and full houses in the Stuttgart area, despite strong competition.

The Stuttgart region, like Munich and the surrounding area, was characterized by a love of melodic, US-oriented hard rock and heavy metal, even if the brothers Andreas and Matthias Pfisterer, in addition to the usual suspects such as Dokken, were also "Metallica fans from the very beginning". were and still are. Maybe that's why a song like "Passion And Pain" would have suited Chastain as well. They digged deep into their pockets for the 5-track demo produced in the Marquee Studio, which led to a correspondingly professional-sounding result. The musical ability and a songwriting that is perfect for this style should have caused the big bang, but in 1991 the musical landscape changed and melodic metal had to compete against grunge, crossover, thrash and death metal. The band was fixated on offers from major labels, but these never materialized despite positive reactions due to the new trends. A demo followed with singer Francis Soto (Ivory Tower, Sanvoisen, Wicked Sensation) before the musicians went their separate ways.

For the Golden Core compilation "Sound & Action - Rare German Hardrock And Heavy Metal" (double CD, 2021), Oliver Butz (Sound & Action Magazin) and Neudi (Golden Core Rock-A&R) were able to establish contact with the band. The track "Passion And Pain" contained there was mentioned separately in almost every review by the press. Together with guitarist Andreas Pfisterer and singer Elke Grötzinger, it was decided to release these fantastic recordings for the first time. The four songs were mastered for vinyl. The scope also includes a printed inlay, which, in addition to liner notes, also contains many rare photos.