REVIEW: HARDWARE - In Cold Blood

 

HARDWARE - In Cold Blood

Steamhammer

So, HARDWARE, a German band, dropped their "In Cold Blood" EP back in 1985. And let me tell you, it's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from heavy metal in that era: rough, powerful, and a bit unruly. They've got that classic '80s sound, and if you like bands like ACCEPT, early RUNNING WILD, or GRAVE DIGGER, you'll probably feel right at home here. Throw in a dash of JUDAS PRIEST and AC/DC (especially on "Hell Is Rising"), and you've got the picture. It's not going to reinvent the wheel for you, but it'll definitely make you want to grab an air guitar, bang your head, and shout along to those big group vocals.

Now, about the lyrics. They're... something else. Take "Get Down on Your Knees" for example, with lines like "I put my fat dick in her hole and the Rhythm shoots my Brain." Yeah, they're not holding back, and they clearly had a lot of confidence in themselves! But then you get lines like "Break the Chains and stand up for your Rights!" from the mostly instrumental "In Cold Blood." It's a bit of a mixed bag, but it's a good reminder that heavy metal was often about being raw, a little provocative, and coming from people who knew the real world, not just studio geeks trying to be politically correct.

Just a quick note: the guitarist, Jörg Franz, was also in a band called ATTACK at the same time, and he played on their "Return of the Evil" album. And oddly enough, the band dedicated this release to Stephen King. Go figure.

Nick Parastatidis