AMPYRE - „Ampyre“ Style: Melodic Metal, Hardrock, AOR, Female Fronted Metal Scope: 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 have to really investigate to understand why a band is not (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 had releases. With singer Elke Grötzinger, who still rocks the stages successfully today, they had made a perfect catch. So they had a good start in the Stuttgart area and full houses, despite strong competition. The Stuttgart region, similar to Munich and the surrounding area, was characterized by a love of melodic, US-oriented hard rock and heavy metal, even though the brothers Andreas and Matthias Pfisterer were and still are „Metallica fans of the first hour“ in addition to the usual suspects like Dokken. Maybe that‘s why a song like „Passion And Pain“ would have fit well with Chastain. For the 5-track demo produced in Marquee Studio, they reached deep into their pockets, which led to a correspondingly professional sounding result. The musical skills and perfect songwriting for this style should have provided the big bang, but in 1991 the musical landscape changed and melodic metal also had to compete against grunge, crossover, as well as thrash and death metal. The band was fixated on offers from major labels, but these failed to materialize despite positive reactions due to the new trends. Another demo with vocalist Francis Soto (Ivory Tower, Sanvoisen, Wicked Sensation) followed 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 magazine) and Neudi (Golden Core Rock-A&R) could establish contact with the band. The track „Passion And Pain“ included was mentioned separately in almost every review by the press. Together with guitarist Andreas Pfisterer and singer Elke Grötzinger they 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 contains liner notes and many rare photos. With this quality the slogan fits: Underground for the Masses!
