MASS – Still Chained

Back in the 1980s, the scene of German Hard Rock was ruled by four bands: Scorpions, Accept and Warlock – most Heavy Metal fans do not need to be introduced to these. But there was one more group to rock the place until 1987 when it suddenly had to disband. In 2016 their bassist and sole constant member Günther Viktor Radny decided to bring the band back to live. By releasing their first album after the rebirth, Mass remind their fans that they have something to prove after over thirty years of silence. Although this album mainly consists of re-recorded versions of the band’s greatest hits, it is still exciting news. Mass are back and here’s their fresh record Still Chained.

The music featured on Still Chained can bring many bands to mind: Guns N’ Roses, Deep Purple, Rainbow, Scorpions and Metalium, and the list goes on. This is also the first record by Mass as a five piece band – Radny decided to make the band’s creative output a bit more diverse by inviting Clemens Matejka to play keys – and fair play to him, as now the band represents yet another level of the genuine Hard Rock greatness.

Although the production might leave a bit to be desired for those who like things polished, the band probably decided not to go for the modern sound in order to keep the old spirit alive. It does make the listener feel as if they were travelling back in time, although the guitars and bass could have more power to them. The album does not sound like a demo made by a bunch of teenagers, but lack of decent production may put some potential new fans off.

The album is certainly full of decent lead parts as far as guitar and keyboards are concerned. Especially the second track Straight To Hell and the sixth one titled Devil’s Gate hav some quality organ solos in them. Fans of powerful guitar solos will very likely appreciate Time Runs Out, which is the twelfth song on the album. The band has also a couple of songs that were simply made to sing along with the audience, such as Shoot Out and Cry It Out, but the most exciting composition is the final one titled We Are Back – yes, this is one of the newly written songs. Matthias Pfaller who does the vocals sounds like a mix of Klaus Meine (Scorpions) and Valeriy Kipelov (Aria), which certainly is a very good thing. We Are Back is one of the most exciting songs this album has to offer. Not only music-wise, also because it gives the fans hope that new records featuring new songs will follow.

Overall, Still Chained is over an hour of quality Hard Rock that certainly is worth checking. Maybe releasing this album will help Mass regain some of the popularity they enjoyed four decades ago. Also, considering how Günther Viktor Radny is the only member to have been in the band before the break-up, the release of Still Chained may also be seen as a big chance for the newly hired band members to step into the big industry, maybe with their own projects. But for now, let’s hope it is not the last album by Mass.