Books, rock bands and how it all evolved over time for me

There is this discussion on Pribek.net about this fantasy trio. I am also part of it and I could only think of a rock fantasy band, starting from Gamma Ray, from the guitar player actually, Kai Hansen, a guitar player that I used to follow from his early days in Helloween. Jack started a discussion about influences, roots, etc.

I was more and more tempted to point him to Helloween and I couldn’t help asking myself why is that? What keeps me coming back to Helloween? I realized it was part of a very important stage of my life.

So far, thinking back, I was able to clearly see stages in my life related to books and authors. I can remember clearly the following:

Jules Verne, I remember missing only 4 of his books when I was a child, 4 out of 39 I think. Damn, I had a lot of time in my hands back then!

Then, when I grew up a bit, I was in love with Karl May’s books about the Wild West, Winnetou, Old Shutterhand and the rest. Not much about Mark Twain, even if I do realize US readers will probably be way more familiar with his books.

Then I had the Sven Hassel period, missing only 2 of his books, I think 2 out of 12.

Then I started to love John Grisham very much, The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client, etc…

Then…technical books on IT, marketing, etc. As my literature teacher in high school used to say, read now while you still can because later you will only read technical books. She was right, I might say…

Now, coming back on music, when I discovered music, it was all about rap. MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Kris Kross, Dr Alban. Don’t blame me, everybody had to start somewhere, OK?

Then, I discovered Guns N Roses and it all started to have a different meaning. I have definitively fallen in love with rock music! For good! A friend brought me a tape with Saxon at one moment. I loved the sound. It was Dogs of war. But I still couldn’t tell that’s what I need, what I am looking for! I asked him for more of the same kind. Well, let’s see…Manowar? Well, I don’t know.

Kings of metal…and there I had it. From the moment I started to listen Manowar, I knew I found my music, it all came together, the sound, the rhythm, the voice, the power, the energy and..I think even the message at that moment. I wanted more and more. And then my long time friend and today’s band mate Mihai (and my actual godfather in marriage) gave me tapes with  Helloween, Gamma Ray, Running Wild. Then Cosmin, another long time friend and the bass player in my band gave me Iron Maiden, he was a fan…

Man, what an universe!

See, Satriani, Vai, came a bit later. Malmsteen, Metallica also. For me it was all about Helloween, Manowar. This was what set me on and still keeps me connected. The rest came later…

Up to this day I love to discover new music, I love to discover new bands that I didn’t know about. It’s fun, it’s like reading a great book, like watching a great music. Actually it is more, because that band you discover is the source of a long time musical journey from that moment on.

Up to these days I am fascinated by voices such as Michael Kiske, Eric Adams, Dickinson, Sebastian Bach, Axl Rose, I love them all.

Of course, I like to listen a lot more music these days, I like quiet music also, I love blues, I love pop-rock, but my soul I guess is still in the same area that started everything: melodic metal.

That is why today I feel that nothing complements better this post than a bit of…Helloween!

I want out and a voice that can’t be matched! I also like Andi Derris, current day singer, but I am always amazed of how bad he can sing this song. Andi can not go that high that easy. Also Hammerfall covered this and barely reached those high notes.

So I think that it is very important how your musical education started because it will follow you the rest of your life. It is what you will probably like and judge by for as long as you will live on this Earth. That is why so many people argue about music, because each of use judges by his own standards that started somewhere back in time….

Am I right or what?

Later edit: here’s a video of Hammerfal playing the same song. Great cover, I might say. By the way, is that UDO in the clip next to the band?

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