The second song from the local cable TV show in which SUDDEN DARKNESS played two songs using the first LP-Mix for the lipsynch - it can´t get more rare! The second and final mix sounded way better but this is your only chance to hear this first version. www.facebook.com/Neudi666 Before using the name Sudden Darkness they´ve played hardrock and have never played live or recorded a tape. After drummer Neudi left the band of the local music school he teamed up with bassplayer Guido Holzmann. Together with Sudden Darkness singer and guitarplayer Tom Will (who also was running the fanclub of the then-new German demo band SODOM and played later drums in the Death Metal band Nyctophobic) they formed the ultra extreme Death Metal band Reptile in 1985. They have recorded one song called „Visions". At the same time Guido and Neudi also had a nameless band with the later Stormwitch and Letter X guitar player Joe Gassmann that only lasted a few weeks. Guido and Neudi agreed on joining the traditional heavy band Sudden Darkness after their bassplayer and drummer left the band. In 1986 Sudden Darkness have recorded their first demo called „Lord Nightmare". The first speed metal tendencies can be heard but most of the song were simply heavy metal. The first local shows were played and due to musical differencies Jaroslaw Krnac left the band. There was also trouble with singer Marcus Beringer who was replaced by a guy called Tom who was in the band for a few weeks. This line-up has recorded the demotape „Advanced Madness" which can be found on this CD. The song „Satanic Butcher" became a local hit and was feature on the tape compilation of „Shock Power Magazine". The song „Lord Nightmare" was recorded again for that tape. Again with no singer, Sudden Darkness played several shows with Neudi und drums and lead vocals before Alki (his real name was Udo, he died in a motorcycle accident in the early 90s -- RIP) teamed up with the band. Meanwhile there was nothing left from the hardrock and traditional metal days. The next demotape „Fear of Reality" was pure thrash and speed and all the songs can be found on the LP. Sudden Darkness played shows with Bloodgood (USA), Holy Moses, Death in Action and some local bands like Viscid Viscera, Cycra, Darkness, Blasted, Defender or Deafen Force. This third demotape lead to a deal with the German record company GAMA (Vectom, Necronomicon, Stormwitch, Tyrant, Tokyo Blade, Paul DiAnno, Darkness, Veto, Vampyr, Tox and many others). The LP „Fear of Reality" was recorded and mixed in Stutgart at Zuckerfabrik Studio (Tokyo Blade, Exumer, Darkness and many others) in seven days. After the band received a test pressing of the LP they asked GAMA to mix the album again and they agreed. In two or three more days engineer Robby Baumann fixed the sound. The band received 12 testpressings of the album but it was never released. After Sudden Darkness got a second guitarplayer, Roger Dequis, Volker Faust and Alki left the band. The first singer with a melodic voice joined the band: Axel Schott (ex-Emotion). This line-up, later known as Economist, have recorded one last demotape called „Iceflowered" which already contained two songs that later appear on the first Economist CD „New Built Ghetto Status". Due to the new line up the style has changed again. New heroes were Hades, Anacrusis, Trouble, Manilla Road, Toxik or Realm. And so this story continues as Economist. The 12 testpressing oft he unreleased LP on GAMA Records (often called „the lost GAMA album") became a top collectors item. Only 2 copies were sold to private people. All other copies still are in the hands of ex-bandmembers and friends of the band. Michael Schroth from Sudden Darkness´ hometown Frankenthal was able to find a mint copy that was transferred by Dirk Hoffmann and remastered by Neudi. What we have here is the second and final mix of album. Most of the demosongs were transferred from cassette to DAT-tape by Guido Holzmann in the late 90s. „No Tears -- Live 1986" is from a VHS cassette and the final live song was found on a cassette by Frank Henkelmann (Nothing Remains, Saigon Substitutes). Except of the „Fear of Reality" demotape and three other songs from the first demo you have everything Sudden Darkness has ever recorded on this CD. They were local heroes with big dreams but it was the follow up band Economist who were noticed by the metalscene with their CD „New Built Ghetto Status"...until the metal collectors got notice of the rare Sudden Darkness LP in the early 2000s.

• published: 08 Dec 2013
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