Frankly, SCANNER is one of my all time favorite German bands. They have been around since the deep 80s, yet most of us got to know them from their 90s works since their early albums where quite hard to be found (though they got re-released in late 90s). However,
SCANNER is one of those bands that have only masterpieces in their discography (yes I am adding “Scantropolis” as well) and their early stuff enjoys a cult status. Therefore, I was quite excited when I learned that their debut album “Hypertrace” was coming back in vinyl form.
“Hypertrace” was originaly released in 1988 as a part of the ever-growing German metal scene that was dominating the European metal music industry at that point. Power metal was a newborn subgentre though lot of releases where categorized as such, later. And it is safe to say that “Hypertrace” is a pure power metal album: high velocity melodic metal played masterfully with excessive inspiration. The shrieking high-pitched vocals are blended with double bass and drums and lead harmonies that form all time classics like “Terrion“, “Galactos” or “Locked out“, songs that should leave no heavy metaller apathetic. In the rare occasion that you are no familiar with the album, don’t expect the modern compressed digitized sound that you are used in listening to. This is a warm organic retro power metal album in the vein of early RAGE, HELLOWEEN, PRETTY MAIDS and HEAVEN’S GATE.
There are numerous classics in this one, like the songs I mentioned, along with “Across the universe” or “Warp 7“, an absolute power metal hymn. This is a must-have as with each SCANNER album.
Check the discussion about the album in our forum pages.
