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While the █ █ █ █ band wrote the music for the album, their record label █ █ █ █ hired two American songwriters for the lyrics to help the █ █ █ █ band improve intellectually. In the end, the concept didn't █ █ █ █ work and the band failed to hit the charts. The fans saw █ █ █ █ the record as treason and so the band had pretty much lost █ █ █ █ everything. Internal problems were the third cause that █ █ █ █ finally led the band to split up and they only reunited six █ █ █ █ years later under their initial name to play heavy metal █ █ █ █ music without any compromises. Until today the band and the █ █ █ █ fans feel ashamed for "Stronger Than Ever" which is the █ █ █ █ only record that was never officially re-released and that █ █ █ █ is eventually quite hard to find. The band members cited █ █ █ █ the recording of this album as their biggest mistake but █ █ █ █ that they had learned a lot from that time. █ █ █ █ An objective view on this infamous record reveals that the █ █ █ █ album isn't all that commercial, artificial and soft as █ █ █ █ many people might believe. In fact, there are many fast █ █ █ █ paced tracks on the record that could have fit on the █ █ █ █ previous War Games record like the sweating head banger █ █ █ █ "Lay it on" or the unexpected thrash metal hammer "Shadows █ █ █ █ of the past" that surprises with a psychedelic middle part █ █ █ █ while the rest of the song is the heaviest material the █ █ █ █ band had ever written to that point. █ █ █ █ On the other side, most of the more rock orientated tracks █ █ █ █ still sound quite edgy and heavy because of the singer's █ █ █ █ rough and aggressive vocals like in the opener "Stand up █ █ █ █ and rock". Even though the guitars are less present in the █ █ █ █ track and the keyboards quite dominant in the simply and █ █ █ █ catchy chorus, the song still breathes the vibe and style █ █ █ █ of Grave Digger and is not a radical change of style. █ █ █ █ The more commercial tracks like the title song "Stronger █ █ █ █ Than Ever" eventually sound a lot like commercial rock █ █ █ █ music of that time that is still greater than any █ █ █ █ artificial modern pop music. The said title track reminds █ █ █ █ me a lot of the works of David Bowie, Robert Palmer or █ █ █ █ Billy Idol of that time. I would go as far and say that █ █ █ █ those tracks showed a new and diversified musical side of █ █ █ █ the band and sounded rather interesting and appealing but I █ █ █ █ must admit that I like the mentioned musicians and the █ █ █ █ popular rock music of the seventies and eighties. On the █ █ █ █ other side, there are still melodic rock guitar solos in █ █ █ █ the tracks that are clearly influenced by the band's roots. █ █ █ █ Those songs are not entirely mass compatible and should not █ █ █ █ have offended the fans that much. I would also like to █ █ █ █ mention the experiment "Moonriders" that varies from epic █ █ █ █ metal passages over psychedelic pop passages to slight █ █ █ █ country influences and is a mixture of styles that I have █ █ █ █ never heard before. It's probably the most interesting █ █ █ █ track on the entire record. █ █ █ █ In the end, the only embarrassing thing about this release █ █ █ █ is its horrible cover artwork. The music itself is █ █ █ █ diversified and varies from danceable soft rock over hard █ █ █ █ rock and heavy metal to psychedelic thrash metal music. The █ █ █ █ band is catchier and sounds fresher than ever before and █ █ █ █ this could have been a start for a glorious era. I don't █ █ █ █ know what the label and the promoters did wrong in the end █ █ █ █ but they missed a big chance to make this record █ █ █ █ successful. It's not about the music because there is a lot █ █ █ █ of potential in here for many different genres and their █ █ █ █ fans. I was pleasantly surprised to discover an unexpected █ █ █ █ gem in here with only a couple of weak tracks, a rather █ █ █ █ weak production and a stupid cover why the rest is nearly █ █ █ █ excellent. If you have the chance to get the original vinyl █ █ █ █ version or the booklet pressing, don't hesitate and █ █ █ █ purchase this unknown and underrated gem if you like any █ █ █ █ kind of rock music and melodic heavy metal. █ █ █ █ █ █ █░█ █░█ █ █ 1. Wanna Get Close 4:33 █ █ █ █ 2. Don't Leave Me Lonely 4:22 █ █ █ █ 3. Stronger Than Ever 4:36 █ █ █ █ 4. Moonriders 3:47 █ █ █ █ 5. Lay it On 3:05 █ █ █ █ 6. I Don't Need Your Love 4:21 █ █ █ █ 7. Listen to the Music 3:52 █ █ █ █ 8. Stay Till the Morning 3:55 █ █ █ █ 9. Stand Up and Rock 4:01 █ █ █ █ 10. Shadows of the Past 2:45 █ █ █ █ 39:17 █ █ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█░ █░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒ ░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒ ░█▓█▓░ ████▄▄ ▄▄▄████ ░█▓█▓░ ▒▓██▓▓░ ░██████████▄▄ ▄▄██████████▒ ▒▓██▓▓░ ▓█▓██▒▓██▒ ██▓ ▓██████████▓░ ▓██ ▒▄▄▓▒██▓█▓ ▓██▄██▓▄█░██ ░██▓ ▓██ ▄█░█▄▓██▄██▓ ░███ ████▀██░█ ░██░▀███████████▀▓██ █░██▀████ ███░ ▓██ ███ ▀█░█ ██ ░██ █████████ ░██ ██ █░█▀ ███ ██▓ ██░ ▀ █░█▓ ███ ▓█░ ███████ ░██ ███░ ▓█░█ ▀ ░██ ▓█░▄ ███ █▓█░ ░█░███ ▓█ ██████ ██ ███ ██ ░█▓█ ███ ▄░█▓ ░██░▄ ██░██▓█ █ ░█████ ▓█ █████ ░█ ████░ █ █▓██░██ ▄░██░ ▓███░▄ ███░█▄ ██ ░▓█████ █░ ████ ██ █████░ ██ ▄█░███ ▄░███▓ ░ ▀██░▀▀████░▓█▄ █ █░░▓█████ ▀█ ███ █░ █████▓░ █ █ ▄█▓░████▀▀░██▀ ░ ▒ ▀████▓▀███░██▄ ██ ░███ ░░▓█████ ███ ████▓▓░ ███░ ██ ▄██▓███▀▓████▀ ▒ ░ ▓ ███░▓█ ██ ███████ ░░▓▓░ ███ ░▓▓░░ ███████ ██ █▓░███ ▓ ░ ░ ░ ▀████PR█ ████████████████████████████████ █ ████▀ ░ ░ ░ ▓▓ █ ████████████████████████████████ █ ▓▓ ░ ▒ █ █████████ ░▓▓░ ███ ░▓░ █████████ █ ▒ ░ ██ █████░ ░▓████░ ███ ░███▓▓ ░█████ ██ ░ ██ █ ░████░ ▄█ ███ █▄░████▓░ █ ██ ░ █ ████▓ █░ █████ ░█ ▓████░ █ ░ █ ███▓▓░ █▓ █████ █▄ ▓███░ █▄ █▓███░ █▀ ██████▒ ▀█░ ▓███ █ ████▓░ ██ ███████ ██░ ░████ ██▓ ██ █████████ ██ ░██ █▓░ ██ ▄███████████▄░██ ░█ ██░ ░██ ██░ ▓██████████░ ▓██ ███▓██████▀▀ ▀▀██████████▒ ████▀▀▀ ▀▀▀████