By the end of the eighties, thrash metal had also established itself in Germany and was even playing a leading role worldwide. Even at this time, it was no longer enough for some bands to simply play fast and aggressively. Thrash metal became more sophisticated and technical in many cases. In the USA, Watchtower took this to the extreme, followed by several bands in Germany on the Aaarrg Records label (Mekong Delta, Target). While other acts initially played straight and then flirted with progressive elements as their career progressed (Holy Moses, Deathrow, Destruction), Hamburg‘s MEGACE put together a sophisticated package of thrash and prog as soon as the band was founded in 1988. With singer Melanie Bock, they also had a special ace up their sleeve, as she can do both: throaty thrash shouting and melodic vocals. This immediately set MEGACE apart from other bands, which gave them an opportunity that they capitalised on. After a few demo tapes, the debut album ‘Human Errors’ was released, which was consistently praised in the press and still has fans all over the world today (reissue on CD and LP, Golden Core 2025). The second album ‘Inner War’ was released belatedly in 1999 on the small label Angular (Sylvan, Vanishing Point, Lana Lane). The thrash factor was scaled back a little, while the melodic side of the band and Melanie Bock‘s clear vocals took centre stage. MEGACE managed this without bending. 1999 was not the perfect time for this style, but the CD found more and more fans over the years and the call for a vinyl edition grew louder. The musicians at the time decided to give Golden Core the exclusive licence.
TBC