X-Mas Project

Hey, this Christmas… enchants everyone, even the hardened unfazed German metal brother/sisterhood once upon a jolly time… with the summer just around the corner, I find it only too logical to ventilate the soon-to-be scorching setting with a solid collection of wintry tunes sung and played the metal way. Yep, cause some 35 years ago came out this effort created by some of the luminaries of the 80’s metal industry, a pleasant surprise for many, and a sure boost to the end-of-the-year festivities.

Yeah, it’s a nice party time these folks must have had one holy night of the winter of 1986, a collaboration spearheaded by the Rage of Peavy Wagner, the latter subsiding for the arrival of the Classen (Andy & Sabina) clan from the religious connection Holy Moses, at that time those two still bound in a holy matrimony; also seeing no reason why it shouldn’t invite two Steel(er) axemen into the foray, one of them the future guitar hero Axel Rudi Pell. Leftovers from the recent Halloween festivities in the form of three Living Dead… sorry, Deaths were noticed trailing behind, and those were also recruited. Add a Scanner (the bassist Martin Bork) whose head is always on the verge of exploding with the most severe reverberations, plus the ultimate drum guru in German metal Jorg Michael (here hiding behind the perky alias Gordon Perkins), and the band was ready to sail on…

oops, I forgot a lurking brooding presence in the line-up, Bjorn Eklund, a complete unknown at the time, later gaining notoriety with his real name, Ralph Hubert that is, and with the foundation of the progressive thrash giants Mekong Delta. He holds another bass here, naturally, and must have been left enchanted by the exploits of the mentioned Living Deaths, the guitar players Frank Fricke and Reiner Kelch, and last but not least by the one-and-only banshee siren in music lore Toto Bergmann. Just listening to the latter pouring all his high-strung emotions on “Silent Night, Holy Night” would be enough to grant this effort a semi-immortal status, the man upgrading this carol with passion to spare, sounding like the only worthy candidate for Snow White’s hand in this or in the fairy-tale world. Music-wise this is a blend of ballad (the first half) and punk/crossover (the second half), the latter approach covering a wider ground elsewhere, stepping aside for “Mary’s Little Boy Child” which is a frolic speed metal winner guided by a rousing Toto/Peavy duet.

Toto also shines bright on “Jingle Bells”, pitching it sky-high all the way to Lapland and back, surrendering the mike on the rocky vaudeville “Winter Wonderland” to the not very known Reent Froehlich, the singer of the pretty cool but largely unrecognized hard’n heavy outfit Crossroads. Froehlish stays around for “White Christmas”, another hard rock feelgooder, and probably for the compulsory “Oh Tannebaum”, where every participant adds some lines, but these are strictly narratives and conversational ramblings, the musical theme being another unpretentious crossover fiesta. There are also other Christmas tunes sung in German featured, like “Leise Rieselt der Schnee…”, the only contribution of the Classens, a soothing bluesy walkabout aggravated by Sabina’s intimidating throaty, drunken-sounding presence. The highlight on this one are surely the wild, ultimately stylish surreal leads of the Fricke/Kelch duo who completely steal the show elsewhere as well, making sure no one else qualifies for the audition for the upcoming Mekong Delta saga. By no means miss the punk/crossover jump-around “G/K.W.”, a fast-paced riff-fest topped by Peavy’s over-the-top helium-induced vocal feats, the man obviously referencing his peer Toto, the two frontmen united again, alongside every other musician here, for the closing sing-alonger “Alle Jahre Wieder…”. Prost!

Good unpretentious fun all around, the delivery not recalling any of the participating acts, if we exclude the mentioned “Mary’s Little Boy Child” which may pass for a leftover from the early Living Death and Rage recording sessions. The rest is immersed in this relaxed goofy, punky atmosphere which later Sodom’s Tom Angelripper advertised far’n wide with his side-projects Onkel Tom Angelripper and Dezperadoz. A fairly close soundalike from the same year would also be the compatriots S.D.I.’s self-titled debut which is built on a very similar energetic crossover premise. No complaints regarding the chosen musical stance, it’s Christmas after all, it’s all smiles and no frowns, anything goes on all fronts, as long as there are no offended, ridiculed, or criticized.

The idea was revived ten years later, with only Sabina Classen showing up from the first stint, the queen taking a break from the ill-measured short-lived groovy project Temple of the Absurd in the company of members of the US power metallers Holy Moses… sorry, Mother, and the power/speed metal heroes from her homeland Capricorn (earlier the thrashers Grinder); also sharing the Tankard, the mike as well, with none other than Andreas Geremia from the perennially-drunken thrash veterans. Some of the already heard on the first instalment carols were revamped, with a few new ones (“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”, “Sleigh Ride”) added for jolly good measure. Good fun all around once again, elevating the mood, keeping the spirits high, the tankards raised as well… it’s Christmas after all, metalized from top to bottom, generously pouring blessings and presents over the blissful audience.