Attack - Biography
This band's profile is 'invisible', meaning that it's much less prominent on the site - either because it's incomplete, or maybe doesn't entirely fit MS format.
Biography
1984 the Band was founded by Thomas St. Jones (Keyboards), Andy Kammer (Guitar), Ricky van Helden (Bass-Guitar, Drums, Vocals) and the Live-Sound-Engineer Peter "Friedl" Hostermann in Hannover/Lower Saxony/Germany.
Shortly after that a producer got interested in the band. The result was the release of their debut-album "Danger in the air" in the same year.
The following tour through Germany, completed with Drummer Alex Scotty (later "Thunderhead") and Guitarist W. Ross Müller (later "Cannon"), showed that Attack could transpose their enormous energy and their passion for playing live from studio onto the stage. In addition they presented a proper show. 1985 the second album "Return of the evil", with changed Line up (Andy Niewidok : Guitars, Jörg Franz : Guitars, Thomas Evermann : Drums, Ricky van Helden, Bass-Guitar/Vocals), was relesased which got remarks not only in Europe.
1986 Attack was voted "most promising band" in Australia. The band toured in Europe and reached the status of a "cult band" in some other countries.
More and more record labels took notice of Attack, so that the band signed a contract at Sonic/RCA. The album "Beastkiller" was recorded.
After the following tour through Eeastern Europe the band broke up. Then Ricky van Helden revived the Band near Bielefeld/Germany.
The new Attack Line up (Ricky van Helden : Bass-Guitar/Vocals, Gerd Sossnierz : Guitars, Chreddy Riepert : Guitars, Zacky Tsoukas : Drums) signed a contract at ZYX/Mikulski. The result was the album "Destinies of war" (1989). Due to some trouble with their Management and the Label ZYX-Records the Band was put into cold storage.
Finally the CD "Seven years in the past" (1992) with the new Guitarists Peter Oko and Jens Petersen was released on "ICELAND RECORDS" .
Japanese record labels became attentive to the band Attack when this CD went up to position 20 of the Japanese import charts.
The band signed a contract at JVC/Victor Entertainment Inc. that assures the label all rights on Attack in Japan for the next seven years.
First of all JVC/Victor released older Attack CD's in Japan of which "Seven years in the past" reached position 16 of the charts.
At the same time Attack appeared along with other international bands of the metal scene (ANGRA, STRATOVARIUS, RUNNING WILD, WOLFSBANE, TAD MOROSE, CONCEPTION, MORGANA LEFAY, TYKETTO) on the "PUR-METAL - SAMPLER" Vol.2 presenting their song "On the run".
As a consequence to the positive reactions back from Japan including lots of fan-mail, request for interviews and the huge number of sold records Attack decided to record the CD "Revitalize" incl. some re-recordings of older Songs with the Line up Ricky van Helden : Bass-Guitar, ac. Guitar, Flute, Keyboards, Drums, Vocals, Gerd Sossnierz : Guitars, Matthias Hornschuh : Guitars, Keyboards, Violin and Zacky Tsoukas : Drums.
1995 the seventh album of the band ATTACK called "The Secret Place" with the Line up (Ricky van Helden: Bass-Guitar, ac. Guitar, Keyboards, Flute, Cello,Vocals, Thorsten Köhne : Guitars, Peter Oko : Guitars, Zacky Tsoukas : Drums) was released on EWM-Entertainment (Europe) & JVC/Victor (Japan). (This album was also released 2012 in a limited Vinyl Edition by the greek Label "Lighten the Underground" and 2012 from Steel Legacy Records (Greece) in a diffrent CD-Version.)
1987 ATTACK recorded the Album "Deadlocked" with their new Drummer Frank Ullrich (ex-Grave Digger, ex-Living Death, ex-X-Wild).
2011 the german Label Mighty Monster Records released the ATTACK compilation "Warriors of Time" with 16 Songs (80 Minutes Music).
2013 Steel Legacy Records released a Vinyl-Version of the Album "Seven years in the past" and a diffrent CD-Version of "Return of the Evil".
The greek Label "Eat Metal Records" re-released the CD "Seven years in the past" in 2015.
Source : https://attack1.webnode.page/discography/biography/
Shortly after that a producer got interested in the band. The result was the release of their debut-album "Danger in the air" in the same year.
The following tour through Germany, completed with Drummer Alex Scotty (later "Thunderhead") and Guitarist W. Ross Müller (later "Cannon"), showed that Attack could transpose their enormous energy and their passion for playing live from studio onto the stage. In addition they presented a proper show. 1985 the second album "Return of the evil", with changed Line up (Andy Niewidok : Guitars, Jörg Franz : Guitars, Thomas Evermann : Drums, Ricky van Helden, Bass-Guitar/Vocals), was relesased which got remarks not only in Europe.
1986 Attack was voted "most promising band" in Australia. The band toured in Europe and reached the status of a "cult band" in some other countries.
More and more record labels took notice of Attack, so that the band signed a contract at Sonic/RCA. The album "Beastkiller" was recorded.
After the following tour through Eeastern Europe the band broke up. Then Ricky van Helden revived the Band near Bielefeld/Germany.
The new Attack Line up (Ricky van Helden : Bass-Guitar/Vocals, Gerd Sossnierz : Guitars, Chreddy Riepert : Guitars, Zacky Tsoukas : Drums) signed a contract at ZYX/Mikulski. The result was the album "Destinies of war" (1989). Due to some trouble with their Management and the Label ZYX-Records the Band was put into cold storage.
Finally the CD "Seven years in the past" (1992) with the new Guitarists Peter Oko and Jens Petersen was released on "ICELAND RECORDS" .
Japanese record labels became attentive to the band Attack when this CD went up to position 20 of the Japanese import charts.
The band signed a contract at JVC/Victor Entertainment Inc. that assures the label all rights on Attack in Japan for the next seven years.
First of all JVC/Victor released older Attack CD's in Japan of which "Seven years in the past" reached position 16 of the charts.
At the same time Attack appeared along with other international bands of the metal scene (ANGRA, STRATOVARIUS, RUNNING WILD, WOLFSBANE, TAD MOROSE, CONCEPTION, MORGANA LEFAY, TYKETTO) on the "PUR-METAL - SAMPLER" Vol.2 presenting their song "On the run".
As a consequence to the positive reactions back from Japan including lots of fan-mail, request for interviews and the huge number of sold records Attack decided to record the CD "Revitalize" incl. some re-recordings of older Songs with the Line up Ricky van Helden : Bass-Guitar, ac. Guitar, Flute, Keyboards, Drums, Vocals, Gerd Sossnierz : Guitars, Matthias Hornschuh : Guitars, Keyboards, Violin and Zacky Tsoukas : Drums.
1995 the seventh album of the band ATTACK called "The Secret Place" with the Line up (Ricky van Helden: Bass-Guitar, ac. Guitar, Keyboards, Flute, Cello,Vocals, Thorsten Köhne : Guitars, Peter Oko : Guitars, Zacky Tsoukas : Drums) was released on EWM-Entertainment (Europe) & JVC/Victor (Japan). (This album was also released 2012 in a limited Vinyl Edition by the greek Label "Lighten the Underground" and 2012 from Steel Legacy Records (Greece) in a diffrent CD-Version.)
1987 ATTACK recorded the Album "Deadlocked" with their new Drummer Frank Ullrich (ex-Grave Digger, ex-Living Death, ex-X-Wild).
2011 the german Label Mighty Monster Records released the ATTACK compilation "Warriors of Time" with 16 Songs (80 Minutes Music).
2013 Steel Legacy Records released a Vinyl-Version of the Album "Seven years in the past" and a diffrent CD-Version of "Return of the Evil".
The greek Label "Eat Metal Records" re-released the CD "Seven years in the past" in 2015.
Source : https://attack1.webnode.page/discography/biography/