BiografieBerlin-based band HEARTLYNE belongs to the best hidden treasures in Germany Hard Rock history. Founded on the ashes of Heavy Metal band DARK AVENGER in late 1986, the young outfit from West Berlin caused a storm in the local music scene and received great attention in the rest of the world as well. What no-one knew at the time, some of the band members later were determined to raise to stardom…but let’s go back first back to how it all started. HEARTLYNE in 1986 consisted of six hungry, talented friends in their late teenage years whose new song material turned a little away from the German “chains & leather” type of Metal that was so popular during the mid 80’s over to the some more commercial Hard Rock sound to bring the band a larger audience. Still being unsigned, the six-piece around singer extraordinaire Tommy Heart (DARK AVENGER), guitarists Chris Lyne (COUNTACH) and Claus Johannsohn (DARK AVENGER), bassist Jogy Rautenberg (DEAD MARIAN), drummer K.K. ( ex BALLANTINEZ) and keyboard player Alexander Strauch (DEVIL’S SOLDIER) with their new professional outfit HEARTLYNE started to shoot immediately due to huge word of mouth campaigns and spectacular live shows. Beyond the chains & leather cliché, HEARTLYNE focused on a great visual realization of their show when performing live but the songs, the melodies remained to be the most important facts for their success. The listeners of German Radio Station SFB voted HEARTLYNE as “best Heavy Rock band” and in early 1987, the guys – as first Hard Rock band ever – won the rock contest of the Berlin senate. One of the prizes was a big tour around the area of North Rhine-Westphalia/ Germany. National TV airplay on big stations such as ARD (German national TV) followed shortly and first requests from Japan, the USA, Brazil and France started to come in. Not bad for a band that still did not have a record deal yet! HEARTLYNE then entered the world-famous Hansa Studios in Berlin where the six-piece started to record their first songs with top producer Thomas Stiehler (MARILLION, THE CULT and KILLING JOKE). A couple of major companies began to show interest in signing the band and visited them in the studio where they shortly after had started to record a second demo with two new songs – this time with the financial help of the senate. The majors though stayed a bit cautions signing an Hard Rock band due to the special political situation in Berlin with it’s wall around and the far distance to the rest of West Germany. Due to all these delays with the big label’s decision’s, Tommy Heart decided to accept an offer from the band V2 to record an album with them and HEARTLYNE soon called it a day after the last ever concert at Berlin’s Latin Quartier venue in May 1988 with an attendance of more than 1500 guests! The six band members remained to be friends through the years and some of them would appear in well-known bands later. Tommy Heart recorded with V2, ZENO, FAIR WARNING and ULI JON ROTH, Claus Johannsson founded the band MR. NAUGHTY and changed a few years later to DOUBLE ACTION, Alex Strauch became the keyboard player in famous Rock band SHE’S CHINA, Jogy Rautenberg joined SKEW SISKIN who Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD) considered to be the “next big thing” in Rock and Chris Lyne worked as session/ studio guitarist during the 90’s before he - together with singer TOMMY HEART - finally would found SOUL DOCTOR in the year 2000 (which Jogy Rautenberg and Alex Strauch also joined at a later stage). During the past couple of years, the requests of the fans for releasing the HEARTLYNE material became louder and louder. Soon, some various cheap bootlegs of the old material appeared on the internet and were sold for horrendous amounts of money. The six ‘old’ band members in late 2008 decided to meet again and to open the archives for their true fans and to release a special vintage sounding collector’s item for them. And finally here we are now: “No Retreat, No Surrender” by HEARTLYNE – after 20 years - will see the light of day in May 2009!Quelle: http://www.myspace.com/heartlyneberlinDiscografie2009 - No Retreat No Surrender
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