Ryker's

Ryker's Biography Back in 1992 a couple of kids, who had been part of the scene since the mid 80's, decided to start a band under the moniker Ryker's. At the time, nobody would have been able to guess that this head-stomping outfit would soon be placed at the very top of the European hardcore scene within a couple of years. Nowadays, Ryker's have inherited a prominent status which was, up until this point, only achieved by US hardcore acts. They are an established and familiar name amongst the scene's followers and the amount of people wearing their shirts with pride are achieving true legion status. The success of this Kassel / Germany-based outfit does not only have to deal with the obvious hit-potential amongst their discography, but also the incredible intensity they expel in a live setting. These high-energy shows have without doubt paved the way for Ryker's successful career in Germany and there have already been several American acts who got to experience the fear of being "supported" by them in a live situation, getting blown away in fact. Frontman Kid D. is, despite his vocal brutality, always a gentle and incessant audience energizer. The display of cooperative aggressive playing between bassist Chris and drummer Meff (the latter of whom is well-respected for his powerful and precise drumming within the hardcore, and other, scenes) is always impressive while guitarist Grobi handles extremely heavy grooves and savage metal riffs with ultimate security. This perfect destructive force have always been at their mightiest in a live situation and this is exactly what "From The Cradle To The Grave" proves with pure conviction! It is important to recognize that extreme music genres (especially the hardcore movement) said to capture the ability of bands at their best in a live-on-stage situation haven't really given rise to many relevant, and monumental, live albums. This may have to do with the scene's typical attitude of being afraid to be accused of ripping-off the fans by unleashing well-known material again, only in a new live context. The fact is, however, there aren't many acts who've had the guts to work on an official live release. The main aspect here should be how you choose to put such a release onto the market. For "From The Cradle To The Grave", Ryker's easily lay down the superior blueprint which other bands intending to work on a similar projects will have to match. First off, the effort is filled with 24 songs adding up to 70 minutes of pile-driven mayhem as the four-piece blast through their recognized "greatest hits" set with such devotion that it simply tears you apart making you want to turn your living room into a Hellish moshpit! Ryker's have always presented their hyper-aggressive hardcore with a fair dose of technical wit, groove and brilliant riffing. On top of that, they dominate the art of changing velocities during their songs without destroying their pounding intention. The intelligent, slowed-down rhythms which suddenely explode into speed-massacres are one of Ryker's outstanding trademarks allowing them to have a very unique style all their own. Additionally, the Ryker's archive is composed of a large number of classic tracks. Be it the heavy-as-fuck pummelers "Lifeline", "Past The Point", "Hunting Season", "Brother Against Brother", "Beg To Differ" and "True Love", the massive riff-monster "As The Laughter Dies", the Oi! Punk thrillers "Gone For Good" and "Cold Lost Sick" or an old-school smasher like "Low Life". "From The Cradle To The Grave" also features the ultimate live-hymn "You'll Never Walk Alone", a version of "My Justice" featuring Dennis from Brightside as guest shouter, a bombastic cover version of Venom's "Witching Hour" and the Youth Of Today classic "Together", the latter which surprises with a special guest vocal appearance by Ray Cappo (Shelter, ex-Youth Of Today). "From The Cradle To The Grave" was recorded at two sweaty shows in Holland (Sneek and Helmond, to be exact) in early April 2000. The band chose not to use any overdubs during the mixing process (again executed by longtime friend and producer Andy Classen at Stage One Studios) in order to keep the authentic atmosphere of the shows as pristine as possible. It hasn't been very often (if at all) that the true spirit of a hardcore performance was captured on a recording so perfectly, making you feel like you are in the audience as the band execute their destructive assault. To make "From The Cradle To The Grave" even more worthwhile, Ryker's decided to highlight the live portion with an additional studio CD! The first three tracks are brand new studio songs (also recorded in April 2000). "Judas Reward" is a thick metal-core monster, whereas the title-track, "From The Cradle To The Grave", is very catchy and enhanced by some moody atmospheric elements. The quite brutal and up-speed track "Sad Done" features bassist Chris on lead vocals and is adorned by a very suitable melancholic guitar-lead passage. A bunch of appetizing cover tracks are next. Ryker's have always had an outstanding taste for choosing challenging and entertaining cover songs. First off they pay tribute to the godfathers of hardcore, Bad Brains, with their song "Attitude". Then they end up showing their fascination for classic heavy metal. 80's metal and the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal made a big impact on Ryker's and therefore they decided to cover another song by one of the greatest all-girl bands of all times, Girlschool. After having already done "emergency" on their previous releases, they now perform "C'mon Let's Go" which is sung by Claus Grabke from Thumb and consequently show their most rocking side of the band. The next track is a tough version of "London Leather Boys", originally written by the cult metal act Accept. Things get even more nostalgic as Ryker's look back to the year 1976 and perform AC/DC "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" with a lot of power while keeping respect for the original song. While listening to the song's chorus, you end up asking yourself if the Australian legends would have guessed that their rough shouts back then would later become the trademark for a complete musical movement dubbed "hardcore" later on? As if the AC/DC cover wasn't enough to prove Ryker's open-minded attitude, you get a pretty cool Drum 'n' Bass/Techno remix of the original Ryker's composition "End Of Line" done by Micro B. Finally, the album's encore includes two enhanced video-clips/CDR tracks for "Beg To Differ" and "True Love" which will surely cause severe circle-pits in front of your computer at home. What else is there to say? "From The Cradle To The Grave" is an engaging manifest from a band who have deservedly established themselves in the premier division of hardcore's history. -Jan Jaedike Line-Up: Kid D. - Vocals / Grobi - Guitar / Chris - Bass / Meff - Drums