AXE VICTIMS - Hypnotized CD HRR 1052CD, slipcase Frank “Fanfare” DiSanto (R.I.P. 2000) - vocals Thomas “Tom” Bohn (R.I.P. 2010) - guitars Roland “Rowland” Hag - guitars Holger George - bass Martin Rocco – drums 01 Hypnotized 02 Rock Tonight 03 Blood in My Veins 04 Shout 05 Devil Inside 06 Shinin’ 07 Humans Talking 08 When the Heat Is On 09 Hell Is on Fire 10 We’ll Not Gonna Break It AVAILABLE

Formed in Wuppertal, North Rine-Westphalia, in 1982, Axe Victims were an integral part of the original wave of German Metal during the first half of the eighties. The classic line-up of Frank Fanfare (vocals), Tom Bohn (guitars), Rowland Hag (guitars), Holger George (bass) and Martin Rocco (drums) recorded their debut album »Another Victim« for Belgian label Mausoleum Records in 1983. Work on a follow-up record started immediately but due to problems with the label it never saw the light of day. Up until now. High Roller Records are proud to announce the release of »Hypnotized«, the long lost second album of Axe Victims. “We went to court with Mausoleum over missing royalty payments for »Another Victim«,” explains drummer Martin Rocco. “The label officially declared bankruptcy, so we recorded the second album on our own cost. However, we weren’t allowed to put it out, as our contract with Mausoleum was still running for almost two years.” Recorded and mixed with the help of sound engineer Glenn Pocorny, the album was completely finished but couldn’t be released legally. “We weren’t able to do anything with the record,” continues the drummer. “We then tried to start anew, with a new name, Universe, and a new image. I do remember a legendary photo session, with all of us wearing glittery blue and silver latex suits. Quite funny.” During this period, the members of Axe Victims were all following different projects: guitarist Rowland Hag was asked to help out playing with Steeler, the other guitarist Tom Bohn and drummer Martin Rocco were playing in various cover bands while vocalist Frank Fanfare and bass man Holger George carried on with Universe. “I’d say »Hypnotized« was more or less a direct continuation of »Another Victim«,” describes Martin Rocco how he perceived the long lost second Axe Victims album. “It’s about the songs in the first place, if you ask me. Naturally, today the sound would have been much more bombastic. ‘Blood In My Veins’ and ‘Shout’ are two songs which immediately stick.” Similar to the first album, Axe Victims once more open the proceedings with a proto-speed metal number, the title track “Hypnotized”. “That’s how it was supposed to be,” laughs the drummer. “It was our plan to go full throttle right at the start. However, on the other hand, there are quite a few midtempo songs on the record as well.” Numbers like “Rock Tonight” are indeed much rockier, coming across like a mid-80s mix between Saxon, Priest, Accept and Leppard. “Of course, the top bands of the time were an influence for us,” explains Rocco. “We were attending a lot of gigs back then. But in the end, we had our own thing going. Nevertheless, you can definitely recognize what the musical climate was back at the time.” So, have the songs on »Hypnotized« stood the test of time? “Absolutely,” says Martin Rocco. Axe Victims have reformed and are playing live again: “Some of the tunes are on our current setlist and they are going down very well. People can’t believe that they are already this old. Good metal is timeless, that’s what I think. We are witnessing time and time again that people really love our 80s heavy metal sound. That’s why we are constantly getting booked. There are already a lot of gigs lined up for 2026 and that’s where we want to celebrate the release of our second album.” MATTHIAS MADER