The time you get rid of the 'trap' that there were not more than fifteen-twenty bands playing Heavy Metal music in the 80s, there the magic steps in: you discover obscure 'gems', you dig more in the mystics of Metal, you confirm or 'delete' your adornment to some of the bands you so-far knew...you...you...you...Pardon me, but with the absence of a series of 'underground' bands/scenes the likes of the gigantic only Metal legends would not be that massive.
German heroes Brainfever's roots lie back in the beginning of the 80s decade. It's clear enough that the band was influenced by the (not that typical) British NWOBHM invasion of the time (still, enough is seen in the band's approach) but the spirit of Judas Priest, Accept and early Sinner - plus some Motorhead 'ghoul' - seem equally appropriate in the sound the band developed in their first recording effort, the self-financed Capture The Night 7 single (1983). A whole tornado of German Metal bands appeared in that period - with contemporaries Lions Breed, Grave Digger, Steeler, Cutty Shark, Stormwitch and Gravestone to name a few - and Brainferer raised to record their debut album for the legendary Mausoleum label in 1984.
In a 'foggy' production, Into the Sky is noble savage tune that sets the fire. Fast pace, 'free' riffing, 'misty' vocals and European Metal supremacy is the formula for the whole album. The Hangman's church organ intro is transformed into a venomous Angelwitch-isque anthem, while Danger In The Night features an up-tempo orgasm strongly reminding me of the premature Stormwitch/Cutty Shark releases. Thunder And Lightning roars like hell with an early 80s mid-tempo focusing on the inheritance of early Accept, at the same time that Dirty Streets is 100% in the vein of Accept! The band-titled track and Capture The Night are neck breaking killers featuring the most 'Raven meets Accept' songwriting and Midnight Train & Tool For The Show see the band Motorheadbanging (while the vocalist Cloven Hoof-ishes!) for a while. Suicide's 'travelling' acoustic intro gears up to a hell-breaks-loose 'fever' wrapping up the 'normal' album...
...since this specific re-release carries an extra load: half of the band's rare You 1986 EP (guess where the other half lies in...) is served as a bonus features set. With only two full-length albums, Brainfever did have the potential to star in the European Metal scene. Unfortunately, they weren't lucky enough (signs of those times).