Eyewitness
CD's and DVD's
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Eyewitness |
Eyewitness / Messiah Complex | 2 CD Digipak |
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1 -The Killing Words 2 -Masters Of The World 3 -Still Half Alive 4 -Communication 5 -All I Wanted 6 -Far Away 7 -Dorians Song 8 -Rising Sun 9 -Can't Stop 10 -Only You Can Rock me (UFO) 11 -Arms Of Love 12 -Life Goes On 13 -A Very Minor King 14 -Messiah Complex 15 -All We Are 16 -The Servent Has Become a Master 17 -Out Of Sight Out Of Mind 18 -Breaking Down The Walls 19 -Sea Of Sadness 20 -The Blade 21 -Guiding Hand 22 -Dreamscape 23 -Desert Rain 24 -I Think I Wanna Die Now 25 -Cries For Mercy |
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Before hard rock vocal god Jorn
Lande joined Masterplan, he teamed up with lead guitarist extraordinaire Ralph
Santolla in Millenium and released the awesome album 'Hourglass' in the year
2000.
Prior to Lande joining the band, the vocalist had been Todd Plant, with whom the
band released an equally amazing album, 'Angelfire', in 1999. What many people
don't realise is that Millenium was actually simply a continuation of Santolla
and Plant's previous band, Eyewitness.
EYEWITNESS was formed by guitarist RALPH SANTOLLA and drummer Oliver Hanson
after Santolla was asked to produce the drummer's then band. EYEWITNESS, also
numbering Keith Sterling, Shawn Phillips and vocalist Todd Plant, was duly
created and rapidly became an in demand act on the Florida touring circuit. In
time both Sterling and Phillips decamped and in came bass player Steve Hodson.
Plant had earlier been associated with formative acts such as SCYMITAR,
Christian Rock act ZION, LUCIAN BLAQUE, THUNDER and the 1990 MERIDIAN studio
project. He also holds a string of credits as a session vocalist, his name
appearing as backing vocalist on records such as SAVATAGE's 'Edge Of Thorns',
WICKED MARAYA's 'Cycles' and KAMELOT's 'Eternity'.
A set of demos caught the attention of British AOR specialists Now And Then
Records and EYEWITNESS were signed up for an eponymous 1995 debut album. The
band's inaugural effort was produced by Scott Burns and features a track, 'Arms
Of Love', co-written with WARRANT bassist Jerry Dixon. Santolla's love of
European hard rock - specifically UFO and Scorpions/Zeno - was paid tribute with
amazing cover versions of ZENO's 'Far Away' and UFO's seminal 'Only You Can Rock
Me'.
The act appeared at the Now And Then Records Gods '95 spectacular at the Astoria
2 in London in early 1995 to coincide with the release of their debut album on
the Wigan based label, bringing the recently hired second guitarist Michael
Caruso with them. Rubbing shoulders with the likes of Tyketto, Crown of Thorns
and James Christian, Eyewitness were certainly the surprise package of the day
and turned in an absolutely blinding performance.
A follow up album 'Messiah Complex' was only ever released in Japan. A dark and
lyrically deep album, this did not fare so well with fans or critics - although
some maintain the CD is an unappreciated classic - and the group, recently
having supplanted Hodson with Manfred Binder, opted for a re-think.
Thus from out of the ashes of Eyewitness rose Millenium, but their two albums
and legendary Gods live show definitely left an indelible mark on the fabric of
melodic hard rock history, and are treasures well deserving of being
rediscovered.