breaker

Excluding Nine Inch Nails, no Euro-style heavy metal outfit from Cleveland, Ohio surpasses Breaker in quality. This quintet came close to achieving worldwide recognition. Jan Hammer fronts the group on vocals, joined by guitarist Michael Klein and his drumming brother Mark, along with guitarist Don Depew and bassist Brook Hodges. The early 1980s marked their formation. A 1987 album titled Get Tough saw re-release through Auburn Records within a two-disc set, paired with a companion CD of previously unheard material. Serving as both Auburn president and the band's manager is Bill Peters. Local sales greeted the 1983 debut single "Blood Money" along with the Get Tough LP. Since their 1982 inception, the lineup has not remained intact without interruption, having split during the early nineties prior to a 1998 reformation. Following that reunion, the thematic single "Breaker" became their initial offering. Domestically, recognition stays limited to their Cleveland area, yet German audiences hold them in high regard, evidenced by a standout performance alongside sixty other metal groups at the Wacken Music Festival in Hamburg.