Mob Rules

Formed around 1994 in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, the melodic power metal outfit Mob Rules took its title from the classic Ronnie Dio-fronted Black Sabbath album. Guitarist Matthias Mineur and bassist Torsten Plorin, both formerly of Van Blanc, assembled the group by recruiting singer Klaus Dirks and drummer Arved Mannott. Local shows and independent demo work followed, eventually securing a contract with Limb Music and yielding the 1999 debut Savage Land, which also featured second guitarist Matthias Mineur. Keyboardist Sascha Onnen joined in time for the follow-up, Temple of Two Suns, issued in 2000. Subsequent efforts arrived on SPV, including 2002’s Hollowed Be Thy Name and 2004’s Among the Gods. Throughout this period the band maintained its Iron Maiden-derived, largely thrash-free approach to kinetic metal while sharing European stages with Savatage, Company of Snakes, and similar acts. Despite consistent output, Mob Rules never ascended the upper ranks of the Euro-metal scene and stayed largely unknown in America. By the arrival of 2006’s Ethnolution A.D.—whose title track stretched across twenty-five minutes in multiple sections—the two founding members had departed, with guitarist Sven Lüdke and bassist Markus Brinkmann stepping in; the remaining musicians nonetheless intended to proceed without interruption.