STORMWITCH

In 1981 guitarist Lee Tarot, born Harold Spengler, assembled this five-piece German heavy metal act that cultivated a vivid satanic and gothic horror persona. Vocalist Andy Aldrian, guitarist Steve Merchant, bassist Ronny Pearson and drummer Pete Lancer completed the lineup; all were German natives who nevertheless adopted Americanized stage names. Their opening trio of albums presented generic Euro-metal in the style of Running Wild and attracted scant attention beyond Germany. Commercial frustration prompted a stylistic pivot on the 1987 release The Beauty And The Beast toward a more direct hard-rock sound, yet the adjustment brought no improvement and the band broke up shortly afterward.