OSTROGOTH Too Hot SLIPCASE [CD]

HRR 895CD, slipcase, poster

Transfer, mastering and audio restoration by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in April 2022.

Once the 1984-85 holiday season was over, it was business as usual for Ostrogoth. Indeed, the recording sessions for the follow-up to »Ecstasy And Danger« were set to start at Shiva Studios in Brussels on the 7th of January 1985. The last session wouldn’t take place until the 9th of March 1985. Of course that’s not to say that the band was in the studio for two months, rather a couple of sessions spread over two months. According to bassist Marnix Van de Kaute, all of the music was recorded in a mere two days, but when it was up to Marc De Brauwer to deliver his vocals, his voice let him down. In the end Marc had to return several more days later on, until all of his vocals were recorded properly.

For the first time in the band’s history an outside producer was brought in to produce and musically direct an Ostrogoth recording. Mausoleum Records had selected a young German guy by the name of Alex Gietz to do just that. Actually, Alex had come over to the band’s rehearsals during four weekends in late 1984, if only to become acquainted with the band and their newly composed songs. But as soon as he arrived, he started to adjust the songs so that they would sound way more commercial. Whether that was enforced on Alex by Mausoleum boss Alfie Falkenbach, we’ll most likely never find out.

The title for Ostrogoth’s second full-length was initially supposed to be »Don’t Point Your Finger«. Mausoleum’s idea was to have a photo shoot to take a cover picture that would tie in with that title. The idea was to rent a classy restaurant, put a bunch of well-dressed people in there, alongside the band members in their usual clothes. Then there would be a little girl in front of them all, pointing her finger to the band members. In the end, none of this materialized. Only the late Alfie knows, but it must have been a last minute decision not to go ahead with this idea, as, when the album was finally released, the labels still mentioned »Don’t Point Your Finger« as the title, instead of »Too Hot«.

In July 1985 Ostrogoth took off to Holland. Reason being that they were selected to be part of the 5th “Rhythm ‘N Booze Popfestival” at Nollebos in Vlissingen. Ostrogoth played late in the afternoon in front of several thousand people. It would turn out to be their last gig in support of »Too Hot«.

Dark clouds were already gathering on the horizon, and it would be another long while before Ostrogoth would grace a stage again. But that’s another story.

Eddy Vermeiren