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Railway Biography

railway
  • Years Active: 1980s-2000s
  • Genre: Rock & Alternative

Munich, Germany's Railway enjoyed minor success in the mid-'80s, when their compatriots the Scorpions and, to a lesser degree, Accept helped push Teutonic heavy metal to the forefront of the genre. But the band had actually been founded all the way back in 1977, wallowing in obscurity for years before recording their first domestic single in 1981 and finally their eponymous debut album for Roadrunner Records in 1984. Railway II followed a year later and, like both its predecessor and successor, 1987's Climax, featured singer Walter Wicha, guitarists Robert Haslinger and Hermann Janowitz, bassist Werner Thaller, and drummer Hasi Haslinger performing efficient but undistinguished heavy rock, reminiscent of countrymen like Warlock, Grave Digger, or Sinner. In fact, Railway never enjoyed much notoriety outside of continental Europe, and though they carried on touring and recording sporadically into the 1990s (including releases like 1990's Backstage All Areas EP, 1991's To Be Continued LP, 1993's Welcome Tonight, and 1995's Persecution Mania), their name had mostly been forgotten. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, Rovi

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