Düsseldorf 1994, Sammy Amara and Andi Brügge founded the BROILERS. They were joined by Ines Smentkowski and Pascal Goßen, and together they released the fantastic Oi! album "Fackeln im Sturm" in 1997. An album that ranks very high on my personal hit list. In 1998, the BROILERS and my old band NON CONFORM were featured alongside PÖBEL & GESOCKS, LOIKAEMIE, VERLORENE JUNGS, DAILY TERROR (Pedder R.I.P.), among others, on the Oi-(Punk) sampler "Oi! Mach´s Maul auf", which has since become a sought-after rarity and is traded at high prices on eBay.
In 2000, the album "Verlierer sehen anders aus" followed, which refreshes the Oi! sound with ska and reggae tones and is in no way inferior to the debut album. The second guitarist is Michael Menke, who replaces Pascal, but after the album, he leaves the BROILERS and is replaced by Roland "Ron" Hübner.
In 2004, "LoFi" is released, featuring a very appealing cover :) The music increasingly deviates from the original Oi! sound and takes on a stronger ska-reggae beat. However, this development has a positive effect, as sales and audience numbers rise, with the band managing to bridge the gap between mainstream and individual Oi! cleverly. But the more mainstream the BROILERS become, the more ordinary they inevitably become, and the underground spirit of Oi! music disappears more and more.
By 2007, the Oi! sound is completely gone on the "Vanitas" album; instead, they have brought in Christian "Chris" Kubczak as a keyboard/organ player, and the whole sound is slowly diluting into appealing organ-ska-rock. "Ruby Light & Dark" is played everywhere, and it is indeed a very melodic song, but it has nothing to do with the BROILERS of the 90s, and the album quickly ends up on my shelf.
The 2011 album "Santa Muerte" finds its place in the CD rack even faster. The album is downright tasteless, good for sales and attendance at concerts. The BROILERS no longer provoke, and everything is fine *yawn*.
In 2012, I received the live album "Santa Muerte Live Tapes" and am curious to see how much the BROILERS have changed in recent years, as my last BROILERS concert was a long time ago. As expected, there is no trace of the hard Oi! sound; instead, it feels like Rockpalast. Two-thirds of the 31 songs, which were recorded in packed venues in Dortmund, Bremen, and Leipzig, come from the last two albums. Only the two songs "Blume" and "Paul der Hooligan" from the first single, as well as "Dumm & Glücklich" and "In 80 Tagen um die Welt", are still from the better 90s or the year 2000 on this double live album. Even Sammy's announcements in the latter song, which call for dancing in the style of the "old school", don't help. I simply miss the old songs; where is, for example, "Fackeln im Sturm" or "Verlierer sehen anders aus"? Since a large part of the concert audience seems to be just regular folks, they would also be overwhelmed by these hits. And so this nearly 2-hour-long, very well-recorded double album floats calmly in the light wind and doesn't break a leg for the mosquito. But that's exactly why it will surely be found high up in the charts...
Unfortunately, I did not receive a booklet; I would have really been interested to know if the BROILERS left a statement in the booklet.
