heavy-metal-darkness: Mad Max |Heavy Metal |ROAR (Reissue/Remastered)

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Mad Max |Heavy Metal |ROAR (Reissue/Remastered)

Release Date: January 17^th, 2026
Format: CD/LP/Digital
Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: Germany

Mad Max came out of early eighties Germany swinging hard, at a time when heavy metal was still being carved with bare hands. Formed in 1981, they stood shoulder to shoulder with the rising European scene, mixing street level hard rock muscle with classic metal drive. The debut full length “Heavy Metal” and the early “In Concert” EP captured a young band hungry, loud and very much alive, long before anniversaries and legacy talk entered the picture.

Hearing this reissue today, the first reaction is simple, this stuff aged surprisingly well. “Heavy Metal” sounds rough around the edges in the right ways, with songs that focus on riffs, hooks and momentum instead of studio tricks. There is an honest, almost reckless push in the writing that puts Mad Max closer to their British peers than many German acts of the same era. You can hear a band still learning its limits and pushing past them anyway.

The “In Concert” EP adds extra sweat to the package. It shows Mad Max in their natural habitat, loud amps, sharp playing and zero safety net. The performances hit with raw energy and underline how serious this band already was at such an early stage. This is not nostalgia bait, it is proof that the fire was real and not something added later in the story.

The reissue itself is packed like a treasure chest. Remastering work by Rolf Munkes brings more punch and definition without sanding down the edges. Unreleased photos, detailed liner notes and the Mad Max comic by Arturo Said add character and context, making this more than just another archive dump. It respects the era and treats it with care instead of polishing it into something else.

It is not flawless but it delivers the strong early heavy metal era, played with hunger and attitude, now presented in a way that makes sense for longtime followers and new listeners alike. Mad Max reminds you why they mattered then and why their name still carries weight going into their 45th year.

Score: 7.5