Go!

Go! is the third album, assembling warm guitar, thick choruses and Tommy Heart's emotive singing at a high level. Released in 1997, it has the poppiest, most open texture of the early three. Powerful hard rock songs and delicate ballads sit naturally together, with a care that keeps the melody alive to the end. Ule W. Ritgen and Helge Engelke remain the songwriting core, and Helge's singing lead guitar rings throughout as the band's signature. The opener “Angels of Heaven” had come first as an EP the previous year, and “Save Me” likewise became a single. From the hooks of “All on Your Own” and “I'll Be There,” the expanse of “Man on the Moon,” the race of “Rivers of Love,” the drama of “Sailing Home,” to the closing “The Love Song,” the craft is certain — but what stays with you first is the afterglow of the singing. It's also an album with Andy Malecek on guitar, and the five-piece density shows well. Their popularity in Japan peaked in this era — a satisfying record conveying the mature appeal of late-'90s melodic rock.