'' Instant Clarity'' is the first solo album of vocalist

Michael Kiske Michael Kiske (born 24 January 1968) is a German singer who is the co-lead vocalist for the power metal band Helloween. Kiske has also released four solo albums, two albums with the hard rock band Unisonic (band), Unisonic, has participated on ...

, formerly of

Helloween Helloween is a German power metal band founded in 1984 in Hamburg by members of bands Iron Fist, Gentry, Second Hell and Powerfool. The band has at times been called one of the most influential European heavy metal bands of the 1980s. Its first ...

. The album was released 1996 and features guest appearances by

Kai Hansen Kai Michael Hansen (born 17 January 1963) is a German musician who is the founder, lead guitarist and vocalist of power metal band Gamma Ray (band), Gamma Ray. He is also one of the co-founders of another power metal band Helloween, which he was ...

, formerly of Helloween,

Adrian Smith Adrian Smith may refer to: * Adrian Smith (basketball) (born 1936), American basketball player *Adrian Smith (architect) (born 1944), American architect *Sir Adrian Smith (statistician) (born 1946), English statistician and academic *Adrian Smith (m ...

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris (musician), Steve Harris. Although fluid in the early years of the band, the line-up for most ...

, and compositions with Ciriaco Taraxes. A music video was produced and filmed in New York City for the song ''Always'', which was dedicated to

Ingo Schwichtenberg Ingo "Mr. Smile" Schwichtenberg (18 May 1965 – 8 March 1995) was a German drummer and one of the founding members of the power metal band Helloween. Biography Helloween guitarist Roland Grapow said about Schwichtenberg in an interview 1999: ...

; the former Helloween drummer who committed suicide in 1995. "The Calling" was released as a single-EP in Japan, and "Always" was released instead in the UK. Both EPs have the same bonus tracks not available on the album. These tracks were "Rock'N'Roll Is Dead" and "When You're Down On Your Knees That's When You're Closest To Heaven". The album was reissued in 2006 containing four bonus tracks recorded in the sessions for his solo album "Kiske" released 2006..

Background

Kiske said about the album 2013: ''"I think the 'Instant Clarity' record was rather easy because there was good money support, especially from Japan. Then I had Kai ansenand Adrian Smith (Iron Maiden) there for support. And I was renting a house and we had everything set up there. That was quite fun to do. Then it got difficult afterwards when you don’t reach the sales for certain record companies. You get less money and you have less available production – that makes it more difficult. I actually lost interest, to be honest with you. Looking back now, maybe the Instant Clarity album still had a bit of the…drive of the past, it was still in there. Then I completely lost interest. I was interested in other things. I was studying things, reading books every day. There was this request for another record and I made one, but it wasn’t until 2006 when I got interested again."''

Track listing

#"Be True to Yourself" (Kiske) - 4:40 #"The Calling" (Kiske, Hansen, Adrian Smith) - 4:00 #"Somebody Somewhere" (Ciriaco Taraxes, Michael Kiske) - 4:39 #"Burned Out" (Taraxes) - 4:44 #"New Horizons" (Smith, Kiske, Kai Hansen) - 4:25 #"Hunted" (Kiske, Taraxes) - 4:25 #"Always" (Kiske) - 4:15 #"Thanx a Lot!" (Kiske) - 5:25 #"Time's Passing By" (Kay Rudi Wolke, Taraxes) - 3:46 #"So Sick" (Kiske) - 4:30 #"Do I Remember a Life?" (Kiske, Taraxes) - 10:20 #"A Song Is Just a Moment" (Kiske) '' apanese bonus track' - 4:20 #"I Don't Deserve Love" (Kiske) '' onus track' - 4:40 #"Sacred Grounds" (Kiske) '' onus track' - 4:05 #"Can't Tell" (Kiske) '' onus track' - 3:22 Tracks 13-15 appear on the 2006 reissue only. These tracks were recorded at the sessions for the 'Kiske' solo album released 2006.

Credits

Band members *

– vocals, guitar, keyboards,

sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...

s * Ciriaco Taraxes – guitar * Jens Mencl – bass guitar * Kay Rudi Wolke – drums, guitar on 9 Guest musicians *

– guitar on 1,2,5 and 8 *

– guitar on 2,5 and 6 * Norbert Krietemeyer – flute

References

{{Authority control 1996 albums Michael Kiske albums