SCARLET ROSE – Prime (2025 reissue) *HQ*
Hailing from the Mannheim / Heidelberg area in Germany, SCARLET ROSE was founded in December 1988 by guitarist Frank Bulling and bass player Andy Keller subsequently after their former metal band Scavenger just had called it quits. They found American singer Kurt Harley and drummer Michael Dorsch to start working on their new vision of a melodic Heavy Rock band and recorded Scarlet Rose’s debut Demo in April ’89, plus a second tape already in October.
However Keller was looking for a much more commercial sound, and search for a female singer as bands like Heart, Vixen, Romeo’s Daughter, etc, were enjoying strong popularity in Europe. In July 1990 female keyboarder / singer Coco Augustin joined and female Steffi Brill was enlisted for the lead vocals.
With a style mixing melodic rock, radio-friendly pop-rock and lite AOR, SCARLET ROSE 1995’s debut album “Prime” arrived a little too late for this musical genre, however the band didn’t care as melodic rock still preserved an audience in the old continent.
Long time out of print, now Andy Keller is reissuing “Prime” for its 30th anniversary. Fans of Barlow / Minto, Alyson Avenue, Vixen, Heart, Laos., Karen Lawrence – that’s primo female fronted AOR – need to own this album.
With the new female members SCARLET ROSE produced Demo # 3 in February 1991, that gained the band first successful moments while being 2nd winner of a local band contest in September, and also 2nd of the Metal Hammer newcomer festival in October ’91.
The Demo received overwhelming press in Germany, praising the songwriting and sound of Scarlet Rose and either the musical spectrum of the material ranging from Melodic Rock to Heavy Rock. Right in November the band could support the Sony Music recording act The Slags, while in May ’92 played at a bigger festival with other German top acts Bonfire, Thunderhead, and Roko.
During October that year the 3rd Demo then got re-released as “Second edition” with additional 5 live trax.
1993 Scarlet Rose participated in a TV show and started their first tour through northern Germany, before they independently started recordings for their debut album “Prime” in November, which was finally released on House Master Records in 1995.
Scarlet Rose furthermore released the CD single “The Sun in your eyes” in 1997 and was featured on a number of compilations during the 90s, before the band eventually parted ways during 2004.
01 – Enemy Land
02 – Everybody’s Alone
03 – Good Is Hard To Find
04 – Never No More
05 – Spotlights
06 – The Darker Side Of Mind
07 – I See You
08 – Take Some More
09 – I Remember You
10 – Attacken By Surprise
11 – You Are The One
12 – Prime
13 – To Be Young
Steffi Brill – lead and backing vocals
Coco Augustin – keyboards, vocals, backing vocals
Frank Bulling – guitars, backing vocals
Andy Keller – bass, backing vocals
Edgar Schmitt – drums, percussion
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