Scanner - Hypertrace (1988)

These German techno thrashers were on the Noise Records roster. The fantastic 'Hypertrace' was a concept album with sci-fi influences. It does sound like Helloween in places, particularly on the jovial chorus of a track like 'Across The Universe,' which features a cool riff, but for me the band are at their best on more uptempo rockers such as the speedy 'Terrion,' where vocalist Michael Knoblich comes into his own. Admittedly, some of the choruses leave me cold, and that's a shame because the song structures are clever and the musicianship extremely tight, in fact it's typical Euro metal to some extent, but it pales in comparison to a band like Rage. After a while Scanner grate on me. 6/10