Artist: GODDESS SHIVA incl. MAT SINNER
Album: GODDESS SHIVA (CD)

Year: 2007
Media type: CD

After playing together in a teenage rock band called Crayfish in 1975 and '76, Mat Sinner and Armin Sabol thought it was time to go for "something real". Being a great fan of Jimi Hendrix and Frank Marino's Mahogany Rush, Armin came up with the idea to form a "Power Trio". Mat was immediately electrified by that thought. The group SHIVA was born in Spring of 1977.

The first gigs turned out to be a blast. The group's energy evolved in numerous powerful live shows in the Stuttgart area between '77 and '80. Due to their energetic performances SHIVA was booked as opening act for live shows of internationally famous bands like WHITESNAKE, COLOSSEUM II (feat. Gary Moore) or NINA HAGEN.

Despite the legendary energy of SHIVA's live shows, two attempts to record a debut album (1978 & 1980) ended up in disasters. The band had no experience in producing and recording professionally, so the tapes sounded like a mess in comparison to the "wall of rock sound" they usually generated during their live gigs. The incomplete results of those early recording sessions could never be released on record.

Regardless of a growing fan base, problems with changes in line-up as well as personal difficulties, lead to a split in 1980. Mat decided to form his own group SINNER. They started recording albums and toured through Germany and Europe. The Band SINNER is still very successful & active, recording and touring. Additionally Mat Sinner startet the Power Metal band PRIMAL FEAR together with Singer Ralf Scheepers in the mid-nineties. They soon became a widely succesful metal act touring and releasing records worldwide. PRIMAL FEAR are also still very active with a wide fan base and massive record sales.

In the meantime Armin had concentrated on his abilities as a producer and studio guitar player. His contributions to the German New Wave act PETER SCHILLING ("Major Tom") lead to almost 5 millions of record sales worldwide plus gold awards in countries such as Germany, Austria and Canada. He can be heard on records of Germany's Platinum HipHop group Die FANTASTISCHEN VIER as well as HAZEL'O'CONNOR, for example. In the early nineties Armin produced three albums plus one EP of the meanwhile worldwide successful Metal band RAGE. In '98 Armin started his own Shivasound recording studio in Stuttgart.

In 2004 G. Trugenberger of the "Aidshilfe Stuttgart" asked whether Armin and Mat could possibly think of reforming SHIVA to play at one of their charity festivals. Since obviously something seemed to have been left undone with SHIVA, they both reacted very positively. With Ex-ATROCITY and Ex-LEAVES EYES Drummer Martin Schmidt they found the perfect "partner in groove" for the steaming classic "trio-rock" sound of the renewed SHIVA group.

Since the two live gigs in early 2005 seemed to spread the warmest musical feelings and energy, SHIVA decided to work an their long time overdue debut album. The band started the recordings at the Shivasound Studio in the spring of 2005, where the album got finished in early 2006. Despite the older rights to use the name SHIVA the group decided to rename the band into GODDESS SHIVA. This not only happened to avoid possible confusion. Furthermore this intends to mark a new chapter of the band's long time history. With the German label AOR/Metal Heaven they have found a competent partner to release the Album Goddess SHIVA in February 2007.

TRACKLIST :

1. Heritage Of Shiva
2. Walking On Thorns
3. Mind Of A Killer
4. This Ain’t Love
5. Gone With The Dough
6. Barefoot And Naked
7. Down On Luck
8. Heat Of The Night
9. Ali Baba
10. Same Old City
11. Hold On
12. Red
13. Heritage Of Shiva Outro

LINE-UP :

Armin Sabol – vocals, guitars
Mat Sinner – vocals, bass
Martin Schmidt - drums