SPEED LIMIT-Burning Steel-Live-1985

Speed Limit-Live Show, recordet in 1985, Austria

After i played with some Local Bands since i was 12 i finally got my first
pro job in a Heavy Metal Band in late 1984 when i was 16.
We recordet our first album in 1986 and two more till 1992. A fourth Album was
finished but never released!

Andy Rethmeier (born March 30, 1968 in Hallein, Salzburg) is an Austrian drummer.
Rethmeier has been working in various rock bands since 1983 and has been a freelancer and studio musician in various bands and projects since the beginning of 1993. In Austria he became known as the drummer of the hard rock band Speed Limit (from 1985 to 1993). Since then he has been working as a live and studio musician in numerous projects in Austria, Germany and the USA.

SPEED LIMIT-
1980 – 1986 –Unchained: The foundation of the band reaches back to 1979 when bassist Chris Pawlak formed the first „heavy-band“. The name SPEED LIMIT appeared for the first time around 1980 (taken from Bon Scott´s lyrics to „Highway To Hell“ – from the then latest AC/DC record.) In 1984 the bands AMPERE – guitarist and songwriter Chris Angerer, guitarist Jocky Brunner and singer Hans Huthmann - and SPEED LIMIT allied their forces. They chose the name SPEED LIMIT for it´s better sound. The founding members consider this as the real birth of SPEED LIMIT. The line up of those days, which had been completed with drummer Andy Rethmaier, managed to collect a reasonable ammount of fans and SPEED LIMIT gigs turned out to be a melting point for the upcoming hardrock- and metal-scene of the mid 80ies in Salzburg. Encouraged by the positive feedback the band had gathered from the rest of austria and the nearby bavaria they dared the next big step: a self-financed longplay-record, an uncommon enterprice for a newcomer-band in those days. They´d been proven right. In 1986 they released „Unchained“ – a milestone in the austran rock-history – which is till now a rare collector´s item in the melodic hardrock/ metal scene worldwide.

1987 – 1990 – The Prophecy The release of longplay debut „Unchained“ had it´s consequences. The gig-list got longer. Especially in the rest of Austria, Bavaria and for the most Vienna, the capital of Austria, the stages got bigger (first gig at Fritz, what later became Rockhaus then Planet Music). Soon they were to enter the strong network around Rockhaus Vienna, what finally led to a promising record deal with „Breaking Records“. Shortly before that singer Hans Huthmann left and the band recruted bavarian singer Steven Hogger (ex CANNON), a shouter that could fill the bigger shoes. Soon followed the replacement of guitarist Jocky Brunner by Hell Lennart, a young enormously talented shredder. 1988 SPEED LIMIT embarked to the next adventure. The album „The Prophecy“ – produced by Peter W. Kevin at Hörnix-Sound Studio - delivered the final breakthrough in Austria. Even Germany paid attention to some extend caused by strong promotion activity (videoairplay, tv-appearances, tracks on compilations from Canada to Skandinavia and Japan) supporting the release of „The Prophecy“, including a premium videoclip for „Lady“ and a concert-tour through austria, hungary and italy. In this periode again they had to part with Hell Lennart (later BELPHEGOR) and ex TORSO guitarist Joe Eder could equalize the vacuum perfectly. Immediately they jumped into preproduction to a follow up album, which was to be recorded in Vienna in 1990. As the recordings didn´t find an end SPEED LIMIT interrupted studio work occasionally to hit live-stages (as they did with UDO, MANIAC, CHROMING ROSE etc.). After having finished recording and mixing the date of release had been delayed several times and was finally canceled by the record company without giving suitable reasons. In this unsatisfying situation singer Steven Hogger quit the band. The album has never been released officially.
1994 – Perfect Inspiration/Easy Come – Easy Go Soon the band had reassembled having recruted new singer Chris T. Ebert. Armed with unbroken motivation they hit stages again (supporting NAZARETH, URIAH HEEP, GIRSCHOOL u.a.) before they pulled all strings to finally have a new album out. What was to happen in 1992. This time around ex U8-man Peter Wehrhan and Peter W. Kevin took responsibility for producing and recording. The band entered Kick-Sound Studio in Salzburg and didn´t leave untill the probably most versitle album of SPEED LIMIT – „Perfect Inspiration“ - was ready to being released. Astonishingly the interest in SPEED LIMIT hadn´t lost it´s strenght after four years (since „The Prophecy“). Again TV-appearances, radiointerviews, airplay and intense live-aktivity (Germany, Austria, Italy) followed the album release.

c&p Speed Limit 1985 Video Footage by Berny Huber, Peter Hofinger, Roland Steindl
#SPEEDLIMIT #Austria #Heavymetal