'Noise lebt!' - reissues of the Noise Records back catalogue

Normally my level of excitement is rather low when I get "Best of..." albums. In the digital world, when everybody can create their own personal playlist with iTunes, Spotify and others, the meaning of these kind of releases is, let's say, at least limited.
In this case things are slightly different. If this is more based on a nostalgic feeling of being grown up in the eighties I don't know, but I was very thrilled when I heard about "Noise lebt!" (engl. 'Noise is alive!'). Actually it is about Noise Records, the German record label, that was a real important player in the earlier days of metal. There have been a few labels at that time that gave metal a true chance. Metal Blade, Roadrunner and Music For Nations are some of them and Noise Records was the German equivalent.
Actually coming more from punk, Karl-Ulrich Walterbach moved the label more and more towards metal, discovering bands like Hellhammer (later Celtic Frost), Running Wild, Helloween and some more. Space thrashers Voivod have been signed by the label in an early stage as well as Grave Digger, the mighty Coroner and German beer passionates Tankard. Not to forget the metal command from Essen, Kreator. Noise Records was the label that gave all these bands a chance and created the springboard for them to grow and become successful.
The biggest success was for sure linked to Helloween. Their two "Keeper of the Seven Keys" albums are still highlights in metal, records that led to worldwide attention and publicitiy, something the band still builds on today.
In the beginning of the digital century Walterbach decided to sell Noise Records to Sanctuary Records, who later on where shut down. The entire back catalogue of Noise went to the archives - up till now.
It's BMG, who aquired Sanctuary Records in 2013, that revive the label and opens this treasure box again, releasing 'Best of...' records from eight bands that have been signed by Noise Records. Under the banner of "Noise lebt!" they released two disc compliations that include all the metal classic of the following bands:

Kreator
Running Wild
Sinner
Helloween
Kamelot
Skyclad
Tankard
Grave Digger

Each of these releases includes an additional booklet, featuring comprehensive liner note of each of the bands history.

Some of you guys might even be that young that you have missed the eighties. These CD's will help you to close the gap, diving into the early days of metal bands that are either still highly successful and/or having a cult status in todays metal scene. And for the ones that are older, like me, the discs are activating some memories from days when was still in the arly stages of its development.
At least for me these releases make a lot of sense and maybe there will be even more, partly unreleased things, in the Noise treasure box (I would love to see this package for Coroner).

Here are some more details per CD package:

Kreator: "Love Us Or Hate Us - The Very Best Of The Noise Years 1985-1992"

Helloween: "Ride The Sky - The Very Best Of 1985-1998"

Release Date EU: May 6th, 2016

Tracklist Kreator: