History

The story of Wardance starts in August 1986 in the tranquility of Herxheim, a tiny village located in Palatinate, Germany. The band with female singer Sandra Schumacher is highly motivated and only a few months later, Destroyer – the bands name until 1987 – debuts on stage. Within short, the band rises to local celebrity.

Inspired by the Anthrax Song “Indians”, the five change their name to Wardance and publish their debut LP „Crucifixion“, produced at their own expense. Despite or precisely because of the cover – which is close to the edge of a MAD cartoon – the record succeeds to gain cult status.
Wardance is soon known even beyond the borders of Germany and even plays in the still existing East Germany (GDR) in summer 1989.

   Wardance, August 1987

The powerful Speedmetal and the unrivaled voice of Sandra Schumacher draws the interest of Charly Rinne, former chief editor of the German Metal Hammer and now owner of No Remorse Records. He signs the band and shortly after they enter the studio to record their second album. As a guest musician, No Remorse Records recruits former Warlock/ Doro guitarist Rudy Graf to enrich 3 songs with his nonchalant solos.

Wardance re-records 2 songs of the debut album, witnessing their musical enhancement. Also, the band is not afraid to think outside the (Speedmetal) box and morphs “The House Of The Rising Sun” (originally by The Animals, 1964) to a fierce Metal Version.

  

In February 1990 „Heaven Is For Sale“ is released and besides the music, the extraordinary cover artwork of Andreas Marshall (famous for the covers he created for Blind Guardian, Hammerfall and U.D.O.) causes sensation. The album increases the bands popularity and they open for Overkill, Blind Guardian, Tankard and Living Death to name a few.

Future is promising and plans are made for another record. But over the years inspiration and motivation suffered from continuing rehearsals and concerts and the musicians annihilate each other with animosity. In the late 1991 Wardance breaks up.

3 years later, the band takes a chance on a new beginning and goes through some line up changes. Finally, Sandra Schumacher and Markus Wawersich surround themselves with 3 new musicians and with fresh wind in the sails, Wardance enters the studio to record „Dance To The Beat Of Life With The Spirit Of Youth“. Not only moves the band from the straight forward Speedmetal of the old days to complex song structures, they also adapt a German-speaking song that was written before the breakup in 1991.

But these new recordings never come to be published. A time- and energy-killing legal dispute with the production company thwarts the enthusiasm, gets the band into a financial disorder and draws a final line under the history of Wardance in 1996.

Wardance 1995
Markus Wawersich, Michael Leiner, Karsten Schulz, Georg Michaelis, Sandra Schumacher