ACCEPT - Russian Roulette 12" LP VINYL Album

Stommeln, near Cologne: Breeze Music GmbH has operated as an independent music publisher since 1974—the kind of outfit that lives in the credits, not the spotlight. On Accept’s "Metal Heart" the sleeve spells it out: "produced and arranged for Breeze Music GmbH." "Eat The Heat" carries the same trail (recorded/mixed in Cologne Sep 1988–Jan 1989; mastered by Bob Ludwig at Masterdisk, New York). Earlier, Accept’s "Restless And Wild" even prints a "c/o Breeze Music GmbH" address line. Breeze also turns up beyond Germany: Twisted Sister’s "Come Out And Play" lists production for Breeze, and Discogs label listings include Scorpions titles such as "Make It Real". Unsexy work, sure—but it’s how the metal catalog stays properly owned and properly credited.

Dieter Dierks Studios is one of those names I keep bumping into when I’m flipping sleeves and actually reading the small print (yes, I’m that person). Built up in Stommeln near Cologne in the late 1960s, it started as a serious German recording base before the rest of the world bothered to pay attention. Early on it pulled in the krautrock crowd; later it became a magnet for hard rock and heavy metal when bands wanted that big, clean, “this is going on the radio whether you like it or not” kind of finish. The headline connection is Scorpions—Dierks produced them for years—and once you clock that, the rest of the credits suddenly make sense. This studio sits right in the spine of that era where German rock went from local weirdness to international muscle, and every time I see “Dierks Studios” on a record, I expect tight drums, sharp guitars, and absolutely zero lo-fi excuses.

Michael Wagener is the German-born producer/engineer who taught heavy guitars to sound huge without turning into soup. Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s he helped shape Accept's steel-plate punch, then in the 1980s Los Angeles grind he became a go-to set of ears for Dokken—tight, glossy, and still mean. By the late 1980s he was guiding arena-sized hard rock for Skid Row and White Lion, and in the 1990s he kept that balance of bite and clarity alive for bands like Extreme. I can spot his signature fast: drums snapping, guitars spread wide, and reverb kept on a short leash. From his WireWorld room in Tennessee, he mixes like a craftsman: edges sharp, low end disciplined, vocals sitting just forward enough to start trouble.

Mark Dodson is the kind of credit I spot and immediately think: yep, this record is about to hit harder than it has any right to. He is a London-born British producer and sound engineer whose career kicks off in the late 1970s with engineering/mixing work (including acts like Advertising, Judas Priest, Joan Jett, and The Modern Lovers), then locks into metal gear for the big runs people actually collect for. With Anthrax, his main stretch is the late-80s/early-90s era (1988–1991) around State of Euphoria, Persistence of Time, and related releases. With Suicidal Tendencies, it is a tight, high-impact window from 1988–1990 (and a 1993 compilation credit), plus the side-quest with Infectious Grooves across 1991 and 1993. Basically: when I see his name, I expect punch, clarity, and zero patience for “polite” guitar tones. Mark Dodson Wiki

Bob Ludwig, for me, is the final boss of “make it hit”: cutting lacquers at A&R in the late ’60s, shaping the 1970s at Sterling Sound, the 1976–1992 Masterdisk era, then building Gateway Mastering in Maine (founded 1992) before retiring in 2023. His mastering fingerprints run from classic rock to metal to modern pop—Led Zeppelin and Lou Reed through Metallica, Nirvana, Tool, and Daft Punk.