Brats (band)

Brats
Origin	Copenhagen, Denmark
Genres	Heavy metal, hard rock, punk
Years active	1977-1981, 2008
Labels	Diamond Records
Associated acts	Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Force of Evil, Black Rose, Fate, Iron Savior

Brats was a Danish (Copenhagen) band formed in 1977 as a punk band. Original line-up featured Hank Shermann (real name Rene Krolmark, at that time known as Hank de Wank) on guitar, vocalist Franz De Zaster, drummer Eddie Haircut and bassist Mickey Rat. After recording songs for Danish Pære Punk compilation, the band split up in 1979, not much later reforming as a heavy metal band with new members. Hank Shermann was the only original member left, and he recruited bass guitarist and vocalist Yenz Leonhardt (Jens Arnsted, later of Iron Savior), drummer Lars Monroe and later second guitarist Michael Denner. This line-up signed a contract with CBS.

After one full-length album, 1980 (1980) (re-released on CD by Diamond Records in 1999), Denner left and was replaced by Carsten van Der Volsing. Yenz was replaced with King Diamond on vocals (but remained as bass guitarist). Up to that point, the band was a hybrid of punk and metal, but King didn't want to sing punk rock, so the band started to write heavier songs than before (some of them would later become Mercyful Fate songs, although with different titles and lyrics). It was also at this time, that Krolmark became Shermann. CBS didn't like the new material, so the band quit the contract. Yenz and Monroe left the band, and the rest of the band became Mercyful Fate with new drummer Jan Musen. In 2008, the band released The Lost Tapes: Copenhagen 1979, which was actually their first album, but was never released before.

Past members

• Hank Shermann (Rene Krolmark, Hank de Wank) - guitar (1977–1981)
• King Diamond (Kim Bendix Petersen) - vocals (1980–1981)
• Carsten Van Der Volsing - guitar (1980–1981)
• Jens Arnsted (Yenz Leonhardt) - bass, vocals (1979–1981)
• Lars "Monroe" Nybo - drums (1979–1981)
• Michael Denner - guitar (1979–1980)
• Franz De Zaster (Michael Gorm) - Vocals (1977–1979)
• Mickey Rat (Michael Hillerup) - Bass (1977–1979)
• Eddie Haircut (Milan Balsgaard) - Drums (1977–1979)

Discography

• 1980 (1980)
• Demo (1981)
• The Lost Tapes: Copenhagen 1979 (2008)

External links

• Blog with photos of the bands development from punk to metal
• King Diamond Official Website
• King Diamond Russian fanpage
• Brats at Metal Archives