Review MAD MAX „Stories of Destiny“

Mad Max are one of the pioneers of melodic metal from Germany. The band from Münster got their start in 1982 with their debut album Heavy Metal, but it was Night of Passion, released in 1987, that put Mad Max on my recordplayer. With Jürgen Breforth and Axel Kruse, two members of the classic lineup are still on board, and these days the band is releasing Stories of Destiny—their 16th studio album, believe it or not.

That said, the songs on Stories of Destiny aren’t exactly brand-new. To celebrate the band’s 45th anniversary, Breforth revisited songs he had written with various great names from the German rock and metal scene, giving them a fresh interpretation in the unmistakable Mad Max style.

“Silver” was released as the lead single on July 1, offering the first taste of the album. It also serves as the opener and gets things off to a strong start. The song features a relatively laid-back verse, while the chorus reminds us that Mad Max can still bring plenty of power in 2026. Built around a catchy hook, “Silver” sticks in your head almost immediately and leaves you wanting to hear what comes next.

The fact that “Keep You Alive” begins with a lullaby doesn’t mean this is a sleepy song. Quite the opposite: it develops into a pulsing, groove-driven mid-tempo rocker. The melodic metal roots of the ‘80s are the driving force behind “Far Behind,” while “Piece of Candy,” originally released in 1981, gets a makeover and comes across with more punch than it did back then. Former Mad Max vocalist Andreas Baesler also makes an appearance on the track, adding another connection to the band’s history.

The melodies of “Bullet” are, well, sweet as candy. Mad Max move closer to AOR territory here than you might expect, while “Wings of Freedom” brings a ballad into the mix. “Til’ the End of Time” and “Weapons of Love” add two previously unreleased songs from 1991, giving the album another interesting glimpse into the band’s past.

The closing stretch, however, takes things back into rockier territory. “Dulces Flasos,” the Spanish-language version of “Piece of Candy,” is a nice little extra for fans and brings the album to a fitting close. And yes, sometimes a little Spanish flair is all it takes to send a record off with a smile.

With Stories of Destiny, Mad Max once again show why they have maintained such a solid fan base for more than four decades while continuing to deliver new material. This is where metal meets melody, backed by the passion and commitment that have been part of the band’s identity from the beginning.