Challenging their German power metal compatriots Chinchilla for the coveted "silliest name for an otherwise serious heavy metal band" award, Custard (whose name was reportedly an accident of faulty translation) were founded in 1987 by drummer Chris Klapper -- originally as a pure thrash proposition. Eight years, numerous demos, and dozens of different musicians later, the now stable lineup of Klapper, Dirk Wierczorek (vocals, lead guitar), Karsten Knüppel (rhythm guitar), Michael Marquardt (bass) finally made their official debut with an E.P. entitled God of Storm, and, two years later, delivered the full-length Kingdoms of Your Life. Now transformed into a full-fledged power metal group, in the time-tested mold of Gamma Ray and Hammerfall, the group recruited a proper frontman in vocalist Guido Brieke for their year 2000 breakthrough, the fantasy-themed For My King opus. But then, just as they were making headway outside their borders, Custard parted ways with longtime members Wierczorek and Marquardt, eventually replacing them with lead guitarist Holger Simon, bassist Jens Schröder, adding keyboardist Michael Popp, and only finally returning to recording via 2005's Wheels of Time. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia