FAITHFUL BREATH, hailing from Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia, would develop from atmospheric Art Rockers to fully fledged, horned helmeted Heavy Metallers during their career. Dating back to the late 60s with a nucleus of bassist Horst Stabenow and vocalist / guitarist Heinrich Mikus.The original 1967 formation featured saxophonist Ulrich Bock, guitarists Reinhold Immig and Walter Scheuer plus drummer Jürgen Fisher. Both Immig and Fisher exited in 1969. Scheuer and Bock opted out during 1972.

FAITHFUL BREATH's first album, a self-financed effort titled 'Fading Beauty', was not released until 1974. Very much in the mellotron themed Progressive Rock mould, FAITHFUL BREATH's opening gambit introduced itself with an ambitious 22 minute, two part instrumental 'Autumn Fantasia'. As if anyone would doubt their Progressive leanings after that, the 21 minute 'Tharsis' followed. Alongside Stabenow and Mikus for these recordings would be female singer Renate Heemann, keyboard player Manfred Von Buttlar and drummer Jürgen Weritz.

It was a four year wait before the band recorded their second album, 'Back On My Hill', for Sky Records. FAITHFUL BREATH maintained a stable line-up of musicians but drafted new singer Jürgen Renfordt. However, the album was shelved and it took a legal battle before the album eventually surfaced in 1980. The band actually split shortly after the second album's release but they were soon to reform as a three piece, drummer Uwe Otto rounding the band out, and pursued a far heavier direction with a Viking image to match.

Uwe Otto departed in 1982 to be replaced by Jürgen Düsterloh and by fourth album 'Hard Breath' FAITHFUL BREATH had established a healthy European following and switched labels to Mausoleum. Second guitarist Andy Honig and bassist Peter Dell were added at this juncture to augment the increasingly heavier sound.

The band's first album for Mausoleum, 'Gold n' Glory', was an instant success and garnered the band much favourable response from media and fans alike. An immensely hard hitting Heavy Metal album produced by the team of noted German knob twiddler Michael Wagener and ACCEPT vocalist Udo Dirkschneider at Dieter Dierks' studios, 'Gold n' Glory' established the band as a leading light in the German Metal scene however briefly.

After a bout of successful touring Andy Honig was replaced by Thilo Herrmann to record another fine effort 'Skol', an album that gained further mileage from the beer drinking and hell raising Viking image the group had given itself. Recorded at Dierks Studios once more 'Skol' benefited from a skillful production by producer Gerd Rautenbach. In the wake of the album's release FAITHFUL BREATH actually performed a short East Coast tour of America before concentrating once more on Europe, with the 'Live' album emerging in 1986, although by 1987 the band had opted to change names to RISK. Ex-guitarist Andy Hönig joined A.B. SPITFIRE.