To Hell and Back into it: Meat Loaf and his Wagnerian dream

It's been more than 30 years since rock music was still important and had great relevance. Artists were not pop bunnies who sang with computer voices, but stars with guitars, poets, explainers of the world.

We are looking back in a series. Today we let roar the “Bat out of Hell II (Back Into Hell)" by Meat Loaf and his companion Jim Steinman.

The return of the mini rock opera in eleven acts: Sixteen years after the release of the pomp-pop classic "Bat Out Of Hell", Marvin Lee Aday, known as Meat Loaf, raises the curtain again.

“Back Into Hell” sees the successful team from 1977 at the start again. Jim Steinmann delivers the highly dramatic compositions, Todd Rundgren arranges and Master Fleischklops himself whimpers and screams his soul out of his well-fed ribs for eight, ten or twelve minutes.

After the unexpected mega success with "Bat out of Hell", Meat Loaf had a dry spell in the eighties. But in 1993 he made a huge comeback (again with the help of mastermind Jim Steinman) with "Bat out of Hell II - Back into Hell".

“Anyone who has been in showbiz for 50 years is sometimes at the top and sometimes at the bottom,” says Meat. "My life is like a roller coaster ride. I've gotten used to it - and I'm still here."

Still no "Die Hard II": Wrapped in plush choirs, sparse piano pathos and occasionally infernal roaring guitars, rock 'n' roll Wagnerian Meat Loaf conjures up the big emotions without blushing. Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" is punk on the other hand.