A special release by German hard’n’heavy legends BONFIRE! The band delivers an extensive covers album, titled “Legends”, on October 19th, via AFM Records.
CD1
01. Africa
02. Hold The Line
03. Rosanna
04. Man On The Silver Mountain
05. I Surrender
06. Stone Cold
07. Death Alley Driver
08. Black Masquerade
09. Burning Heart
10. Eye Of Tiger
11. Caught In The Game
12. Doctor Doctor
13. Lights Out
14. Rock Bottom
15. Child In Time
CD2
01. Jet City Woman
02. Silent Lucidity
03. Eyes Of A Stranger
04. Tears In The Rain
05. The First Time
06. Save Up All Your Tears
07. Hot Cherie
08. Dr. Love
09. Hallelujah
10. Rebellion
11. Heavy Metal Breakdown
12. Love Don’t Lie
13. I Wanna Be Loved
14. King Of Dreams
15. Frei Wie Die Geier
16. Erinnerung
17. Alt Wie Ein Baum
Few German rock acts can look back at as long and successful a career as BONFIRE. Counting their predecessor – a group called Cacumen, which was also founded by Hans Ziller and featured more or less the same line-up – the band has been around since 1972, has operated under its current moniker since 1986 and released more than two dozen albums. During the most successful phase of their career, Bonfire counted – alongside the Scorpions and Accept – among Germany’s three internationally most acclaimed acts, celebrating major success all over Europe and worldwide. Bonfire’s trademarks are and have always been deeply melodic hard rock songs, driven by captivating guitars, grooving rhythms and haunting vocal melodies. All the features that came together so perfectly on their most popular releases Fireworks (1987), Point Blank (1989) and Branded (2011) are present on their current release Temple Of Lies.
Thanks to their new vocalist Alexx Stahl, who joined the fold two years ago, and a first-rate line-up on all instruments, the band’s creativity explodes on Temple Of Lies and is bound to wow a younger generation of rock music fans, too.
“We were extremely lucky to find Alexx,” offers guitarist Hans Ziller in explanation of the group’s current creative and musical high. “He’s a team player who looks after his voice in a totally professional way and treats it like the important tool that it is. He doesn’t smoke and prepares optimally for every show. In addition, Alexx is a really nice guy. Being at the helm of the band, I couldn’t be happier to have him in the band.” Ziller is just as enthusiastic about his rhythm section consisting of bassist Ronnie Parkes and drummer Tim Breideband (“they seem to have reinvented the groove”), and of course guitarist Frank Pané (“one of the most awesome musicians I’ve ever worked with”). Ziller: “With this line-up, we’ll be able to increase the hardness level of our material whenever we feel like it. Numbers such as ‘Temple Of Lies’ and ‘Stand Or Fall’ wouldn’t have been possible with previous line-ups.”
It’s not only the occasionally tougher pace that impresses on Temple Of Lies (produced by Hans Ziller at the Flatliners Recording Studios in Ingolstadt) from the first to the very last note, but also the album’s diverse high-quality songwriting in general. Driving midtempo tracks (‘Feed The Fire’, ‘On The Wings Of An Angel’, ‘Fly Away’, ‘Crazy Over You’) support the afore-mentioned uptempo rock numbers and are expertly broken up by the ballad ‘Comin` Home’ and ‘I Help You Hate Me’, which surprises with a reggae groove verse. Temple Of Lies kicks off with the intro ‘In The Beginning’, featuring American voice actor David Michael Williamson (Lord of the Rings). So the fun factor is back in the Bonfire camp, manifesting itself also in the 20-minute bonus track ‘Friedensreich II. – The Return Of The Zünsler Into The T.O.L.’, a humorous sound collage which frequently brings to mind Frank Zappa. The programmatic album title and expressive cover artwork prove that Ziller & Co also live up to their responsibility as socially aware musicians, taking to task “the lies of our world and politicians”. No doubt about it: Temple Of Lies sees Bonfire live up not only to their own history.
“Temple Of Lies” tracklisting:
01. In The Beginning
02. Temple Of Lies
03. On The Wings Of An Angel
04. Feed The Fire (Like The Bonfire)
05. Stand Or Fall
06. Comin’ Home
07. I’ll Never Be Loved By You
08. Fly Away
09. I Help You Hate Me
10. Crazy Over You
Bonus Tracks on Digipak:
11. Comin’ Home (Extended Acoustic Version)
12. Friedensreich – Let The Madness Continue (Director’s Cut)
After BONFIRE‘s latest studio records “Glörious” (2015) and “Byte The Bullet” (2017) both made it to the Top 50 of the German album chart and more than 160 live shows played in the last two years, AFM Records and BONFIRE decided to strike a new path together!
During the more than 30 year-long history of the band, there were of course several different label partners releasing BONFIRE’s 16 studio records and some were not available at times. So in Autumn of 2017, big parts of BONFIRE’s back catalogue will be made available again before the new album will be released in Spring 2018.
Besides being in the studio to record their next record, BONFIRE will be on tour for the rest of the year!
For The Metal VoiceGiles Lavery (Dragonsclaw) caught up with current BONFIRE and former ACCEPT singer David Reece in Essen, Germany and spoke to him about Bonfire’s new album “Pearls”, his new project Reece Percudani Group (RPG), a David Reece greatest hits free download package and his wild memories of hanging out with MÖTLEY CRÜE during the Theater of Pain tour.
When asked about the New Bonfire double CD entitled Pearls, a re-recording of Bonfire classics
“Hans Ziller went back to the Strike Ten days, a few other albums not super well known and basically they chose these songs that are on the record, an album of hard rock songs and one with ballads with symphony. New mix, new production, new mastering and we gave it a new twist but we stayed with the classic sound of Bonfire.”
When asked about his new project Reece Percudani Group (RPG)
It’s with Mario Percudani who produced the new Pearls record. We’re writing songs, we’re playing some live gigs and we’re planning on releasing an album called Double Down in November of 2016.
When asked about his memories hanging out with Motley Crue on Tour
“In the early 80’s I was invited by a nefarious certain individual who was supplying various ingredients to Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx and he asked me to join on one of his endeavours on the Theater of Pain tour. Being a young aspiring Rock singer, hey I am going to be hanging out with Motley Crue for Three Weeks. So of course I obliged I jumped on an airplane, I shouldn’t have but it was the only way to gain access to the hostility room instead of the hospitality room for Nikki Sixx. And that is what it said I remember walking back stage it said Hostility room and I opened the door and Nikki was there just trashing the room he was out of his mind. “
“Boys and girls this is a message, don’t do what I did. I brought along my demo of songs that I recorded and as the night would progress after a Motley Crue show we would sit up in our hotel rooms until the sun was coming up and I would start playing cassettes of my songs to them. And of course they were like yeah yeah yeah, that’s great give me another one (sarcastic). So my advice to you is stay the course do it the right way, cause when they are at that level they are only thinking of only themselves and you should really only concentrate on your music.”
Watch the interview here:
For a Free download of David Reece’s Greatest hits Album ‘Reece Milestones’:
The Metal Voice Facebook page (Drop Box Link), HERE.
or
Go to The Official David Reece Facebook page (Drop Box link), HERE.
For fans of melodic hard rock, the name David Reece will be a familiar one. Since bursting onto the scene as the then-new front man for German legends ACCEPT.
David Reece has released no less than 15 full-length recordings. His diverse catalog encompasses his early ’90s success with BANGALORE CHOIR, known for their MTV hit “Loaded Gun”, The powerful modern metal project SIRCLE OF SILENCE, numerous solo releases, and most recently David has been fronting another legendary German act, BONFIRE.
German hard rockers BONFIRE have released a video for the song “Remember”, the first single from the band’s current and highly acclaimed album “Glörious”, released on April 24 via Borila Records. “Remember” is a song about all the good and bad moments we all live trough day by day, the special moments that we experience and remember forever, which makes us to what we are. Watch the video below.
Comments the band:
A lot of people are angry about of getting old, but that’s not necessary. Because life is full of Memories. You can compare it in this way with an old Book of photos. Years gone by but we are still able to revive those long gone times, as if they currently happened. Just use your heart for this.
So, never forget those Days…..it’s Time to: “R E M E M B E R”
BONFIRE are:
Hans Ziller- guitars/backing vocals
David Reece (ex-Accept)- lead vocals
Harry Reischmann- drums
Ronnie Parkes- bass/backing vocals
Frank Pane´- guitars/backing vocals
Co-host Jimmy Kay of Canada’s ‘The Metal Voice’ recently spoke to David Reece (ex-ACCEPT) and current vocalist of legendary German hard rock band BONFIRE. Reece spoke about his ups and downs in his time with Accept during the ‘Eat the Heat’ era as well as the success of the new Bonfire album Glorious. Watch the interview below.
On his initial reaction when he was asked to join Accept:
“Honestly, I was thoroughly annoyed; it was a 6-8 weeks process of indecision. They are kind of weird how they do stuff. I can understand their concerns and caution. But it was almost overkill. The next morning when I was told I was in the band it was like, Ok now can we finally get to work and be a group, it was just weird.”
When asked about the vide in the studio when recording Eat The Heat:
“There was one moment when Dieter Dierks (Accept Eat The Heat producer) told me about halfway through the record he stopped put me on pause and he turned his chair around and said you realize if this record fails it’s your fault and my fault and he couldn’t have been more correct, we both were blamed for the failure of the record.”
When asked if he ever felt that he got short changed in his time with Accept:
“The only short changed I feel about that whole situation was how they Shitted on me in the press to cover themselves. Nobody was happy. I wasn’t happy at the end neither were they. I slapped Peter (Baltes) in Chicago, it was the wrong decision I regret it, there is between ways to deal with it. The record sold about 100,000 in the States and then it stopped so all the record company everybody are running to hide and point fingers.”
Asked if he would have liked to be given a Second chance:
“I thought I was a better choice than Mark Tornillo if they were really going to go back out. I heard there was consideration in the underground of people close to the band that my name came up and honestly I would have serious considered working again with the guys and I respect them and I am more mature, more professional , I’m a better person now.”
When asked if he would ever re-record the Accept Eat the Heat songs:
“I re-recorded Hellhammer on the Gypsy Rose album I did. Udo and I are dear friends at one time I was talking to a label saying Udo and I should trade off the Accept songs I should do some of his classics and Udo should do the ones I did, then write a few songs like a compilation and all the labels were jumping all over it. But then Stephen Kaufman was like if you work with Rreece I’ll quit. Udo and I were all for it.”
When asked about his favorite tracks off the new Bonfire album Glorious:
“Falling out of love, Shooting stars is really good and I like ‘Nothing at all’ that’s got that Deep Purple Ian Gillan vocal.”
On how the new Bonfire album Glorious is doing:
“Fantastic, we are on the top 100; we debuted at 52 right now we are at 71and it was released on the 24th of April. Were number 2 on Amazon. Successful album now sell 2000-5000 copies we got about 10,000 units sold.”
