Year : 2018 (Japan Edition)
Style : Melodic Hard Rock , Melodic Heavy Metal
Country : Germany
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans + Video
Size : 161 mb
Bio:
Bonfire (originally Cacumen) is a German heavy metal band, founded in Ingolstadt, Germany in 1972. Bonfire started 1986 from Cacumen where the members just changed the name into Bonfire because of the advice of the Record Company and the Management. The original founders Hans Ziller and Claus Lessmann are still in Bonfire and are the only ones who have the rights on the name Bonfire.Bonfire's worldwide debut album was released in June 1986 with the title Don't Touch the Light. During the recording of the follow-up album in May 1987, Hülshorst was fired due to musical differences and Bonfire proceeded to release their Gold seller album Fireworks as a quartet, with the drums played by Ken Mary from the American heavy metal band Fifth Angel.Two versions of this album exist, the worldwide version and the North American version, which cover features the four members and contains the song "You Make Me Feel" from the first album.Between the second and third albums, Bonfire went through many changes. Although Tommy Wagner filled the drum kit for a TV spot, the band needed a new full-time drummer, which appeared in December 1987, when Edgar Patrik from Sinner, Samson and Tyran Pace joined.In July 1988, during the Fireworks Tour, Maier had to leave due to his rheumatism becoming too much of a crippling factor to play guitar and be on stage. Taking his spot in August was Angel Schleifer, formerly of Doc Savage, Red Alert, Sinner, Mad Max, Pretty Maids and Helter Skelter.The tour went on and once it was completed, the band settled down to collaborate for a new album. It was then that Hans Ziller had problems with the record company and the band's management due in part to his family commitments at the time. Against the band's better decisions, he was fired from the group for not having his focus on the band and in June 1989 and Bonfire carried on as a quartet.It should be noted that Bonfire's first two albums were the only ones that were released commercially in North America.Despite the business decision, Lessmann and Ziller maintained a great friendship. When Ziller formed his own group, Lessmann was asked to write songs as well as perform vocals. The record company's policy did not allow him to do so, leaving Ziller the task to find a replacement singer for his new band, EZ Livin'.Bonfire playing at Global East Rock Festival 2010 The decision to remove Ziller from Bonfire began to show on Lessmann, who had remained in the band. After many attempts to break through in the North American scene and what he thought was a disappointing fourth album, Lessmann left the band on September 25, 1992.His announcement was not a total shock to the rest of the band, but it did leave them with the dilemma of who would take his place. One vocalist that had the group's attention was Michael Bormann, who was singing for Letter X and had his own side-group called Jaded Heart. Moreover, he was previously in High Voltage and the J.R. Blackmore Group. Even though he was willing to sing with Bonfire, he was committed to his other two projects so the group continued looking. The unsuccessful attempt to find a full-time vocalist led to Bormann becoming the new frontman of Bonfire in March 1993.Although he did leave Letter X, he maintained his band Jaded Heart.Despite the new singer, Bonfire were in a rut now. Their record company refused to release any new material that did not have Lessmann singing and the years of grunge music had started.The band felt that the end was in sight and released a live album featuring concert recordings from the Point Blank Tour with Lessmann on vocals. The album Bormann had sung on was shelved (but later released as a bootleg called Bonfire - End of an Era Demos) and Bonfire performed for the last time on July 29, 1994 without officially breaking up.While Bonfire was trying to carry on with their new lead vocalist, Lessmann and Ziller reunited in 1992 to form the project Lessmann/Ziller, after Hans Ziller had disbanded EZ Livin'. In 1993, they released the German sung EP Glaub Dran. The EP was followed by a few single releases of songs that were not on the initial recording. The project had limited success, not as was initially expected. In 1995, Lessmann/Ziller evolved to become a group called Ex, which in May featured Joerg Deisinger on bass and Dominik Hülshorst on drums, almost a reunion of the 1986 Bonfire line-up. EX was a good band, but Lensmann and Ziller realized that the only means of recapturing their old fan base was under the name Bonfire.In 1996, Lessmann and Ziller decided to start legal proceedings to get the rights to the Bonfire name as well as to the music from 1986 to 1992. On July 3, a one-time payment was made to the last Bonfire members of 1994 and Lensmann and Ziller renamed their Ex project to Bonfire. The second coming began with the reissue of Glaub Dran with other songs in English in 1996. In 1997 they hired Chris Lausmann on guitar and keyboards, who had played with Affair and Frontline; Uwe Kohler on bass, formally from Black Tears, Paradise Leaf, Big Apple, Lipstikk, Blitzkrieg and British Steel; and finally Jurgen Wiehler on drums, who had played with Backdoor Affair, Heaven Sent, Chain Reaction, Loud & Proud, EZ Livin', Parish Garden, Wet Paint and 88 Crash.Also in 1997, Michael Bormann and Angel Schleifer got back together and wanted to release the shelved Bonfire album they had recorded in 1993. Joerg Deisinger was not interested and Edgar Patrik had other commitments, so the reunion was only for the duo composed by Bormann and Schleifer. Because of the change of ownership for the Bonfire name, Bormann and Schleifer decided to call themselves Charade. The shelved album was released in 1998 in Japan, becoming a highly sought after CD. The partnership between Bormann and Schleifer ended in May 2011, releasing 2 albums in total.
Album:
Few German rock acts can look back at a career as long and successful as Bonfire. Counting its predecessor - a band 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 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 "Fire Works" (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 band'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. Tracks 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 mid-tempo tracks ("Feed The Fire", "On The Wings Of An Angel", "Fly Away", "Crazy Over You") support the aforementioned up-tempo rock tracks and are expertly broken up by the ballads "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.
Line Up:
Alexx Stahl - Lead Vocals - See also: ex-Viron, ex-Seduction, Purple Rising, Roxxcalibur
Hans Ziller - Guitars
Ronnie Parkes - Bass
Frank Pane´- Guitars
Tim Breideband - Drums
Tracklist:
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
11. SVG (Japan Bonus Track)
12. Comin' Home (Extended Acoustic Version) (Bonus Track)
13. Friedensreich - Let The Madness Continue (Director's Cut) (Bonus Track)
+ Video "Stand Or Fall" (Official Video)
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