I dig European Rock or a few bands from Europe anyhoo..yeah I said it, its well known that I lean towards "power Metal" BUT there are other European acts that don't bash on about dragons and vikings and what have you and this blogaroo is about those said acts...Get Amongst It !
Wig Wam comes from Halden, Norway, founded in 2001, the members were already active in the music business, playing in bands like Dream Police, Artch, Sha-Boom, Ole Evenrud and Alien, or as solo artists. Wig Wam worked hard to get to the top of the national charts, starting their career with numerous live performances across the country, quickly becoming one of Norway's most popular live bands. Their fan base is known as Wig Wamaniacs.
In 2004 the band released its debut album "667 ... The Neighbour Of The Beast", which was also released in Sweden. Amongst other things, the album contains a cover of Mel C.'s no. 1 hit I Turn to You. After qualifying for the Eurovision Song Contest in Ukraine, Wig Wam are going to release their album all over Europe, in a new version called "Hard To Be A Rock'n'Roller…In Kiev", including the hit "In My Dreams". Among their musical idols, Wig Wam count the groups KISS and Sweet.
In November 2005 the band released their first DVD 'Rock 'N' Roll Revolution 2005' showing the highlights from Wig Wam's best year so far. Included in this DVD is 'Wig Wam Symphonic'
In March 2006 the band released its second full album Wig Wamania with much better distribution around Europe. In July 2006 Wig Wamania was also released in Japan by King Records with 3 bonus tracks. By the end of August Wig Wam’s previous album also hit the Japanese market. The album’s Japanese edition with 3 bonus tracks is being slightly retitled to “Hard To Be A Rock’n Roller… In Tokyo!”.
The band released their third studio album Non Stop Rock'n Roll on January 22, 2010.
In January 2010 Wig Wam were announced as the support act for KISS at Valhall in Oslo on June 14, 2010. In May 2012 they will release their fourth album via Frontiers Records called Wall Street.
In the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 Wig Wam represented Norway after winning the Norwegian pre-selection Melodi Grand Prix. With the song "In My Dreams", written by guitarist Teeny, they brought Norway to a ninth place in Kiev. The song immediately became a huge hit in Norway, being among the most bought singles for 19 weeks and peaking for three weeks at the top of the national single chart , an achievement neither of Norway's two Eurovision winners managed. Also in Iceland and Sweden it enjoyed moderate to huge commercial success. The band's slogan says: "Rock is the new schläger".
Band members
Glam (Åge Sten Nilsen) — vocals
Teeny (Trond Holter) — guitars
Flash (Bernt Jansen) — bass
Sporty (Øystein Andersen) — drums
Discography
667.. The Neighbour of the Beast (2004)
Wig Wamania (2006)
Non Stop Rock'n Roll (2010)
Wall Street (2012)
Lordi was formed in 1992 by the band's lead singer, songwriter and costume-designer, Mr. Lordi. The band is known for wearing monster masks and using pyrotechnics during concerts. They rose to domestic success in 2002 with their first single, "Would You Love a Monsterman?".
Lordi made history in 2006 by winning the Eurovision Song Contest and becoming the first Finnish performer to win the contest. Lordi has been featured on the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards in Copenhagen when the band's frontman, Mr. Lordi, presented the award for rock. They were also the closing act, playing their single "Hard Rock Hallelujah". Lordi has performed on the main stage at Ozzfest in 2007 and later that year toured with Type O Negative and Twin Method until Halloween night.
Members of Lordi always wear masks at interviews and have stated their desire for their personal identities to remain private. The band has not confirmed or denied the accuracy of these names. However, they have been widely published in the media and on websites.
Lordi was formed in 1992 as a solo project by Mr. Lordi. Lordi's very first demo album Napalm Market was done in 1993. The album included a song "Inferno", which also got a music video, all done by Mr. Lordi. In the music video Mr. Lordi performed unmasked but he had made monster make-up for his friends who played secondary role in the video. After the video was done, Mr. Lordi got an idea of a band of monsters. In 1996 Mr. Lordi organized a Kiss cruise for Finnish Kiss fans from Finland to Sweden. During the cruise he met musicians Amen and G-Stealer, and told them about his music project called Lordi. After the cruise they joined the band. One year later Enary joined the band on keyboard and the band recorded their first album, Bend Over And Pray The Lord.
Lordi's third album The Arockalypse was released on May 1st, 2006. On 20 May 2006, Lordi made history by winning the Eurovision Song Contest held in Athens with the song "Hard Rock Hallelujah", becoming the first Finnish group to win the contest. The song scored 292 points, which was an all-time points record until Alexander Rybak broke it in the 2009 contest with 387 points. Lordi was also a semi-final number one and even got 292 points, which was historic, as they were the first competitors to win both the semifinals and the finals. Pasi Rantanen from the band Thunderstone performed backing vocals for the performance, wearing a Gene Simmons Kiss mask.
Lordi opened the fall of 2006 Bringing Back the Balls to Europe tour; the concert DVD was released in February 2007 as Bringing Back the Balls to Stockholm 2006. The tour ended with a surprise: during the last gig in London, 31 October, the band's former bassist, Niko Hurme, was on stage.....Lordi members have stated that their costumes were inspired by Kiss and the horror genre. Mr. Lordi himself has said that without Kiss, Lordi probably would not exist
The monster masks and costumes the band use are made of foam latex The masks and costumes of Lordi are all and always made by Mr. Lordi himself. As a professional make-up artist and sculptor, Mr. Lordi has the necessary knowledge to produce those things easily. The band members do each other's makeup. The band updates their outfits and masks for each new album.
It takes the other band members about one hour to put their masks and costumes on, though it takes Mr. Lordi two to three hours to put on his.He has also said that the suits cost them "a few hundred euros".
The monster costumes are such an integral part of Lordi's publicity image that they refuse to be photographed or even interviewed without them, even if in some cases it leads to their own discomfort. Lordi has done interviews without their masks but the interviews are always filmed from the back so that their faces are not visible. Previously during interviews, Lordi members spoke only English to the cameras, not their native Finnish. In a brief segment on the BBC reporting about the band attending the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, they were shown lounging beside a pool in full sunlight, while wearing their monster costumes.
Current members
Mr. Lordi - vocals (1992–present)
Amen - guitar (1996–present)
OX - bass (2005–present)
Mana - drums (2012–present)
Hella - keyboards, backing vocals (2012–present)
Former members
G-Stealer - bass (1996–1999)
Magnum - bass (1999–2002)
Enary - keyboards (1997–2005)
Kalma - bass (2002–2005)
Kita - drums, backing vocals (2000–2010)
Otus - drums (2010–2012)
Studio albums
Bend Over and Pray the Lord (1997)
Get Heavy (2002)
The Monsterican Dream (2004)
The Arockalypse (2006)
Deadache (2006)
Babez For Breakfast (2010)
To Beast or Not to Beast (2013)
The original line-up of Hanoi Rocks consisted of Michael Monroe on vocals, former Pelle Miljoona Oy guitarist Stefan Piesnack, Monroe's old friend guitarist Nasty Suicide, bassist Nedo Soininen and drummer Peki Sirola....
In the 80s, Hanoi Rocks were the most successful Finnish band internationally and are still popular in the United States, Japan, and the UK. They were also one of the first rock bands to tour in Asia, and were the first western rock band to play in Delhi. According to Finnish radio and TV personality Jone Nikula (who was also Hanoi Rocks' tour manager in the 2000s), Hanoi Rocks' albums have sold between 780,000 and 1,000,000 copies around the world, but mostly in Scandinavia and Japan. Although their album sales are strong, they are more widely known for their energetic live performances.
Band members
Michael Monroe - lead vocals, saxophone, harmonica (1979–1985, 2001–2009)
Nasty Suicide - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1979–1985)
Peki Sirola - drums (1979–1980)
Nedo Soininen - bass (1979–1980)
Stefan Piesnack - lead guitar (1979–1980)
Andy McCoy - lead guitar, backing vocals (1980–1985, 2001–2009)
Sami Yaffa - bass (1980–1985)
Tumppi Varonen - drums (1980)
Gyp Casino - drums (1980–1982)
Razzle - drums (1982–1984; died 1984)
Terry Chimes - drums (1985)
René Berg - bass (1985; died 2003)
Timo Kaltio - bass (1985)
Lacu - drums (2002–2008)
Timpa Laine - bass (2002–2004)
Costello Hautamäki - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2002–2004)
Stevie Klasson - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004)
Conny Bloom - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2004–2009)
Andy "A.C." Christell - bass, backing vocals (2005–2009)
George Atlagic - drums, percussion (2008–2009)
Discography
Bangkok Shocks, Saigon Shakes, Hanoi Rocks (1981)
Oriental Beat (1982)
Self Destruction Blues (1982)
Back to Mystery City (1983)
All Those Wasted Years (1984) Live album
Two Steps from the Move (1984)
Rock & Roll Divorce (1985) Live album
Twelve Shots on the Rocks (2002)
Another Hostile Takeover (2005)
Street Poetry (2007)
Talk about getting friggin pigeeon holed by one bloody song....Europe formed in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm in 1979 under the name Force by vocalist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson and drummer Tony Reno. Since its formation, Europe has released nine studio albums, three live albums, three compilations and nineteen videos.
Europe rose to international fame in the 1980s with its third album The Final Countdown (1986), which became a substantial commercial success and sold over three million copies in the United States. Europe was one of the most successful rock acts of the 1980s and sold over 20 million albums worldwide
The band has achieved two top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart (The Final Countdown and Out of This World) and two top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart ("The Final Countdown" and "Carrie")
Europe went on hiatus in 1992, reunited temporarily for a one-off performance in Stockholm on New Year's Eve 1999 and announced an official reunion in 2003. Since then the band has released four albums, Start from the Dark (2004), Secret Society (2006), Last Look at Eden (2009) and Bag of Bones on April 18, 2012.
Band members
Current members
Joey Tempest - lead vocals, acoustic & rhythm guitar¹, keyboards² (1979–1992, 1999, 2003–present)
John Norum - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1979–1986, 1999, 2003–present)
John Levén - bass (1981–1992, 1999, 2003–present)
Mic Michaeli - keyboards, backing vocals, rhythm guitar³ (1984–1992, 1999, 2003–present)
Ian Haugland - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1984–1992, 1999, 2003–present)
¹Live ²Until 1984 ³Live during the Prisoners in Paradise Tour 1991-92 & during "Bag of Bones Tour" 2013
Former members
Tony Reno - drums, percussion (1979–1984)
Peter Olsson - bass (1979–1981)
Marcel Jacob - bass (1981; died 2009)
Kee Marcello - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1986–1992, 1999)
Discography
1983 Europe
1984 Wings of Tomorrow
1986 The Final Countdown
1988 Out of This World
1991 Prisoners in Paradise
2004 Start from the Dark
2006 Secret Society
2009 Last Look at Eden
2012 Bag of Bones
Krokus was formed in 1975 as a primarily prog rock act. Chris von Rohr, originally the drummer, switched to lead vocals in the late 1970s and with that formation Krokus was successful in Switzerland, touring throughout the country. After seeing AC/DC in concert in the late 70s, they decided to change their musical direction and adopted a new sound which was heavily influenced by the band. ....The band decided to hire a new lead vocalist. Eventually, Marc Storace, formerly of TEA and Eazy Money, was hired. With the new lineup in place, the band recorded and released a new album entitled Metal Rendez-vous in 1980,the album was Krokus's first hit and brought much wider international recognition.
in 2005, longtime lead guitarist Fernando von Arb left the band after continuing wrist problems required surgery. Mandy Meyer, who had played with the band in the mid-1980s, replaced von Arb in the lineup. The new formation recorded the studio album Hellraiser in 2006, which went to gold in Switzerland on the first day of sales. It generally received very good reviews. In an interview in 2008, Marc Storace stated that Krokus was becoming more and more "metal"
.
It was announced on April 20, 2008, that the classic lineup of Chris von Rohr, Fernando von Arb, Freddy Steady, Mark Kohler and Marc Storace had reunited, and would be releasing a new studio record in 2010 with a supporting world tour and on March 3, 2010, their latest album, Hoodoo, including a cover version of Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild" and ten other songs, was released.It came in a regular and limited edition, the latter containing a DVD featuring concert footage.
December 2012, it was announced guitarist Mandy Meyer was once again rejoining the band after having filled in for an ailing Fernando von Arb at the Loud Park Festival in Japan in October 2011
Krokus released their seventeenth studio album Dirty Dynamite on February 22, 2013.
1976 Krokus
1977 To You All
1978 Painkiller / Pay It in Metal
1980 Metal Rendez-vous
1981 Hardware
1982 One Vice at a Time
1983 Headhunter
1984 The Blitz
1986 Change of Address
1988 Heart Attack
1990 Stampede
1995 To Rock or Not to Be
1999 Round 13
2003 Rock the Block
2006 Hellraiser
2010 Hoodoo
2013 Dirty Dynamite
Dorothee Pesch more popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a German hard rock vocalist and songwriter, formerly front-woman of the heavy metal band Warlock. The name Doro has also been associated with the touring band accompanying the singer, whose members have continuously changed in more than twenty years of uninterrupted activity, the most stable presences guaranteed by bassist Nick Douglas and drummer Johnny Dee.
Warlock were starting to have an opening in the US market, when they went through many line-up changes and Pesch was left the only original member of the band. She started a solo career under the name Doro, in order to avoid legal battles between her record label PolyGram and her former manager. She released two albums in the US with producers Joey Balin and Gene Simmons, but they were not the breakthrough that she hoped.
Doro is also known for her duets performed both live and in studio with other singers and musicians of the metal scene, whom she has befriended in her long career.
To this date, she released sixteen studio albums, the latest being Raise Your Fist in 2012. Doro continues her recording career and is a much requested touring artist all over the world. When not on tour, she resides in New York City.
Discography
With Warlock
Burning the Witches (1984)
Hellbound (1985)
True as Steel (1986)
Triumph and Agony (1987)
Solo albums
Force Majeure (1989)
Doro (1990)
True at Heart (1991)
Angels Never Die (1993)
Machine II Machine (1995)
Love Me in Black (1998)
Calling the Wild (2000)
Fight (2002)
Classic Diamonds (2004)
Warrior Soul (2006)
Fear No Evil (2009)
Raise Your Fist (2012)
Sleeze Beez are a glam metal band formed in 1987 in The Netherlands.
They released four studio albums and one live album over a nine-year career before disbanding in 1996. Their 1990 album Screwed Blued & Tattooed peaked at number 115 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The song "Stranger Than Paradise" was a big hit on MTV and was taken from the "Screwed Blued & Tattooed" album. In 1992 after a long tour they released the album "Powertool" by Atlantic Records, which contains the ballad "I Don't Want to Live Without You" and was a minor hit.
They reformed in 2010. The band supported Aerosmith alongside Stone Temple Pilots on June 23, 2010 at the GelreDome in Arnhem and have announced a headlining appearance on February 4, 2011 at the Paradiso in Amsterdam
Current members
Chriz Van Jaarsveld - Guitar
Jan Koster - Drums
Don Van Spall - Guitar
Ed Jongsma - Bass guitar
Andrew Elt - Vocals
Past members
"Tiger" - Vocals
Discography
1987 - Look Like Hell
1990 - Screwed Blued & Tattooed
1992 - Powertool
1994 - Insanity Beach
1995 - Live in Tokyo
I saw this bloke on tele when Deb and moi went back to Maastricht to see the family in 2007...discount the fact his a "little person" the man's a helluva all round muso...
Roel van Velzen better known as VanVelzen, is a Dutch singer-songwriter. Besides being known for his short stature, standing at a mere 4'11" (1.50 meters), he and his band enjoy a huge live reputation; they have played at virtually every festival in the Netherlands, shared the stage with Queen's Brian May, and supported Kelly Clarkson, Bon Jovi and German megastars Reamonn.
Van Velzen was born in Delft, The Netherlands. His father was a musician, and had a large influence on him as a child; on his sixth birthday, he was given a piano and a guitar from his father and a drum kit from his mother. He was actively involved in several bands at school and wrote music for the annual Christmas musical on several occasions. He went on to study Creative Communications at the Inholland College of Applied Sciences in Rotterdam, and won the Heineken Student Music Award in 1999 with his band The Goldfish.
He went on to play with Crazy Pianos and during a concert at the GelreDome, he met his current manager, Ruud H. Vinke. Between 2002 and 2005, he was part of the improvisational theatre group Op Sterk Water, with whom he performed twice at the Lowlands Festival.
In early 2005, VanVelzen was noted by Dutch music producers Holger Schwedt, Nando Eweg and John Ewbank, and together they decided to work on an album.
Albums
2007: Unwind
2009: Take Me In
2009: Hear Me Out
2012: The Rush Of Life
SO there you go...get amongst it!
No comments:
Post a Comment