New Place Vendome album finished - Release for 2017

[mrbandwidth]

Dennis Ward has confirmed, and has been published in Frontiers Facebook:

 

https://www.facebook.com/frontiersmusicsrl/posts/1213846162004766

Frontiers Music srl

Going all the way back to 2005 and the release of the self-titled debut from Place Vendome! Who picked up a copy of this album when it was released?

A new album is finished and set for release in 2017 with a wealth of incredible guest appearances on it! Check out an update from Dennis Ward himself:

"Alright, the new Place Vendome is finished!

I'd like to take time and praise everyone that contributed to this album. You have all done a fantastic job, songwriters and musicians alike:

- Produced by Dennis Ward
- Recorded, Mixed, Mastered by Dennis Ward,
- Additional Mastering by Maor Appelbaum
- Drums recorded at HOFA studios, most of the instrumentation has been recorded at the TrakShak studios, Mixed and Mastered at the TrakShak.
- Lead Vocals - Michael Kiske
- Backing vocals - Dennis Ward, Michael Kiske
- Additional Choirs on “Strong” by Alessandro Del Vecchio
- Bass - Dennis Ward
- Keyboards - Günter Werno
- Drums – Dirk Bruinenbergrg
- All Rhythm Guitars by Dennis Ward except:
"Welcome To The Edge", "Across The Times", "Close To The Sun", "Hearafter" – Rhythm Guitars by Uwe Reitenauer
- Guitar solo by Michael Klein on "Yesterday Is Gone", "Distant Skies", "Strong", "Breathing".
- Guitar solo by Uwe Reitenauer on "Close To the sun"
- Guitar solo by Alfred Koffler on "Welcome To The Edge"
- Guitar solo by Magnus Karlsson on "Falling Star"
- Guitar solo by Gus G. on "Light Beyond The Dark"
- Guitar solo by Simone Mularoni on "Hearafter"
- Guitar solo by Mandy Armand Meyer on "Helen"
- Guitar solo by Kai Hansen on "Riding The Ghost" and "Across The Times"
- Songwriters include:
Simone Mularoni
Alessandro Del Vecchio
Aldo Lonobile
Jani Liimatainen
Magnus Karlsson
Mike Palace
Olaf Thorsen
Fabio Lione

Thanks again for everything and hope you all will be satisfied with the results! Peace."

 

 

 

So, seems there will be 12 tracks (in no order):

 

Welcome to the edge

Across the times

Close to the Sun

Hearafter

Yesterday is gone

Distant skies

Strong

Breathing

Falling star

Light beyond the dark

Helen

Riding the ghost

 

And the title album will be CLOSE TO THE SUN:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_Vendome_%28band%29

[The Rocker]

Sweet

[Glen]

Just hoping this hasnt had the life strangled out of it by Frontiers.

[Geoff]

Good news. Looking forward to it.

[The Rocker]

Just hoping this hasnt had the life strangled out of it by Frontiers.

Dennis usually writes his own songs I think, or at lease all co written.

[Stefan]

 

Press release from Frontiers:

 

BREAKING NEWS: Frontiers Music Srl is excited to announce the release of the brand new PLACE VENDOME album, “Close to the Sun” on February 24th, 2017.

One of the most popular projects put together over the years by Frontiers' President Serafino Perugino, Place Vendome was an idea sparked during a phone conversation between Serafino and former Helloween singer Michael Kiske, where they discussed their common passion for several melodic rock giants of the 80’s. The Hamburg singer agreed to be part of a studio project where he would sign songs written especially for him by various writers with an AOR/melodic rock flavor.

The amazing reception of the first PLACE VENDOME album released in 2005 planted the seeds for a second recording, “Streets of Fire”, which was recorded during 2008 and for a third album, “Thunder in the Distance,” which was released in 2013. Being a project so close to Kiske’s heart, it was agreed during 2016 that work on a new album would start with his Unisonic bandmate Dennis Ward at the production helm, as usual.

Of the album, Ward said, "pon receiving the demos for the new songs intended for the new Place Vendome record I was a bit concerned because a few vocal styles seemed to go against what Michael Kiske is known for vocally. After talking together we agreed to just let the melodies come out naturally, without trying to imitate or “reproduce” the demos. Michael really stood up to this on the new album. He did “his” thing, with no compromises. He managed to make the songs his own and brought all the songs to another level. I have a lot of respect for him because of this and now the album is much more than just another AOR album. That being said I have to pay high respects to the other musicians on the album: Dirk Bruineberg proved again that he is a multi-talented drummer that can literally pull of any groove, any style of any era with the highest of expectations. Günter Werno is also a gem amongst a pile of stones. He really shines on this album and holds all the songs together, true to the Place Vendome sound. Uwe Reitenauer is also a master of his instrument taking over duties that were critical and complicated to say the least. He has the perfect AOR tone and can implement it no matter what type of song you throw at him. The rest of the “guests" that helped out made this album into a truly interesting compilation and also making this a milestone for Place Vendome. That being said, it’s the first Place Vendome album where I feel that we have achieved our trademark sound. This is how we want to be heard and this is how we imagine ourselves to sound."

Speaking of other album guests, once again, Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear) was one of the first to answer the call to participate and offered the awesome song, “Falling Star” to the project. Jani Liimatainen (Cain's Offering Official, ex Sonata Arctica) was the next contributor with the epic “Welcome to the Edge”, the album’s tour de force. Following Labyrinth’s reunion, guitarist Olaf Thorsen sat with Eternal Idol, Angra, and former RHAPSODY singer Fabio Lione and offered “Helen” and “Riding the Ghost”. Frontiers’ President Serafino Perugino then proposed that his favourite DGM song, “Hereafter” be included. This brought DGM’s main composer, Simone Mularoni into the picture and he wrote the album’s title track and “Across the Times”. Alessandro Del Vecchio also offered two new songs, “Strong” and “Yesterday Is Gone”, while Secret Sphere’s guitarist Aldo LoNobile wrote “Distant Skies” and “Breathing”. The full picture was finally completed with a new song written by Swedish melodic rock artist Michael Palace (Palace, Skylander), “Light Before the Dark”.

Kiske and Ward wanted to make the album a little bit special, so besides the “usual suspects” (including drummer Dirk Bruinenberg, Vanden Plas's ivory tinkler Gunter Werno and Pink Cream 69’s Uwe Reineauer on guitars), some guitar heavyweights appear on the recordings. The list includes Alfred Koffler and (of course) Uwe Reineauer of Pink Cream 69, Magnus Karlsson, Michael Klein, Gus G (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind), Simone Mularoni, and Unisonic guitarists Kai Hansen and Mandy Meyer among the others.

Kiske comments: “The production with my buddy Dennis was great, as always, but what I especially like about this album - beside the new microphone I used that Dennis has built me - is the various styles of the songs. It is all a still very AOR-produced album, but we also have progressive or ''wilder'' elements here and there. It was (again) interesting to see how much the songs change until you finally reach the mixing stage.”

In a year that will see Michael Kiske rejoin with his old HELLOWEEN bandmates for a unique world tour, PLACE VENDOME’s new album is the icing on the cake of a special and very rewarding period for the German singer. All in all, “Close to the Sun” is probably the most hard rocking release ever from Place Vendome and an absolute monster of an album!

Tracklisting:

“Close to the Sun” tracklisting:
1. Close To The Sun
2. Welcome To The Edge
3. Hereafter
4. Strong
5. Across The Times
6. Riding The Ghost
7. Light Before The Dark
8. Falling Star
9. Breathing
10. Yesterday Is Gone
11. Helen
12. Distant Skies

[Geoff]

Cool album cover... can't wait for this one!!

[mrbandwidth]

Cool album cover... can't wait for this one!!

 

Yep, nice.

[The Rocker]

 

Cool album cover... can't wait for this one!!

 

Yep, nice.

 

Yes, can't wait!

[Nightrain]

Oh yeah !

[phaffas]

Hope its better than the last one...

[JC_AOR]

Yeah cool band, will be picking this up for sure. Nice cover too!

[Stefan]

[Glen]

Jesus....the worst verses of 2016.

 

What the hell happened to Kiske?? He sounds pissed ?!

[Nightrain]

lol

yeah quite mediocre verse and singing, the chorus is pretty good but not convincing, let's hope it's the weakest

[Geoff]

Yeah, it's not great, is it? The chorus melody is okay, but overall, it's just not working for me at all as a song.

[zacharyamelie]

Kiske sounds like shit!

 

The last time a band put out two brilliant releases and then followed that up with two weak ones was Wig Wam....and they never released a fifth one.

[Gotthardline]

it is a very odd song in many ways but strangely I am quite liking it

 

The chorus is pretty infectious I guess

[Stefan]

[Gotthardline]

on first listen that is terribly boring

 

Maybe it will get better with repeated listens though

[Geoff]

I think it's bland as hell.

[Glen]

on first listen that is terribly boring

 

Maybe it will get better with repeated listens though

Repeated listens - are you a masochist or something??

 

Half a listen was plenty thanks (I lasted 60 secs)

 

The last album was weak, but based on these 2 songs...........

 

Place Vendome RIP

 

[Jez]

I think it's complete crap tbh..

[Gotthardline]

 

on first listen that is terribly boring

 

Maybe it will get better with repeated listens though

Repeated listens - are you a masochist or something??

 

Half a listen was plenty thanks (I lasted 60 secs)

 

The last album was weak, but based on these 2 songs...........

 

Place Vendome RIP

 

 

Haha I just believe in second chances I guess but thinking about it , I don't think i'll bother with this one anymore, its a shame as the first couple of albums were great

[Nightrain]

Last album was weak ? I think 'Thunder' is still great and this new song is quite good for me, but Kiske's singing is somewhat weaker and weaker compared to the last album, maybe age got the better of him. Still think this new one will be their weakest but I still believe they'll manage to break above 75%