Bonfire – Legends
Album Review By Rainer Kerber
Cover albums are currently booming. Whether Exit Eden or Mystic Prophecy, pop, rock or metal have been rearranged and ported into the musicians’ sound environment. Only a few months after “Temple Of Lies”, the German hardrock institution Bonfire presents its own version of cover songs. And on “Legends”, the musicians think big. Distributed on two CDs, there are 32 songs to be heard, with a total playing time of more than 2½ hours. And Bonfire are going on tour with this double album in November. On “A Night of Rock Legends – Bonfire and Friends” the original singers will be on stage singing “their own” songs.
On the album itself Bonfire singer Alex Stahl sings all (except three) songs. But he cannot consistently convince here. For example, Chris Boltendahl cannot be replaced with songs like “Rebellion” or “Heavy Metal Breakdown”. Convince me Bonfire especially with the ballads, such as “Child in Time” (Deep Purple), “Silent Lucidity” (Queensryche) or “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen). The three Toto songs at the beginning of the first CD sound very authentic. Or “Stone Cold” from the Joe Lynn Turner era of Rainbow. I was extremely surprised by the rock legends who are completing this double CD. The Puhdys were in the former GDR true superstars and well known and popular in the other German state. And when even ex-Puhdy Dieter “Quaster” Hertrampf ennobles these songs with his own voice, there is still a good deal of (so called) eastalgia.
Bonfire limit themselves to “Legends” on a few rock bands and musicians, but of which several songs are presented in one go. The musical implementation is mostly successful. As expected, the vocals sometimes take some getting used to, as you inevitably have the original singers in your ear. That will be much better on the tour in November. Unfortunately, Bonfire follow a trend of other rock greats, they avoid Hamburg, so I cannot enjoy the show.
Lineup
Alex Stahl – Vocals
Hans Ziller – Guitar
Frank Pané – Guitar
Ronnie Parkes – Bass
Tim Breideband – Drums
Label: AFM Records
Out: October 19th, 2018
Playing time: 02:36:33
Track list:
Disc 1
- Africa
- Hold The Line
- Rosanna
- Man On The Silver Mountain
- I Surrender
- Stone Cold
- Death Alley Driver
- Black Masquerade
- Burning Heart
- Eye Of The Tiger
- Caught In The Game
- Doctor Doctor
- Lights Out
- Rock Bottom
- Child In Time
Disc 2
- Jet City Woman
- Silent Lucidity
- Eyes Of A Stranger
- Tears In The Rain
- The First Time
- Save Up All Your Tears
- Hot Cherie
- Love
- Hallelujah
- Rebellion
- Heavy Metal Breakdown
- Love Don’t Lie
- Wanna Be Loved
- King Of Dreams
- Frei wie die Geier
- Erinnerung
- Alt wie ein Baum
Rating : 8/10
MHF Magazine/Rainer Kerber
