Following a previously-released new version of the song ‘S.D.I.’, German rock band Bonfire release the MMXXIII single version of their classic song, ‘Who’s Foolin’ Who‘.
“A power ballad that has it all,” Hans Ziller, one of the group’s founding members and its main composer said. “You can immediately hear, this is Dyan’s favorite ballad. His vocal skills are big cinema. The guitars are blazing that it’s a real pleasure. An absolute gem.”
Available digitally, you can check out the video for it here at RAMzine.
For more than 35 years, Bonfire has been the embodiment of all that’s hard ‘n’ heavy in Germany, and this coming 22nd September will revisit what gained them that reputation when they reissue their most wanted albums – Point Blank, Fireworks and Don’t Touch The Light as rerecorded versions with entirely new artwork, as the aformentioned MMXXIII.
The records will be available for the very first time in digital format on all streaming providers, as coloured limited and none limited vinyl and as CD digipack, that can be ordered through AFM/ Soulfood Records here.
Bonfire’s 2020 offering, Fistful Of Fire, garnered high positions in the German album charts. Their first three releases, Don’t Touch The Light (1986), Fireworks (1987) and Point Blank (1989) having shaped a special position in their career. Hans Ziller came up with an ambitious idea: How would the songs from those now slightly dated releases sound if they were rerecorded in contemporary studio conditions?
As this idea began to take shape, the current line-up completely re-recorded all three albums, supported by updated cover artwork and a sound said to “make your heart beat faster”. As Ziller commented: “What we wanted to do was to record the songs as if Bonfire had been a metal band in the eighties!” Naturally, you need first-rate musicians for this kind of ambitious, rerecording undertaking, and word has it that’s precisely what Bonfire mark 2023 have.
Naturally, you need first-rate musicians for this kind of ambitious undertaking, and that’s precisely what Bonfire mark 2023 has: Greek singer Dyan Mair recently joined the Bonfire fold, but Ziller hadn’t quite realised that the man from southern Europe has always been a huge Bonfire fan for whom a lifelong dream came true. In less than two weeks, the 30-year-old had mastered all 35 songs from the three cult albums.
Ziller enthused: “Dyan can simply sing anything, from rock vocals to falsetto. You only have to listen to him to realise that he will excel live.” In addition to Mair and Ziller, the line-up includes solo guitarist Frank Pané (Valley’s Eve, Sainted Sinners), New York bassist Ronnie Parkes and drummer Fabio Allesandrini (Annihilator). What literally screams metal by name definitely sounds like it.
These recent recordings of Don’t Touch The Light, Fireworks and Point Blank see Bonfire deliver the timeless material from the original albums in a powerful sound that, despite its unbridled power, has lost none of its complexity. Ziller: “Of course, we kept to the original arrangements as much as possible, perhaps slightly changing a riff now and then or updating the sound of a guitar part. But all the essential elements, right down to the lyrics, have remained untouched.”
Recording the new album, Ziller said: “Of course, we kept to the original arrangements as much as possible, perhaps slightly changing a riff now and then or updating the sound of a guitar part. But all the essential elements, right down to the lyrics, have remained untouched.”
Bonfire have taken an equally sensitive approach to the cover design: The main features of the original artwork have remained unchanged, but there are a few subtle alterations: Don’t Touch The Light now features two women instead of two children, the cover of Fireworks has been given a little more heat, and a monk is now standing in front of the huge gate on Point Blank, instead of a woman. “The direct reference to the originals has been retained, but at the same time you can see that these are new versions of the albums,” explained Ziller.
Bonfire is set to release seven lead singles and are also thinking about a lavish collector’s box, including great fan gadgets. According to Ziller, there’s plenty of material: “Of course it’s still a secret what the content will be, but I can tell you this much: I’m currently busy writing a book about my career as a musician. So who knows?”
You can also check out the videos to ‘S.D.I.’ and ‘Fantasy’ here at RAMzine.
