Kingdom Come (band)
Encyclopedia
Kingdom Come is a hard rock
band fronted by Hamburg
-born vocalist Lenny Wolf
. The group's first album, Kingdom Come
was that band's only international hit. It currently consists of an entirely German line-up.
, Louisvillians
Rick Steier
(guitar) and James Kottak
(drums) and Northern California
n Johnny B. Frank (Kenny Brewer) on bass. Stag and Frank had previously been members of the bands WWIII and Population 5. Kingdom Come marked the first band where Wolf sang without playing guitar. The frontman later admitted that, for a while, it was a very awkward adjustment.
In 1988, the band released its debut LP, Kingdom Come
. The band's first single, "Get It On," was a big enough hit on AOR
stations that the band's eponymous debut went gold. Their second single/video for the power ballad "What Love Can Be" received much airplay on US radio and MTV. By the time the single/video "Loving You" was released, the album had sold to platinum status in the United States, Germany and Canada, among other music markets. The band was chosen to open for the North American Monsters of Rock tour in 1988, supporting Dokken
, Scorpions
, Metallica
and Van Halen
. Following that, they were tapped to support the Scorpions on their North American "Savage Amusement" tour, until they were forced off. (According to Stag, Lenny Wolf found the stage ramps reserved for the Scorpions' set irresistible. After several reprimands from The Scorpions' management, the singer continued to use the full stage and the band was asked to forfeit the rest of the tour. Coincidentally, Scorpions were also signed to PolyGram, though only in America.)
Quickly, the band was directed by management and Polygram to get a new recording available. In 1989, Kingdom Come released their next LP, called In Your Face
. However, the subsequent backlash against the band's perceived appropriation of a similar Led Zeppelin
sound (earning them the derisive moniker of "Kingdom Clone") hurt their commercial appeal, and after the band's second album failed to sell well, all members other than Wolf quit the group.
Stag went back to Pittsburgh and immersed himself in blues and classic rock projects as well as releasing an instructional video. Steier and Kottak went back to Kentucky
and assembled the short-lived Wild Horses
, who released an album on Atlantic Records
. Both would later resurface in Warrant
. James Kottak
did not go unnoticed by the Scorpions
and eventually earned a place as their permanent drummer. Frank (Ken Brewer) has kept a very low profile for the last several years in the Sacramento area as a contractor and manager. With a new lineup, Kingdom Come managed one more international release on Polygram, an album entitled Hands of Time
in 1991, co-writing with harpist/songwriter Carol Tatum (Angels Of Venice), which was recorded by with several session guitarists and drummers, including future Poison
guitarist Blues Saraceno
, and former Dancer drummer Bam Bamm Shibley, with Lenny Wolf himself playing the bass. By 1993, Wolf had returned to Germany
to regroup. With a new, mostly German lineup, Kingdom Come remains active with several subsequent releases and tours in Europe under their collective belt.
style of English rock band Led Zeppelin
, to the point that some listeners initially thought that Kingdom Come was actually a Led Zeppelin reunion. With a sound that was thought by many to be highly derivative of Led Zeppelin's, there was a backlash from critics, with the band being dubbed "Kingdom Clone" in the press.
Led Zeppelin's guitarist and producer Jimmy Page
himself commented in 1988:
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band fronted by Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
-born vocalist Lenny Wolf
Lenny Wolf
Lenny Wolf is the frontman for the band Kingdom Come. In addition to being the lead vocalist, he has also played multiple instruments on various Kingdom Come albums. He also collaborated on the song "Eyes of Time", from The Final Experiment, the debut album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's project...
. The group's first album, Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (Kingdom Come album)
- Band members :*Lenny Wolf – lead vocals*Danny Stag – lead guitar*Rick Steier – rhythm guitar*Johnny B. Frank – bass*James Kottak – drums- Credits :*Produced by Bob Rock and Lenny Wolf...
was that band's only international hit. It currently consists of an entirely German line-up.
History
The group was formed in 1987 after the breakup of Wolf's moderately successful rock project Stone Fury. Wolf recruited Pittsburgh-based lead guitarist Danny StagDanny Stag
Danny Stag is an American hard rock guitarist who played with the band Kingdom Come and authored several successful guitar instruction videos...
, Louisvillians
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
Rick Steier
Rick Steier
Rick Steier is a guitarist who has played in the bands Warrant, Kingdom Come, Wild Horses, and KrunK/Kottak...
(guitar) and James Kottak
James Kottak
James Kottak is an American drummer for the heavy metal band Scorpions, which he joined in 1996....
(drums) and Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
n Johnny B. Frank (Kenny Brewer) on bass. Stag and Frank had previously been members of the bands WWIII and Population 5. Kingdom Come marked the first band where Wolf sang without playing guitar. The frontman later admitted that, for a while, it was a very awkward adjustment.
In 1988, the band released its debut LP, Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come (Kingdom Come album)
- Band members :*Lenny Wolf – lead vocals*Danny Stag – lead guitar*Rick Steier – rhythm guitar*Johnny B. Frank – bass*James Kottak – drums- Credits :*Produced by Bob Rock and Lenny Wolf...
. The band's first single, "Get It On," was a big enough hit on AOR
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
stations that the band's eponymous debut went gold. Their second single/video for the power ballad "What Love Can Be" received much airplay on US radio and MTV. By the time the single/video "Loving You" was released, the album had sold to platinum status in the United States, Germany and Canada, among other music markets. The band was chosen to open for the North American Monsters of Rock tour in 1988, supporting Dokken
Dokken
Dokken is an American heavy metal and hard rock band formed in 1978. They split up in 1989 but reformed four years later. The group accumulated numerous charting singles and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide...
, Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Van Halen
Van Halen
Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. The band has enjoyed success since the release of its debut album, Van Halen, . As of 2007 Van Halen has sold 80 million albums worldwide and has had the most #1 hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart...
. Following that, they were tapped to support the Scorpions on their North American "Savage Amusement" tour, until they were forced off. (According to Stag, Lenny Wolf found the stage ramps reserved for the Scorpions' set irresistible. After several reprimands from The Scorpions' management, the singer continued to use the full stage and the band was asked to forfeit the rest of the tour. Coincidentally, Scorpions were also signed to PolyGram, though only in America.)
Quickly, the band was directed by management and Polygram to get a new recording available. In 1989, Kingdom Come released their next LP, called In Your Face
In Your Face (Kingdom Come album)
In Your Face is the second album by the band Kingdom Come.In an interview, the band's members talk about the title of the album, saying that when you first look at the LP, you read "Kingdom Come", then, as you move your eyes downwards, you read "In your face". They laugh and say: "Kingdom come .....
. However, the subsequent backlash against the band's perceived appropriation of a similar Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
sound (earning them the derisive moniker of "Kingdom Clone") hurt their commercial appeal, and after the band's second album failed to sell well, all members other than Wolf quit the group.
Stag went back to Pittsburgh and immersed himself in blues and classic rock projects as well as releasing an instructional video. Steier and Kottak went back to Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and assembled the short-lived Wild Horses
Wild Horses (American rock band)
Wild Horses was a band that originally featured former Buster Brown and Montrose members Johnny Edwards and James Kottak. The band also featured James Kottak's former Kingdom Come bandmate Rick Steier...
, who released an album on Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. Both would later resurface in Warrant
Warrant (American band)
Warrant is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California, that experienced success from 1989-1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its...
. James Kottak
James Kottak
James Kottak is an American drummer for the heavy metal band Scorpions, which he joined in 1996....
did not go unnoticed by the Scorpions
Scorpions (band)
Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
and eventually earned a place as their permanent drummer. Frank (Ken Brewer) has kept a very low profile for the last several years in the Sacramento area as a contractor and manager. With a new lineup, Kingdom Come managed one more international release on Polygram, an album entitled Hands of Time
Hands of Time
-Track listing:All songs by Lenny Wolf and Carol Tatum, except where noted# "I've Been Trying" – 4:52# "Should I" – 5:39# "You'll Never Know" – 3:26# "Both of Us" – 3:12# "Stay" – 3:09# "Blood on the Land" – 4:13# "Shot Down" – 3:09# "You're not the Only.....
in 1991, co-writing with harpist/songwriter Carol Tatum (Angels Of Venice), which was recorded by with several session guitarists and drummers, including future Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
guitarist Blues Saraceno
Blues Saraceno
Blues Saraceno is an American rock guitarist, composer, and music producer who currently resides in Los Angeles California. Saraceno was discovered by Guitar for the Practicing Musician magazine, at the age of 16, which assisted him in releasing instrumental recordings on an independent basis...
, and former Dancer drummer Bam Bamm Shibley, with Lenny Wolf himself playing the bass. By 1993, Wolf had returned to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to regroup. With a new, mostly German lineup, Kingdom Come remains active with several subsequent releases and tours in Europe under their collective belt.
Comparisons with Led Zeppelin
The musical style on Kingdom Come's debut album was very close to the early blues-rockBlues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
style of English rock band Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, to the point that some listeners initially thought that Kingdom Come was actually a Led Zeppelin reunion. With a sound that was thought by many to be highly derivative of Led Zeppelin's, there was a backlash from critics, with the band being dubbed "Kingdom Clone" in the press.
Led Zeppelin's guitarist and producer Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
himself commented in 1988:
"Obviously it can get to the point where it gets past being a compliment, and it can be rather annoying, when you've got things like Kingdom Come, actually ripping riffs right off, that's a different thing altogether."
Current members
- Lenny WolfLenny WolfLenny Wolf is the frontman for the band Kingdom Come. In addition to being the lead vocalist, he has also played multiple instruments on various Kingdom Come albums. He also collaborated on the song "Eyes of Time", from The Final Experiment, the debut album by Arjen Anthony Lucassen's project...
-- lead vocals, bass, guitar (1987–present) - Eric Foerster -- lead guitar
- Frank Binke -- bass guitar
- Nader Rahy -- drums
Former members
- Danny StagDanny StagDanny Stag is an American hard rock guitarist who played with the band Kingdom Come and authored several successful guitar instruction videos...
- lead guitar (1987–1989) - Rick SteierRick SteierRick Steier is a guitarist who has played in the bands Warrant, Kingdom Come, Wild Horses, and KrunK/Kottak...
- rhythm guitar (1987–1989) - James KottakJames KottakJames Kottak is an American drummer for the heavy metal band Scorpions, which he joined in 1996....
- drums, percussion (1987–1989) - Johnny B. Frank - bass (1987–1989)
- Dion Murdock - drums, percussion (1997)
- Billy Liesgang - guitar
- Arjen Anthony LucassenArjen Anthony LucassenArjen Anthony "Oswold Jr." Lucassen is a progressive metal/rock composer, singer and musician from the Netherlands, best known for his long-running progressive opera project titled Ayreon....
- guitar - Heiko Radke-Sieb - guitar
- Bam Bam Shibley - drums, percussion
- Mirko Schaffer - bass
Albums
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Kingdom Come Kingdom Come (Kingdom Come album) - Band members :*Lenny Wolf – lead vocals*Danny Stag – lead guitar*Rick Steier – rhythm guitar*Johnny B. Frank – bass*James Kottak – drums- Credits :*Produced by Bob Rock and Lenny Wolf... |
12 | 43 | Platinum |
| 1989 | In Your Face In Your Face (Kingdom Come album) In Your Face is the second album by the band Kingdom Come.In an interview, the band's members talk about the title of the album, saying that when you first look at the LP, you read "Kingdom Come", then, as you move your eyes downwards, you read "In your face". They laugh and say: "Kingdom come ..... |
49 | 25 | - |
| 1991 | Hands of Time Hands of Time -Track listing:All songs by Lenny Wolf and Carol Tatum, except where noted# "I've Been Trying" – 4:52# "Should I" – 5:39# "You'll Never Know" – 3:26# "Both of Us" – 3:12# "Stay" – 3:09# "Blood on the Land" – 4:13# "Shot Down" – 3:09# "You're not the Only..... |
- | - | - |
| 1993 | Bad Image Bad Image Bad Image is the fourth studio album by Kingdom Come.-Track listing:All songs by Lenny Wolf.# "Passion Departed" – 4:50# "You're the One" – 5:20# "Fake Believer" – 3:49# "Friends" – 4:38# "Mad Queen" – 4:13... |
- | - | - |
| 1995 | Twilight Cruiser | - | - | - |
| 1996 | Live & Unplugged | - | - | - |
| 1997 | Master Seven | - | - | - |
| 2000 | Too | - | - | - |
| 2002 | Independent | - | - | - |
| 2004 | Perpetual | - | - | - |
| 2006 | Ain't Crying For The Moon | - | - | - |
| 2009 | Magnified | - | - | - |
| 2011 | Rendered Waters | - | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Main Rock | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
||
| 1988 | "What Love Can Be" | - | 26 | - |
| "Living Out of Touch" | - | 27 | - | |
| "Get it On Get It On (Kingdom Come song) "Get It On" is the debut single by hard rock/glam metal band Kingdom Come from their self-titled debut album."Get It On" Reached Number 4 on the Mainstream Rock Charts In the U.S. and Number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Charts-Track listing:... " |
69 | 4 | 75 | |
| 1989 | "Who Do You Love" | - | 37 | - |
| "Do You Like It" | - | 21 | 73 | |
| "Overrated" | - | - | - | |