Vandenberg – A Great Dutch-American Hard Rock Band

Victor Rouă0 comment

Vandenberg is a great Dutch-American hard rock and heavy metal band founded by legendary Dutch guitarist Adrian Vandenberg (also known under his nicknames ‘The Flying Dutchman’ and ‘Adje’) in 1981 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The band was initially active between 1981 and 1987 and then once more since 2020 onwards. The original or founding members of the band were lead vocalist Bert Heerink, bassist Dick Kemper, drummer Jos Zoomer, and guitarist Adrian van den Berg himself (who was also the group’s keyboardist). Their debut self-titled studio album was recorded at one of Jimmy Page’s studios, more specifically Sol Studios in England, and was released in 1982. The album was produced and engineered by Stuart Epps, mastered at The Townhouse in London, UK and charted at no. 19 in the Dutch Album Top 100 and 65 in the American Billboard 100. It also produced two singles, namely Burning Heart (a power ballad) and Wait. According to AllMusic, the LP (i.e. long play) is considered one of the most underrated heavy metal albums of the 1980s.

The frontal cover artwork of Vandenberg’s debut self-titled studio album released in 1982 (the cover artwork was designed by the band’s guitarist and keyboardist Adrian Vandenberg himself). Image source: YouTube music

Vandenberg then embarked on a US tour as an opening musical act for Kiss and Ozzy Osbourne then on their own in Japan in 1984. By 1984, the band also released their second studio album entitled Heading for a Storm which did quite well but could not equal the previous success of their debut self-titled studio album (as it was the case of their third studio album Alibi released one year later in 1985; although they sold better in some countries but not better overall). An interesting aspect regarding the band’s third studio album was the fact that it was produced by ex-Golden Earring drummer Jaap Eggermont. The group temporarily came to an end in 1987 when guitarist Adrian van den Berg was asked by Whitesnake frontman David Coverdale to join his band, an invitation which Adrian gladly accepted as he was (and still is) a fan of David Coverdale.

Many years later, in 2004, the group reunited and released a best of compilation followed by a DVD the next year which included footage from a 1984 concert in Tokyo, Japan. In 2020, the group resumed its musical activity under a new line-up, with ex-Rainbow vocalist Ronnie Romero and guests Rudy Sarzo on bass and Brian Tichy on drums. The year 2020 also marked a discographical comeback for the band, with a brand new studio album released in 35 years, titled just 2020. It did quite well in the Dutch Album Top 100 chart, peaking at number 2 which is quite commending for a comeback studio album. In 2021, Swedish singer Mats Levén joined the group. In 2023, the band released its 5th studio album entitled Sin which was produced by well-experienced producer Bob Marlette. The line-up of the band which recorded the LP included new bassist Randy van der Elsen as well as Koen Herfst on drums.

In addition to being a very skilled and famous guitarist, Adrian van den Berg is also a painter. His talent in terms of visual arts enabled him to design the surreal frontal cover artworks for the band’s second and third studio albums. The band’s second studio album’s frontal cover artwork depicts a group of sharks flying on an empty highway in the desert whereas the third one shows several crocodiles popping out of a broken road near a temple in a Maya city in Mesoamerica. Adrian van den Berg’s down to earth or humble mentality and behaviour greatly contributed to his success both in Vandenberg and later on in Whitesnake. Below you can listen to my most favourite songs from the band’s entire discography (I used to listen to them a lot back when I was in 9th grade during the early 2010s and Adje is still one of my all time most favourite guitarists and musicians):

P.S. If you listen to each and every song above (or even just one or two for a start), then you’ll understand perfectly well why Adrian Vandenberg did such a great job with Whitesnake as he was already a virtuoso in his own right with his own band. Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership! All the best, take care, stay safe, and rock on! Thank you very much for all your great music, Adje!

Trivia: At some point in his career, Adrian Vandenberg turned down joining Thin Lizzy given his down to earth, responsible, and professional behaviour (not that Thin Lizzy weren’t great musicians, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t want to give any additional spoilers on the matter). However, you can read more about this story on Louder Sound here if you’d like. Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership once again! It means a lot to me! 🙂 🤘

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