Pretty Maids
The Pretty Maids are one of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal ( NWOBHM ) and the 70 - sizes Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy -inspired hard rock and heavy metal band from Horsens, Denmark.
Although existing since 1981 tape around the singer Ronnie Atkins and guitarist Ken Hammer was able to sell hundreds of thousands of phonograms and build up through their songwriting and their live performance of a relatively high profile in the metal scene worldwide; a permanent commercial breakthrough they remained denied.
The Pretty Maids come traditionally headlined, but were separated as the opening act for groups such as Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper and Saxon go. They also played with the Heavy Sound Festival in Poperinge (Belgium ) in 1985, the German edition of the Monsters of Rock festival in Nuremberg in 1987, at the Wacken Open Air in 2002 and 2013, and at the Bang Your Head 1999, 2006 and 2011 in Balingen.
- 3.2 Music Videos
Band History
The Pretty Maids were originally founded by two friends Kenneth Hansen (aka Ken Hammer) and Paul Christensen (aka Ronnie Atkins ) in 1981 as a cover band. Soon after the foundation laid one from cover versions on writing your own songs. In 1982, a demo tape was recorded, which earned her first recording contract with the English underground label Bullet Records the band. At the request of the record company, the Danes gave English -sounding pseudonyms. Bullet published in 1983 a mini - LP titled Pretty Maids, whose " cheap Cover " ( Ronnie ) shocked the young band. In the same year the band toured England.
As the opening act at the Scandinavian tour of Black Sabbath, they were able to convince their former vocalist Ian Gillan of himself, who then gave them an appearance on the British BBC Friday Night Rock Show.
Beginning of 1984 he moved to the major label CBS Records, where the self-titled debut EP was reissued with a much handsomer title screen. In October 1984 the first album of the group, Red, Hot and Heavy published. The title contained therein back to back was covered, among others, Hammerfall on their album Legacy of Kings.
In 1986, the band members went to the USA to record there with producers Eddie Kramer and Kevin Elson Album Future World. At the production of the album was also involved by Metallica Flemming Rasmussen known.
Future World was released in April 1987. Alone on the German market than 100,000 copies of the album were sold. During the subsequent world tour, the band performed, inter alia, on as the opening act for Deep Purple and the opening act of the monster -of -Rock- Festival in Germany. This album meant for the band to break through in the rock scene. The Pretty Maids defined with this album their style of aggressive rock riffs combined with melodic sophisticated arrangements.
In January 1989 the band started in the USA along with the Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover as a producer to work on a new album. Due to a car accident drummer Phil More, the release of Jump the Gun on the April 1990 delayed. Was followed by another world tour.
After several line-up changes they released which in turn produced by Flemming Rasmussen album Sin - Decade in April 1992. In the summer of the same year, the rock ballads album Stripped was recorded and released. Next eight original compositions, it also contains two cover versions: Please Do not Leave Me by the Thin Lizzy - heads Phil Lynott and John Sykes and 39 of Queen.
Composed in the course of 1994 and the band produced the album Scream, which was in 1994, but released in Japan in Europe until 1995. During the subsequent tour of Europe the live album Screamin ' Live was recorded. Since the recording at a concert in Copenhagen acted, making announcements between songs are only in Danish.
The next album Spooked was, again, produced by the producers of Red, Hot and Heavy, Tommy Hansen, but with a much more modern sound. It was released in April 1997.
In October 1998, Pretty Maids brought out a best-of- album titled Back to Back In 1999 followed the next studio album Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Doing Over.
At the end of 2000, the band released the album Carpe Diem. It was followed by a European tour with the Swiss band Crystal Ball as the opening act.
Planet Panic was released in February 2002. The song Virtual Brutality refers to the attacks of September 11. In the subsequent world tour, they were inter alia accompanied by their compatriots Royal Hunt.
During the year 2002 the band came by the insolvency of their management company in various financial and organizational difficulties, because of which the band members indulged in a long break, during which no new studio album was released.
This time out was interrupted by the release of another live album ( Alive at Least in March 2003) and various concerts at festivals in Europe. End of 2003 at the guitarist Ken Hammer diagnosed a serious illness, but from which he recovered in the course of the next few months. In the fall of 2006, the album Wake Up to the Real World, which includes a cover version of Deep Purple's Perfect Strangers in addition to the original compositions appeared. End of 2008, Ken Hammer and Ronnie Atkins went with a different crew, on tour. For the longtime drummer Michael Fast the Dane Morten Sandager was the former Royal Hunt drummer Alan Tschicaya, also for the long-standing British session keyboardist Dominic Gale in the band.
On 27 April 2010 Atkins and Hammer announced the separation of bassist characteristic Jackson, was indicated for the personal differences as the reason. As his successor, the, also from Denmark bassist Hal Patino was immediately (formerly Mercyful Fate, King Diamond ) brought in as a permanent member. On 14 May 2010 the new album Pandemonium appeared, produced by Jacob Hansen, which was celebrated in the reviews of the trade press and placed in a series with the early successes. The band went from late October 2010 on a European tour.
In March 2013, the 13th studio album Motherland appeared. The Single Mother of All Lies was released on January 22.
On March 21, 2014, the CD Louder Than Ever, a mix of newly recorded old songs appeared. Then also four completely new songs are heard.
Discography
Studio albums
Live albums
Best-of compilations
Other Compilations
EPs
Singles
Promo Singles
Videography
- 2012: Bonus DVD It Comes Alive ( Maid in Switzerland)