VANDENBERG drummer Koen Herfst sits out tour, former DELAIN drummer Joey Marin de Boer steps in
08-11-2023
VANDENBERG drummer Koen Herfst has announced he will sit out the current VANDENBERG tour, due to personal circumstances. He will be replaced by former DELAIN and current DEAR MOTHER (in which he plays alongside also former DELAIN guitarist Merel Bechtold) drummer Joey Marin de Boer, who has already stepped in for his first live experience with the band.
Says Herfst:
VANDENBERG released a new studio album, “Sin”, on August 25 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. The official lyric video for the LP’s second single “Sin” can be seen below.
VANDENBERG leader Adrian Vandenberg shares: “Sin. Just a tiny, three-letter word but one with a very comprehensive meaning. Everything in between a little white lie and a murder. So, it deserves a powerful, heavy, epic song to do it justice.”
“For me, music is very much like a painting,” affirms Adrian. “You have your ups, downs, lights, and shades. One song might make you want to jump on the table and party your brains out. Another song will inspire you to think. Either way, you’re thrown into a landscape, which my favorite albums still do to me. You could be in your car or at home with your headphones plugged into a soundsystem, and you’re in a different world.”
Exploding out of The Netherlands and onto the global scene with 1982’s self-titled “Vandenberg”, the Dutch phenomenon notched an international hit in the form of “Burning Heart”, paving the way for seminal releases such as “Heading For A Storm” (1983) and “Alibi” (1985). The band canvased the United States, Europe, and Japan alongside OZZY OSBOURNE, KISS, RUSH, SCORPIONS, MICHAEL SCHENKER, and many others. Sought out to join WHITESNAKE, Adrian famously ripped the legendary lead on the 1987 recording of the No. 1 smash “Here I Go Again”, which adorned the eight-times-platinum “Whitesnake” and ended up touring the world’s largest arenas for a year-and-a-half when the 1987 album went through the roof in terms of sales. He co-wrote the entirety of 1989’s platinum “Slip Of The Tongue” and spent the ensuing tour sharing axe duties with none other than Steve Vai. In addition to playing guitar on and co-writing “Restless Heart” from DAVID COVERDALE & WHITESNAKE, he performed hundreds of shows as part of the band for some twelve years. Speaking to the breadth of his output, he notably penned and recorded “A Number One” as the theme for his hometown Dutch football team FC Twente. 2013 saw him launch the acclaimed VANDENBERG’S MOONKINGS, releasing “MoonKings” (2014),“MK II” (2017) and “Rugged And Unplugged” (2018).
VANDENBERG as a band roared back to life with the comeback LP “2020”. Among many highlights, “Freight Train” gathered 1.6 million Spotify streams, while the record attracted praise. Sonic Perspectives enthused, “The end result sounds like the missing link between WHITESNAKE and RAINBOW, and updates the group’s sound to the new generation of hard rock fans.”
In its wake, VANDENBERG welcomed Mats (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, CANDLEMASS) to the fold.
“He’s an amazing singer,” notes Adrian. “I’d heard him online, and we got in touch. It’s funny because his mom brought the first two VANDENBERG records back to Scandinavia from England when he was in his early twenties — and he was a fan. He’s a workaholic like me. We picked up after COVID and put the new album together. The spark is definitely there. On top of that, Koen and Randy lay down the most solid concrete, grooving foundation that I could ever wish for. I’d say it’s one notch heavier than ‘2020’.”
Recorded in Holland and Los Angeles with Marlette, “Sin” represents a natural evolution for VANDENBERG. Scorching pinch harmonics light up the first single “House On Fire” as the groove underlines a chantable chorus from Mats.
“In one way, it’s a party song, because it keeps you tapping your foot,” Adrian exclaims. “Mats added a different darker twist with his lyrics. It also envisions a person who’s frustrated about the things other people have. This person can’t control their anger and sets the place on fire.”
Vandenberg was a member of WHITESNAKE for 13 years at the height of the band’s fame, contributing the solo on “Here I Go Again”. He was also part of supergroup MANIC EDEN, and more recently released a number of albums with VANDENBERG’S MOONKINGS.
Vandenberg‘s namesake band released its comeback album, titled “2020”, in May 2020 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group. A follow-up LP, “Sin”, will arrive later this year.
Adrian is joined in VANDENBERG‘s current lineup by vocalist Mats Levén, drummer Koen Herfst and bassist Randy Van Der Elsen.
The group’s fifth full-length offering, “Sin”, was produced by Bob Marlette (OZZY OSBOURNE, ALICE COOPER, ROB ZOMBIE).
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