DEBUT ALBUM TO BE RELEASED
FRIDAY 19th FEBRUARY 2016 ON FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL
On Friday 19th February, Frontiers Music SRL will release one of the most highly anticipated Hard Rock releases of 2016 - the debut album from LAST IN LINE, "Heavy Crown".
Formed by three original members of DIO including Def Leppard’s Vivian Campbell (guitar) Vinny Appice (drums) and Jimmy Bain (bass) and named after DIO’s 1984 studio album "The Last In Line", the new band are on a mission to bring classic Hard Rock to fans who can’t get enough of the real thing. The album will be released on CD, CD/DVD (including a bonus track) and Digital formats. Pre-orders can be made HERE.
First single, Devil In Me was premiered on Planet Rock (UK) and SiriusXM (U.S.) on Monday, November 16th and today, November 17th, the official music video for the track is now available for viewing on YouTube. The single is now available as an instant grat with digital pre-orders from iTunes and Amazon MP3.
Last In Line (L-R): Andrew Freeman, Jimmy Bain, Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice.
Photo Credit: Ross Halfin.
Says guitarist Vivian Campbell, "When we started this project a few years ago, the initial idea was to reunite the original Dio band to play the songs we wrote and recorded with Ronnie in the early 1980’s. Joined by Andrew Freeman on vocals, we played a handful of shows in southern California, the UK, and Japan. It was a limited ambition, but it brought us great joy in reconnecting to this great music, to each other, and to our collective history."
The new songs featured on the debut Last In Line album are all co-written by the four band members.
"When we first got together as the Last In Line line-up, our ambition at that time didn’t extend to writing and recording any new music, says Campbell, "but when we were offered the opportunity to do so by Frontiers, we decided to enter the studio to write this new album in the very same spirit as we did the Holy Diver album; Back in 1982 Ronnie, Vinny, Jimmy and I went into Sound City studios to kick around ideas and riffs, and about six weeks later we started laying down the tracks for what was to become the Holy Diver album."
The new material was written after the band toured the classic Dio songs. During the tour, when the band started really connecting with each other musically, that’s when they decided the time was right to start writing new material for what was to become the Last In Line debut album. Vivian Campbell will also be putting time aside to go on tour with Last In Line when not touring with Def Leppard. Expect 2016 tour dates and festival appearances to be announced in the coming weeks.
LAST IN LINE – OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
What started as a casual and fun reunion jam in a Los Angeles rehearsal room in 2011 has, in the ensuing years, grown into a fully-fledged recording project that has taken on a life of it’s own. Last In Line, the band, takes it’s name from the second Dio album released in 1984. Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell were Ronnie Dio’s co-conspirators and co-writers on the Holy Diver, Last In Line and Sacred Heartalbums – the records that defined the classic early Dio sound and have gone on to become part of Rock History!
During that first jam, it was immediately apparent that the chemistry of the original band was very much intact – even after a 27 year hiatus. The excitement generated by that rediscovery led to a second session, this time they called in vocalist Andrew Freeman (a friend of Vinny's) whose credits include singing in the Raiding The Rock Vault production in Las Vegas and background vocals for The Offspring.
Andrew has the vocal power to complete the original powerhouse sound of the Dio band.
Hearing Andrew’s interpretations of the songs was a revelation for Vivian, who immediately suggested that they book some local shows for fun. In Vivian’s mind, the fact that Andrew could put a different spin on the songs made it an interesting prospect, and one that would justify taking things to the next stage, outside of the rehearsal room.
Over the ensuing years, a handful of local LA shows led to a handful of overseas shows in the UK and Japan, and eventually to an offer from Frontiers Records to record a new album of original material.
During the course of 2014 the band wrote and recorded 12 new songs under the guidance of longtime friend and producer Jeff Pilson. It proved to be a symbiotic relationship with Jeff that captured the organic crunch of the band and brought out the very best in Andrew’s voice and delivery.
In February of 2016, Last In Line’s debut album, Heavy Crown will be released, with the debut track, Devil In Me leading the charge. The band will gear up for a highly anticipated tour in both the U.S. and Europe in support of the record. The "live"set will include new songs alongside their early classic Dio-era works.
The debut album will be titled Heavy Crownand released on February 19, 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. The CD was recorded at a Southern California studio with producer Jeff Pilson.
"In preparation for the release of the debut Last In Line album, we recently shot a couple of music videos, did an epic photo shoot with Ross Halfin Photography, and prepared the album artwork and packaging. We’re very excited about what’s to come in early 2016 with the new record and thought we would take this opportunity to bring everyone up to speed with some changes that have happened within the band.
When we started this project a few years ago, the initial idea was to reunite the original Dio band to play the songs we wrote and recorded withRonnie James Dio in the early 1980’s. Joined by Andrew Freeman on vocals and original Dio keyboard player, Claude Schnell, we played a handful of shows from southern California to the U.K to Japan. It was a limited ambition, but one that brought us great joy in reconnecting to this great music, to each other, and to our collective history.
Our ambition at that time didn’t extend to writing and recording any new music, but when we were offered the opportunity to do so by the Frontiers record label, we took that step forward. At that time, it was decided that we enter the studio to write this new album in the very same spirit as we did the Holy Diver record: In autumn of 1982 Ronnie, Vinny, Jimmy and I went into Sound City studios to kick around ideas and riffs, and about six weeks later we started laying down the tracks for what was to become the Holy Diver album.
It was after Holy Diver was written and recorded that we brought in Claude to embellish certain songs in a way that the guitar just couldn’t do. From that time forward Claude became an essential part of the band's live shows.
In retracing our footsteps, we again started to write this new album as a four-piece band – thus keeping the emphasis on guitar-driven songs. In the course of doing so we have decided to continue on that path and remain a four-piece band.
We wish Claude every success and he remains a very close friend and confidant to all concerned."
This week on the Double Stop Podcast, Jeff Pilson (Dokken, War & Peace, Dio, Foreigner, Lynch/Pilson, Underground Moon, T&N) discusses his entire career, including how he got his start on bass and his early bands/studies, how he joined Dokken, the making of their big albums in the 80's, why they broke up, why he didn't join Lynch Mob when they first formed, the formation of War & Peace, his time in Dio, the Dokken reunion, why he left, rekindling his friendship with George Lynch and the recording of Lynch / Pilson, why his name was off Underground Moon, and how he joined Foreigner and their latest recording - The Best of 4 & More.
Plus he talks about current producing jobs for Last In Line and Adler, and a new solo rock cd that he is considering making.
Frontiers Music Srl informs that due to circumstances beyond each party reasonable control the band LAST IN LINE will not be able to perform at the forthcoming FRONTIERS ROCK FESTIVAL II which will be held at the Live Club in Trezzo (Milano), Italy on April 11th and 12th 2015.
Frontiers is anyway pleased to announce that the Canadian quartet HAREM SCAREM will perform instead at the Festival and have their show on April 11th. 'We would love to do it!!!' said Harem Scarem singer Harry Hess, when asked if the band wanted to join the Festival lineup! The band will perform classic tracks and new songs from the acclaimed new album 'Thirteen' which will hit the shops on December 5thin Europe.
In the meantime, whoever will preorder the album now on iTunes will be able to download the full track 'Early Warning Signs' which can be also listened in streaming on Youtube following this link: http://youtu.be/UqFJsOneTGc
Frontiers Music Srl is pleased to announce the signing of LAST IN LINE featuring original Dio members, Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell, along with vocalist Andrew Freeman.
When he left Black Sabbath in early 1982 to form his own band, the late, great Ronnie James Dio took powerhouse Black Sabbath drummer, Vinny Appice with him.
Ronnie knew that he wanted a European flavor to balance-out the band, so he asked his former Rainbow bandmate and Scottish native, bassist Jimmy Bain to join him. In turn, Jimmy recommended a young Irish guitarist, Vivian Campbell to complete the line-up. When the four of them met and played for the first time in a North London rehearsal room in September 1982, the magic was evident and the classic Dio band line-up was born.
Between 1983 and 1985, in quick succession, that line-up wrote, recorded and toured the first three Dio albums. Widely considered to be the crown jewels of the Dio catalogue, Holy Diver, Last In Line and Sacred Heart went on to sell millions as the band, now reinforced by keyboard player, Claude Schnell, played to audiences worldwide.
By 1985, however, trouble was brewing and the fabric of the band had started to unravel. Beginning with Vivian Campbell's firing during the Sacred Heart tour, one by one the other original band members left the fold and slowly the magic was lost.
30 years after the recording of Holy Diver, and without trying to replace the singular sound that was Ronnie's voice, the original band have started playing the songs they created together again. Joined by the passionate, powerful and unique voice of vocalist Andrew Freeman, Vivian Campbell, Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell have united under the name of their classic album, Last In Line, to perform and tour their original songs again.
When any group of musicians write and record together, they create a sound that becomes uniquely theirs. Last In Line brings to life those early, classic Dio albums in a way that only they know how. In a way that only they can.
Frontiers plans to release the new recording in the spring of 2015.
