Kingdom Come

H

amburg born vocalist Lenny Wolf (ex-Stone Fury) hooked up with Danny Stag (guitar), Rick Steier (guitar), Johnny B. Frank (bass) and James Kottack (drums) to form Kingdom Come. After signing to 'Polydor' they would release one of the most controversial debuts of the decade. Their eponymous 1988 debut so closely resembling classic Led Zeppelin that it caused major debates in the Metal press. All the same, it sold half a million copies in the US alone and made it to a 12 US/72 UK along the way. Clearly hearing the message, the act made a half-hearted effort at creating a purely original record with their follow-up, In Your Face (1989), but ended off coming across as a Def Leppard wannabee. Fortunately for them this album managed to also chart at 49 US/25 UK, but it was their last to do so for Wolf took the band on vacation to re-think his approach.

In 1991 Wolf returned with Blues Saraceno (guitar), Voen Van Baal (keyboards), Jimmy Bralower and Steve Burke (drums) to release Hands Of Time (1991) and Bad Image (1994), an album that managed to make it to major status at 'WEA'. Returning to the indie set and resetting his band to an ever changing (and undocumented) line-up Wolfmarched on with a set of unimpressive albums during the rest of the 1990s with Twilight Cruiser (1997), Master Seven (1997), Live & Unplugged (1998) a live effort, Balladsesque... The Pearls (1998) and Too (2000).