Ex-Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg recording with new version of his 1980s band Vandenberg

Music News GroupJanuary 30, 2020

772 1 minute read

Courtesy of Mascot Label GroupFormer Whitesnake guitarist Adrian Vandenberg has relaunched his namesake band, Vandenberg, with a new lineup, and is recording a new studio album that’s expected to be released later this year.

So far, Vandenberg has recorded nine new tracks for the project with recent Rainbow singer Ronnie Romero and two journeyman musicians who previously were members of Whitesnake — bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Brian Tichy. Sarzo also has played with Quiet Riot, Dio, Ozzy Osbourne and many others, while Tichy’s resume includes stints with Foreigner and Billy Idol. The record is being produced by Bob Marlette, who’s worked on albums by Alice Cooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many others.

You can check out an advance track from the album, an updated version of Vandenberg’s 1982 power ballad, “Burning Heart,” on the band’s official YouTube channel. The song also is available for purchase as a digital single and via streaming platforms.

Sarzo and Tichy won’t be part of the Vandenberg band’s touring lineup, which will feature Romero and two of Adrian’s Dutch countrymen — drummer Koen Herfst and bassist Randy van der Elsen.

During his stint with Whitesnake, Adrian was featured on the band’s chart-topping 1987 hit “Here I Go Again,” and on the 1997 album Restless Heart.

With regard to relaunching Vandenberg, which originally was together from 1981 to 1987, Adrian says, “I felt that I wasn’t done with the style of music I wrote for my band…at the time and wanted to pick up the thread where I left it when I joined Whitesnake. But to me that would only make sense if I’d come up with a brand new, testosterone driven version of Vandenberg with a kick-ass, world-class lineup. Vandenberg 2020 on steroids. So that’s exactly what we did.”