PLACE VENDOME is the melodic rock project featuring UNISONIC and former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske on all lead vocals and production from Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69). Frontiers Records has announced the release of the much anticipated third album from the band entitled Thunder In The Distance on November 1st in Europe and November 5th in North America.

Kiske's official fanclub recently conducted an interview with former ELEGY drummer Dirk Bruinenberg, who is also featured on the album. An excerpt is availabel below:

Kiske Fanclub: How did you join in the project of Place Vendome?

Dirk Bruinenberg: "I am in contact with Dennis a lot, we have been friends since I met him with the ADAGIO recordings and over the years I did many recordings with him, so when Kosta (Zafiriou) got too busy he asked me… simple as that."

Kiske Fanclub: When did you know you’ll work in the new Place Vendome album. Did you listen to the other two CDs? What do you think about them?

Dirk Bruinenberg: "They gave me their album years ago. Kosta is a very busy guy and I think the setup was that if he got too busy I could fill in. Well, I didn’t hear nothing for many years after (laughs), but now I think it was the right time. I knew everybody in the band already except Michael. All very cool guys their albums are great, like them a lot."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Place Vendome started in 2004 when Kiske, following a self imposed exile from the rock and metal scene which lasted a few years after his departure from Helloween and solo career, accepted in 2004 to be part of a Melodic Rock oriented concept put together by Frontiers Records’ President Serafino Perugino.

The resulting Place Vendome debut album brought Kiske back to a more straight ahead and Rock sound, still very accessible and melodic and far from the Heavy Metal stereotypes of blood, violence and hate which Kiske never had anything to do with. He collaborated for the first time with PINK CREAM 69’s Dennis Ward, Kosta Zafiriou and Uwe Reitenauer with Gunther Werno (VANDEN PLAS) on keyboards. In a quite ironic twist of fate Michael found himself to work with members of Pink Cream 69, when the band’s original singer Andy Deris took his place in Helloween when he left.

The very favorable acceptance of the first Place Vendome album planted the seeds for a second recording entitled Streets Of Fire, which was produced during 2008. The concept was slightly changed, with some outside writers such as Robert Säll (WORK OF ART), Ronny Milianowicz (SAINT DEAMON) and Torsti Spoof (LEVERAGE) handling the bulk of the songwriting, with Dennis Ward still handling the recording and production sessions.

Following his stint with the band Unisonic, Kiske decided to go back once again to the Place Vendome concept with more melodic rock oriented songs which - once again - have been selected by Frontiers Records President Serafino Perugino from outside writers including: Magnus Karlsson (PRIMAL FEAR, Timo Tolkki (ex-STRATOVARIUS), Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE), Roberto Tiranti and Andrea Cantarelli (LABYRINTH, A PERFECT DAY), Tommy Denander (RADIOACTIVE), Sören Kronqvist (SUNSTORM, ISSA), and Brett Jones.

“I am having a very open mind in terms of music anyway, and the Place Vendome vibe is a pretty different approach than Unisonic” says Kiske. “I like many tracks off the Place Vendome albums, but especially Guardian Angel, Streets Of Fire, I Will Be Waiting, Set Me Free from the previous albums or now Maybe Tomorrow. For me the vocals are the most important part of a song of course.”

Dennis Ward once again produced and mixed the whole affair with such musicians as Dirk Bruineberg (CONSORTIUM PROJECT), Gunter Werno (Vanden Plas) and Uwe Reitenauer (Pink Cream 69) completing the lineup.

Tracklisting includes:

Talk To Me'

'Power of Music'

'Broken Wings'

'Lost in Paradise'

'It Can’t Rain Forever'

'Fragile Ground'

'Hold Your Love'

'Never Too Late'

'Heaven Lost'

'My Heart is Dying'

'Breakout'

'Maybe Tomorrow'

'Thunder in the Distance'

Samples of some of the album songs can be listened following this link: