German melodic hard rock band, fronted by Lenny Wolf. Previously known as Funhouse and Stone Fury, Kingdom Come saw the light of day in 1987. Known as being the Led Zeppelin of the 80's.

KINGDOM COME (1988) POLYGRAM

Kingdom Come's first effort is one of the finest hair-metal records ever released! Produced by Bob Rock (Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Metallica), it's a journey into the world of melodic hardrock, or pop-metal if you will. Lenny's voice is outstanding, and the music is as well played as it is well written. If you love music with hooks and memorable choruses, then this is album for you. I don't care for all the Led Zeppelin-clone accusations. I actually prefer Kingdom Come. This CD is essential!

Killer tracks: I like all of them!

IN YOUR FACE (1989) POLYDOR

Second outing from Lenny & company. 'In Your Face' delivers the same sound and style as their first record. And it's yet another enjoyable disc indeed. The songs are melodic and catchy, making the entire CD very listenable. "Stargazer" is NOT a Rainbow cover. Too bad, 'cause Kingdom Come may have pulled it off nicely. Lenny himself was not pleased with the production on this album (he wanted Bob Rock to produce it), but I think it sounds more then OK. They don't make "hair-metal" like this anymore! This record grows with every listen! I guess this album was given high expectations (that went wrong), and the record company pressed way too many copies, that didn't sell after all. Because this is one of those albums you find used and cheap everywhere! I remember picking a vinyl copy up for under 1$, brand new, still in the shrink-wrap. 

Killer tracks: Do You Like It, The Wind, Stargazer

HANDS OF TIME (1991) POLYDOR

'Hands Of Time was the 3rd release from Kingdom Come. However, the band Kingdom Come did no longer exist as much as Lenny Wolf the solo artist did. Still, Lenny chose to continue to use the band moniker. He has always been the bandleader, and main songwriter, and here he plays everything, but the drums and keys.

I really do have mixed feelings about this one. The songs I like on it are really over-the-top, but the rest are very mediocre. If you do like Kingdom Come you will find songs to enjoy on 'Hands Of Time' also.

Killer tracks: Should I, You'll Never Know, Blood On The Land, You're Not The Only I Know

BAD IMAGE (1993) WEA

Lenny returns with his 4th studio album. And although this is again more of a solo effort than a full band, you know what you are getting when you put on a Kingdom Come album. 'Bad Image' is much more consistent than it's predecessor, 'Hands Of Time'. And it is filled with moody and melodic hardrock/pop metal at it's finest. Again, I find very little similarities between Kingdom Come and Led Zeppelin. So why they have been dubbed Clone Zeppelin is beyond me. If anything they remind me more of Peter Gabriel, after he left Genesis. Lenny has his own sound, and he is a master in writing melodic songs with a distinct atmosphere. 'Bad Image' sees him venture more towards a pop-sound. The keys are more prominent than I can remember from previous albums, which is a little strange since no keyboard player is credited in the liner-notes. A song like "Mad Queen" is definitely written to be played on the radio. But most of these tracks are just trademark Lenny Wolf and Kingdom Come. 'Bad Image' might be their strongest album since their debut. And it has quickly become a personal favorite of mine.

Killer tracks: All of them

LIVE & UNPLUGGED (1996) VICEROY MUSIC

CD1: Living Out Of Touch Blood On The Land I Don't Care What Love Can Be Always On The Run Do You Like It Thank You All Hope Is On Fire	Line-up: Lenny Wolf - Vocals & Rhythm Guitar Markus Deml - Lead Guitar Mark Smith - Bass & Backing Vocals Bernd Fintzen - Keys, Piano & Backing Vocals Kai Fricke - Drums Guests: Hagen Kuhr - Cello Oliver Kiessner - Guitar and solos on 1:6, 2:2
CD2: Friends And I Love Her You'll Never Know Rather Be On My Own Janine You're Not The Only You're Not The Only

What a cool idea to release a double live album, where 1 CD is "real" live, and the other an acoustic set. The sound on the album, albeit a tad "thin", seems to be very real, with no overdubs. They also do a pretty good job of mixing the new and older stuff in their set. Excellent tracks, such as "Blood On The Land", "What Love Can Be" and the classic "Do You Like It", are favorites on the live disc. "You'll Never Know" and "You're Not The Only" are my favorites on the unplugged CD. "And I Love Her" is of course a cover of The Beatles. But most surprising is the fact that Kingdom Come is a band again.

TOO (2000) SPITFIRE RECORDS

Of all the Kingdom Come discs I own, this was the hardest to get into. It's one thing that Lenny has toned down the harder elements. But when the songs aren't as memorable as they used to, then I fall of the wagon pretty fast. I guess Lenny was always a bigger fan of blues, then he ever was of metal. So this is probably a more satisfying album for him to make. I've just never understood the idea of a popular band changing so much that the sound they got popular for is almost gone. There are still some great ballads here though. And I also think the album gets better with repeated listens, but this will still not become a frequently played album in my collection.

Killer tracks: You're My Secret, Mighty Old Man, Joe English

INDEPENDENT (2002) ULFTONE MUSIC

The year is 2002. The band Kingdom Come are now only a 1 man project. And the pop-metal they once played is replaced with a modern, mellow rock sound. I don't know what is the deal with all that. The songs are passionate, and I suspect that this is a very personal album from Lenny. This time I can detect an obvious Led Zeppelin feel in tracks such as "Tears" and "Religion Needs No Winner". But overall, this is not what I expected from Lenny Wolf. It's not that the album is bad, it's just not really my thing. It might be fine to use as background music.

Killer tracks: Forever, Religion Needs No Winner, Darling

PERPETUAL (2004) INDEPENDENT

Gotta give Lenny credit for relentlessly continuing his musical carrier. His music is probably as far from any commercial scene as it is possible to come this day and age. Yet he continues to release new albums, and giving us a piece of his mind, musically and lyrically. This effort, aptly entitled 'Perpetual', sees the man combine the more modern sound of his latest albums with the melodic hardrock from his past. If it wasn't for the obviously programmed instruments on the otherwise hard hitting 2 opening tracks, then they would be tunes that would fit on any of Kingdom Come's earliest efforts. Then Lenny slows it down a bit, when he re-lives a recent trip to Russia in "Crown Of Moscow". "Time To Realign" combines both the mans soft side, and his harder side. And the rest of the album continues in the same way. You get an almost equal amount of ballads and rockers presented. I could probably mention every title, as pretty much all of them are good songs. In my opinion Lenny has with 'Perpetual' created his best album for over a decade! Sure, my personal taste would have loved even more hard rockin' numbers, and less modern influences. I must also mention that the CD doesn't quite uphold my interest as much towards the end. But this is unfair nitpicking from me, when the quality of the material provided is more then good enough to make me come back for more, time and time again. No one but Lenny could write an awesome tune such as "Silhouette Painting".

Killer tracks: Gotta Move Now, Hang 'em High, Time To Realign, Silhouette Paintings

Kingdom Come also appear on:  

V/A - '96% Puddel Rock'

V/A - 'Pondus - Flat Fuzzpedal'

Mark Cross guest appearances:

Helloween - 'Rabbit Don't Come Easy'

Related artists:

Metalium, Scorpions