ADRIAN VANDENBERG BIO

One of the finest six-stringers on the planet, Adrian Vandenberg is arguably also one of the most underrated. Best known for his time with Whitesnake, the flying Dutchman has been making waves for more than four decades now, the return of his titular band a cause of great joy.

Adrian’s band Vandenberg was first introduced to the UK as Special Guest on the Michael Schenker Group “Assault Attack Tour” of the UK in 1982, wreaking destruction everywhere from Glasgow down to Southampton. The quartet impressed hugely, firing on all cylinders with their self-titled debut, recorded at Jimmy Page’s Sol Studios, being stacked with some absolutely irresistible hard rock gems like the UFO-flavoured “Ready for You” and the Scorpions-like “Your Love is in Vain” as well as the pounding “Wait.”

The following year saw Vandenberg breaking big in America, single “Burning Heart” a huge hit which led to them playing with KISS and Ozzy Osbourne amongst others. Second and third albums, Heading for a Storm and Alibi, followed and produced big rock tracks such as “Different Worlds” and “Friday Night.” But then Adrian’s world changed following a guest slot on Whitesnake’s 1987 smash on which he played the epic solo on the #1 US hit “Here I Go Again” and remained guitarist/songwriter in the band until 1998.

One of a very few guitarists to ever turn David Coverdale down following an offer to be a full-time member of the band, since his own band was riding high in Europe, the US and Japan on the success of “Burning Heart” and had a three-album agreement with Atlantic Records. Coverdale and Vandenberg stayed in touch, and the six-stringer finally disbanded his band and joined the hardrock legends in 1986. The rest, as they say, is history – his career as not only a guitarist but also as a songwriter continued to flourish alongside his relationship with Coverdale.

During his nearly 12 years at the peak of Whitesnake’s career, the band had seven songs in the U.S. charts, including a number one hit with “Here I Go Again.” From 1986 through 1998 they played the biggest venues in the world, including sold-out arenas and stadiums like Madison Square Garden, The Forum in L.A., and Tokyo’s Yoyogi Stadium. Together with singer David Coverdale, he co-wrote the albums Slip of the Tongue and Restless Heart. During his time with Whitesnake, around 14 million albums were sold worldwide.

After a number of massively successful worldwide tours and albums, including Slip of the Tongue and Restless Heart, albums that Adrian co-wrote with Coverdale, it was time to move on, and he formed Vandenberg’s MoonKings in late 2013, previously having brought one highly acclaimed album out under the moniker of Manic Eden with Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake), Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne) and Ron Young (Little Caesar) during the hiatus of Whitesnake.

MoonKings brought out three full-length albums, including an unplugged release, their organic, unpolished vibrant blues rock following on perfectly from the material he’d created in his former band, the formula highly successful.

Adrian decided then to revive Vandenberg and so, initially along with singer Ronnie Romero (known from performing with Rainbow), bass player Randy van der Elsen (Tank) and drummer Koen Herfst (Epica), formed a brand new line-up and headed into the studio with renowned producer Bob Marlette (Black Sabbath, Rob Halford, etc.).

The resulting album, 2020, was a rebirth of the Dutch rockers and received worldwide critical and commercial acclaim, the sparkling writing and guitar work praised as a real return to their roots as a ferocious, yet classy heavy outfit.

Today, with former Yngwie Malmsteen and Candlemass vocalist Mats Levén replacing the departed Romero, Sem Christoffel on bass, Joey DeBoer on drums, and Len van de Laak on keyboards, the band are certainly firing on all cylinders and ready to tear any place apart.

As can be seen in the various live videos on YouTube, notably the German RockPalast and Graspop Metal Meeting, the band mix numbers from Vandenberg’s first album through to the most recent, a smattering of past works and a cover; their set focuses on the songwriting, not the flash – something that Vandenberg has made his focus throughout his career.

While Adrian can certainly provide some jaw-dropping fretwork, the set is always about the whole, each band member adding their own distinctive flavour to the whole. Bass player Sem Christoffel and drummer Joey DeBoer give a groove and punch all of their own while Len van de Laak provides a sonic tapestry to ‘glue’ all those dynamics together. Matched with the vocals of Mats Levén, there’s a hunger here that radiates from the stage with an intensity that is balanced by real class.

Celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the legendary Whitesnake at Donington (UK) festival, Vandenberg currently rides under the My Whitesnake banner — a theme originally meant to be limited to 2025, but because of the big success and demand it will be stretched over 2026 as well.

As American journalist Robert Cavuoto writes in his review about Vandenberg’s concert in Red Bank, New Jersey, USA: “A must-see for Adrian Vandenberg fans still yearning to hear timeless rock anthems played live again with skill and heart. It was a masterclass in hard rock showmanship, and if you closed your eyes, you would swear you were listening to Whitesnake in their prime – Vandenberg and his band were that good.”

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Official website: https://vandenbergband.com

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