Bonfire (originally Cacumen) is a German hard rock band, founded in Ingolst… Read Full Bio ↴Bonfire (originally Cacumen) is a German hard rock band, founded in Ingolstadt, Germany in 1972.
Cacumen (1972-1986)
In 1972 in the West German town of Ingolstadt a teenage guitarist, Hans Ziller, put together a rock band called Cacumen with his brother Karl, who also played guitar, and gathered a group of friends to complete the band. The name of the group was from a school test Hans had taken; it translates from Latin to mean "the top of a mountain". For the next six years the band played at local small venues but had a fan base in their home town. In 1978 the group consisted of Hans and Karl on guitars, Horst Maier on guitar (in 1983, Horst's last name would become Maier-Thorn), Hans Hauptmann on bass and Hans Forstner on drums. The band was seeking a replacement singer at that time; Claus Lessmann, a fellow student of Hans', was hired.
Claus was previously in the bands Ginger and Sunset, was known for his harmonic vocals and fit in perfectly with Cacumen. With this line-up, the band had a chance to start branching out to venues outside Ingolstadt. A recording entitled Riding Away was made, which featured the song Wintertale on the flip side in 1979. The group used this opportunity to begin touring clubs, schools and even parking lots. The fan base grew and Cacumen was finally signed to an independent label. At this time, Karl departed the group. The self titled Cacumen album was released in 1981 and featured a new version of Riding Away.
Cacumen got in contact with Hanns Schmidt-Theissen, who owned a small music studio (Hanns had played with the group on the Riding Away single and was supporting the band at live venues on keyboards). Since funds were low, Hanns helped them out; they recorded the album Bad Widow at his studio in Rodgau / Germany in 1982. Hanns also tried to get the group a contract but was unsuccessful.
The fan base of the band was growing and more performances were planned. In 1983, Robert Prskalowicz replaced Hans Hauptmann on bass and this group became the well-known Cacumen band. The group was later signed by BMG and received a make-over; Robert and Hans Forstner were no longer members as of March 1985, after departing upon deciding they couldn't commit to the group full time. Their replacements were Joerg Deisinger (previously with Rascal and Dynasty) on bass and Dominik Huelshorst from Darxon on drums. The group also donned the stereotypical image of an 80s hard rock group. Finally, the company requested a name change, as they thought Cacumen would be too difficult to pronounce and not as marketable a name as they desired. After a brainstorming session the name Bonfire was chosen, which came into effect in May 1986.
Bonfire, the First Coming (1986-1994)
Bonfire's worldwide début album, Don't Touch the Light, was released in June 1986. During recording of the follow-up album, in May 1987, Dominik was fired due to musical differences and Bonfire proceeded to release their next album, Fireworks, as a quartet, the drums being recorded by Ken Mary from Fifth Angel. Two versions of this album exist: the worldwide version and the North American version (the cover of which features the four members as well as the song 'You Make Me Feel', taken from their début album).
Between the second and third albums, Bonfire went through many changes. Although Tommy Wagner performed on drums for a TV spot, a new drummer needed to be hired. In December 1987, Edgar Patrik from Sinner, Samson and Tyran Pace joined. In July 1988, during the Fireworks Tour, Horst had to leave due to his rheumatism becoming too much of a crippling factor to play guitar on stage. Taking his spot in August was Angel Schleifer, formerly of Doc Savage, Red Alert, Sinner, Mad Max, Pretty Maids and Helter Skelter. The tour proceeded and at its completion the band settled down to collaborate for a new album. At this time, Hans had problems with the record company and the band's management, due in part to his family commitments at the time. Albeit with reluctance, he was fired from the group in June 1989 due to the lack of commitment and Bonfire carried on as a quartet. Bonfire's first two albums were the only to be released commercially in North America.
Despite the business decision, Claus and Hans maintained a great friendship. When Hans formed his own group, Claus was asked to write songs as well as perform vocals. The record company wouldn't allow him to do so, however, leaving Hans to find a replacement singer for his new band, EZ Livin'.
The decision to remove Hans from Bonfire troubled Claus, and after many failed attempts to break through in the North American scene and what he deemed was a failure of a fourth album, Claus left the band on September 25, 1992. His announcement was not unexpected, but did leave the remaining members the decision of who should take his place. One vocalist the group has interest in was Michael Bormann, vocalist for Letter X and his own side-project Jaded Heart, who had also previously been a member of High Voltage and the J.R. Blackmore Group. Although he was willing to sing with Bonfire, he was committed to his two other projects, so the group continued looking. Unsuccessful attempts to find a full-time vocalist led to Michael eventually becoming the new front-man of Bonfire in March 1993. He departed Letter X but remained with Jaded Heart.
Despite having a new vocalist, Bonfire seemed to be stagnating; their record company refused to release any new material that did not have Claus singing and grunge was an emerging new scene. The band suspected the end was nigh, so a live album that featured concert recordings from the Point Blank Tour and Claus on vocals was released. The album Michael had performed on was shelved (albeit to be released later as a bootleg entitled 'Bonfire - End of an Era Demos') and Bonfire performed for the last time on the 29th of July 1994, without officially breaking up.
Claus & Hans - Lessmann/Ziller to Ex (1992-1996)
While Bonfire were attempting to continue with their new lead vocalist, Claus reunited with Hans after he left the band and together they became Lessmann/Ziller in 1992, with Hans disbanding EZ Livin'. In 1993 they released an EP entitled Glaub Dran, which featured lyrics entirely in German. This was followed by a few single releases, of songs not present on the initial recording. The duo's following was slowly growing, but not in accordance with initial expectations. In 1995, Lessmann/Ziller evolved to become a group called Ex, and in May featured Joerg Deisinger on bass and Dominik Huelshorst on drums, almost a reunion of the 1986 Bonfire line-up. Claus and Hans realized that their best chance at recapturing their fan base was to become Bonfire again.
The Return of Bonfire - Charade Emerges (1996-2000)
In 1996, Claus and Hans decided to start legal proceedings to get the rights to the Bonfire name and their music from 1986 to 1992. On July 3rd, 1994, a one-time payment was made to the remaining Bonfire members and Claus and Hans renamed their Ex project to Bonfire. They reissued Glaub Dran, with additional songs in English, in 1996. In 1997 they hired Chris Lausmann (Affair and Frontline) on guitar and keyboards, Uwe Kohler (Black Tears, Paradise Leaf, Big Apple, Lipstikk, Blitzkrieg, British Steel) on bass, and Jurgen Wiehler (Backdoor Affair, Heaven Sent, Chain Reaction, Loud & Proud, EZ Livin', Parish Garden, Wet Paint and 88 Crash) on drums.
Michael and Angel also got back together in 1997, with a desire to release the shelved Bonfire album they had recorded in 1993. Joerg was not interested in being involved and Edgar had other commitments, so the reunion was a duo, and due to Claus and Hans owning the Bonfire name Michael and Angel decided to call themselves Charade. The previously shelved album was then released in 1998 in Japan, later becoming a highly sought after item. The duo continue to work together.
Worldwide exposure (2001-)
Since 1996, Bonfire has released at least one album each year and their fan base has grown, surpassing their 1980s popularity. Chris left the group in 2002 but the remaining members continued. After successfully gaining the rights to their pre-Bonfire material in 2004, the band released a five-part CD series called The Early Days. Parts 1 to 3 were reissues of the Cacumen albums, part 4 was the EZ Livin' album and part 5 was the Lessmann/Ziller album, each disc also featuring bonus material.
In 2006, Bonfire celebrated their 20th anniversary and Chris Limburg (Vice, Wet Paint and Lustfinger) took on a role as co-guitarist. A rock opera album entitled 'The Rauber' was released in 2008. A special DVD of the opera performance-- which also featured new music videos of several of the songs from the album-- was released soon afterwards and included a remixed version of their song 'You Make Me Feel'. This new version of the song is featured on the PlayStation game Sing Star.
January 15th 2009 saw the return of Dominik Huelshorst, when Jürgen left the band unexpectedly, followed by a long anticipated return to the North American stage, as the band performed at the Rocklahoma Festival on July 12th in Pryor, Oklahoma, USA.
On March 25th, 2010, Bonfire were signed to Universal Music. The album 'Branded' was released on January 22nd, 2011. The new second guitarist of Bonfire is Frank Pané, member of the German metal band Solemnity and ex-member of Red to Grey, and Valley's Eve.
In 2016, Bonfire celebrated their 30th anniversary and a new double album, Pearls, released on UDR/Warner on 18 March 2016. This recording featured past band hits that were re-recorded. At the beginning of July it was announced that Reece and the band had mutually agreed to part ways. To fill in the vacancy Michael Bormann was announced as the new frontman, but he was not be able to join the group for a few months. Alexx Stahl of Purple Rising and Roxxcalibur agreed to be a temporary singer to fulfill the band's commitments until Bormann's arrival. During that time the group agreed that Stahl put a lot of effort in to the performances, so it was agreed all around that he would become the full-time lead vocalist.
2022 - German rockers Bonfire consisting of lead vocalist Alexx Stahl, lead guitarists Hans Ziller and Frank Pané, bassist Ronnie Parkes and drummer Fabio Alessandrini have unveiled a video for their new single “Freedom Is My Belief” from their upcoming album Point Blank MMXXIII.
Band members:
Current members
Hans Ziller – lead and rhythm guitars, talkbox, backing vocals (1972–1989, 1996–present)
Frank Pané – rhythm and lead guitars, backing vocals (2015–present)
Ronnie Parkes – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)
Alexx Stahl – lead vocals (2016–present)
Fabio Alessandrini – drums, percussion (2022–present)
Charade
* Michael Bormann - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1997–present)
* Angel Schleifer - lead guitar, keyboards, programming (1997–present)
Former Members of Bonfire / Cacumen
* Karl Ziller - guitars (1972–1980)
* Hanns Schmidt-Theißen - keyboards (circa 1977-1980)
* Hans Hauptmann - bass (circa 1972-1982)
* Hans Forstner - drums (circa 1972-1986)
* Robert Prskalowicz - bass (1982–1986)
* Horst Maier-Thorn - lead guitars, rhythm guitars, backing vocals (circa 1972-1988)
* Michael Bormann - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1993–1994)
* Angel Schleifer - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (1988–1994)
* Joerg Deisinger - bass, backing vocals, mouth drums (1986–1994)
* Edgar Patrik - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1987–1994)
* Chris Lausmann - rhythm guitar, lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1992–2002)
* Jürgen Wiehler - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1997–2009)
Bonfire's official website
Cacumen (1972-1986)
In 1972 in the West German town of Ingolstadt a teenage guitarist, Hans Ziller, put together a rock band called Cacumen with his brother Karl, who also played guitar, and gathered a group of friends to complete the band. The name of the group was from a school test Hans had taken; it translates from Latin to mean "the top of a mountain". For the next six years the band played at local small venues but had a fan base in their home town. In 1978 the group consisted of Hans and Karl on guitars, Horst Maier on guitar (in 1983, Horst's last name would become Maier-Thorn), Hans Hauptmann on bass and Hans Forstner on drums. The band was seeking a replacement singer at that time; Claus Lessmann, a fellow student of Hans', was hired.
Claus was previously in the bands Ginger and Sunset, was known for his harmonic vocals and fit in perfectly with Cacumen. With this line-up, the band had a chance to start branching out to venues outside Ingolstadt. A recording entitled Riding Away was made, which featured the song Wintertale on the flip side in 1979. The group used this opportunity to begin touring clubs, schools and even parking lots. The fan base grew and Cacumen was finally signed to an independent label. At this time, Karl departed the group. The self titled Cacumen album was released in 1981 and featured a new version of Riding Away.
Cacumen got in contact with Hanns Schmidt-Theissen, who owned a small music studio (Hanns had played with the group on the Riding Away single and was supporting the band at live venues on keyboards). Since funds were low, Hanns helped them out; they recorded the album Bad Widow at his studio in Rodgau / Germany in 1982. Hanns also tried to get the group a contract but was unsuccessful.
The fan base of the band was growing and more performances were planned. In 1983, Robert Prskalowicz replaced Hans Hauptmann on bass and this group became the well-known Cacumen band. The group was later signed by BMG and received a make-over; Robert and Hans Forstner were no longer members as of March 1985, after departing upon deciding they couldn't commit to the group full time. Their replacements were Joerg Deisinger (previously with Rascal and Dynasty) on bass and Dominik Huelshorst from Darxon on drums. The group also donned the stereotypical image of an 80s hard rock group. Finally, the company requested a name change, as they thought Cacumen would be too difficult to pronounce and not as marketable a name as they desired. After a brainstorming session the name Bonfire was chosen, which came into effect in May 1986.
Bonfire, the First Coming (1986-1994)
Bonfire's worldwide début album, Don't Touch the Light, was released in June 1986. During recording of the follow-up album, in May 1987, Dominik was fired due to musical differences and Bonfire proceeded to release their next album, Fireworks, as a quartet, the drums being recorded by Ken Mary from Fifth Angel. Two versions of this album exist: the worldwide version and the North American version (the cover of which features the four members as well as the song 'You Make Me Feel', taken from their début album).
Between the second and third albums, Bonfire went through many changes. Although Tommy Wagner performed on drums for a TV spot, a new drummer needed to be hired. In December 1987, Edgar Patrik from Sinner, Samson and Tyran Pace joined. In July 1988, during the Fireworks Tour, Horst had to leave due to his rheumatism becoming too much of a crippling factor to play guitar on stage. Taking his spot in August was Angel Schleifer, formerly of Doc Savage, Red Alert, Sinner, Mad Max, Pretty Maids and Helter Skelter. The tour proceeded and at its completion the band settled down to collaborate for a new album. At this time, Hans had problems with the record company and the band's management, due in part to his family commitments at the time. Albeit with reluctance, he was fired from the group in June 1989 due to the lack of commitment and Bonfire carried on as a quartet. Bonfire's first two albums were the only to be released commercially in North America.
Despite the business decision, Claus and Hans maintained a great friendship. When Hans formed his own group, Claus was asked to write songs as well as perform vocals. The record company wouldn't allow him to do so, however, leaving Hans to find a replacement singer for his new band, EZ Livin'.
The decision to remove Hans from Bonfire troubled Claus, and after many failed attempts to break through in the North American scene and what he deemed was a failure of a fourth album, Claus left the band on September 25, 1992. His announcement was not unexpected, but did leave the remaining members the decision of who should take his place. One vocalist the group has interest in was Michael Bormann, vocalist for Letter X and his own side-project Jaded Heart, who had also previously been a member of High Voltage and the J.R. Blackmore Group. Although he was willing to sing with Bonfire, he was committed to his two other projects, so the group continued looking. Unsuccessful attempts to find a full-time vocalist led to Michael eventually becoming the new front-man of Bonfire in March 1993. He departed Letter X but remained with Jaded Heart.
Despite having a new vocalist, Bonfire seemed to be stagnating; their record company refused to release any new material that did not have Claus singing and grunge was an emerging new scene. The band suspected the end was nigh, so a live album that featured concert recordings from the Point Blank Tour and Claus on vocals was released. The album Michael had performed on was shelved (albeit to be released later as a bootleg entitled 'Bonfire - End of an Era Demos') and Bonfire performed for the last time on the 29th of July 1994, without officially breaking up.
Claus & Hans - Lessmann/Ziller to Ex (1992-1996)
While Bonfire were attempting to continue with their new lead vocalist, Claus reunited with Hans after he left the band and together they became Lessmann/Ziller in 1992, with Hans disbanding EZ Livin'. In 1993 they released an EP entitled Glaub Dran, which featured lyrics entirely in German. This was followed by a few single releases, of songs not present on the initial recording. The duo's following was slowly growing, but not in accordance with initial expectations. In 1995, Lessmann/Ziller evolved to become a group called Ex, and in May featured Joerg Deisinger on bass and Dominik Huelshorst on drums, almost a reunion of the 1986 Bonfire line-up. Claus and Hans realized that their best chance at recapturing their fan base was to become Bonfire again.
The Return of Bonfire - Charade Emerges (1996-2000)
In 1996, Claus and Hans decided to start legal proceedings to get the rights to the Bonfire name and their music from 1986 to 1992. On July 3rd, 1994, a one-time payment was made to the remaining Bonfire members and Claus and Hans renamed their Ex project to Bonfire. They reissued Glaub Dran, with additional songs in English, in 1996. In 1997 they hired Chris Lausmann (Affair and Frontline) on guitar and keyboards, Uwe Kohler (Black Tears, Paradise Leaf, Big Apple, Lipstikk, Blitzkrieg, British Steel) on bass, and Jurgen Wiehler (Backdoor Affair, Heaven Sent, Chain Reaction, Loud & Proud, EZ Livin', Parish Garden, Wet Paint and 88 Crash) on drums.
Michael and Angel also got back together in 1997, with a desire to release the shelved Bonfire album they had recorded in 1993. Joerg was not interested in being involved and Edgar had other commitments, so the reunion was a duo, and due to Claus and Hans owning the Bonfire name Michael and Angel decided to call themselves Charade. The previously shelved album was then released in 1998 in Japan, later becoming a highly sought after item. The duo continue to work together.
Worldwide exposure (2001-)
Since 1996, Bonfire has released at least one album each year and their fan base has grown, surpassing their 1980s popularity. Chris left the group in 2002 but the remaining members continued. After successfully gaining the rights to their pre-Bonfire material in 2004, the band released a five-part CD series called The Early Days. Parts 1 to 3 were reissues of the Cacumen albums, part 4 was the EZ Livin' album and part 5 was the Lessmann/Ziller album, each disc also featuring bonus material.
In 2006, Bonfire celebrated their 20th anniversary and Chris Limburg (Vice, Wet Paint and Lustfinger) took on a role as co-guitarist. A rock opera album entitled 'The Rauber' was released in 2008. A special DVD of the opera performance-- which also featured new music videos of several of the songs from the album-- was released soon afterwards and included a remixed version of their song 'You Make Me Feel'. This new version of the song is featured on the PlayStation game Sing Star.
January 15th 2009 saw the return of Dominik Huelshorst, when Jürgen left the band unexpectedly, followed by a long anticipated return to the North American stage, as the band performed at the Rocklahoma Festival on July 12th in Pryor, Oklahoma, USA.
On March 25th, 2010, Bonfire were signed to Universal Music. The album 'Branded' was released on January 22nd, 2011. The new second guitarist of Bonfire is Frank Pané, member of the German metal band Solemnity and ex-member of Red to Grey, and Valley's Eve.
In 2016, Bonfire celebrated their 30th anniversary and a new double album, Pearls, released on UDR/Warner on 18 March 2016. This recording featured past band hits that were re-recorded. At the beginning of July it was announced that Reece and the band had mutually agreed to part ways. To fill in the vacancy Michael Bormann was announced as the new frontman, but he was not be able to join the group for a few months. Alexx Stahl of Purple Rising and Roxxcalibur agreed to be a temporary singer to fulfill the band's commitments until Bormann's arrival. During that time the group agreed that Stahl put a lot of effort in to the performances, so it was agreed all around that he would become the full-time lead vocalist.
2022 - German rockers Bonfire consisting of lead vocalist Alexx Stahl, lead guitarists Hans Ziller and Frank Pané, bassist Ronnie Parkes and drummer Fabio Alessandrini have unveiled a video for their new single “Freedom Is My Belief” from their upcoming album Point Blank MMXXIII.
Band members:
Current members
Hans Ziller – lead and rhythm guitars, talkbox, backing vocals (1972–1989, 1996–present)
Frank Pané – rhythm and lead guitars, backing vocals (2015–present)
Ronnie Parkes – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)
Alexx Stahl – lead vocals (2016–present)
Fabio Alessandrini – drums, percussion (2022–present)
Charade
* Michael Bormann - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1997–present)
* Angel Schleifer - lead guitar, keyboards, programming (1997–present)
Former Members of Bonfire / Cacumen
* Karl Ziller - guitars (1972–1980)
* Hanns Schmidt-Theißen - keyboards (circa 1977-1980)
* Hans Hauptmann - bass (circa 1972-1982)
* Hans Forstner - drums (circa 1972-1986)
* Robert Prskalowicz - bass (1982–1986)
* Horst Maier-Thorn - lead guitars, rhythm guitars, backing vocals (circa 1972-1988)
* Michael Bormann - lead vocals, acoustic guitar (1993–1994)
* Angel Schleifer - lead guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals (1988–1994)
* Joerg Deisinger - bass, backing vocals, mouth drums (1986–1994)
* Edgar Patrik - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1987–1994)
* Chris Lausmann - rhythm guitar, lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (1992–2002)
* Jürgen Wiehler - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1997–2009)
Bonfire's official website
Right Things Right
Bonfire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nice suit, you're in
People judge you by the way you look
Right race, wrong horse
Surefire, did you read that book?
Doing this and doing that
You're doing just time
Same old situation
You can't make up your mind
(Chorus:)
Do the right things right at the right time
All you need is just a little luck
Do the right things right at the right time
Don't give in and don't give up
It's all up to you, what you gonna do?
Do the right things right at the right time
Just do the right thing
Just do the right thing right
Duck and dive, your life
Pay the bill, without a guarantee
Kickstart your way of thinkin'
Stop and go, it's your legacy
All you ever wanted
Will be coming your way
Living for tomorrow
In the world of today
(Chorus)
People judge you by the way you look
Right race, wrong horse
Surefire, did you read that book?
Doing this and doing that
You're doing just time
Same old situation
(Chorus:)
Do the right things right at the right time
All you need is just a little luck
Do the right things right at the right time
Don't give in and don't give up
It's all up to you, what you gonna do?
Do the right things right at the right time
Just do the right thing
Just do the right thing right
Duck and dive, your life
Pay the bill, without a guarantee
Kickstart your way of thinkin'
Stop and go, it's your legacy
All you ever wanted
Will be coming your way
Living for tomorrow
In the world of today
(Chorus)
The lyrics to the song, "Right Things Right" by Bonfire, speak about the idea of doing things correctly at the right time. The first verse talks about how people judge you by your appearance and how sometimes, doing the same things that you always did, won't help you make up your mind. The chorus speaks about how doing the right things at the right time can take you far in life and all that you need is a little luck. The second verse speaks about how one has to pay the bills without any guarantee, and eventually, it is a person's own legacy that they are leaving behind.
The lyrics of the song are quite direct and straightforward, and the message is delivered concisely. The focus is on making the right decisions at the right time, and that's what will ultimately bring success. The chorus repeats this message, emphasizing the importance of making the right choices to achieve success. The song's overall theme is motivational, and it urges the listener to persevere through hardships and never give up.
Line by Line Meaning
Nice suit, you're in
Your appearance can influence how people judge you
People judge you by the way you look
Appearances matter when it comes to how people perceive you
Right race, wrong horse
You have potential, but you're not using it to your advantage
Surefire, did you read that book?
You can have all the tools to succeed, but you won't know how to use them effectively without knowledge
Doing this and doing that
You're keeping busy, but not necessarily achieving anything meaningful
You're doing just time
You're simply going through the motions and not putting in much effort
Same old situation
You haven't made much progress in your life or career
You can't make up your mind
You're indecisive and unsure of what you want
Do the right things right at the right time
Success comes from making smart decisions and taking action at the appropriate moments
All you need is just a little luck
Luck can be a factor in success, but it's not the only thing that matters
Don't give in and don't give up
You may face challenges or setbacks, but you need to persevere and keep moving forward
It's all up to you, what you gonna do?
Only you can determine your future and what actions you take to achieve your goals
Just do the right thing
Success comes from making the right choices and taking the right actions
Duck and dive, your life
Your life may be unpredictable, but you need to adapt and make the most of it
Pay the bill, without a guarantee
You may have to take risks without any guarantees of success
Kickstart your way of thinkin'
You may need to change your mindset or approach in order to achieve your goals
Stop and go, it's your legacy
Your success or failure depends on how effectively you navigate the ups and downs of life
All you ever wanted
Success can be achieved if you have a clear idea of what you want and set your sights on it
Will be coming your way
If you're determined and work hard, you can achieve your goals and make your dreams a reality
Living for tomorrow
You need to have a long-term perspective and plan for the future
In the world of today
Your success and progress depend on how well you navigate the current circumstances and challenges
Contributed by Logan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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