Close to the Sun (album)

Close to the Sun is the fourth album of the melodic hard rock project Place Vendome. The songwriting for this album was provided by Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear), Jani Liimatainen (Cain's Offering, ex-Sonata Arctica), Olaf Thörsen (Vision Divine, Labyrinth), Fabio Lione (Vision Divine, Angra, ex-Rhapsody of Fire), Simone Mularoni (DGM), Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Voodoo Circle), Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere) and Mike Palace (Palace).

Close to the Sun
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2017
GenreHard rock, AOR
Length55:51
LabelFrontiers
ProducerDennis Ward
Place Vendome chronology
Thunder in the Distance
(2013)
Close to the Sun
(2017)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
DangerDog[1]
Sea of Tranquility[2]
Heavy Paradise[3]

This was the first Place Vendome album to feature guest guitar solos by Gus G (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne), Kai Hansen (ex-Helloween, Gamma Ray, Unisonic), Mandy Meyer (Krokus, ex-Asia, Unisonic), Alfred Koffler (Pink Cream 69), Magnus Karlsson, Simone Mularoni and Michael Klein.[4] It was released on 24 February 2017 with cover art credited to Stanis W. Decker.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Close to the Sun"Simone Mularoni4:32
2."Welcome to the Edge"Jani Liimatainen4:30
3."Hereafter" (DGM cover)Mularoni4:26
4."Strong"Alessandro Del Vecchio3:53
5."Across the Times"Mularoni4:51
6."Riding the Ghost"Olaf Thörsen, Fabio Lione3:57
7."Light Before the Dark"Mike Palace4:11
8."Falling Star"Magnus Karlsson4:50
9."Breathing"Aldo Lonobile4:43
10."Yesterday Is Gone"Del Vecchio4:33
11."Helen"Thörsen, Lione5:00
12."Distant Skies"Lonobile5:28
13."Strong" (orchestral version) (Japan bonus track)Del Vecchio3:19

Personnel

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Place Vendome

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  • Michael Kiske – vocals
  • Dennis Ward – bass guitar, rhythm guitars, producer
  • Dirk Bruinenberg – drums
  • Gunther Werno – keyboards
  • Uwe Reitenauer – rhythm guitars on "Close to the Sun", "Welcome to the Edge", "Hereafter", "Across the Times", lead guitars on "Close to the Sun"

Guest musicians

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Charts

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Chart (2017) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[5] 155
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[6] 60

References

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  1. ^ Pete Pardo. "Place Vendome Close To The Sun".
  2. ^ Craig Hartranft. "Place Vendome: Close to the Sun".
  3. ^ Heavy Paradise. "REVIEW : PLACE VENDOME – Close to the Sun (2017)".
  4. ^ bravewords.com. "PLACE VENDOME To Release Close To The Sun Album In February".
  5. ^ "Ultratop.be – Place Vendome – Close to the Sun" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Place Vendome – Close to the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
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