It’s just over a year now since Paul Flanaghan interviewed Bonfire's frontmant Claus Lessmann but with the recent announcement of a new album and UK tour in November, he just had to accept the invitation to speak with him again and catch up on whats been going on in the Bonfire Camp.

Judging from the band's website Claus, it seems you have had quite a busy year. How were the shows you did with Whitesnake?

“I think this was one of the most fantastic tours we have ever done, especially, you know, being a support band. I’ve never felt such a harmony between a headliner and a support band before, it was just great! The two crews got along very good and also the musicians of Whitesnake and us - it was just fantastic! Doug Aldridge spent a lot of time in our dressing room on the tour, which was great, but we didn’t see David much”.

It was obvious to me at one of the Whitesnake shows I saw here in the UK, that Doug Aldridge was Coverdales blue-eyed boy in this line-up and that Reb Beach was finding it a bitter pill to swallow, especially when everyone in the band got a solo spot apart from him.

“There were several things I think for Reb, the American tour they were doing, Kip Winger was doing the support and Reb asked David if he could play with him and as I understand it he told him 'No because you are in Whitesnake now,' so I don’t think he was too pleased.”

Please tell us about the new Bonfire album.

“Well the title is called 'Free'. We were looking for a name for the record and came up with things like ‘Pleasure Ride’ and stuff like that, but when we were getting closer to finishing the album we decided that all these kind of titles were the wrong thing really because so many things have changed you know, and the way we wrote the album and the way we recorded it we said ‘Free’ would be a good title, as so many things in our life’s have changed. And this is the last album we are doing with BMG - there’s an old German saying “Throw away the old wig” ... you know, we wanted a new fresh start so we stuck with 'Free' as the title.

There are ten tracks on there and it’s definitely a new direction for the band. You know, we were kind of bored of copying ourselves through the years, and I know it’s a dangerous move with the fans if you change your style a little bit, because they love you for what you are, but as a band, a musician and composers/songwriter you can find it boring if you always do the same, doing another 'Fireworks', doing another 'Strike X' and we say lets do something different.”

I understand you and Hans produced the whole album?

“Yes, and we didn’t use any effects with very few things like chorus and reverb and all that stuff, and it was fun ... you know, seeing things developing. It was a little complicated at times though, because we were touring while we were recording the album. This was a little unfortunate planning but in the end it turned out very good.”

Tell us about the album launch night at the Hard Rock Cafe in Berlin, are you going to be playing live?

“It will be a very private thing with only 300 people allowed in there, and yes we will be playing live and will try to play every song of the new album and I think it will be a fun night, but there should be plenty of press there and ‘Rolling Stone’ who have refused to write about Bonfire over the years, now they seem to want to write about us which is great.”

Have you got a single in mind from the album?

“Yes! it’s going to be a track called ‘Rock and Roll Star’”.

The bands website www.bonfire.de was nominated for an award recently?

“Yes, it was nominated for the ECHO. Unfortunately we didn’t win and I still feel that we were ripped off, if you compare it to the other one that won even a blind man could have seen that the best website was Bonfire’s, but thats the game I think.”

Your touring again here in the UK in November.

“When I think back to when we were in the UK last time it was such a fantastic feeling coming back to this country, and the fans were so open and gave us such a warm welcome so we can’t wait to come back. I think we are going to play a mixture of songs. I would love to concentrate on the new album but in the UK I think we need to play more of a variety of the old stuff and the new. I am kind of preparing for the Liverpool show now, I’m reading the Beatles Biography. I really love all that stuff”.

Can you explain why its important for you to have one day off after playing two shows back to back?

“Well the doctor said that ever since I was born one of my vocal chords was lame and the other chord is doing the job of the second as well, so this is the problem and I can’t do too many shows in a row because the chords are too weak. The doctor can’t understand how I have done it for all these years.”

I guess thats how you get the unique Bonfire sound Maybe?

“Yes! [laughs]"

Is it painful?

“Oh yes!! When I’m singing a lot it gets really painful and the more I sing the more it is going to get worse but rock & roll does not show any mercy so I just have to do what I’m doing, and I’m enjoying it so..."

I heard you are going to be playing guitar on this tour.

“Yes, I have to! I did it for the first time on the Whitesnake tour and it was like jumping into ice cold water you know, because it was the first time I’d played live. I played guitar on every song on the album and I’m having fun doing that. If you have been a singer for such a long time it kind of gives you a new kick, and its a lot of fun, but when I’m writing songs I always use the guitar anyway, although I’m not a very good guitar player. In fact I was talking to Doug Aldridge one night and I told him that I felt like a small ant compared to him, you know this God of Guitars, and the way he can play and he said don’t worry about that he would be glad if he could play like I can. I said what do you mean, he said I have got to do everything perfect every night, so he said to me do what you do and have fun, so that was a big help for me.”

What happened to Chris Lausmann.

“He had to leave for personal reasons really. It was better for us to go our separate ways, so we were going to get another guitarist in but it just didn’t happen. I was already playing guitar and we worked with the keyboads a little bit and we said lets just wait until we are ready to do the album, but it just turned out that we didn’t get anyone else.”

What can you see yourself doing if Bonfire called it a day tomorrow for whatever reason?

“Still writing songs! Producing! But I think I will always be in the music business.”

And that has to be good news for all fans of classic melodic rock. Be sure to see Bonfire on their upcoming UK tour, as they are one band that can be assured of putting on a great live show!