[Cover photo credit to William Hames]

Manic Eden released one solitary album in 1994 and now Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group has announced the reissue of the self-titled album on April 12, 2024. It will be released on CD, and made available digitally and on vinyl for the first time. A video for the track “Can You Feel It” has also been released.

In 1993, when Whitesnake was on a hiatus, David Coverdale was working on an album with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. Adrian Vandenberg (Guitar/Keys), Rudy Sarzo (Bass) and Tommy Aldridge (Drums) decided to put a band together.

Remembering the time, Vandenberg says:

Rudy, Tommy and I just came out of the glamorous ’80s, having surfed the world’s biggest stages on the waves of the multi-million selling Whitesnake albums ‘1987′ and ‘Slip Of The Tongue’. The expensive, polished Whitesnake videos had been all over MTV non stop. Then the Grunge scene hit.

Vandenberg wanted a more ‘organic’ sound, one that reminded him of the bands he grew up listening to like Cream, Free, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Mountain.

He adds:

They still sound timeless and exciting and a bit ‘rough around the edges. Pretty much always recorded in a very short period of time, so the spontaneity, dynamics and emotion in the musicians’ performances are right in your face. Mixed in such a way that the listener feels he or she is right there in the room while the band is playing.

After a week or two of rehearsing in Palm Springs, they started working in an authentic 70’s recording studio in Los Angeles. They had recruited Ron Young, the singer from American hard-rockers Little Caesar, to take on vocals for the recording.

Looking back, Vandenberg reflects:

When the album got its worldwide release, it was tough to get radio airplay because of the drastically changed ‘music fashion of the week’. Of course, we were anxious to hit the road and tour all over the place, but in the end, we only did an acoustic tour in France, which was a lot of fun. While in Paris, we recorded an extremely budget-friendly video for the song ‘Do Angels Die’, filmed by two students from the film academy in Amsterdam. Still one of my very favourite videos and songs of my career.

Personally, this album is a timeless work of honest, organic ‘Blues-Rock With a Twist’ by four musicians who’ve always been in the music business out of passion for music and who play from the heart. I’ve always been very proud of the Manic Eden album that my friends Ron, Rudy, Tommy and I recorded in 1993. After hearing the songs a million times, I still play the album regularly, which says a lot. It’s the real deal.

Track List:

1. Can You Feel It 2. Gimme A Shot 3. Fire In My Soul 4. Do Angels Die 5. Pushing Me 6. Dark Shade Of Grey 7. Keep It Coming 8. When The Hammer Comes Down 9. Ride The Storm 10. Can’t Hold It 11. Crossin’ The Line (digital only)