Today, the band shares their cover version of “Fame” by Irene Cara, first made popular by the film of the same name in 1980. The track is one of three covers that appear on MOB RULES’ upcoming album, Celebration Day – 30 Years of Mob Rules, which is out on Steamhammer/SPV on May 3rd.
About the track, singer Klaus Dirks says:
“The person responsible for this is our former drummer Nikolas Fritz. During the lockdown, he suddenly had the idea to make this cover version of Irene Cara’s song. While showering he heard it on the radio and suddenly felt that it was a good idea to make a metal version of it. So we made it happen with the help of our friend and engineer Markus Teske who added this symphonic touch. We are very happy with the result!”
With Celebration Day – 30 Years Of Mob Rules, the band around singer Klaus Dirks announces an extensive compilation of MOB RULES classics with over 150 minutes of playing time spread over two CDs. Consisting of thirty hand-picked songs, including classics such as “Black Rain”, “Hollowed Be Thy Name” and “Rain Song”, but also songs that have previously seen less of a spotlight.
Klaus explains:
“I immediately have to think of ‘Way Of The World’, which was the last song on our ‘Hollowed Be Thy Name’ album from 2002. We were able to get ex-Helloween/Masterplan guitarist Roland Grapow for a guest appearance and in the end the eight-and-a-half-minute track became one of the best in our repertoire.”
In addition to this amazing cross-section of the band’s career, they have included some tracks which were previously only available digitally (as examples, the latest single “Hymn Of The Damned” and the Amon Amarth cover “Raven’s Flight”). These tracks were carefully remastered by Markus Teske especially for this compilation.
With three brand new cover songs, Celebration Day – 30 Years Of Mob Rules, also contains previously unreleased material. With great attention to detail, the band took on diverse songs such as “Run To The Hills” (Iron Maiden), “Fame” (Irene Cara), and “Square Hammer” (Ghost) and made them their own.
French artist Stan-W Decker (Primal Fear, Blue Öyster Cult, Rage) was enlisted for the visual design of the anniversary release, creating the perfect setting with a breathtaking cover illustration containing numerous cross-references to the MOB RULES band history.
All in all, every detail of Celebration Day – 30 Years Of Mob Rules displays the high-quality standards of a band that has never done things by halves.
Here’s to the next 30 years!
CD1
1. Way Of The World
2. Run To The Hills (Iron Maiden Cover)
3. Fame (Irene Cara Cover)
4. Square Hammer (Ghost Cover)
5. Ghost Town (re-recorded)
6. Sacred Heart (Dio Cover)
7. Ghost Of A Chance
8. Hollowed Be Thy Name
9. Sinister Light
10. Black Rain
11. Ice & Fire
12. Somerled
13. Flag Of Life
14. Unholy War
15. Fuel To The Fire
CD2
1. Raven’s Flight (Amon Amarth Cover)
2. Hymn Of The Damned
3. Lord Of Madness (re-recorded)
4. Evolution’s Falling
5. Shores Ahead
6. Hydrophobia
7. Hold Back The Light
8. Tele Box Fool
9. Desperate Son
10. The Sirens
11. Better Morning
12. Trial By Fire
13. On The Edge
14. Rain Song
15. Dykemaster’s Tale
MOB RULES Live 2024:
03.05. DE-Bremen – Meisenfrei
04.05. DE-Duisburg – Parkhaus Meiderich
05.05. DE-Waldbronn – Soundcheck One
