Pretty Maids

Biography

Pretty Maids is a Danish hard rock/heavy metal band from Horsens. They were formed in 1981 by Ken Hammer and completed with Ronnie Atkins in 1982.
The band have supported well known acts such as Black Sabbath, Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Alice Cooper, and Saxon, and were also featured at the 1987 German version of Monsters of Rock, where Deep Purple headlined.
After a prolonged international touring hiatus before the release of the 2006 Wake Up to the Real World album, the band have every year since been touring their primary markets of Denmark, Sweden, France, Germany and Japan.

1980s

Pretty Maids were formed in 1981 by friends Ken Hammer and John Jacobsen in Horsens, Denmark as a cover band initially called Pretty Panic. Ronnie Atkins joined Pretty Maids in 1982, replacing John Jacobsen on vocals. They wrote their own material and a self-financed demo resulted in a deal with the English record label Bullet Records.
In 1983, the band released their debut self-titled EP under the name Pretty Maids, recognition was fuelled by their UK tour the same year. In 1984 they signed to CBS Records in Denmark, who remixed and re-released their self-titled EP with a different cover.
In 1984, the band released their debut studio album, Red Hot and Heavy, which was a success. The line-up featured two new members, former Shylock members Allan DeLong on bass and Rick Hanson on guitar. Hanson left the band and was briefly replaced by ex-Mercyful Fate guitarist Benny Petersen.
More acclaim followed with their second studio album, Future World×Future WorldApril 1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Future World5:252We Came to Rock4:303Love Games4:154Yellow Rain5:315Loud 'n' Proud3:536Rodeo4:177Needles in the Dark5:058Eye of the Storm4:599Long Way to Go3:27, released in 1987. It was recorded in Bearsville Studios, New York, with producer Eddie Kramer. The collaboration did not work out and Flemming Rasmusen ended up producing the more hard rocking songs and Kevin Elson produced the more melodic tracks. Bonfire guitarist Angel Schleifer joined as touring guitarist in 1987-88.

1990s

The 1990 follow up, Jump the Gun, with new guitarist Ricky Marx, was produced by Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover. The band more or less broke up after this record, leaving only founding members Ron Atkins and Ken Hammer.
They would not quit so recruited drummer Michael Fast and bassist Kenn Jackson, and went on to record Sin-Decade in 1992, once again teaming up with Metallica's producer Flemming Rasmussen. The album produced the single "Please Don't Leave Me" - a John Sykes cover.

2000s

In 2003, their management company Rock On went bankrupt due to some unwise business moves in September 2002. This left Pretty Maids in a bad financial situation and also left them with a lot of legal problems as well as lot of business and copyright mess.
In 2003, lead guitarist Ken Hammer had a heart attack. He has since recovered completely and has been on stage numerous times since the incident.
As of July 2005, the drummer since 1991, Michael Fast, decided to leave before the recording of Wake Up to the Real World - an album that was originally intended to be released in 2005, but the initial recordings was postponed to the summer of 2006. In April 2006, new drummer Allan Tschicaja (Royal Hunt, Kingdom Come) was announced as Michael Fast's replacement. In 2006, Morten Sandager (ex-Mercenary) joined Pretty Maids, playing the keyboards.

2010s

On 14 May 2010, Pretty Maids released their twelfth studio album, Pandemonium×Pandemonium14 May 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Pandemonium5:212I.N.V.U.4:583Little Drops of Heaven4:394One World One Truth4:215Final Day of Innocence4:186Cielo Drive3:557It Comes at Night4:188Old Enough to Know4:189Beautiful Madness4:0510Breathless4:0211It Comes at Night (remix)5:48, through Frontiers Records. First single released from the album was Little Drops Of Heaven. In April 2010, Pretty Maids announced that they have parted ways with bass player Kenn Jackson. In May 2010, it was announced that American bass player Hal Patino (formerly of King Diamond) had temporarily replaced Jackson. Patino announced in April 2011 that he had left Pretty Maids.
Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Pretty Maids played a concert at Tivoli, Copenhagen, which featured Rene Shades on bass.
On 15 September 2012, Pretty Maids played in the US for the first time at the ProgPower festival.
Pretty Maids released their thirteenth studio album, Motherland×Motherland22 March 2013 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Mother of All Lies4:332To Fool a Nation4:233Confession1:374The Iceman3:475Sad to See You Suffer4:316Hooligan3:407Infinity3:488Why So Serious4:089Motherland3:2710I See Ghosts3:3011Bullet for You3:5812Who What Where When Why3:5413Wasted5:14, on 22 March 2013 in Europe and on 26 March 2013 in North America through Frontiers Records. Ronnie Atkins has called it the band's "best album song by song".
In December 2015, Pretty Maids announced that their fifteenth studio album is set to be released in 2016.
In February 2016, Pretty Maids announced that keyboard player Morten Sandager had left the band. In September 2016, Pretty Maids announced that Chris Laney has joined the band, playing keyboards and guitars.
Pretty Maids released their fifteenth studio album, Kingmaker×Kingmaker21 October 2016 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1When God Took a Day Off6:012Kingmaker4:163Face the World3:594Humanize Me4:135Last Beauty on Earth4:056Bull's Eye3:567King of the Right Here and Now4:418Heavens Little Devil3:489Civilized Monsters4:5710Sickening3:4511Was That What You Wanted5:00, on 4 November 2016 through Frontiers Records.
On 1 May 2017 it was announced that drummer Allan Tschicaja had left the band. In a statement he said: "It’s been a difficult decision for me, but I want to focus more on family, friends and other projects." He was replaced by Allan Sørensen on 9 May 2017, where he played for the first time with Pretty Maids on their opening slot for Kiss in Horsens, Denmark.
On 9 July 2019 it was announced that Pretty Maids were forced to cancel their September 2019 ProgPower appearance due to personnel changes. The band's latest album Undress Your Madness×Undress Your Madness8 November 2019 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Intro0:342Serpentine4:173Firesoul Fly4:174Undress Your Madness4:205Will You Still Kiss Me (If I See You in Heaven)3:596Runaway World4:277If You Want Peace (Prepare for War)4:168Slavedriver4:499Shadowlands3:5410Black Thunder3:4611Strength of a Rose4:40 was released in November 2019.

2020s

In March 2020, the band's lead singer and frontman Ronnie Atkins revealed that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer at the end of 2019. Despite the initial treatment proving successful, his cancer went out of remission in October 2020. In 2021, Atkins released his debut solo album One Shot in lieu of touring or working in the studio with Pretty Maids, mainly for health and logistical reasons. Ken Hammer was also doing side projects around that time and in 2022 he released the album Taboo with H.E.R.O. vocalist Christoffer Stjerne.
In November 2021, the band released two authorized books. One in Danish called "40 år med Pretty Maids", based on interviews with Ken Hammer and Ronnie Atkins. "We Came To Rock – The Official Pretty Maids Journals" is written in English and based on interviews with former and present members of the band, managers etc as well as a journal of the whereabouts for 40 years.
In June 2024, Pretty Maids returned to the stage after a five year break and performed a few shows including at Copenhell 2024 festival and the Time to Rock festival in Sweden.

Legacy

Pretty Maids' song "Back to Back" from their debut studio album, Red, Hot and Heavy×Red, Hot and Heavy1984 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi [Carmina Burana]0:232Back to Back3:343Red, Hot and Heavy3:584Waitin' for the Time4:465Cold Killer4:436Battle of Pride3:147Night Danger3:528A Place in the Night3:599Queen of Dreams4:4510Little Darling2:59, was covered by the Swedish melodic death metal band Arch Enemy on their tenth studio album, Will to Power (2017).

Band members

Current

Ken Hammer — lead guitar, backing vocals (1981–present)
Ronnie Atkins — lead vocals (1981–present)
Rene Shades — bass, backing vocals (2011–present), rhythm guitar (2004, touring)
Allan Tschicaja — drums (2006–2017, 2019–present)
Chris Laney — keyboards, rhythm guitar (2016–present)