SANTA CRUZ:

Finnish rockers with two albums under their belt. They've played a lot of gigs in their home country as well as abroad. They supported AC/DC recently, playing to an audience of 55.000 people.

During their recent U.S. tour they appeared in the TV show "Breaking Band" with Sebastian Bach acting as their "mentor". He had nothing but praise for them.

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ROMEO'S DAUGHTER :

Another UK band who had their first run during the late eighties and early nineties.

Their first album was co-produced by Mutt Lange and John Parr and included hits such as "Heaven In The Backseat", "I Cry Myself To Sleep" and "Wild Child". Familiar songtitles? Yep, they've been later covered by high profile artists - Eddie Money, Chrissy Steele, Bonnie Tyler and Heart.

The band broke up in the nineties but returned some 15 years later, and have released two albums recently, with "Spin" being the latest one.

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TOM KEIFER :

Cinderella were one of the biggest bands of the "hair metal" era. Their hard rocking hits "Shake Me", "Gypsy Road" and "Somebody Save Me" helped them to achieve gold and platinum records, but the band had even greater success with their ballads. Tom Keifer's raspy voice was made for these emotional songs such as "Nobody's Fool" and "Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone). Cinderella hasn't released any new material since 1994, but in 2013 Keifer released his first solo album "The Way Life Goes". At Rockingham we'll hear songs from it and Cinderella's back catalogue.

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SERPENTINE:

UK-based band who have just released their third album "Circle Of Knives", produced by TEN-frontman Gary Hughes. Their previous albums were well recieved among the AOR fans and featured former SHY/TNT vocalist Tony Mills. He left the band soon after the recording of the second album though.

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ROBERT TEPPER :

Robert Tepper got his big break as a solo artist, when "No Easy Way Out" was chosen for the Rocky IV movie. It became a Top40 hit single and an AOR anthem. Stallone seemed to like Tepper's songs, as he chose "Angel Of The City" for his Cobra movie a while later.

Tepper released two albums during the eighties, and then joined Iron Butterfly. In 1996 MTM Music released his next album "No Rest For The Wounded Heart", then he disappeared from the public eye, concentrating on writing music for TV and films. In 2012 he released his fourth solo album, the acoustic, singer/songwriter-styled "New Life Story".

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ECLIPSE :

Swedish band who have been making a lot of new friends over the last few years. Led by Erik Mårtensson, a very productive songwriter/producer and guitarist, who has written the fantastic solo albums of Toby Hitchcock and the late Jimi Jamison. With his own band he concentrates on high-energy melodic hard rock with big hooks and powerful sound. RockUnited.Com recently witnessed the band's triumphant gig at South Park Festival in Finland, where the band came, saw and conquered... Their set is one not to be missed for sure!

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CARE OF NIGHT :

Care Of Night are a new Swedish band who released their debut album in January. The Swedes are masters in the game of melodic rockin', and CON are another example of that. Their brand of AOR will appeal to those who enjoy the smooth sounds of Alien, Toto and Work Of Art.

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LAST AUTUMN'S DREAM :

LAD is one of the most profilic bands in "our" genre. Originally formed by Swedish singer Mikael Erlandsson and former Fair Warning guitarist Andy Malecek in 2002, the band has released over a dozen studio albums and a live one.

Over the years, several top Swedish musicians have played in the band. The Europe trio of Michaeli, Haugland and Leven played on the first album. After Europe's comeback they were replaced by Thomas Lassar (kbs), Marcel Jacob (bs) and Jamie Borger (drs).

Erlandsson is the only original member of the band nowadays. Other members are Borger, Nalle Påhlsson (bass) and guitarist Peter Söderström.

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JIM PETERIK:

Jim Peterik's name shouldn't be unfamiliar to anyone who's into melodic rock. His first big band was Ides of March in the seventies, for who he wrote the hit "Vehicle", among others.

Jim's career really blossomed during the eighties, when he was in the band Survivor. With Frankie Sullivan, he co-wrote several major hits for the band, including the classic "Eye Of The Tiger", "I Can't Hold Back" and "Burning Heart".

He left the band in the late eighties, and concentrated on other things. His name can be seen in the writing credits of dozens of albums. His own projects include the bands World Stage and Pride of Lions, solo albums and a biography that was published recently.

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VEGA:

Founded by the well-known songsmiths, the Martin brothers, Vega are one of the bands who are breaking down borders of 80'ies styled AOR and modern rock. With the charismatic Nick Workman as their frontman, I wouldn't be surprised if the band found some mainstream success as well.

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ELECTRIC BOYS:

Swedish rockers who have successfully mixed funk, rock and metal. The band had the biggest success in the early nineties, and just like many other acts of the era, the called it quits during the late nineties.

in 2009 the band was reformed in its original line-up, and have released two new albums since then.

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DAN REED NETWORK:

"Prince meets Bon Jovi"... not entirely accurate but there's some truth to it. DRN were maybe ahead of their time and didn't become the international superstars many thought they'd be.

Their three albums from 1988 - 1991 are cult classics, mixing funky edge to catchy melodies and hard rockin' guitars. The band reformed in 2013 and have played selected gigs over the last couple of years.

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GOTTHARD :

Saturday's headliners Gotthard suffered a major blow when their vocalist Steve Lee was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2010. The band took some time to consider their options, and decided to carry on.

With new vocalist Nic Maeder they've released two successful albums and continue to be a popular live act.

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ISSA:

Norwegian songstress Issa has released four albums, the latest one being "Crossfire".

Each one of her albums features more anthemic pop-rock choruses than you could ask for. We think that her show will be the perfect start for the last day of the festival - you can't help but to sing along!

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AMMUNITION :

Here's a real Scandi-supergroup! Featuring the former Wig Wam vocalist Age Sten Nielsen, Eclipse guys Erik and Robban, keyboardist Lasse from Circus Maximus, Hal Patino (King Diamond/Pretty Maids) and Jon Pettersen, Ammunition released their first album earlier this year to much critical acclaim.

I guess we can expect to hear a couple of Wig Wam classics among the new material...

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STAN BUSH :

He's got "The Touch" when it comes to writing great AOR music... Stan Bush released his first solo album in the early eighties, but it was with his second album "Stan Bush & Barrage" that he broke through. "The Touch" was featured in the Transformers movie and became a cult hit, while "Love Don't Lie" was later covered by House Of Lords.

Stan has kept on releasing quality albums thoroughout the years, with "The Ultimate" being the latest one.

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GIUFFRIA :

Three out of five members from the line-up of Giuffria's first album will reform to perform the band's hits from the eighties: vocalist David Glen Eisley, guitarist Graig Goldy and drummer Alan Krigger.

The details of this reunion have been kept under wraps, we'll see who they'll bring along.

NO HOT ASHES:

This band were one of the top melodic rock bands in Northern Ireland back in the late eighties. Now they've been on the comeback trail for a couple of years. They've supported many major acts and played on several big festival. Second time's the charm?

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ROYAL HUNT:

Royal Hunt will be celebrating their 25th anniversary next year! Meanwhile, this year they have released their 13th studio album "The Devil's Dozen".

The band was formed by keyboard maestro Andre Andersen, and reached their biggest success with "Moving Target" and "Paradox" albums, both featuring American vocalist DC Cooper. He was fired in 1998, but returned to the band in 2011. Now, during his second stay they've released three rather brilliant albums.

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VALENTINE :

Not to be confused with the US band, this Valentine is actually solo artist Robby Valentine from The Netherlands. He's a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist, highly influenced by Queen.

Valentine's combines pop and rock elements with symphonic touches. His latest album was released last year, and it's called "Bizarro World".

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DOKKEN :

Dokken were one of the big metal bands of the eighties, with million-selling albums and hit singles. They combined fine melodies and smooth vocals to fierce metal riffs.

Today's Dokken features original members Don Dokken and Mick Brown. with long-standing guitarist Jon Levin and the band's latest recruit, former Royal Hunt and Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Mark Boals on bass. He's not in the photo above because it seems impossible to find promotional photos of the current line-up!

The band's biggest hits include "Dream Warriors" from the Nightmare on Elm Street 3 -movie, "Alone Again", "In My Dreams" and "It's Not Love". I wouldn't be surprised if we heard all of those at Rockingham, and I wouldn't be disappointed either! Rokken with Dokken!

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