Andi Deris

Andreas "Andi" Deris (born 18 August 1964) is a German singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of power metal band Helloween,[1] and co-founder and former lead singer of German melodic metal band Pink Cream 69. He has an active solo career, as well as his own recording studio in Tenerife.

Andi Deris
Andi Deris, at Przystanek Woodstock in 2011
Background information
Birth nameAndreas Deris
Born (1964-08-18) 18 August 1964
Karlsruhe, Germany
GenresPower metal, heavy metal, speed metal, hard rock
OccupationsVocalist, songwriter
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Years active1979–present
LabelsSony Music
Associated actsPink Cream 69, Helloween

Biography

First bands (1979–1987)

Andi was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, and started to sing in his first band, called Paranoid, when he was 15. Two years later they changed the band's name to Nameless. In Nameless, Deris stayed along with his school friend, drummer Ralf Maurer, who also played on both Andi's solo albums. In late 1984 Andi Deris joined a band called Dragon with the two brothers Bruno and Oscar Di Blasio (Di Blasio BrOs) on guitar and Bernd and Stefan Lüddemann (bass & drums).

After playing live concerts in the Karlsruhe area, they went to Edo Zanki's Studio in Karlsdorf and to Arco Studio, München to record their first demo with producer Tony Monn. The following songs were recorded: "I Was Made to Be With You", "Call Me Up", "Woman", "I Hear the Angels Singing", "Ballade of Glory" and "Rock Your Body Down". During the production of the demo, drummer Bodo Schopf (ex-Michael Schenker Group) recorded some drum-parts. In 1986, when Bruno & Oscar Di Blasio together with Andi Deris (who had just finished military service) met the Italian bass player Daniel De Niro, KYMERA was born. Ralf Maurer alias "Ralph Mason" was again recruited as the new drummer of the band.

Soon after, KYMERA went to the Katapult-Tonstudio in Karlsruhe to record new songs for Francis, Day & Hunter GmbH Publishing- Hamburg. The following songs were recorded: "Hello U.S.A.", "Hot Looking Romeo", "Send Me a Letter" and rearranged versions of "I Was Made To Be With You", "Call Me Up" and "Woman". After a few concerts, Maurer quit KYMERA to go to University and was replaced by a young Kosta Zafiriou, and the line-up of KYMERA was complete again. Soon, the band went to a Studio in Mainz to record "Shadows Are Falling", "Lonely Would Be Loving You" and a new version of "Ballade of Glory" and played many live dates in Germany until the end of 1986. In the beginning of 1987, Andi Deris and Kosta Zafiriou left KYMERA to form the band Pink Cream 69.

Andi was hired for the recording sessions for No Mercy, a band-project based in Appenweier/Offenburg – South Germany, founded by three locals: Bobby Benz (Bass), Rüdiger Föll (Drums), and Uwe Ulm (Lead Guitar). He also played two gigs with No Mercy. On the second and last gig, Pink Cream 69 played as a support band for No Mercy; on that evening Andi was the lead singer for both bands and hit the stage twice, opening with the very first line up of Pink Cream 69.

Pink Cream 69 (1987–1993)

In 1987, when Andi was 22, Pink Cream 69 was officially formed, with the original lineup of Dennis Ward, Kosta Zafiriou, Alfred Koffler and Deris. They signed with CBS (now known as Sony Music). Pink Cream toured in Europe, America and Japan and recorded 3 albums with Andi Deris on vocal duties. In 1992 they released a live video titled Size it up – Live in Japan, This hour-long concert is also featured on Pink Cream 69's 2009 live DVD release Past and Present along with all videos starring Andi as well.

Helloween and solo career (1993–present)

In 1993, Helloween was undergoing lineup changes. Gone was Ingo Schwichtenberg, replaced by ex-Gamma Ray drummer Uli Kusch, and Michael Kiske, replaced by Deris. The new lineup recorded Master of the Rings. Deris immediately became a songwriter for the band, resulting in tunes like "Why?", "Perfect Gentleman" and "In the Middle of a Heartbeat". The Time of the Oath in 1996 further lifted up the band's album sales, culminating in a world tour and a concert DVD along with double-CD live album, High Live, set from 3 concerts in Spain and Italy. While Helloween would go on a break, Deris would record his first solo album Come in from the Rain. Deris sang and played guitar, accompanied by Peter Idera (guitar), Ralph Maison (drums and back-vocals) and Gisbert Royder (bass).

In 1998, Helloween recorded Better Than Raw in Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain), where he currently lives.[2]

In 1999, Helloween released a cover album Metal Jukebox, and Andi's second solo album, Done by Mirrors, released in Japan (released 2000 in other parts of the world due to record company conflicts), featuring Deris once again on vocals and guitars, Don Pupillo on lead guitar, Maison and Royder. Helloween's The Dark Ride also came in 2000.

After the supporting tour for The Dark Ride, Helloween fired Roland Grapow & Uli Kusch. Rabbit Don't Come Easy would be released in 2003, featuring the band's first tour in the United States since 1989. In 2005, Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy was released. First single and video was Deris's song "Mrs. God". For the first time in the band's history there was a duet, with Candice Night of Blackmore's Night, in "Light the Universe". It was the second single and the second video for the album. A live double DVD video with documentary and live double CD was released in February 2007.

Helloween completed their twelfth studio album Gambling with the Devil, released on 23 October 2007. "As Long as I Fall", the first single, was released in early September and available only via download (save for Japan, where it was released on CD). The video for the song is available on their official site. Since then, Helloween also released Unarmed - Best of 25th Anniversary, 2009, 7 Sinners, 2010, Straight Out of Hell, 2013, and My God-Given Right, 2015, which has a title inspired by something Deris's father told him when he finished school.[2] A new solo album was also released, called Million-Dollar Haircuts on Ten-Cent Heads, in November 2013.

Personal life

Andi Deris has a son born on 1990 or 1991.[2] Since the late 1990s, he has resided in Tenerife, but intends to move to the Seychelles one day.[2] Commenting on the differences between Tenerife and Germany, he said:[2]

I remember when we first came there, like some 18 years ago, there was [sic] so many things not regulated. Much more freedom and now with Brussels doing stupid laws in each and every corner of our lives, I feel for me personally it's going too far and probably they are bored there. Otherwise, I can't explain all these stupid laws they are committing, and they are actually doing. Life is still great on Tenerife, but not as great as it used to be some 18 years ago. So if it goes on like that in the next 10 years with regulations and even more Europeanizing the shit out of it, then I'm off to the Seychelles.

Guest appearances
  • He provided lead vocals for the song "To The Quasar", from Ayreon's 2000 album Universal Migrator Part 2: Flight of the Migrator.
  • He also appears in the Rage album, Soundchaser, in the song "Falling from Grace, Pt. 1: Wake the Nightmares".
  • The German Rock Stars has Andi singing on the song "Wings of Freedom".
  • Andi was part of the German rock project on the song "Let love conquer the world"
  • He sang with an ensemble of singers in the "20th anniversary song" from the band Axxis, a medley of Axxis songs.
  • He appeared on the Tribute to Rainbow cd with the song "Catch the rainbow".
  • He sang on the track "Bad Mean Woman" at album Jail from the band Get into....
  • Together with Michael Weikath he appears on the track "Eagle Fly Free" on the DVD and live album Ritualive from the band Shaman; the song is a Helloween cover. He also performed the song "Breaking the Law" by Judas Priest with Shaman and Tobias Sammet but this did not make it to the DVD or the album.
  • For the Nuclear Blast record label, he sang "A Perfect Day" on their album Into the Light.
  • He worked also with Wolfpakk band as a guest vocal, in 2015.
  • Together with Angry Anderson and Lemmy Kilmister he sings on the Saxon anthem "I've Got to Rock to Stay Alive".
  • In 2010, he recorded guest vocals for a duet in the band Wicked Sensation for the song "My Turn to Fly".
  • In 2011, he appeared in a duet with the vocalist of Eden's Curse on their album called Trinity, the song is named "Black Widow"
  • He also produced Tenerife based band Meridian Zero's first album "Doors of Creation" and Esclavitud's album Condenados Al Paraíso.
  • Andi worked on the project "Help! For Japan Ep" where he sang along with other known metalsingers like former Helloween singer Michael Kiske to raise money for the Japanese red cross.
  • In 2012, he wrote and shared vocal duties on the song "I Must Be Dreaming" by Scelerata.
  • Andi worked with Lady's voice and wrote the song "EnAmoria", he sings with he ladies and David Readman, Oliver Hartmann, Hagen Grohe and Marcus Jurgens.
  • Andi sings on the song "Accidents happen, even here" by band Crimes of passion
  • Deris worked with the italian band Love Might Kill singing the song "Addicted to the Night", with the vocalist Gianba Manenti.

Discography

Kymera
  • Demo (1987)

No Mercy
  • No Mercy (1987)

Pink Cream 69

Helloween

Solo

Singles
  • "1000 Years Away" (1997)
  • "Good Bye Jenny" (1997)
  • "Don't Listen to the Radio" (2013)
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See also

References
  1. Bukszpan, Daniel; Dio, Ronnie James (2003). The Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal. Barnes & Noble Publishing. p. 77. ISBN 978-0-7607-4218-1.
  2. Syrjala, Marko (20 May 2015). "HELLOWEEN – Vocalist Andi Deris". Metal Rules. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
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