Bryan Adams has started his own record label, Bad Records, and its first release is a vinyl 7″ single featuring two songs the Canadian star co-wrote for Kiss before he was an international star.
Working with longtime songwriting partner Jim Vallance and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, Adams worked on Rock And Roll Hell and War Machine for Kiss’s Creatures Of The Night album in 1982, the year before his breakthrough album Cuts Like a Knife.
“I was thrilled to work with them back then,” says Adams. “I was a broke songwriter, it came at the perfect time. While sitting with the band, Gene played me this fantastic bass riff, which ended up being the backbone of War Machine. I was trying to think of a theme that could possibly match the riff and came up with the title, which was actually an homage to a comic book character.
“Rock And Roll Hell was actually Jim’s song that had been released a few years earlier with Bachman Turner Overdrive. I suggested that we re-write it with Kiss as the themes of hell and war were both strangely forefront in my mind at the time. It’s incredible to think those themes are unfortunately playing out for real in the world today, but I’m very grateful to the Kiss guys for giving me the chance back then.”
Adams has also filmed a video for Rock And Roll Hell, which was shot on the roof of London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall during his So Happy It Hurts Tour residency in May. The single is available on streaming platforms now, while the vinyl edition will ship on August 30. It’s available to pre-order now.
Adams kicks off a run of shows in his home province of Quebec today (August 2), with mainland European dates beginning in Germany next month. He will finish the year in India and the UAE. Full dates below.
Bryan Adams – Rock And Roll Hell – YouTube 
Bryan Adams: So Happy It Hurts Tour 2024
Aug 02: Lévis Festivent, QC, Canada
Aug 03: Rimouski Parc Beauséjour, QC, Canada
Aug 04: Mani-Utenam Festival Innu Nikamu, QC, Canada
Aug 06: Chicoutimi Zone Portuaire de Chicoutimi, QC, Canada
Aug 07: Joliette Amphithéâtre Fernand-Lindsay, QC, Canada
Aug 09: Rouyn-Noranda Festival Osisko en Lumière, QC, Canada
Aug 10: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Festival de Montgolfieres, QC, Canada
Sep 05: Berlin Messe Berlin – Summer Garden, Germany
Sep 30: Paris Zenith, France
Oct 01: Luxembourg Rokhal, Luxembourg
Oct 03: Brussels Forest National, Belgium
Oct 04: Rotterdam Ahoy Arena, Netherlands
Oct 05: Dusseldorf PSD Bank Dome, Germany
Oct 06: Hamburg Barclays Arena, Germany
Oct 08: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Oct 09: Stuttgart Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, Germany
Oct 10: Leipzig Quarterback Immobilien Arena, Germany
Oct 11: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
Oct 13: Brno Winning Group Arena Brno, Czech Republic
Oct 14: Budapest MVM Dome Budapest, Hungary
Oct 16: Limassol Tsirio Stadium, Cyprus
Oct 18: Istanbul Fenerbahçe Ülker Sports Arena, Turkey
Nov 04: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Nov 06: Bolzano Sparkasse Arena, Italy
Nov 08: Dornbirn Messequartier Dornbirn, Austria
Nov 09: Milan Mediolanum Forum, Italy
Nov 10: Basel St. Jakobshalle, Switzerland
Nov 12: Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi, Spain
Nov 13: Murcia Palacio De Deportes, Spain
Nov 15: Bilbao Bizkaia Arena Bec!, Spain
Nov 16: A Coruña Coliseum, Spain
Nov 18: Madrid Wizink Center, Spain
Nov 19: Porto Multiusos De Gondomar, Portugal
Nov 20: Lisbon Meo Arena, Portugal
Nov 23: Braga Altice Forum Braga, Portugal
Nov 24: Lisbon Meo Arena, Portugal
Dec 06: Schladming Planai Stadion, Austria
Dec 10: Bhoirymbong Rbdsa, Shillong, India
Dec 12: Gurugram Backyards Sports Club, India
Dec 13: Mumbai Nesco, India
Dec 14: Bengaluru Terraform, India
Dec 16: Hyderabad Gmr Arena, India
Dec 19: Abu Dhabi Etihad Arena, Yas Island, UAE