Picture (NL)

About

Few Dutch bands can claim to have shared stages with AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Saxon, and Rose Tattoo, but Picture pulled it off. Formed in Hilversum in 1979, they built their reputation the hard way, grinding through gigs across the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, and eventually headlining tours as far as Israel. Their third album Diamond Dreamer is widely considered the peak of their catalog, largely thanks to the arrival of Israeli vocalist Shmoulik Avigal, whose powerful voice lifted the band into a different league. The lineup shuffled constantly over the years, and by the mid 1980s the original fire had dimmed into what many fans called hair metal territory. Founding member Rinus Vreugdenhil kept things going until 1987, when he finally called it quits. A 2007 reunion brought the classic lineup back together, eventually yielding the 2009 album Old Dogs, New Tricks and the 2012 follow up Warhorse, which reminded fans why Picture mattered in the first place. They still have a loyal following in South America, Mexico, and Japan.