Centred originally around the core of ex-WHITESNAKE guitarists MICKY MOODY and BERNIE MARSDEN. THE SNAKES performed numerous club shows playing exclusively WHITESNAKE material. The guitar pairing had initially been working up a proposed band titled SAINTS AND SINNERS with erstwhile WHITESNAKE refugees bassist Neil Murray and COZY POWELL plus American vocalist JOHN WEST. Powell's own solo album with West put an end to this venture.

For the August 1998 'Once Bitten' album, released only in Japan through the Pony Canyon label, three Norwegians, including ex VAGABOND vocalist JORN LANDE, were drafted in and production duties were handled by TNT guitarist Ronnie Le Tekro. TNT's keyboard player Dan Stokke engineered the album. A live opus, comprising WHITESNAKE songs, followed that same December.

By 1999 the band had evolved into COMPANY OF SNAKES with the guitar duo joined by ex-WHITESNAKE and BLACK SABBATH bassist Neil Murray and former RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and WHITESNAKE keyboard player Don Airey. The new band was fronted by none other than erstwhile BAD COMPANY singer ROBERT HART.

During 1999 Lande was fronting MUNDUS IMPERIUM, releasing an album through Nuclear Blast. With Moody and Marsden pursuing COMPANY OF SNAKES quite bizarrely though Lande, Ringsby, Airey and Bendickson held onto the name THE SNAKES and intended further albums with new guitarist Tore Morem.

COMPANY OF SNAKES persevered by pulling in another Englishman former MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, STATETROOPER and PRAYING MANTIS singer Gary Barden. By mid 2000 though Barden was out in favour of ex-SNAKES IN PARADISE frontman Stefan Berggren.

Lande operated another act, titled A.R.K., along with the YNGWIE MALMSTEEN band musicians bassist Randy Coven (also of HOLY MOTHER), keyboard player Mats Olausson and drummer John Maculuso, also of TNT, together with former CONCEPTION guitarist Tøre Ostby.

JORN LANDE also found time to cut a solo album in 2000 as well as performing lead vocals for MILLENIUM. By November Lande was announced as the new vocalist for YNGWIE MALMSTEEN's touring band. Successively he fronted the highly successful MASTERPLAN for two albums before venturing solo once again.