Author: Satana

BLAZON RITE To Release New Album ‘Endless Halls Of Golden Totem’ in June

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BLAZON RITE To Release New Album ‘Endless Halls Of Golden Totem’

Philadelphia primal epic metallers BLAZON RITE will release their first full-length, “Endless Halls Of Golden Totem” in June via Gates Of Hell Records. The album was recorded from mid-December 2020 to January 2021 at guitarist James Kirn’s home studio. Richie Rabid served as engineer, while Will Mellor handled mixing and master duties. The album will feature hand-painted cover artwork from Matt Stikker.

Due to the global pandemic, BLAZON RITE, who also include vocalist Johnny Halladay, bassist Pierson Roe and drummer Ryan Haley, employed some ingenuity to record. The band created isolation booths in Kirn’s basement, resulting in a more polished, triumphant effort that takes BLAZON RITE beyond their well-received 2020 “Dulce Bellum Inexpertis” EP.
“The recording process took a while because we were only doing it on the weekends and really taking our time with tones,” says Kirn. “It was fun because we were documenting ourselves in some of the sessions with pictures and videos, which we’ve never done before!”
The band’s inspiring blend of NWOBHM and European power metal ala BLIND GUARDIAN and HELLOWEEN is even more realized on “Endless Halls Of Golden Totem”. According to Kirn, the album’s eight tracks benefit from more focused songwriting. But, unlike the “Dulce Bellum Inexpertis” EP, it is not a concept record.
“I think we have a lot of variety from song-to-song vibe-wise and really provide a nice journey for the listener,” he says. “From power metal and traditional epic heavy metal to acoustic LED ZEPPELIN parts and Viking influenced metal, I think we really give a lot on this full-length. Each song is a whole story within itself.”

“Endless Halls Of Golden Totem” track listing:

 

  1. Legends Of Time And Eidolon
  2. Put Down Your Steel (Only For The Night)
  3. The Executioners Woe
  4. Endless Halls Of Golden Totem
  5. The Alchemists Brute
  6. The Watchmen Of Starfall Tower
  7. Consumed By Glory Light
  8. Into Shores Of Blood

HERZEL: New song online, Vinyl edition SOLD-OUT, repress on the way.

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When we got at our office yesterday morning and switched on our computers we were shocked – in the most pleasant way – to find out that, only a few days after they were delivered from the plant, all of the Herzel LPs were completely sold out two weeks before the release-date!

We have no words to express how happy we feel. For the Herzel guys in the first place: Ion and his band mates are not only super-talented, passionate, hard-working artists, but also incredibly nice, down to earth people who have been a real pleasure to work with.

We are very thankful to all of you who supported the album, literally everywhere in the world.

And to the French warriors in particular (you guys are true maniacs!) for the unbelievable response to this awesome release.

Since we are still getting many requests for the LP we have decided to immediately reprint more vinyls, which should be in stock and ready to ship in late April.

Preorders for the repress (which will be on black vinyl and include poster, just like the first pressing) start today, on the occasion of Bandcamp’s no-fees Friday.

Congratulations Herzel! And thank you all, brothers of metal!

PRE-ORDER CD

PRE-ORDER LP:

TSHIRT:

BANDCAMP: 

French Epic Metal Band HERZEL to release debut album “Le Dernier Rempart” on March 19. Pre-orders open today!

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“Le Dernier Rempart” is a unique concept album, born straight from HERZEL’s native region of Brittany.

It will be available on March 19 on Compact Disc, LP and Digital. The LP (Black Vinyl) includes Insert, A2 Poster & Download Code.

CD PRE-ORDER: https://tinyurl.com/y65qg4bx

LP PRE-ORDER: https://tinyurl.com/y3xw8nfj

Le Dernier Rempart is split into two parts. Part one contains two songs dealing with Brittany history along with an instrumental traditional song. Part two is the aforementioned concept about a hero named Herzel, who, through trials and tribulations, eventually delivers Brittany the Sword of the Gods (“L’Epée des Dieux”). It is a concept that could only come from the unique region of Brittany.

Influenced by U.S. metal stalwarts Manilla Road, Warlord, Queensryche, Heir Apparent, Omen and Virgin Steele, as well as Celtic and French traditional music, Herzel was formed by Thomas Guillesser, who was then joined by drummer Ion Philippon, guitarist Kévin Le Vern and bassist Mordiern Le Dissez. Second guitarist Gurvan Lardeux was the last piece to the puzzle, and shortly thereafter, Herzel got to work on its debut demo, Unis dans la gloire, which was released in 2015.

 

LE DERNIER REMPART’s tracklist:

Maîtres de l’océan
La Flamme
Le Dernier Rempart
Barceau de Cendre
L’épée des Dieux
L’Ultime Combat

OLD-SCHOOL METAL ENTHUSIASTS PHAËTHON SIGN WITH GATES OF HELL RECORDS

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Gates Of Hell Records is proud to announce the signing of London, England’s PHAËTHON. The label will release the band’s debut “Sacrifice Doth Call” mini-album on CD and vinyl in Feb 2021.

 

Formed during the plague of 2020 by vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Vrath and bassist Aees, with drummer Herr Berthelsen completing the lineup, PHAËTHON is hell-bent on delivering ripping old-school heavy metal of the epic persuasion.

The name PHAËTHON refers to the bastard son of the sun-god Helios, who seized the reins of his father’s chariot, nigh ramming the sun into the earth. Only Zeus’ thunderbolt evaded the planet’s imminent doom. This misguided relationship between man and his invention dominates the lyrical subject matter — be it Mayan human sacrifice, Christian hangings, or conflicts of Apep and Horus.

 

Tribute is paid to old masters like MANILLA ROAD, BATHORY and CIRITH UNGOL, along with the NWOBHM legends such as PAGAN ALTAR, SATAN and JUDAS PRIEST. The resultant five-song “Sacrifice Doth Call” is a bristling testament to these bands and the spirit of classic, timeless heavy metal.

 

“The songs on the EP must have been with me for more than five years,” says Vrath. “I’m always writing music, but never truly found an outlet for them. Two or three years ago I decided enough was enough and asked my good friend Herr Berthelsen to lay down some drums for the tracks really for no other reason than to have them out of my head. Now nothing came of the takes for several years until I finally found the time during lockdown to start working on what would become PHAËTHON. By 2020, I had been practicing my vocals and solos and finally felt confident taking on the project with full force. The results blew us all away and the decision was made to form a band and look for a label…and here we are.”

The current pandemic has provided bands with enough hurdles and logistical issues to last a lifetime. For the members of PHAËTHON, geographic challenges reared their head: Vrath, who is originally from Finland, is based in London; Aees in Greece and Herr Berthelsen relocated to Vancouver and has since been replaced by former Amulet drummer Dave Sherwood.

“Modern technologies allowed us to record our bits remotely, always making sure the sound was true to the cause,” notes Vrath. “I’m usually insistent on sitting in on the mixing, but this time I handed free reign to Cam Shuck Productions who is also based here in London. But, I got to admit Cam did a brilliant job even without me!”

“Sacrifice Doth Call” track listing:

 

Sacrifice Doth Call
Suncrater
Bless Us, O Ra
To The Gallows
The Final Beholder

 

Related links:
https://phaethon.bandcamp.com/

French Metallers TENTATION Sign With Gates Of Hell Records; New Album Due in 2021

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Gates Of Hell Records is proud to announce the signing of French metallers TENTATION. The label will release the band’s first full-length album, “Le Berceau Des Dieux”, in 2021.

 

Formed in 2012 in the Occitanie region of France, TENTATION is a French metal tour-de-force — complete with lyrics sung solely in their native tongue. The band released their debut self-titled EP in 2015, then followed it with the “Bruixes / Shaman” single in 2018. The same year, TENTATION teamed up with IRON SLAUGHT for the “- 665 – Les hordes métalliques” split.

The members of TENTATION have been in touch with Cruz Del Sur Music / Gates of Hell Records since March 2016, shortly after the release of their self-titled EP. A deal was discussed but was put on hold until this past July when the band sent some demos. After that, it didn’t take long for the two parties to agree to work together.

Comments bassist Guillaume “Guix” Pastor: “We had several proposals and our choice fell on Gates Of Hell because of the sincere passion that transpires from this label, distribution network and the quality of the bands present in its catalog, such as our French friends in HERZEL and MEURTRIÈRES.”

 

TENTATION (who is rounded out by vocalist Patrice “Darquos” Rôhée, guitarist Guillaume Dousse and drummer Laurent “Lole” Metivier) is currently putting the finishing touches on “Le Berceau Des Dieux”, which is translated as “The Cradle Of The Gods.” According to Pastor, the new album will be more “mature,” the direct result of TENTATION spending more time on the songs. The band will be hitting Moontower Studios in Barcelona, Spain next February with Javi Flz overseeing the sessions.

 

“After we released the split in 2018, we started to write some new songs, some of which, like “L’Exode” and “Le Couvent”, we played for the first time in Vouziers for the ‘Le Festival de Vouziers’ and in Paris for the release party of ADX’s new album, ‘Bestial’, says Pastor. “We had a very positive reaction to these songs — it let us know we were on the right path for completing the rest of the new album.”

BLAZON RITE to release “Dulce Bellum Inexpertis” MLP in September

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BLAZON RITE – “Dulce Bellum Inexpertis”
RELEASE DATE: SEPT 25, 2020
FORMAT: MLP
PRE-ORDER: https://tinyurl.com/y7zdc35m

 

                                

Primal and epic metal from the dungeons of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!
Dungeons and Dragons-influenced metal that deals a deadly dose of NWOBHM and power metal complete with a resounding four-song concept.

Upon the 2019 formation of Blazon Rite, guitarist and primary songwriter James Kirn had quite the simple, but universal edict: He wanted “heads to bang.” While such an approach has defined metal for the past 40 years, Kirn wanted to put his twist on the genre by combining his love of obscure ’70s hard rock and power metal while exploring the vast fantasy world of Dungeons and Dragons. In the span of a few months, Blazon Rite had assembled and recorded the four songs that would comprise their debut four-song EP, Dulce Bellum Inexpertis, which is being released worldwide via Gates of Hell Records.

Recorded and mastered by Rich Scott at 8th House Recordings in 2019, Dulce Bellum Inexpertis finds Blazon Rite (who are rounded out by bassist-turned-vocalist Johnny Halladay, drummer Ryan Haley and bassist, lead guitarist and keyboardist, Pierson Roe) expertly crafting punchy, anthemic numbers that jousts between vintage, NWOBHM-inspired metal and dramatic European acts such as Blind Guardian and Helloween.
Dulce Bellum Inexpertis is highlighted by a Kirn-created concept that follows a man’s transformation from a warrior pledged to an earthly cause to a wilderness wanderer to ultimately being a king on earth under the will of a mysterious horned demi-god. Here, the co-mingling of Dungeons and Dragons and epic metal come together in perfect harmony. Kirn uses the D&D world as a backdrop to tell stories ranging from solitude, love and passion, to anger and aggression — the perfect backdrop for the EP, with all four cuts serving as the perfect introduction to the epic power metal world at large.

2020 started off fast for Blazon Rite — the independent release of Dulce Bellum Inexpertis was immediately embraced by the underground metal scene, drawing both surprise and elation from the band. But, like so many of their contemporaries, Blazon Rite must bide their time until live shows resume. (To date, the band only has one live appearance to their credit.) Until tha happens, Dulce Bellum Inexpertis is the primal, adventurous true heavy metal soundtrack to the quarantine!