Author: Satana

French Epic Metallers HERZEL Join GATES OF HELL RECORDS

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Gates of Hell Records  is proud to announce the signing of French epic metallers HERZEL. The label will release the band’s first studio album sometime in 2020.

HERZEL was formed in 2013 by vocalist 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.

Influenced by U.S. metal stalwarts MANILLA ROAD, WARLORD, QUEENSRŸCHE, HEIR APPARENT, OMEN and VIRGIN STEELE, as well as Celtic and French traditional music, HERZEL offers a unique angle to epic metal. Their songs are sung entirely in French, but fans of the aforementioned bands will no doubt find something special lurking within HERZEL’s sound.

“We think that the ‘unique’ sound of HERZEL comes out from the different types of music we listen to and the fact that we don’t put up walls during the composition process,” says Philippon. “We want it to be sometimes like U.S. metal with fast and catchy riffs, other times more melodic and epic with ideas that come from Celtic or prog music. Ultimately, we want to play music that sounds epic, that tells the story of heroes, of legends from Bretagne.”

HERZEL was brought to Cruz Del Sur’s attention by one of the first fans of the band, Luis Ruvio. At the 2018 installment of the Keep It True festival in Germany, Ruivo introduced Philippon to Cruz Del Sur owner Enrico Leccese. “Since I already knew of the label, I knew Cruz Del Sur would be a good fit for our band,” notes Philippon. “A few months later, we traded a few more messages and that was it”.

Since the 2015 release of “Unis dans la gloire”, HERZEL has been gradually working on new songs. Philippon estimates there has been occasions when the band has spent six months or up to a year working on compositions, fine-tuning the riffs, melodies and vocal lines. But, the finish line is drawing near: HERZEL has completed the songwriting process for their first-ever full-length album.

“It will be an album with five new songs,” says Philippon. “Three of the songs will be part of a trilogy about a hero called ‘Herzel.’ Just like the demo, the lyrics will be a melting pot of legends and historical facts that took place in Bretagne.”

Finland’s ORPHAN DEVIL Joins Gates Of Hell Records

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Gates Of Hell Records has announced the signing of Finnish metal upstarts ORPHAN DEVIL. The label will release the band’s debut two-song EP, “Victims Of The Night/Drifting Away” in February 2020.

Originally formed in 2016 by a group of old friends who shared the same interest in music, ORPHAN DEVIL’s lineup was completed this year with the addition of vocalist Perttu. From there, the young band hit the studio for the recording of the EP, showcasing a deft blend of classic metal with a dose of speed.

“We listen to lots of different kinds of music,” says guitarist Kristo. “Of heavy metal influences, the biggest ones are old the Swedish heavy metal bands. Many of them had punk influences and kind of a melancholic vibe in their sound, which we love. And, of course, none of us would have picked up an instrument if we hadn’t listened to IRON MAIDEN. Classic rock is also as important for us as heavy metal.”

ORPHAN DEVIL (who are completed by second guitarist Sakke, bassist Sampo and drummer Late) joined forces with Gates Of Hell after a simple email was sent to the label. The band is currently fine-tuning songs for their next release as well as preparing for additional live duty. For now, “Victims Of The Night/Drifting Away” showcases a band already coming into their own as songwriters.

“I don’t really think of our songs as having a specific theme,” concludes Kristo. “We’re just writing about what’s on our mind at the moment and what seems to fit the song. Mostly it’s about life and death with a little glimpse of hope somewhere.”

TRAVELER Hits Studio; New Album Due In 2020

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Upstart Canadian metallers TRAVELER are currently recording their second full-length album, due in March 2020 via Gates Of Hell Records. The band’s 2019 self-titled debut was released to critical acclaim, with Toilet Ov Hell hailing it as a “starbreaking smash” and Metal Observer calling it a “strong contender for album of the year.”

“It’s been an amazing year,” says guitarist, founding member and primary songwriter Matt Ries. “It has exceeded our expectations way beyond what we thought, and is a really good introduction to what’s to come! Playing Western Canada, to Chicago, all the way to Germany, it’s been a great learning experience on how to improve our shows. It’s been an amazing ride. We can’t wait to keep this train rollin’.”

According to Ries, TRAVELER’s new album is “nearly completely written,” with the band needing to tighten up a few things while they continue to track drums. Like their self-titled album, Jan Loncick will be manning the production board. “We will be doing this similar to what we did last time, except we’ll be stepping up the production just a little more,” says Ries. “No triggers, though. Never triggers. But Jan knows what we want and how to deliver the goods. We’ve always had great chemistry with him so why fix what ain’t broke?

 

“The songs are more in the same vein, but with more dynamics to the structures,” he continues. “There are some blazing fast songs and some slower, feely-tunes, and some right in the middle. There’s more to work with this time around.”

Ries and TRAVELER have more to work with largely because the band had some leftover songs from the self-titled album. Furthermore, there has been additional input from vocalist Jean-Pierre Abboud, who has taken over most of the lyrical duties, and bassist Dave Arnold, who has contributed a song from his previous band, STRIKER.

“Also, our new friend JP Fortin of DEAF DEALER has gifted us a song of his that never made it to a DEAF DEALER album,” notes Ries. “It’s an absolute honor to do this for him. So, with the two songs I didn’t write, it alleviated some pressure to take on all the writing again. It’s a way different approach this time around with JP and Dave’s help. I still don’t know how most of these will sound when it’s complete, which is a little nerve-racking, but exciting at the same time.”

 

Ries says TRAVELER is almost done booking their 2020 “Warriors Of The North” European tour. The band will also be playing the “Hell’s Heroes” festival in Texas later in 2020. Coupled with the new album, some new art and merch and 2020 is looking bright for TRAVELER. “It’s going to be a banger,” says Ries. “We’re stoked to see everyone there. Thank you all for the support!”

German Speedsters TORPËDO Join GATES OF HELL RECORDS

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Gates Of Hell Records is proud to announce the signing of Nuremberg, Germany speed metallers TORPËDO. The label will re-release the band’s 2019 “Mechanic Tyrants” demo in early 2020 with brand-new cover art.
Originally formed in November 2018 as a side-project with the goal of covering old-school metal songs while peppering in a few of their own compositions, TORPËDO became a serious band once its members realized how strong their chemistry was. The band got to work on the “Mechanic Tyrants” demo — it sold out quickly, prompting TORPËDO to go on a search for a record company.

“We wrote to several labels we thought would fit our band and got to choose between three or four of them,” says bassist Danny Keck. “In the end, we settled for Gates Of Hell for several reasons: the medium they wanted to release the demo (CD and vinyl), they have a good reputation and they signed a lot of bands that we like personally like TRAVELER, VULTURES VENGEANCE and PULVER.”

“Mechanic Tyrants” was recorded in a basement studio of the band’s Nuremberg hometown. (“Everything was improvised down there; there wasn’t even a toilet — we just used the sink,” laughs Keck.) The members of TORPËDO (who are rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Flo Fait, second guitarist Alex Starbreaker and drummer Phil Srešý) took a truly hands-on approach: They mixed and mastered the demo themselves, leading to its raw, but natural feel, one that harnesses the band’s influences of NWOBHM and speed metal.

The one difference between the original release of “Mechanic Tyrants” and the Gates Of Hell Records version is the album cover. The band has decided to update the cover art with a drawing courtesy of Fait. “The original cover is totally ugly which was the reason we used it in the first place,” says Keck. “We thought it was funny. To be honest, we still think it’s funny. Never had we thought that we would receive such good feedback. So, we figured that since this was going to be a re-release, we need to come up with a better cover, especially since it will be released on vinyl.”
Keck says TORPËDO already has five new songs in the can and several more in the works. In the meantime, the young thrashers will be doing what they do best: bringing their brand of metal in front of a live audience.
“I guess people in front of the stage can describe it better than the guys on stage, but I’ll try it anyway: I would say our shows are energetic, with lots of movement and headbanging on stage,” wraps Keck. “And honest. I think we do a very honest live show. We totally believe in what we do up there on stage and stand behind it one-hundred percent.”

TERRIFIANT Signs With GATES OF HELL RECORDS

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Belgian throwback metal miscreants TERRIFIANT are the latest addition to the Gates Of Hell Records roster. The label will issue the band’s debut full-length in February 2020.

As the story goes, TERRIFIANT was formed when garrulous, rough-housing troublemaker guitarist ZZ Slop met a “mysterious sleazeball” by the name of Lord Terrifiant at a festival parking lot. The two proceeded to hash out their idea for a metal band that would commit itself to the “ways of old and forgotten metal gods of yore.” Enter TERRIFANT.

The band’s lineup was eventually rounded out in 2018 after scouring every back alley, dive bar and street corner in their native Brussels, eventually landing the services of Alcoloic (drums), SlimeValdi (guitars) and Sniffany Baggs (bass). Terrifiant, appropriately enough, found their sound by mixing the rawness of NWOBHM and early U.S. metal, along with strong nods to metal from the Far East. The result is an uncompromising offering to the metal gods backed with a “fist full of rock ‘n’ roll attitude and seriously bad intentions.”

To date, TERRIFIANT has just a self-titled demo released via Messe Noir to their credit, which can be streamed below. A seven-inch version is coming soon.

(PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Barhd)

IN LEAGUE WITH HELL!

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L'immagine può contenere: 1 persona
We’re super-excited to announce our new collaboration: Canadian Tyrant-Queen Annick Giroux (Cauchemar / Temple of Mystery Records) will be taking care of layout for the future Gates Of Hell releases on a regular basis.
Annick’s already worked with us in the past creating awesome layouts for Chevalier – FIN and Skelator.
She’s incredibly talented and metal to the bone and we’re stoked to have her aboard.
FIRE AND ICE!