Tag: EPIC METAL

Philadelphia Epic Metal Heroes BLAZON RITE Return With ‘Wild Rites And Ancient Songs’

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Emerging Philadelphia epic metal heroes BLAZON RITE will release their second album, “Wild Rites And Ancient Songs”, on April 14 via Gates Of Hell Records.

Recorded in May 2022 with Kevin Bernsten at Developing Nations Studios, “Wild Rites And Ancient Songs” is the highly anticipated follow-up to BLAZON RITE’s masterful 2021 debut, “Endless Halls Of Golden Totem”. With scores of ears awaiting the band’s new long player, guitarist James Kirn says BLAZON RITE rose to the challenge.

“We are really grateful for everyone who supported ‘Endless Halls Of Golden Totem’ and hope we made something that people will always go back to,” he says. “The only pressure I think we felt was to deliver something different and fresh from what we’ve already presented to the world. While I think the new album isn’t a huge departure, we did some things creatively with this record that differ from our first full length and push us forward. At times, we simplified things and set out to make songs more hard-hitting and powerful. We really took our time with this album and I think it shows in the quality of the overall product.”

Comprising seven cuts that dig into the ethos and essence of what true metal should be in 2023, “Wild Rites And Ancient Songs” boats BLAZON RITE’s now patented blend of strident guitar melodies and true metal persuasiveness. However, “Wild Rites” emerges as a more direct and catchy offering than its predecessor, something Kirn says was the goal from the start.

“I just wanted to try new things and explore different moods and feelings with this new album. We leaned in so many different directions on this release. We have some traditional power and epic metal elements, some NWOBHM parts, and even folk vibes. I really just wanted to give the listener a wholly memorable experience. We tried to simplify the lyrics and vocal melodies a bit to make them more impactful and anthemic as well. I also think the tones we achieved on this record are great and new for us. I want to mention that Pierson [Roe] took the solos and leads to a new epic place this time around.”

BLAZON RITE rapidly emerged as one of the new leading faces in the American traditional metal scene. The excitement and strong press surrounding “Endless Halls” was significant — and justified. This year promises to be a busy one for the band. Playing as many shows as possible behind “Wild Rites” will be the next step on BLAZON RITE’s epic metal journey.

“We are really amped to hear what everyone thinks of this new album and hopefully, the word spreads even more about us,” closes Kirn. “I think people will appreciate the polish and the development we’ve put on this album. Hopefully, we can get some buzz about the album and play some cool shows with some good lineups.”

“Wild Rites And Ancient Songs” track listing:

  1. Autumn Fear Brings Winter Doom
  2. Salvage What You Can Of The Night
  3. The Fall Of A Once Great House
  4. Mark Of The Stormborn Raiders
  5. Wild Rites And Ancient Songs
  6. Troubadours Of The Final Quarrel
  7. The Coming Tide Of Yule

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

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!

 

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.”

IRON GRIFFIN To Release ‘Curse Of The Sky’ In March: track streaming!

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IRON GRIFFIN, the vintage metal project from MAUSOLEUM GATE drummer Oskari Räsänen, will release its first full-length, “Curse Of The Sky” on March 22 via Gates Of Hell Records.

LISTEN TO “REIGN OF THUNDER” on BANDCAMP!

 

The follow-up to the band’s 2017 self-titled EP, the instrumentation for “Curse Of The Sky” was recorded in July of 2018 at Räsänen’s rehearsal room in Kuopio, Finland. Vocals were tracked in Joensuu, while synthesizers were recorded in Helsinki. Like the self-titled EP, “Curse Of The Sky” finds Räsänen once again handling all instrumentation and recording the album himself. He is joined by a new face, female vocalist Maija Tiljander, who he discovered several years ago singing European power metal covers in a Finnish bar. Impressed, he took a mental note of Tiljander’s abilities and when it came time to work on “Curse Of The Sky”, he felt compelled to track the vocalist down.

“I found her through social media and straightly asked if she would be interested in an album project like this,” he says. “She responded, ‘Of course I am!’ Long story short, I did not know her before, I took a bus to Joensuu with my portable recording equipment and we had a pleasant demo session. I was really impressed with her abilities and sound and how greatly she adapted my ideas. Maija’s vocals give really unique twist to IRON GRIFFIN. This kind of metal is enchanted with powerful and high-pitched vocals is something really unique and cool.”

“Curse Of The Sky” traverses the familiar road of classic, proto-metal, with Rasanen’s savvy songwriting being the guide as he takes the listener through songs of fantasy and folk tales. Inspired by U.S. power metal and progressive folk/rock, Räsänen also looked toward doom metal for atmosphere and melancholy. “I tried to channel epic-ness in the instrumentation and especially in the vocals. I was highly influenced by the vocals in MAJESTIC RYTE, ENCHANTER on their ‘Defenders Of The Realm’ album and STORMBRINGER’s ‘Stealer Of Souls’. But on the other hand, folk bands like PENTANGLE, RENAISSANCE, MELLOW CANDLE, COMUS, MIDWINTER, CHIMERA, MORITA DOJI, HAKO YAMASAKI have all stuck so hard in my subconscious. If you’re aware of this kind of music, you might hear something similar and familiar in ‘Curse Of The Sky’.”

While he’s very much comfortable in a full band environment like MAUSOLEUM GATE, in IRON GRIFFIN, Räsänen admits that working alone does present its share of obstacles, especially when he wants to try new ideas out. But, through the process of elimination and sheer perseverance, Räsänen is often able to emerge with songs he can stand by, which is why he will continue to do all instrumentation himself.

“The best thing about doing music by yourself is that there are no boundaries, you can do whatever you want,” he says. “There is no one presenting bad opinions or shitty riffs, ha-ha! If you want to make even more over-the-top vocal melodies or anything weird and un-acceptable, you can just do it. No compromises have to be done. When working as a full band, it’s always about making compromises and struggling through what is good and what is not from everybody’s opinion. That is why making your own music in your own ways is really refreshing. At least for me it is. Still, the greatest motivation to make a full-length was to challenge myself and become better both in composing music and playing various instruments.”

 

“Curse Of The Sky” track listing:

1. Prelude
2. Reign of Thunder
3. Forgotten Steel
4. Lost Legion
5. Curse of the Sky
6. Dawn of Struggle
7. To the Path of Glory

FINLAND’S CHEVALIER AND LEGIONNAIRE PLAN SPLIT RELEASE

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Representing a new breed in Finnish classic metal, CHEVALIER and LEGIONNAIRE will be teaming up for a split release via Gates Of Hell Records. The split – featuring one song from each band – will be recorded at Black Floyd’s Analog Studio in Hämeenkyrö, Finland. The recording will also mark the first Gates Of Hell release for CHEVALIER.

Comments CHEVALIER guitarist Tommi Puurunen: “We asked LEGIONNAIRE to do a split with us after playing gigs together to show the rest of the world a collaboration of Finnish metal played the way it never really has been played around here. Our side of the split is a fast-paced ripper taking you back a few centuries…”

“We are good friends with CHEVALIER and we are eagerly looking forward to the sessions and the release,” adds LEGIONNAIRE drummer Akseli Häärä. We are quite confident about the split release because we think the combination of LEGIONNAIRE and CHEVALIER is killer! That has already been proven since we’ve shared the stage with them a couple of times. There will be lots of epic guitar action, medieval tunes and speed coming up! Our song is a solid follow-up to the freshly-released full-length.”

Formed in 2016 in Helsinki, CHEVALIER took the underground by storm with its “A Call To Arms” EP. Recorded in the band’s rehearsal room, “A Call To Arms” showcased the banshee screams of vocalist Emma Grönqvist alongside furious IRON MAIDEN gallops and MERCYFUL FATE-like song structures.

LEGIONNAIRE already has one Gates Of Hell release to their credit – this year’s stalwart “Dawn Of Genesis”. Heralded for its relentless dual-guitar action and emotive vocals of Aku Tiensuu, “Dawn Of Genesis” instantly made LEGIONNAIRE a favorite among old-school metal fans. Prior to “Dawn Of Genesis”, the band released two demos before signing with Gates Of Hell.