Tag: HERZEL

MEURTRIERES announce full album “Ronde De Nuit”!

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Lyon, France’s Meurtrières has not strayed far from their original goal of writing old-school, epic heavy metal with medieval overtones on their newest effort, “Ronde De Nuit” to be released on August 25.
If anything, the band (consisting of new vocalist Fiona, the guitar tandem of Flo Spector and Olivier, bassist Xavier and drummer Thomas) has taken what they started on their well-received 2020 self-titled EP and added new layers of complexity and depth. It is the natural transition for a band gaining more confidence in its songwriting abilities.

Meurtrières wasted little time introducing new vocalist Fiona — the band started playing live shows and writing new material with her right after the release of the EP, thus, giving Meurtrières ample time to hone its new material. And Fiona fits the band’s hard-charging, gallant music like a glove, coming away with a stronghold of fiery, epic choruses — all sung in the Meurtrières’ native tongue.

The lyrical subject matter on Ronde De Nuit still spans the medieval domain but with increased emphasis on paintings by Rembrandt (The Night Watch) and Johann Heinrich (Füssli). The band aimed to make the songs “pictorial,” reflecting imaginary portraits to draw in the listener. Except for “Aucun Homme, Aucun Dogme, Aucune Croix” (which is a known French medieval legend about a real woman), the songs on Ronde De Nuit are based on fantasy with a desired fate: All the depicted characters are doomed to tragedy, for in the world of Meurtrières, there is no such thing as crowned kings and queens and even glorious warriors.

Artwork by Ivan Brun rounds out a package that perfectly ties in thematically with the desperate and dark themes of the lyrics. It is a fitting component to an album laced with stunning visuals and epic, old-school metal of the highest order!

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

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.”