Tag: NWOBHM

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

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/

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.”

PULVER Streams ‘Kings Under The Sand’ Title Track on DEAF FOREVER

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German metal throwbacks PULVER are now streaming “Kings Under The Sand”, the title track from their forthcoming first full-length, via Deaf Forever.

https://www.deaf-forever.de/songpremiere-pulver 

“Kings Under The Sand” was recorded in October of 2018 at Big Snuff Studio in Berlin, Germany, with producer Richard Behrens at the helm. The artwork was handled by Max Löffler. Featuring eight cuts of gritty, but classic metal, “Kings Under The Sand” capitalizes upon the promise PULVER showed on their 2018 debut self-titled EP. Right up the alley for fans of NWOBHM heroes TANK and German mainstays ACCEPT, PULVER relish in the glow of steely songwriting, oscillating between feverish gallops and grueling mid-tempo romps, all with a storyline about the “Phantom Hawk” alien warrior tribe that made its first appearance on the band’s self-titled EP!

PRE-ORDER: http://tinyurl.com/y5a3f5bx 

Kings Under the Sand track listing:

  1. Rising
  2. Phantom Hawk
  3. Blacksmith’s Lament
  4. Kings Under the Sand
  5. Qarah
  6. Warrior Caste
  7. Alpha Omega
  8. Curse of the Pharaoh

PULVER Readies First Full-Length ‘Kings Under The Sand’

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German classic metal hybrid PULVER has recently completed work on their first full-length album, “Kings Under The Sand”. Due in early 2019 via Gates Of Hell Records, the album was recorded at Berlin’s Big Snuff Studio with Richard Behrens serving as producer.

Guitarist Lukas Kunkel describes “Kings Under The Sand” as “more defined” than their debut self-titled 7-inch, which was released earlier this year. According to Kunkel, major influences come from traditional heavy metal, especially NWOBHM and hard rock. Under the direction of Behrens, “Kings Under The Sand” was recorded in analog, ensuring a crisp, classic metal sound. “The songwriting process was very similar to what it was like for the EP, but more targeted,” notes Kunkel. “Everybody was involved, throwing ideas around and working on the details until we were all happy with the songs. In doing so, we still always tried to keep an eye on the album in its entirety. Eventually, we fine-tuned a few things during the recording sessions at the studio.”

The album’s artwork is created by Max Löffler and will be a continuation of the “Phantom Hawk” creature that originally appeared on the band’s 7-inch. “The whole concept for the album revolves around the idea that ancient Egypt was enslaved by an alien warrior tribe known to man as the ‘Phantom Hawk,’” says vocalist David Fröhlich. “The creature on the cover of our 7-inch was a scout for an alien race, who came to earth to check if mankind would stand any chance to defend itself against the invasion. The scenes on the album cover will take place seven years later in an enslaved Egypt. While the aliens have invaded the planet, humans are preparing a counterstrike at their shelter underneath the sand. The songs on the album will tell the story around it while musically reflecting the particular theme.”

 

PULVER’s debut self-titled 7-inch was recorded by Heiner Kunkel at Dreiklang Audio in the band’s hometown of Aschaffenburg.

 

Related links:

Facebook.com/pulverheavymetal
Pulverheavymetal.bandcamp.com

CONVENT GUILT To Release ‘Diamond Cut Diamond’ In November

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“Diamond Cut Diamond”, the second full-length album from Australian true metal quartet CONVENT GUILT, is set for a November 9 release via Gates Of Hell Records.

The follow-up to 2014’s “Guns For Hire” was recorded at various locations around Sydney in the first half of 2018 by Lachie Vercoe, who was also responsible for the album’s mix. “Diamond Cut Diamond” was mastered by Patrick Engel at Temple Of Disharmony. The album’s striking cover art featuring a strong colonial Australian image was created by Lena Richter of Diamonds and Rust Tattoos.

Possessing the same classic metal swagger as found on “Guns For Hire”, “Diamond Cut Diamond” contains seven slabs of song-oriented metal, graced with well-placed tinges of melody and NWOBHM influences. CONVENT GUILT (who feature bassist/vocalist/primary songwriter Ian, the guitar tandem of Andrew and Dario, and drummer Brent) have once again placed focus on emotion and energy over soulless musical precision, resulting in a must-listen for fans of early IRON MAIDEN, SAXON and TRESPASS.

According to Ian, the songwriting process for “Diamond Cut Diamond” was an organic one, although the band was sure to take their time when writing their all-important sophomore album. “Songwriting happens when it wants to rather than when I sit down to focus on it,” he says. “The oldest tracks on ‘Diamond Cut Diamond’ were written before ‘Guns For Hire’ was released. Even the newest tracks have been around a while. We rehearsed the tracks quite a bit and recorded rough demos to fine-tune our approach. With a bit of luck, this has added extra layers to the songs without compromising the band’s raw energy.”

Employing lyrical themes that, according to Ian, touch upon Australia’s “rich and dusty history,” “Diamond Cut Diamond” proves to carry plenty of philosophical weight as well. “Some of our lyrics deal with conquerors and the subjugated, the inbuilt weakness of men, depression-era outlaws and the insanity of social media. It’s a mixed bag thematically, but as always, lyrics are a vital part of what this band is about.”

It’s been four years since the release of the last CONVENT GUILT LP, so, as you could imagine, the band is chomping at the bit to unleash the album upon the waiting ears of the metal scene. As “Diamond Cut Diamond” shows, the wait was well worth it. “I’m sure it’s the same for most bands, but getting an album out seems like such a massive weight off our shoulders – it’s a ‘release’ in more ways than one,” says Ian. “We won’t rest on our laurels, but we’ll enjoy the relief and achievement as well. A couple of us have other projects we’re working on, so we’re giving those a bit more attention. And we’re riding the usual waves of life to wherever it takes us.”

“Diamond Cut Diamond” track listing:

1. Howling Vengeance
2. Born To Trouble
3. Powder Dry
4. Scream Out Your Heart
5. Bonnie And Clyde
6. Thief In The Night
7. Foxes Run