Author: Enrico

Watch Video for ‘Maybe Tomorrow,’ the First Single from ERIC WAGNER’s Posthumous Solo Album. Pre-Orders Open!

Enrico



“Maybe Tomorrow”, the first single from former TROUBLE singer Eric Wagner’s posthumous solo album, “In The Lonely Light Of Mourning”, is available for viewing below.

CD PRE-ORDER: https://tinyurl.com/yybxfk47

LP PRE-ORDER:  https://tinyurl.com/2p95uud9

Recorded at Alpha Sound Services and Aardvark Recording, “In The Lonely Light Of Mourning” was completed and delivered to Cruz Del Sur Music a month before Eric’s untimely passing. Initially scheduled for a November 2021 release, Cruz Del Sur Music — in cooperation with Eric’s manager, Mike Smith — agreed to move the release date to March 2022 to give it the attention it deserves.

The solo endeavor — a longtime goal of Eric’s — serves as a fitting testament to one of doom metal’s most respected voices. Eric tapped former TROUBLE/current BLACKFINGER drummer David Snyder to help him assemble the album’s eight cuts. Along the way, Eric brought in some of his favorite musicians as guests — including past and present members of TROUBLE, BLACKFINGER, THE SKULL, LID, PENTAGRAM, DEATH ROW and PLACE OF SKULLS.

According to Snyder, the origins for “Maybe Tomorrow” had been kicking around for quite some time.

“The pre-chorus part was definitely influenced by Chuck Robinson’s old band, THIS TORTURED SOUL which at that time, I had the pleasure of playing second guitar for a few shows,” he says. “That influenced things for sure. The verses and descending single note parts were Eric’s suggestions and the main riff was originally just single notes. And, just before recording, Eric wanted it heavier, so I added the low droning open note and asked what he thought and in true Eric form, he calmly said, ‘That’s it. It’s a jam.’

“On the first rough mixes you can hear him say it when the song started while he did the vocals, which definitely brought a smile every time I heard it,” Snyder continues. “The songs’ style ended up being a cool full-circle thing with Chuck and I and being fans of Eric’s music, who greatly influenced our own styles. Add in Lothar Keller’s stunning solo and Ron Holzner’s badass bass and it rounded the whole track out rather well, I have to say.”

“It’s very interesting hearing this tune now that Eric has gone to the other side,” adds Keller. “Call it premonition or whatever someone’s take on it is — you can hear it in his voice and it will definitely hit you. I am honored to have been a part of Eric’s last album and his legacy will continue to live on in the hearts of many!”

The aforementioned Robinson played a vital role on “The Lonely Light Of Mourning”. Robinson wrote “Isolation” and “Wish You Well” and co-wrote “Rest In Peace” with Snyder. He also played rhythm guitars on every song except “If He Lost It All” and played bass on “Wish You Well”.

“The groove and vibe on ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ is insane!” says Robinson. “It’s just a killer riff with great drive. Dave is such a great remember. I remember Eric was very adamant how he wanted the feel to be. Eric’s lyrics were so personal to him. He was a master with words, hidden meanings and messages. Only he knew for sure…”

“In The Lonely Light Of Mourning” track listing:

01. Rest In Place

02. Maybe Tomorrow

03. Isolation

04. If You Lost It All

05. Strain Theory

06. Walk With Me To The Sun

07. In The Lonely Light Of Mourning 08. Wish You Well

MIRROR Signs With Cruz Del Sur Music, ‘The Day Bastard Leaders Die’ Due Next Spring

Enrico

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the signing of multi-national classic occult metallers MIRROR. The label will release the band’s third full-length, “The Day Bastard Leaders Die” in spring 2022.

Formed in 2015 by former ELECTRIC WIZARD bassist Tas and vocalist Jimmy Mavrommatis, MIRROR released their self-titled debut the same year. Their 2019 “Pyramid Of Terror” follow-up was hailed for its energetic blend of NWOBHM and 70s proto-rock, particularly Mavrommatis’s high-wire vocal delivery and the band’s deft use of twin-guitar melodies. MIRROR soon found itself a new record deal when guitarist Nikolas Moutafis contacted the Cruz Del Sur Music brass and inquired about a partnership.

“We are happy and excited about signing with Cruz Del Sur,” says Tas. “The label’s ownership loved the songs on ‘The Day Bastard Leaders Die’. We started recording the album last year but had a few delays because of COVID. Somehow, we made it. Our producer is my good friend, Costa Costopoulos, and he’s based in Athens and did a fantastic job.”

MIRROR, which is rounded out by drummer Daniel Georgiou and second guitarist Dino, had a tall order following “Pyramid Of Terror”. But, according to Tas, “The Day Bastard Leaders Die” should surpass its predecessor in more ways than one.  

“Overall, it’s a heavier and faster album than ‘Pyramid Of Terror’. This was not intended, but a lot of frustration came out when we were composing the songs. The album is in the same vein as the ones before, though, and it’s still classic, raw heavy metal.”

ADAMANTIS Release “Storm The Walls” first single off ‘The Daemon’s Strain’ EP out in Spring 2022

Enrico

Hot off the heels of their 2020 “Far Flung Realm” full-length, emerging Massachusetts power metallers ADAMANTIS will release the four-song “The Daemon’s Strain” EP next spring via Cruz Del Sur Music.

And as today the band premieres “Storm The Walls”, the EP’s opening track on New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal You Tube channel:

ADAMANTIS started work on “The Daemon’s Strain” in late 2020 when all live activity was on hold due to the global pandemic. The unplanned break from shows afforded the band additional time to compose and fine-tune the material, which finds ADAMANTIS hitting their full Euro power metal-influenced stride, replete with anthemic choruses, melodic interplay and epic, gallant song constructs.

“We had one song recorded during the ‘Far Flung Realm’ sessions that did not make it to the album,” says the band. “So, we decided to start from scratch and rework the song completely. Jeff Taft re-worked the riffs and, on a stormy night, the lyrics came together and here is how ‘Storm the Walls’ was born. We believe this is a fantastic metal anthem and will be part of all our live performances. ‘Dark Moon Goddess’ is completely new. ‘Thundermark ‘is the oldest song we composed and was originally included in our self-released debut EP with our former vocalist Ashley Caval at the lead. We decided to re-record it with Jeff Stark and give it a fresh approach. Finally, ‘House Carpenter’, while a cover, is really the centerpiece of ‘The Daemon’s Strain’. It’s the song we worked most of the time on and thought more about, with the intention to create an epic metal take on this ancient Scottish song.’”

Drums and vocals for “The Daemon’s Strain” were tracked at Kennedy Studios in Burlington, Massachusetts with producer/engineer Steve Aliperta; all instruments were laid down at the respective home studios of Pelchat, Estrada and Taft. The making of “The Daemon’s Strain” EP marked new territory for the band — the EP was created not only behind the momentum of “Far Flung Realm”, but also with the support of Cruz Del Sur Music.

“‘Far Flung Realm’ opened us to a wide audience, but we have a lot more to offer!” says the band. “While ‘Far Flung Realm’ was originally written as a self-release, ‘The Daemon’s Strain’ was conceived and created completely under the label’s wing, which allowed us to focus our efforts on further developing our sound. We believe that listeners will hear many more epic elements here than in ‘Far Flung Realm’, as well as some interesting excursions into dark, atmospheric passages.”

Pelchat and Taft left the band and are now focused on their other projects. Cody has reactivated his CURSE GUARD project and begun the writing process for their debut, while Taft will soon be releasing his first LP with his newly formed band. In spite of these changes, the waning months of 2021 will find ADAMANTIS continuing live show activity in support of “Far Flung Realm” with the new lineup that includes the super talented Teddy Shao on guitar. To go one better, the band has already started thinking about songwriting for the second LP. 

“We have a nice set of performances lined up, including support to national touring acts like UNTO OTHERS, live streaming events and appearances at U.S.-based festivals,” concludes the band. “We also hope to bring our live set to Europe at some point and are discussing options. On the creative side, we are working on new material for a full-length album with the new input Teddy brings. We will probably spend 2022 writing and polishing this third release while delivering the best cuts out of ‘Far Flung Realm’ and ‘The Daemon’s Strain’ on stage.”

“The Daemon’s Strain” track listing:

  1. Storm The Walls
  2. Dark Moon Goddess
  3. Thundermark
  4. The Daemon’s Strain (House Carpenter)