WHITE MAGICIAN Signs With Cruz Del Sur Music; New Album ‘Dealers Of Divinity’ Due This Fall

Enrico

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the signing of Detroit, Michigan metallers White Magician.

The label will release the band’s first full-length, “Dealers Of Divinity”, on November 20.

“The deal with Cruz Del Sur is an excellent opportunity brought about by a decision to reach out to some larger record labels,” says the band’s consigliere, Victron Power El.

“The amount of time, care, sacrifice and effort invested in this latest piece of music deserved to reach a wider audience and my guess was when Cruz Del Sur heard the material their reaction was the same as mine when I first heard the band’s 2016 ‘The Pledge’ EP many years ago: Holy hell, this is what heavy metal rock and roll is all about!”.

Recorded over many nights and weekends between May 2018 and December 2019 in Lansing, Michigan by George “The Extortionist” Szegedy, “Dealers Of Divinity” is classic metal at its finest, defined by the band’s deft use of mystical twin guitar interplay and epic, ’70s-tinged song arrangements, which carefully bridge WHITE MAGICIAN’s vast influences, namely , BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, KING CRIMSON, ANGELWITCH, ASHBURY, MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND and YNGWIE J. MALMSTEEN, to name a few.

According to Victron Power El, Szegedy’s knowledge and expertise “pushed this recording to be better than ever possible before” due to his experience tracking more rock than metal bands. “This album is more everything that’s been hinted at in previous releases,” notes Victron Power El. “However, it is more developed, more precise, more over-the-top. The EP was a launching point, the rehearsal single was the bridge and the split were the rendezvous. Now it’s time for the extravaganza of magic and power. The majesty of rock and roll will compel you once the album is in your hands!

“One thing that stands out is the carefully planned and executed vocals in each song,” he continues. “Something that The Great Kaiser has always strived for finally coming to fruition the way he has envisioned. Another thing that comes to the forefront is the way the band really comes together to deliver a full proper sound — something that has improved with each release but becomes quite evident on ‘Dealers Of Divinity’. You can tell that time was taken and under the expert tutelage of George Szegedy, the WHITE MAGICIAN boys didn’t settle, but hit the tape till they got it right!”

WHITE MAGICIAN’s debut EP, “The Pledge”, was released in 2016 via Dystopian Dogs Records. The “Antipathy” single followed a year later. The band released a split with THE GREAT KAISER’s WHITE MAGICIAN (not to be confused with this WHITE MAGICIAN) and PRELUDE TO RUIN in 2018.

“Dealers Of Divinity” track listing:

1. Dealers of Divinity
2. Mad Magic II: In the Absence of Gods (Bad Magic)
3. Fading Into The Obscurity of Ages
4. In Memoriam; Love and Magic
5. Magia Nostra
6. Power of the Stone
7. Spectre of a Dying Flame

OLD MOTHER HELL:”Lord of Demise” to be released Oct 23

Enrico1 Comment

Three years after the release of their self-titled album and countless gigs / festival appearances in between, OLD MOTHER HELL returns on October 23, 2020 with their second album “Lord of Demise”.

Not even COVID-19 was able to stop this amazing German band to start and complete the recordings of their sophomore  album. And today we are pleased and extremely proud to present you the opening track “Betrayal At The Sea”.

Old Mother Hell took the unorthodox and now rarely-taken step of recording Lord of Demise live (at Rama Tonstudio in Mannheim with Jens Siefert, with additional vocal tracking taking place at Sculpt Sound Studios in Cologne with Laurent Teubl / Chapel of Disease), with all member in the same room at the same time.

In turn, the album sounds powerful and crisp, stacked with eight songs that embrace their classic metal roots.

The amazing cover artwork and layout was provided by Zenz-Art.

“Lord of Demise” will be available on Compact Disc, LP, Digital.
Pre-orders will start in 2 weeks. Stay Tuned!

Italian Metal Veterans DARK QUARTERER Join Cruz Del Sur Music; New Album ‘Pompei’ Coming This Fall

Enrico

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the signing of one of Italy’s longest-running metal bands, DARK QUARTERER. The label will release this November, the band’s seventh studio album, “Pompei”, on Compact Disc, Gatefold LP with an amazing artwork provided by Italian Artist Paolo Girardi.

DARK QUARTERER and Cruz Del Sur have a previous working relationship — the label released the vinyl versions of the band’s “Symbols” (2018) and “Ithaca” (2015) studio albums. “It was a pretty obvious decision for us to make,” says bassist/vocalist Gianni Nepi. “We’re honored to join a label with so many great bands and look forward to getting ‘Pompei’ in front of an even bigger audience.”

“Pompei” was recorded this January and February at the band’s own W.R.S. Studios in Piombino, Italy. Vocals and keyboards were tracked in May by sound engineer Andrea Ramacciotti, with mastering handled by Alex Marton of First Line Studio in Follonica.  

According to Nepi, “Pompei” takes their sound to the next level, expanding on the bold, classic metal-on-prog sound they have been purveying since 1980. “The new album is cruder, perhaps a bit more visceral and intense. It has a dramatic atmosphere that surrounds the entire album — even during the softest of moments.”

Now at the 40-year mark as a band, DARK QUARTERER, who also comprise drummer Paolo “Nipa” Ninci, guitarist Francesco Sozzi and keyboardist Francesco Longhi, has faced many obstacles, but the one thing that has kept them together is their friendship, something that has helped the band maintain the same lineup since 2003.

“We have great passion and love for the music we make,” finishes Nepi. “Also, the friendship between the four of us really is the glue that keeps us together. Without it, we’re not sure we would have lasted this long!”

A making-of / backstage video of the recording process is available HERE: