Tag: epic doom metal

German Epic Doom Metallers WHEEL Join Cruz Del Sur Music; New Album Due In April

Enrico

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the signing of Dortmund, Germany doom metallers WHEEL. The label will release the band’s long-awaited third studio album, “Preserved In Time” this April.

“Cruz Del Sur was candidate number one for me when we were looking for a new label home simply because I buy a lot of records from them,” says guitarist Ben Homberger. “Every time I see an advertisement of them in ‘Deaf Forever’ magazine I most often buy their releases blind. So, I approached Cruz Del Sur A&R/WHILE HEAVEN WEPT leader, Tom Phillips. I sent him the new album, he liked it, talked to Cruz Del Sur owner, Enrico and here we are.”

“Preserved In Time” was recorded by Homberger in the band’s rehearsal room save for two vocal sessions at a friend’s house. Tracking WHEEL this way was of crucial importance for the guitarist: He wanted real drums and real guitars; no “plug-ins” or “cheating,” meaning, he wanted to capture the spirit of the band’s performances without relying on technology. Due to the global pandemic, the album was tracked in various sessions starting in autumn 2019 to summer 2020 with it finally ending up in the hands of Dennis Koehne for mixing and mastering. Koehne had worked with WHEEL on their cover of ROKY ERICKSON’s “Night Of The Vampire,” which was found on their 2010 debut self-titled album.

WHEEL — who are rounded out by vocalist Arkadius Kurek, bassist Marcus Grabowski and drummer Carsten Jercke — was founded in 2009. The band issued a demo that year, then WHEEL released their self-titled debut a year later via Eyes Like Snow. “Icarus” would follow in 2013, then the “Live At The Hammer Of Doom 2013” live album arrived in 2014.

According to Homberger, the delay between studio albums can be attributed to the band losing their rehearsal space and real-life events such as parenthood. However, this long gestation period gave the members of WHEEL the opportunity to fine-tune what is arguably the finest and most epic set of songs to date.

“It’s more metal and more focused,” notes Homberger. “On ‘Icarus’, we had a lot of different influences mixed in the sound, like 70s prog and stuff like that. Also, the songs on the new album focus more on good structure and catchy choruses. The sound is a lot heavier and better than last time since I gained a lot of experience in recording and Dennis was the perfect match to work on the mixing and mastering. It was the first time we did proper vocal editing — so it sounds a lot more professional this time.”

Heading into 2021, WHEEL — like the rest of the general population — is waiting to find out whether a vaccine will slow the global pandemic. If it does, it’s very likely WHEEL will bringing their doom wares to audiences across Europe.

“We likely wouldn’t tour due to our day jobs and families, so weekend shows and festivals are the goal,” closes Homberger. “One of my personal goals is to play the Roadburn festival in the Netherlands. It’s one of the most relaxed festivals I know and it’s in such a beautiful city.”

“Preserved In Time” track listing:

1. At Night They Came Upon Us

2. When the Shadow Takes You Over

3. After All

4. She Left In Silence

5. Aeon Of Darkness

6. Hero Of The Weak

7. Daedalus

Related links:
https://www.facebook.com/Wheeldoom

https://wheeldoom.bandcamp.com/

OLD MOTHER HELL Posts Full Set From 2018 HAMMER OF DOOM Festival

Enrico

Like the rest of the metal contemporaries, Germany’s OLD MOTHER HELL is patiently waiting to resume live activity and work on their next studio album. The band is currently taking part in Germany’s country-wide lockdown to control the spread of the Coronavirus, but that hasn’t stopped them from unearthing their brilliant live set from the 2018 Hammer of Doom festival. The show was a critical turning point for the band — it was the second show for drummer Michael Frölich, who went from being a temporary replacement to a full-time member — and captures OLD MOTHER HELL in their pure metal power trio glory.

“The Hammer of Doom show still is something very special for us,” says guitarist/vocalist Bernd Wener. “We were invited just two weeks before because some other band had to cancel and were at least as excited as with the Hell Over Hammaburg invitation some month prior.

“It was just our second show with Michael as a replacement drummer and we never played in front of such a big audience before, so we were pretty nervous. So nervous indeed, that the first song of the set, ‘Another War’, is missing because I forgot to switch on our camera. From song to song there were more people gathering in front of the stage and more and more fists were raised into the air. What a view, what a feeling. We were overwhelmed by the energy and the positive reactions.

“After the show, Michi decided to join the band. Finally having a full line-up again, we instantly decided to work on a new album and made a rough schedule. Of course, we may have to postpone this due to the current situation, but we keep evaluating the situation daily.

“We cannot meet up to rehearse or stream live, so we decided to at least upload this very special show as a whole. Enjoy, and stay healthy!”


Cruz Del Sur Music re-released OLD MOTHER HELL’s self-titled debut album in 2018. The band has been assembling new material for a release sometime in the near feature.  

SMOULDER To Release ‘Dream Quest Ends’ EP In March

Enrico

Firebrand Canadian epic doomsters SMOULDER will release the “Dream Quest Ends” EP next March via Cruz Del Sur Music.
The follow-up to this year’s critically acclaimed “Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring” will feature two new songs, a cover of MANILLA ROAD’s “Cage Of Mirrors”, as well as all three cuts from the band’s debut 2018 “The Sword Woman” demo, including, for the first time on vinyl, their cover of NIGHTMARE’s “The Queen Is Gone”.

The Vinyl Edition will be available in 3 different colors (PRE-ORDER AVAILABLE):
– REGULAR BLACK VINYL (lmt 400) https://tinyurl.com/uzpfbay
– BONE VINYL (lmt 300) https://tinyurl.com/udmfg59
– NEON VIOLET (lmt 300) https://tinyurl.com/rqrszlr

– CD  https://tinyurl.com/uumccw4

“Dream Quest Ends” marks the end of a chapter for SMOULDER. The EP’s two original compositions, “Dream Quest Ends” and “Warrior Witch Of Hel”, was written by drummer Kevin Hester several years ago and accordingly were molded into a “more SMOULDER-esque” sound, complete with more lead guitars and choir-like vocal parts. Both serve as a milestone for SMOULDER — they are the last remaining songs from the band’s demo and “Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring” period.


“I don’t think these songs are what anyone will expect; we zigged instead of zagged,” notes singer Sarah Ann. “On a production front, we dialed it back a bit to make it sound more raw and unusual to match both the MANILLA ROAD track and the fact that a reprint of our demo is on the B-side of the vinyl. As for the A-side, what can we say? It’s unusual and both of the new tracks are slower. They are somewhat more bluesy and psychedelic within the context of power metal or epic doom, and I think that they fit very well alongside ‘Cage of Mirrors’.  

“In the title track, we do more experimentation with quiet acoustic parts, dueling vocals and top it off with a hugely epic triumphant end that sounds like a battering ram,” she continues. “The song lyrically revolves around a warrior sorceress who travels to an alien world to battle her titan nemesis in his sky castle, and Adam [Blake, bass] and I sing from the perspective of the titan and the sorceress to drive the epic-ness home. Meanwhile, ‘Warrior Witch of Hel’ starts out on this lurching, dark note with a repeating riff and lower register vocals. Once we get into the segments about the character — who is on a quest to free a castle full of slaves and cast the sorcerer presiding over it to Hel — it becomes much more upbeat and driving.”

The members of SMOULDER had been kicking the idea around to cover a MANILLA ROAD song ever since guitarist Collin Wolf and Hester joined the band. After leader MANILLA ROAD Mark Shelton’s untimely passing in July 2018, SMOULDER decided to move forward with a cover to honor his memory.

“‘Cage Of Mirrors’ is my absolute favorite track by the band and I’ve wanted to cover it for a long time so it was not a hard decision,” says guitarist Shon Vincent. “With its simple yet powerful structure, emotional vocal delivery and epic story-driven occult sword and sorcery lyrics, it was a perfect fit for us thematically. Sarah worked hard to match Mark’s wavering, unusual delivery, along with his growls, screams and laughs.”

The March release of “Dream Quest Ends” will coincide with the band’s appearance at the Up The Hammers and Horns Up festivals in Greece, as well as a spot at the Hell’s Heroes festival in Texas and Headbanger’s Open Air in Germany. After that, SMOULDER is going to give their collective creative batteries some time to recharge.

“We decided that we want to take some time on the next album rather than rush it out,” closes Sarah Ann. “All our favorite bands do things slow and steady, and we want to do the same to maintain quality.”