Tag: epic metal

RAVENSIRE Enters Studio To Record Third Full-Length, ‘A Stone Engraved In Red’

Enrico

Portuguese heavy metal battalion RAVENSIRE has entered Studio 13 in Lisbon to begin work on their third full-length album, “A Stone Engraved In Red”. The album will be engineered once again by Paulo ‘Paulão’ Vieira and is due next summer via Cruz Del Sur Music.

The follow-up to 2016’s “The Cycle Never Ends” will be the first to feature new members Mário (guitar) and Alex (drums), both of whom took part in live activity that saw RAVENSIRE take their brand of traditional metal into Europe. According to founding guitarist Nuno, “A Stone Engraved In Red” will feature all the trademarks of RAVENSIRE’s sound, but with some new twists.
“We have started exploring a bit more when it comes to developing musical themes inside a song,” he says. “We have a couple of longer — even by our standards — songs, with plenty of changes in moods and tempo. The material is quite diverse and, personally, it is always a good sign when you listen to your own stuff and enjoy it!
“The songwriting remained the same for us,” he continues. “Someone will come up with a skeleton for a song more or less finished, and then we work it up as a whole band and everyone adds their part. There is one song, however, that was co-written by me and Mário. He did come up with an initial idea and then I added other parts and we created a structure. But, that was the exception to the norm!”
Nuno confirms song titles such as “Carnage at Karnag”, “Gabriel Lies Sleeping” and “The Games Of Titus” and their own tribute to recently-deceased MANILLA ROAD leader Mark Shelton, “After The Battle”. “Mark gave so much to the scene, so we felt it was right to dedicate this song to him. In addition, we have another tribute called ‘Dawning In Darkness’, which is dedicated to Hartmuth ‘Barbarian Wrath’ Schindler who had a terrible misfortune in the hospital and has been in a coma for more than a year. We want to pay our deepest respect and friendship to both of them.”

Like previous RAVENSIRE efforts, the album artwork for “A Stone Engraved In Red” will be in black and white, although Nuno admits there may be a surprise within the cover. As such, Nuno says the title of the album has a deeper meaning for the band: “It’s a statement that no matter what we do, we want it to be rock solid and stand the test of time, just like the epitaphs of old.”

THE SMOKELESS FIRES

Enrico

German metallers LUNAR SHADOW will enter Glooven Studios in Leipzig to begin work on their sophomore album, “The Smokeless Fires”, which will see the light of day in early 2019 via Cruz Del Sur Music.

 

The follow-up to 2017’s “Far From Light” will mark the first LUNAR SHADOW album to feature new singer Robert Roettig, who replaces Alex Vornam. After a couple of live appearances with DESASTER, SPELL, TOKYO BLADE and VISIGOTH and a much-needed break away from the guitar, lead guitarist Max ‘Savage’ Birbaum started assembling new songs, which, as he explains, will take LUNAR SHADOW in a new, but also familiar direction.

“Robert sounds different — his vocals are a bit more high-pitched than before, yet he still has this obscure-Valusian touch to it,” says Birbaum. “I’d say that the album sounds a lot like LUNAR SHADOW, yet with some new elements. I guess you could say that there are more black metal-influences this time, more DISSECTION riffs and even some blast-beats, but still held together by twin guitar leads. Yet, as always, I just do what I want to do, so there will also be a piano ballad plus a song with New Wave-influences. The album sounds like if WISHBONE ASH played ‘Far Away From the Sun’ by SACRAMENTUM back in 1976 while having sex with a dryad.”

 

Whereas “Far From Light” tackled lyrical topics about death, “The Smokeless Fires” will be about another crucial element of the human spectrum: passion. “‘The Smokeless Fires’ are our passions, the things that drive us on, keep us going, prevent us from death, things that break us down, shatter us, make us vanish,” notes Birbaum. “[New song] ‘Laurelindórenan’ is inspired by the writings of Tolkien, ‘Red Nails (For The Pillar Of Death)’ and ‘Conajohara No More’ are based upon stories by Robert E. Howard. The lyrical themes haven’t changed that much, I still write about life, death, lost love, depression, ancient cities, broken swords and ghastly spells.”

 

The album’s artwork was created by Portland, Oregon-based artist Adam Burke, who previously handled the band’s 2015 “Triumphator” EP. Depicting a storm of fire lingering around two lovers, the album cover, like most of Burke’s work, is visually-appealing and fits the album’s themes perfectly. “The combination of two, forming something strange and beautiful,” says Birbaum. “Love is maybe one of our strongest passions. We long for it, we lose it, we starve ourselves to get it, we throw it away, when we weary. Love is important. And a good reason to die for.”

 

“The Smokeless Fires” track listing:

1. Catch Fire
2. Conajohara No More
3. Roses
4. Pretend
5. Laurelindórenan
6. Red Nails (For The Pillar Of Death)
7. Hawk Of The Hills

LETHEAN presents “Idylls Of The King”: pre-orders of “The Waters Of Death” open!

Enrico

 

 

We’re glad to be finally able to present you LETHEAN’s “Idylls Of The King” off their debut album “The Waters Of Death”.

 

To be released on Nov 9, “The Waters Of Death” is an epic doom monolith that will appeal to fans of the genre especially those into Solstice or Atlantean Kodex’s atmospheres.

Accompanied by atmospheric cover art courtesy of German artist Stefan Bleyl, “The Waters of Death” is an album that details themes of decline, departure and the passage of time, reinforced by diverse imagery drawn from mythology, literature and the elements. Ambitious in scope and rich in the fundamental traits of epic heavy metal, “The Waters of Death” firmly places Lethean into their own category where class, intelligence and a taste for the bold reign supreme.

“The Waters Of Death” will be released on compact disc, vinyl and digital. Pre-order your copy here:

Compact disc: https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1858

LP (limited 400 copies, black vinyl, includes insert & download card):

https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com/store/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1859