Tag: hell over hammaburg

THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION Joins CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC

Enrico
 

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the signing of Australian psychedelic rock and roll occultists The Neptune Power Federation.
The label will release the band’s next full-length, “Memoirs Of A Rat Queen”, this September.
THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION and Cruz Del Sur Music decided to join forces after the band’s triumphant appearance at the 2018 installment of the Hell Over Hammaburg festival in Hamburg, Germany.

Cruz Del Sur owner Enrico met the band backstage and subsequently offered them a deal. “It’s a pretty cool way of getting signed,” says guitarist Inverted CruciFox. “I didn’t think things like that happened nowadays, but it keeps with our retro aesthetic.”

Enrico adds: “I was first introduced to NPF over a year ago and I couldn’t miss the opportunity to see them live at Hell Over Hammaburg last March. I must say that their show was way beyond my best expectations, their energy and vibes were something I hadn’t witnessed live for a long time.Something significant happened: I went in the backstage to give my support to Sanhedrin before their show and NPF were getting off stage. When the doors opened and they stepped into the backstage, a spontaneous applause rose in the small room. For me that was a sign that the band really gave everything on stage and was able to touch the audience really deeply. Seeing NPF live was an intense, overwhelming experience that I will always carry in my heart.”

Formed in 2012, THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION originally started as a studio project with a singer based in the United States, but took off once vocalist Imperial Priestess Screaming Loz Sutch joined the fold in 2015.
From there, the band’s indescribable blend of progressive, metal and space rock has helped them win over crowds of all types.

“We enjoy being hard to define!” says Inverted CruciFox. “Basically, if it was good music recorded between 1968 and 1978, we will pay tribute to it, be that hard rock, proto metal, prog, space rock, soul or garage. The Priestess has her own distinctive singing style which adds yet another strange element on top. Our recommendation to listeners is to enjoy the ride.”

While the band is already prolific in the studio, it is their live presentation that sets THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION apart, harkening back to a time when theatrics were just as important as the music.

“We attempt to connect with as many senses as possible, with the exclusion of smell,” says Inverted CruciFox. “The Imperial Priestess wears the traditional dress of a time travelling space witch and because these beings are uncommon in our dimension, her appearance can often come as a shock. The rest of us wear a simple uniform to recognize we are her backing band — and also because MOTÖRHEAD did it that way.”

On “Memoirs Of A Rat Queen”, the band plans to further convey the narrative which has woven their previous albums together — an intergalactic tale of time travel. “Currently we are attempting to convey the story of the Imperial Priestess’s time travelling existence on earth and the various lives she has lived through human history. Occasionally we touch on her mortal enemy, the Wizzard King and his never-ending attempts to defeat her.”
“Memoirs Of A Rat Queen” is currently being mixed, after which, the band will be playing several Australian festivals.
Once the album is out, it will be accompanied with a handful of new music videos.”We are very excited about increasing the reach of THE NEPTUNE POWER FEDERATION church internationally – like rock and roll missionaries,” closes Inverted CruciFox. “Perhaps we will become like Scientology only with more guitars, battle jackets and drinking.”

(Live picture by Thomas Ertmer Fotografie)

 

GATEKEEPER To Release ‘Grey Maiden’ EP In February

Enrico


Looking to strike while the iron is hot, Canadian true metal up-and-comers GATEKEEPER will release the “Grey Maiden” EP on February 22 via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Featuring two brand-new compositions, a cover song and a track re-recorded from their first demo, “Grey Maiden” picks right up where the band’s acclaimed “East Of Sun” first full-length left off. The groundswell of support in North America and abroad — including the selling out of the vinyl and CD pressing of “East Of Sun” within six months — spurred GATEKEEPER to satiate their ever-growing fanbase with a new release.

“We’ve been working harder and faster than ever since all of this started happening,” says guitarist and founding member Geoff Blackwell. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from spending the past ten-plus years in bands, it’s that momentum is your greatest resource and you’ve gotta pour gasoline on the little fires that pop up in your career.”

According to Blackwell, GATEKEEPER (who are rounded out by vocalist Jean-Pierre, lead guitarist Kenny Kroecher, bassist David Messier and drummer Tommy Tro) has performed more shows in 2018 than all other years of the band combined, which has started to influence their songwriting. While “East Of Sun” is considered by many fans to get only better with each passing listen, the songs on “Grey Maiden” are some of the band’s most immediate compositions to date. However, there are some twists afoot.

“The title track might be our best song yet,” notes Blackwell. “It’s got a massive chorus, intricate vocal lines and catchy, pummelling riffs. We re-recorded the song ‘Tale Of Twins’, which is an old favorite that we’ve been playing lately. It’s finally gotten the recording and performance quality that the song deserves! JP did a great job with the singing on this one.

“‘Moss’ is a big departure from our other material,” he continues. “It’s a soft, finger-picked acoustic ballad featuring a lilting guitar pattern inspired by traditional folk music with fantasy-tinged lyrics. We also brought in a guest violinist to fill in the gaps. It’s much different than anything else we’ve done, but I think it makes perfect sense for GATEKEEPER. Lastly, we covered an obscure NWOBHM song by a band named TREDEGAR called ‘Richard III’. They’re a very cool, but forgotten band from Wales who had ex-members of BUDGIE in their ranks. They were a very early example of epic metal and we decided that it would be a good match for us. Kenny and I took some liberties with the guitar arrangement.”

GATEKEEPER’s future plans include a tour of Europe in support of “Grey Maiden”, including spots on key festivals such as Hell Of Hammaburg, Swordbrothers and Up The Hammers. In addition to more live dates in their home territory of Canada, GATEKEEPER will buckle down and get to work on their second LP, which, according to Blackwell, will feature material contributed by the entire band. But, before the calendar jumps over to 2019, some reflection of 2018 is warranted, a year that saw GATEKEEPER emerge as one of the best new traditional metal hopefuls in recent memory.

“Obviously we all hoped the album would do well and I figured that we’d make a few sales and play some fun shows here and there,” closes Blackwell. “But, I absolutely never expected us to sell out the first vinyl and CD pressing so quickly. That’s the kind of stuff that usually happens to other people. The outpouring of support from our new friends and fans on social media and streaming platforms like YouTube has been huge, too.”

“Grey Maiden” track listing:

  1. Grey Maiden
  2. Tale Of Twins
  3. Moss
  4. Richard III

DARK FOREST’s news! Album’s artwork details revealed and slot on “Hell Over Hammaburg V” Festival!

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dark forest booklet art

While DARK FOREST is about to enter Hellfire studio to start the recordings of their new album (third for Cruz Del Sur Music) entitled “Beyond the Veil”, English artist Duncan Storr has made public today some of the illustrations he especially crafted for the release. Besides the cover artwork, he worked on an entire set of original images that will be reproduced on album’s booklet.

More can be seen HERE (click on upper-left link):

Duncan Storr is credited for the astonishing cover artwork for many Skyclad’s classic albums such as “Johan’s Ark“& “Irrational Anthem” but also for Rage’s “Missing Link“ (to not mention Elixir, Samson, Wyrd) .

We are also proud to announce that DARK FOREST has just been confirmed as part of the stellar line up of the “Hell Over Hammaburg vol. V” festival, where they will share stage with ANGELWITCH, SORTILEGIA, NIGHT VIPER, TYGERS OF PAN TANG, KHTHONIIK CERVIIKS, QRIXKUOR among others! The festival will take place on March 3 and March 4, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.