Tag: iron maiden

Portland, Maine Doomsters OGRE Join Cruz Del Sur Music; ‘Thrice As Strong’ Studio Album Due This Fall

Enrico

Long-running Portland, Maine doom trio OGRE has signed with Cruz Del Sur Music for the October release of their forthcoming fifth studio album, “Thrice As Strong”. The album was tracked with Rowan Bishop at Garage Mahal Recording in Westbrook, Maine.

Practitioners of traditional doom with a mix of ’70s rock and proto metal, OGRE was formed in 1999 by Ed Cunningham (bass/vocals), Ross Markonish (guitar) and Will Broadbent (drums). To date, the band has released four studio albums, with 2014’s “The Last Neanderthal” their most recent. OGRE came to the attention of Cruz Del Sur through classic word of mouth — a handful of Cruz Del Sur bands put in the good word for OGRE to label owner Enrico Leccese. 

“Once we started working on this album, we posted a few messages on social media, reaching out to any potential labels that might be interested in working with us this time around,” says Markonish. “Will started up a correspondence with Butch Balich from ARGUS who then put us in touch with Tom Phillips of WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, who works closely with Enrico. We played with WHILE HEAVEN WEPT years ago at a doom festival in Rochester, New York and we’ve also shared the stage with other Cruz artists, including ARGUS and APOSTLE OF SOLITUDE, so we couldn’t be happier to share a label with all those great bands, not to mention SLOUGH FEG, another favorite!”

Since the release of “The Last Neanderthal”, OGRE has kept themselves busy with shows in Portland, while working on the material that would eventually become “Thrice As Strong”. The band even found time to make their impact abroad: “One particularly cool thing that we did recently was travel to Arkhangelsk, Russia in October of last year to play the Belomor-Boogie Festival, a Russian rock festival that currently is in its 25th year of existence,” notes Markonish. “Arkhangelsk is the sister city of our hometown of Portland, Maine, so it was an amazing experience to travel across the globe and represent the Portland scene for the people of Russia. We made a ton of new friends and fans out there!” According to Markonish, the “Thrice As Strong” album title plays off OGRE’s power-trio formation and is taken from their namesake song, “Ogre”, which is the first track on their first album, “Dawn Of The Proto-Man”, which is also where “The Last Neanderthal” title came from. “As our fans know, we really like all of these self-referential details, as it sort of builds up the concept of an ‘OGRE Universe’. Not surprisingly, we are all fans of comic books, sci-fi and horror novels/movies, and bands like RUSH, who specialize in those sorts of geeky things.”

OGRE is recording with Bishop because of his “good set of ears” and the stripped-down feel of Garage Mahal Studios. Markonish says the new songs are not a departure from the band’s vintage sound, but fans can expect a few different influences this time around.

“When we first started working on this album, our original plan was to try to keep song lengths down a bit,” he says. “Reason being, our prior albums all featured at least one song in the 10-15-minute range, never mind our concept album, ‘Plague Of The Planet’, which consists of a single, 37-minute song! While that proved difficult (a couple songs on this album stretch into the 8-minute range), it still did inform our general approach to songwriting this time around. 

“I would also say that there is a bit more of an ‘80s metal influence on these tracks — some MAIDEN, a little DIO perhaps, and also some of the more underground bands of the time, like CIRITH UNGOL and MANILLA ROAD. Rowan even said he heard a little MERCYFUL FATE on some of the songs! The way I put it to someone, while our prior albums were majorly influenced by ’70s-era PENTAGRAM, this one shares some of its sound and ethos with the Victor Griffin ’80s line-up that produced the ‘Relentless’ and ‘Day Of Reckoning’ albums.”

MAUSOLEUM GATE Releases ‘Solomon’s Key’ Lyric Video; New Album Pre-Orders Available

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Up-and-coming Finnish metal revivalists MAUSOLEUM GATE have released the lyric video for “Solomon’s Key”. The song is culled from their forthcoming sophomore “Into A Dark Divinity” album, which is set for a September 8 release by Cruz Del Sur Music.

Stocked with the band’s now-trademark guitar harmonies along with the theatrical, stratospheric voice of V-P Varpula, “Solomon’s Key” is a total throwback to when classy songwriting and imagery ruled above all else. Adorned with images from “Into A Dark Divinity’s” album cover, the lyric video for “Solomon’s Key” is just a small glimpse of the majesty that awaits.

“Into A Dark Divinity” is the follow-up to MAUSOLEUM GATE’s critically-acclaimed 2014 self-titled debut. Like its predecessor, “Into A Dark Divinity” capitalizes upon MAUSOLEUM GATE’s inventive blend of DEEP PURPLE-like dynamics and IRON MAIDEN guitar interplay, all topped off with the high-wire vocals of Varpula. Singular, alluring and able to captivate audiences of all varieties, MAUSOLEUM GATE represent a new front in authentic vintage metal.

Pre-Order “Into A Dark Divinity” at this location: http://tinyurl.com/yaqhff48

“Into A Dark Divinity” track listing:

  1. Condemned To Darkness
  2. Burn The Witches At Dawn
  3. Apophis
  4. Solomon’s Key
  5. Horns
  6. Into A Dark Divinity

 

Mausoleum Gate – Into a Dark Divinity to be released Sept 8

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“One of the best newcomers in years” – Deaf Forever

MAUSOLEUM GATE’s 2014 self-titled debut album was not as much of a revelation as it was a reminder of how vintage metal should be played. Bucking virtually every modern production trend, the Finns greeted audiences with a warm analog production sound, flanked by the star-gazing vocals of V-P Varpula and the classy twin guitar action of Count LaFey and Kasperi Puranen. Critical and fan acclaim soon followed, along with key festival appearances at Keep It True and Muskelrock, with many hailing MAUSOLEUM GATE as one of the most exciting new retro metal bands on the scene.

Three years removed from their debut, the Finns return with the six-song “Into a Dark Divinity”, which is set for a September 8 release via Cruz Del Sur Music. Capitalizing on the self-titled debut’s majestic sound, MAUSOLEUM GATE harnesses the keyboard-dominated bravado of classic DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW and blends it with the proto metal visions of MANILLA ROAD and early IRON MAIDEN.

With an increased emphasis on Hammond C3 organ and keyboard interplay (courtesy of bass player Wicked Ischianus), songs such as “Condemned To Darkness” and the lurking “Apophis” augment the high-wire vocals of Varpula, who has further established himself as one of the most distinctive vocalists in traditional metal. The melody-driven “Solomon’s Key” and NWOBHM-inspired “Horns” recall an era where actual songwriting would make or break a band. The graceful closing title track also offers up a new angle from MAUSOLEUM GATE, showcasing lush textures and atmospheric acoustic guitar work.

A must-have for any and all traditional metal aficionados, “Into a Dark Divinity” proves MAUSOLEUM GATE are one of the scene’s best new true metal torchbearers. Singular, alluring and able to captivate audiences of all varieties, MAUSOLEUM GATE represent a new front in authentic vintage metal. Sophomore slump be damned – MAUSOLEUM GATE are the real deal.

 

Into a Dark Divinity track listing:

  1. Condemned To Darkness
  2. Burn The Witches At Dawn
  3. Apophis
  4. Solomon’s Key
  5. Horns
  6. Into A Dark Divinity

 

Band lineup:

V-P. Varpula – Vocals

Count L.F. – Guitars

Kasperi Puranen – Guitars

Wicked Ischianus – Bass, Hammond C3 organ, Mellotron M400, MiniMoog synthesizer, Kong MS20, Petrof Piano

Oscar Razanez – Drums

 

Discography:

Mausoleum Gate (– 2014, Cruz Del Sur Music)

Gateways For the Wicked / Obsessed by Metal Sessions( – 2014, Self-Released)

Metal And The Might  / Demon Soul (7’’ – 2016, Cruz Del Sur Music)