PHARAOH: ‘After The Fire’ Debut To Receive Vinyl Release

Ground-zero, catalog number “Cruz01” and the album that started it all for Cruz Del Sur MusicPHARAOH’s 2003 “After The Fire” debut provided an early glimpse of the label’s unflinching commitment to releasing high-quality, true heavy metal. The album also positioned PHARAOH as one of the most promising and classy melodic metal bands in recent memory, earning the band much-deserved praise both on domestic and international shores.

Now, 15 years after the fact, Cruz Del Sur is releasing “After The Fire” on vinyl on Aug 31, with a different, alternative mixing, new mastering, and fresh, updated liner notes by Matt Johnsen!

CLICK TO PRE-ORDER!

PHARAOH and Cruz Del Sur are still doing what we do, in our stubborn ways!” says drummer Chris Black. “How little has changed in this regard. I guess our producer/engineer Matt Crooks wasn’t yet on board, but otherwise with ‘After the Fire’, we have already included all of the same people and roles as we do today. I’m talking about the musicians/songwriters but also Enrico Leccese of Cruz Del Sur and JP Fournier, who has painted all of our album covers.”

PHARAOH, rounded out by vocalist Tim Aymar, guitarist Matt Johnsen and bassist Chris Kerns, was originally formed to play, according to Johnsen, “the kind of melodic heavy metal that was highly unfashionable when we first met.”

Chris had SAXON and IRON MAIDEN in mind, while I was thinking about RAGE and ANGRA,” he says. “And although none of us have the same tastes, exactly, I guess they’re close enough where it counts! “Since ‘After the Fire’, we’ve all grown immensely as players and writers, but the basic templates we established for ourselves on that record have held up surprisingly well.  Our newer songs are much harder to play, but they’re clearly cut from the same cloth as the ones on our debut.”

PHARAOH has released three studio albums since “After The Fire” and are hard at work at their next full-length, tentatively titled “The Powers That Be”. But, the memories associated with “After The Fire” hold lasting impact, making the vinyl release all the more important.

“Finally having ‘After The Fire’ on vinyl will be great for our fans who cherish this format,” says Black. “It’s understandable that it didn’t happen in 2003, but as the years have passed and all of the other albums have been pressed on vinyl, it has become way overdue. But as it happens now, it’s a great way to say happy 15th birthday to the album and to Cruz Del Sur as well. A just reward for our continuity!”

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

 

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

 

ARGUS Premieres ‘You Are The Curse’ Lyric Video; Prepares For European Tour With HIGH SPIRITS

Comments vocalist Brian “Butch” Balich: “‘You Are The Curse’ was the first song we wrote for ‘From Fields Of Fire’. Dave [Watson, guitar] brought it in and it immediately fit. I knew we had exciting things coming for the album when it came together. It’s classic ARGUS and a good song to introduce ‘From Fields of Fire’ to our friends worldwide. It’s an up-tempo, rhythmically aggressive but melodic song shot through with dark undertones. Lyrically, this song deals with the idea that sometimes we need look no further than ourselves for why things go wrong in our lives…as you sow so shall you reap. It’s been a live mainstay for about a year-and-a-half and one we expect to play often.”

Pittsburgh, PA traditional metal force ARGUS have released the lyric video for “You Are The Curse”, which is taken from their forthcoming “From Fields Of Fire” album. The LP is set for a September 8 release via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Pre-order “From Fields Of Fire” at this location: http://tinyurl.com/ycssx53j

Comments vocalist Brian “Butch” Balich: “‘You Are The Curse’ was the first song we wrote for ‘From Fields Of Fire’Dave [Watson, guitar] brought it in and it immediately fit. I knew we had exciting things coming for the album when it came together. It’s classic ARGUS and a good song to introduce ‘From Fields of Fire’ to our friends worldwide. It’s an up-tempo, rhythmically aggressive but melodic song shot through with dark undertones. Lyrically, this song deals with the idea that sometimes we need look no further than ourselves for why things go wrong in our lives…as you sow so shall you reap. It’s been a live mainstay for about a year-and-a-half and one we expect to play often.”

 

To coincide with the release of “From Fields Of Fire”, ARGUS is embarking on a nine-date European tour with Chicago high-energy rock heroes HIGH SPIRITS. The tour kicks off September 8 in Dornbirn, Austria, culminating with their September 16 appearance at the Storm Crusher festival in Püchersreuth, Germany.

 

HIGH SPIRITS have been friends of ours for several years and a band we all really dig a lot,” says Balich. “We are very excited that this came together—it’s going to be a great show for the fans of both bands —the energy HIGH SPIRITS and ARGUS put out on stage is very high, and I think we complement and balance each other as well. It truly is a can’t-miss show. We’ll be playing material from the new album, of course, but expect to hear something from every album including a couple songs we haven’t played in a long time. All of us in ARGUS cannot wait to return to Europe. It’s something we look forward to doing every year and this trip is going to be a blast getting to hang out with and watch HIGH SPIRITS every night, too!”

HIGH SPIRITS + ARGUS “Motivatour” European tour schedule:

SEPT 8 Dornbirn, AT,- Schlachthaus
SEP 9 Olte, CH – Coq D’Or
SEP 10 Münster, DE – Sputnikhalle
SEP 11 Marburg, DE – Trauma G-Werk
SEP 12 Oldenburg, DE – MTS Record Store
SEP 13 Hamburg, DE – Bambi Galore
SEP 14 Berlin, DE – Urban Spree
SEP 15 Weimar, DE – Kasseturm
SEP 16 Pückersreuth, DE – Storm Crusher Festival