Tag: CORONER

SACRAL RAGE Prepares Highly-Anticipated Sophomore Album

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Promising Greek speedsters SACRAL RAGE has started work on the follow-up to their 2015 “Illusions in Infinite Void” debut full-length for a 2018 release via Cruz Del Sur Music. The as-yet-titled album will be produced by SACRAL RAGE, with drum and guitar recordings taking place in Ignite Studios in Athens. The band will track vocals and bass in White Socks Studios and will have the album mixed and mastered by Stamos Koliousis at an undisclosed location in Norway.

Comments guitarist Marios: “The music retains the classic SACRAL mixture of tech madness/aggressiveness with the addition of more complex structures at times, along with a darker vibe and more layered sounds than the previous one. In terms of composition/arranging of the songs, the way we worked haven’t changed since our last work. The only difference was that we had to overcome and re-invent aspects of ourselves in order to present something different and fresh from our previous works.”

SACRAL RAGE’s sound — a blend of tech thrash in the vein of CORONER mixed with the sci-fi aura of VOIVOD and the melodic class of HELSTAR — has taken on a more aggressive form according to Marios, even finding the band going down even darker paths than before. “It’s like we expanded every aspect of ‘Illusions…’ with this one. The songs came out bigger than expected without losing the character and the sound of the band. Lyrically, we present stories of the near (or not) future and visions of a traveler that wanders through time.”

The positive reception to “Illusions…” helped spread the SACRAL RAGE name throughout Europe and included several key festival stops along the way. Aware of the expectations for their sophomore album, Marios feels like it’s time for SACRAL RAGE to assert their place in the heavy metal underground.

“With our second release, we aim to make the next step for the band and participate in bigger festivals, as we believe that our live performance is one of our strong points,” he closes. “We also hope that our music will be unleashed on much more people than before.”

PHARAOH Hard At Work On Fifth Full-Length Album

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Comments Johnsen: “We’re doing this one a bit differently, in that before we always completed the full complement of songs and then hit the studio, but this time, we’re recording tunes a couple at a time as we finish writing. Because we’re not a rehearsing band and because we all live in different cities, recording as we write makes it possible to get more done in less time; while Chris Black is tracking drums for one song, I can be tracking guitars for any songs he’s already recorded, and then when I’m ready to move onto the next set of rhythm guitars, Tim can start tracking vocals. We’re still early in the process, though; Chris only just started tracking the first tune.

Melodic metal veterans PHARAOH – featuring vocalist Tim Aymar, guitarist Matt Johnsen, bassist Chris Kerns and drummer Chris Black – are currently hard at work on their fifth full-length album, which is tentatively due in mid-2018 via Italy’s Cruz Del Sur Music. The album will be the band’s first 2012’s “Bury The Light”.

Comments Johnsen: “We’re doing this one a bit differently, in that before we always completed the full complement of songs and then hit the studio, but this time, we’re recording tunes a couple at a time as we finish writing. Because we’re not a rehearsing band and because we all live in different cities, recording as we write makes it possible to get more done in less time; while Chris Black is tracking drums for one song, I can be tracking guitars for any songs he’s already recorded, and then when I’m ready to move onto the next set of rhythm guitars, Tim can start tracking vocals. We’re still early in the process, though; Chris only just started tracking the first tune.

“We have four songs completed as far as instrumentation goes, and three more at about seventy-five percent. Then there are three to five more which are no more than fifty percent finished. In the past, the riffs to most songs were more or less written by one guy, and then fleshed out collaboratively with vocals and lyrics at the end, but this time, the majority of songs have been put together from the beginning with riff contributions from two or more members, and we expect to do more tinkering with the riffs than we usually do once the vocal lines are introduced.  Then again, maybe we won’t!”

Johnsen promises PHARAOH’s forthcoming new LP will continue in the same vein of their previous efforts; however, some new wrinkles are being thrown into the mix, namely from the technical thrash world with bands such as CORONER, HOLY TERROR, REALM and FORBIDDEN serving as inspiration.

“My arrangements involve much less repetition of riffs than is customary from a power metal band,” he says. “Lots of ‘one-and-done’ riffs, and a lot of left-field bridges and codas. At the same time, I’ve also started a couple tunes which are almost doom metal, assuming a definition of doom metal that encompasses MEMENTO MORI and early TYR. We’ll see how those pan out, but I expect at least one of them to make the album.”

PHARAOH has released all four of its studio albums with Cruz Del Sur Music, starting with 2003’s “After The Fire”, which was followed by 2006’s “The Longest Night”, 2008’s “Be Gone” and 2012’s “Bury The Light”.

Related links:

https://www.facebook.com/PharaohOfficial

https://pharaohmetal.bandcamp.com/music

CORONER REUNITES, CELEBRATE WITH PHARAOH/CANVAS SOLARIS 7″

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It seems like Cruz del Sur Music, releasing the split 7″ between Pharaoh and Canvas Solaris, forecasted a very interesting event for the metal world: the reunion of CORONER.
The seminal 80s Swiss band has been paid a special tribute released on wax at the end of June by Cruz del Sur Records. American bands Pharaoh and Canvas Solaris give justice to “Tunnel of Pain” and “Arc-Lite”, two of the most famous CORONER songs.

It seems like Cruz del Sur Music, releasing the split 7″ between Pharaoh and Canvas Solaris, forecasted a very interesting event for the metal world: the reunion of CORONER.
The seminal 80s Swiss band has been paid a special tribute released on wax at the end of June by Cruz del Sur Records. American bands Pharaoh and Canvas Solaris give justice to “Tunnel of Pain” and “Arc-Lite”, two of the most famous CORONER songs. Read more “CORONER REUNITES, CELEBRATE WITH PHARAOH/CANVAS SOLARIS 7″”