Tag: heavy metal

ADAMANTIS Release “Storm The Walls” first single off ‘The Daemon’s Strain’ EP out in Spring 2022

Enrico

Hot off the heels of their 2020 “Far Flung Realm” full-length, emerging Massachusetts power metallers ADAMANTIS will release the four-song “The Daemon’s Strain” EP next spring via Cruz Del Sur Music.

And as today the band premieres “Storm The Walls”, the EP’s opening track on New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal You Tube channel:

ADAMANTIS started work on “The Daemon’s Strain” in late 2020 when all live activity was on hold due to the global pandemic. The unplanned break from shows afforded the band additional time to compose and fine-tune the material, which finds ADAMANTIS hitting their full Euro power metal-influenced stride, replete with anthemic choruses, melodic interplay and epic, gallant song constructs.

“We had one song recorded during the ‘Far Flung Realm’ sessions that did not make it to the album,” says the band. “So, we decided to start from scratch and rework the song completely. Jeff Taft re-worked the riffs and, on a stormy night, the lyrics came together and here is how ‘Storm the Walls’ was born. We believe this is a fantastic metal anthem and will be part of all our live performances. ‘Dark Moon Goddess’ is completely new. ‘Thundermark ‘is the oldest song we composed and was originally included in our self-released debut EP with our former vocalist Ashley Caval at the lead. We decided to re-record it with Jeff Stark and give it a fresh approach. Finally, ‘House Carpenter’, while a cover, is really the centerpiece of ‘The Daemon’s Strain’. It’s the song we worked most of the time on and thought more about, with the intention to create an epic metal take on this ancient Scottish song.’”

Drums and vocals for “The Daemon’s Strain” were tracked at Kennedy Studios in Burlington, Massachusetts with producer/engineer Steve Aliperta; all instruments were laid down at the respective home studios of Pelchat, Estrada and Taft. The making of “The Daemon’s Strain” EP marked new territory for the band — the EP was created not only behind the momentum of “Far Flung Realm”, but also with the support of Cruz Del Sur Music.

“‘Far Flung Realm’ opened us to a wide audience, but we have a lot more to offer!” says the band. “While ‘Far Flung Realm’ was originally written as a self-release, ‘The Daemon’s Strain’ was conceived and created completely under the label’s wing, which allowed us to focus our efforts on further developing our sound. We believe that listeners will hear many more epic elements here than in ‘Far Flung Realm’, as well as some interesting excursions into dark, atmospheric passages.”

Pelchat and Taft left the band and are now focused on their other projects. Cody has reactivated his CURSE GUARD project and begun the writing process for their debut, while Taft will soon be releasing his first LP with his newly formed band. In spite of these changes, the waning months of 2021 will find ADAMANTIS continuing live show activity in support of “Far Flung Realm” with the new lineup that includes the super talented Teddy Shao on guitar. To go one better, the band has already started thinking about songwriting for the second LP. 

“We have a nice set of performances lined up, including support to national touring acts like UNTO OTHERS, live streaming events and appearances at U.S.-based festivals,” concludes the band. “We also hope to bring our live set to Europe at some point and are discussing options. On the creative side, we are working on new material for a full-length album with the new input Teddy brings. We will probably spend 2022 writing and polishing this third release while delivering the best cuts out of ‘Far Flung Realm’ and ‘The Daemon’s Strain’ on stage.”

“The Daemon’s Strain” track listing:

  1. Storm The Walls
  2. Dark Moon Goddess
  3. Thundermark
  4. The Daemon’s Strain (House Carpenter)

New York City’s TOWER To Release ‘Shock To The System’ This November

Enrico

In November, New York City true metallers TOWER will release their sophomore studio album, “Shock To The System”, via Cruz Del Sur Music. The album was recorded this May and June at Artifact Audio in Ridgewood, New York, with Sasha Stroud serving as co-producer and engineer. The album’s cover was created by Morgan Jesse Lappin.

According to vocalist Sarabeth Linden, half of the music and lyrics for “Shock To The System” were written during the recent lockdown attributed to the global pandemic. The result is TOWER’s most complete outing to date — a veritable metal call-to-arms that combines the band’s energetic brand of NWOBHM and classic rock into ten anthemic cuts.

“We stayed centered around our established style but took it to new levels in some places,” says Linden. “The heavy parts are heavier than before, the fast parts are faster, the slow parts are slower, and one song is around seven minutes, which we’ve never come close to previously. Musically, there are a lot of firsts on this record.”

TOWER (who are completed by the guitar tandem of James Danzo and Zak Penley and drummer James Jones) only has one previous full-length studio album to their credit, 2016’s self-titled outing. While their 2019 “Tomorrow & Yesterday” EP featured four songs of rocked-up metal, “Shock To The System” takes TOWER’s sound to the next level.  

“The first album is already five years old!” exclaims Linden. “It seems so long ago now. The songs that are still in the live set, like ‘Flames’, ‘Raceway Rock’ and ‘Elegy’ are still very much in the vein of the new material. The EP was a bit more simple and aggressive, and those elements are on the album, too, but manifest in a different way. In general, we have grown a lot as a band and as individuals. We’ve matured, and it’s reflected in the music.”

TOWER recently celebrated its return to the stage in July. With “Shock To The System” in the can, the band plans on preparing for future live dates — and a new bassist. “We’re in the process of revamping the lineup for tour, as Jeff Filmer stepped aside to give his full attention to his bands SHADOWLAND and HUSTLER,” closes Linden. “We’ll be ready to hit the road by year’s end. See you soon! Be prepared!”

“Shock To The System” track listing:

  1. Blood Moon
  2. Prince Of Darkness
  3. Metatron
  4. Running Out Of Time
  5. Lay Down The Law
  6. Hired Gun
  7. The Black Rose
  8. On The Line
  9. In Dreams
  10. Powder Keg

American Metal Legends ATTACKER Joins Cruz Del Sur Music, Vocalist BOBBY LUCAS Returns To The Fold!

Enrico

Cruz Del Sur Music is proud to announce the signing of American metal legends ATTACKER! The label will release the band’s next studio album sometime in 2022.

Originally formed in 1983, ATTACKER burst onto the scene with their 1985 debut, “Battle At Helm’s Deep”, an LP many consider to be one of the first pure American power metal albums. The band released “The Second Coming” in 1988 before splitting the next year. ATTACKER returned in 2001 and has since released four additional studio albums and one EP, the latest being 2018’s “Armor Of The Gods” EP.  

ATTACKER made contact with Cruz Del Sur Music through a mutual friend of the band and the label. “We corresponded for a few months and struck a deal for the next ATTACKER album,” says drummer and founding member Mike Sabatini. “We are looking forward to this new partnership!”

In related news, vocalist Bobby Lucas has since rejoined ATTACKER. According to Sabatini, a conversation about the recent “Godzilla Vs. Kong” movie got the two men talking about working together again, and, more importantly, what a strong unit they are. Vocalist Ski, who appeared on the recent “Spiritual Warfare” single, had recently informed the band that he did not have the time needed to fully commit to ATTACKER.

“With all the stuff the world has gone through the last year and still going through, we all grew in our understanding of what’s important and what’s not important,” says Sabatini. “It’s definitely a nice feeling. Bobby truly is the best voice for this band. Add to that how excited we all are for new beginnings working with Cruz Del Sur and it makes life that much sweeter. The band and I are very much looking forward to continuing work on the new album material for a 2022 release”

ATTACKER plans on concluding the writing process for their next studio album by the end of the summer. The band will then enter Bandmother Recording in Jersey City, New Jersey, with Sabatini handling engineering duties. “The new material will have more diversity,” he says. “Brian Smith [bass] and Jon Hasselbrink [guitar] have contributed music for the very first time. Mike Benetatos [guitar] had written most of the last few albums so the injection of different ideas will add some new flavor to our sound. Mike is a little more of a technical writer whereas Brian and Jon’s material adds a little more old-school classic feel which is where we all came from musically. I think fans of the band will be pleased.”

Active for nearly four decades, ATTACKER has long been a staple of the American power metal scene. They also remain a highly-respected cult act in Europe, something that continues to drive them to this day.

“We were fortunate to have come up when the metal explosion was happening and be part of this great thing that occurred and is still occurring,” says Sabatini. “Heavy metal and hard rock is the music that speaks to me and resonates within me. Listening to the classic metal bands that got me on my path still sends chills up my spine — those types of feelings and love for this music are what keeps me and the band going. Music is in our blood, hearts and souls.

“Another big aspect is the great people we have met since reforming. We honestly had no idea what the bands’ early works meant until going to Europe and hearing from the fans. It was very humbling as we never imagined the impact ATTACKER and other underground ‘80s bands had. I should totally understand it since so many underground bands were part of my introduction to metal back in the early days. We don’t do it for a living — we’re more like weekend warriors. But hey, some people play golf, we’ll play metal until we physically cannot!”