Tag: vektor

CRUZ DEL SUR MUSIC To Release Vinyl Edition Of HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE’s ‘Overtaker’

Enrico

Cruz Del Sur Music, the label responsible for releasing HAMMERS OF MISFORTUNE’s brilliant 2003 opus, “The August Engine”, is proud to announce a January (20) 2023 vinyl release of the band’s new “Overtaker” studio album.

The band’s first album in six years, founding member, guitarist and songwriter John Cobbett cites a change in direction in style he notes as “psychedlic thrash.”

The album features a revamped HAMMERS lineup that includes the return of Jamie Myers (vocalist and bassist in “The Locust Years” lineup) and the former rhythm section of VEKTOR, Blake Anderson and Frank Chin. Cobbett started work on “Overtaker” as early as 2018. Initially, Overtaker wasn’t supposed to be a HAMMERS album but a thrash side-project and was influenced by Cobbett and partner Sigrid Sheie’s work on VHÖL’s “Deeper Than Sky” (2015).

“When my family moved to Montana in 2016, my inclination was to continue expanding on this sound,” Cobbett said. “Initially, there was no intention of putting it out as HAMMERS or VHÖL. Everyone was so busy, and we were suddenly far away from our usual co-conspirators. But that changed as the album developed and old friends returned to the fold. ‘Overtaker’ is fast, furious, psychedelic and progressive. But it’s different from other progressive metal in true Hammers fashion.”

Like all the Hammers material that preceded it, Overtaker defies genres and labels. The sound is a combination of ’70s prog and furious ’80s thrash. The result is something that’s never been done before — a mix of King Crimson’s “In The Court Of The Crimson King” and Slayer’s “Reign In Blood”. “Overtaker” was put together during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic and survived Anderson’s serious wrist injury in a scooter accident, which led to a year-plus recovery. 


“Overtaker” was recorded both in home studios and Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studios in Chicago with Sanford Parker engineering. Drums, piano and timpani were tracked during a four-day session at Electrical Audio in 2021; the remaining material was recorded via home studios, including vocals and Sigrid Sheie’s mighty Hammond B3 organ.

Originally scheduled as an independent release on CD format this December, Corbett is excited to be working with his old friends at Cruz Del Sur Music on the “Overtaker” vinyl edition.

“We are happy to announce that ‘Overtaker’ will be getting a vinyl release on Cruz Del Sur Music!” he enthuses. “The record and the cover art were designed specifically to be released in this format, so this is fantastic news! Cruz Del Sur Music did an amazing job with the vinyl pressing of ‘The Bastard’ back in 2021, so this promises to be a beautiful release. Thanks to everyone for their support!”

“Overtaker” track listing:

1. Overtaker

2. Dark Brennius

3. Vipers Cross

4. Don’t Follow The Lights

5. Ghost Hearts

6. Outside Our Minds

7. The Raven’s Bell

8. Orbweaver

9. Overthrower

10. Aggressive Perfection

SACRAL RAGE release “Necropia” off “Beyond Celestial Echoes” – pre orders start!

Enrico

We are very pleased to present today the first track off one of the most-awaited titles of 2018, SACRAL RAGE “Beyond Celestial Echoes”!

We chose to start with “Necropia”, a song you might already know if you have had the opportunity to see Sacral Rage​ live in the past months. We think it’s a perfect bridge between the material on “Illusions in Infinite Void” and the new album. “Beyond Celestial Echoes” will indeed transport the band into new territories, maintaining  their identity but also pushing their creativity to a next level.

Talking about pre-orders, we were positively surprised by fans’ reaction to the announcement of the release of “Beyond Celestial Echoes”. Feedback and interest have been so strong that we decided to anticipate the pre-order period for this release.

Therefore we are starting NOW to sell the album on our store!

“Beyond Celestial Echoes” is available in the following formats and will be officially released on Oct 19:

COMPACT DISC: CLICK TO ORDER

ULTRA-LIMITED VINYL EDITION (BLUE/YELLOW SPLATTER VINYL, INSERT, A5 BOOKLET, DOWNLOAD CODE, LIMITED TO 100 COPIES) – only available through our store! CLICK TO ORDER

LIMITED VINYL EDITION (BLACK VINYL, INSERT, A5 BOOKLET, DOWNLOAD CODE, LIMITED TO 300 COPIES) CLICK TO ORDER

LIMITED VINYL EDITION (BLUE VINYL, INSERT, A5 BOOKLET, DOWNLOAD CODE, LIMITED TO 300 COPIES) CLICK TO ORDER

DIGITAL

Keep in mind that our pre-orders are usually shipped 7-10 days before the release date.

SACRAL RAGE To Release ‘Beyond Celestial Echoes’ Album on October 19: ‘Expect High-Tech Metal Lunacy’!

Enrico

Promising Greek speedsters SACRAL RAGE will release their highly-anticipated sophomore album, “Beyond Celestial Echoes”, on October 19 via Cruz Del Sur Music. The follow-up to 2015’s “Illusions In Infinite Void” was recorded between Ignite Studios (drums, rhythm guitars) and White Socks Studios (vocals, bass, lead guitars and keyboards) with mixing and mastering being handled by Stamos Koliousis. The album’s cover art was created by Dimitar Nikolov.

Comments vocalist Dimitris: “With ‘Illusions’, we knew that we had set a high target and that’s why we took our time for ‘Beyond Celestial Echoes’. Maybe we felt a little bit anxious at the beginning, but now that we almost have the final result in our hands, we know that we did it the way we wanted to. Once ‘Illusions’ came out, we focused on the promotion of the album and did many gigs around Europe. Also, we didn’t want to start writing music right after the release because we believed that the impact of ‘Illusions’ was too strong at that time and we didn’t want to end up writing an identical album. So, after almost a year we started working on our new album in which we added a lot of elements and achieved a result that has the same aura as the previous one, but at the same time, is something different.”

The universally positive reception to “Illusions” established SACRAL RAGE as one of European metal’s most exciting new thrash outfits. The band’s sound is a rare hybrid of technical thrash with classic metal elements, interspersed with the occasional sci-fi flourish. According to Dimitris, it was of utmost importance SACRAL RAGE continue to push forward while maintaining the core sound they established with “Illusions”. Appropriately enough, he says fans can expect an album like it was written by members of ANNIHILATOR, CRIMSON GLORY, DEATH, MERCYFUL FATE and RUSH.

“We were always big fans both of the American and European scenes,” he notes. “So, we have experimented with keeping the balance between these two worlds. The songs are in the same complex and insane patterns that were before — fans can still expect high-tech metal lunacy. The pounding riffs and the spastic rhythms are all there. But, we have also embodied more of the feeling and melodies of the European scene. We have also searched within the core of our influences and added more of the ’70s prog rock elements and general vibe of that era.”

Dimitris says SACRAL RAGE (who are rounded out by guitarist Marios, bassist Spyros and drummer Vagelis) have a unique chemistry, one that has blossomed since their 2011 formation. In turn, SACRAL RAGE decided to use the same writing process as previous albums to ensure the best possible result.

“Marios and Spyros are responsible for the composition part,” he says. “Then, we all jam together until we feel comfortable with these new songs. Truth is that the four of us have been playing together for quite some time now, so we are able to understand what works and what doesn’t in terms of songwriting and arrangement. In the end, the goal is always to write good music. Off course we want to surpass ourselves and give something extra with any new release, but it’s not something that we have in our minds. I believe that our songwriting matures naturally. The only thing that we try is to not repeat ourselves.”

Tracklist:

Progenitor
Eternal Solstice
Vaguely Decoded
Suspended Privilege
Samsara (L.C.E.)
Necropia
Onward to Nucleus
The Glass