Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 1694
Location: Houston, Texas
Posted:
Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:32 pm
Celebrating 21 years in bringing the world the best in refined heavy metal music, Noise Records is proud to introduce a host of new releases, and new artists, for spring 2004. Metal fans can look forward to an exciting year of diverse new releases by the likes of Gamma Ray, Heavenly, Frost (featuring Seven Witches guitarist Jack Frost), Debase, Dragonforce, and debut releases from promising young talent like Persuader, Beyond Surface and Dyecrest.
Joined: 12 Aug 2003 Posts: 1694
Location: Houston, Texas
Posted:
Tue Feb 17, 2004 2:58 pm
New Albums by Gamma Ray, Heavenly, Frost (feat. Jack Frost), and the Winners of Young Metal Gods Competition Available This Spring
Available on March 9th is the new solo effort by Seven Witches journeyman guitarist Jack Frost (also known for his work with Savatage, Metalium, and the Bronx Casket Co.). Under the moniker FROST, the album Raise Your Fist To Metal celebrates a diversity in both songwriting and guest talent. Jacks’ very intense and sensitive method of playing the guitar adds a very special touch to the various compositions, and for this release, he has brought along a number of friends from different musical backgrounds to bring the FROST project to fruition. Such guests include Gonzo Sandoval (Armored Saint), Johnny Dee (Doro, Britny Fox, Waysted), Mike Duda (W.A.S.P.), Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Fates Warning, Seven Witches), Billy Childs (Britny Fox), Mike LePond (Symphony X), Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), Bobby Lucas (Exhibition, ex-Seven Witches), Joe Comeau (ex-Annihilator, ex-Overkill, ex-Liege Lord), Steve Braun (Azlan), Jack Emrick (Life After Death), and Rob Rock (ex-Impellitteri, ex-Warrior, ex-Axel Rudi Pell). In keeping with the diversity of talent, FROST also offers 2 cover songs on Raise Your Fist To Metal, impressive takes on Kansas’ “Fight Fire With Fire”, and Ratt’s “Lack Of Communication”. With this release, Jack Frost continues his tradition of finely crafted heavy metal. An mp3 of the track “Stay” can be heard here: http://www.noiserecords.com/stream/frost/stay.mp3
Also available March 9th is the highly anticipated 3rd release from France’s HEAVENLY, a conceptual album entitled Dust To Dust. Mixed and mastered by the masters of symphonic power metal Philip Colodetti & Sascha Paeth (Angra, Rhapsody, Kamelot), Dust To Dust is an epic 3-chapter story narrating the tale of a man coping with the consequences of becoming a vampire. Many of the themes presented on the album are also designed to mirror life in the 21st century. HEAVENLY has truly outdone themselves on this release, which is both more aggressive and powerful than their previous efforts, but retains & enhances the band’s brand of class and sophistication. A special multimedia HEAVENLY e-card is available here: http://www.noiserecords.com/heavenly/dust/ecard/send.asp
March 9th will also finally see the release of the legendary GAMMA RAY’s special double-live album Skeletons In the Closet. This, the band’s second live album of their career, is unique in that the setlist for the live album was actually chosen by fans who participated in the online promotion at the official GAMMA RAY website. Over 100 minutes of epitomic GAMMA RAY perfection spans the 2 discs. Another distinctive fact about the album is that the tracklisting represents songs that had been rarely or never performed live during the course of the band’s 13-year career. Bandleader Kai Hansen explains, “The idea to to a tour with rarely or never live performed tracks was slowly born out of three facts: No. 1, was fans who, after every show asked us why we didn’t play this or that, respective songs that we did not take into consideration because they were not rated as ‘Gamma Ray hits’ by the pros. No. 2 was that for our own fun and satisfaction, we have again and again felt the selfish need to play something different than for instance ‘Land of the Free’ to keep us from getting bored with it sooner or later. No. 3 was the realization that if we felt so, some, or quite a few of our fans might feel the same.” The album will be released in both standard jewelbox and limited edition digipack (which features a 32-page booklet, 2 bonus videos and backstage footage in an enhanced segment). Fans can get a glimpse of what happens on the road with GAMMA RAY in this special tour diary:
http://www.noiserecords.com/gammaray/skeletons/tourdiary1.shtml
Coming April 20th are the debut releases from the 3 winners of the Young Metal Gods competition, a contest in which seven magazines from six different European countries voted on demo tapes submitted to them. The five finalists were invited to perform a ‘finals’ live show in Bochum, Germany, and based on that performance, the three best acts prize was a record deal with Noise Records and a debut album recorded under the guide of revered producer/musician Piet Sielck (Iron Savior, Blind Guardian). The winners were PERSUADER from Sweden, DYECREST from Finland, and BEYOND SURFACE from Germany. More information on the competition can be found here:
http://www.noiserecords.com/youngmetalgods/default.html
Hailing from Sweden, PERSUADER has a most promising future with the raging fury of their debut Evolution Purgatory. Elaborate riffs and hooklines combined with the power, energy and aggressiveness of the Swedes’ melodic speed metal, topped off by Jens Carlsson’s rich vocals make each song unique. Add this to the backup vocal performance by Piet Seilck, and a new lethal album has been created for the metal masses. Regarded by many European journalists as the brightest hope for the future of metal, PERSUADER is definitely a band to experience.
Finland’s DYECREST creates powerful melodic metal and move away from mimicking idols while implementing creative musical style with lush vocals. The debut album, The Way of Pain is exceptional in that it wields as much expression and self-belief as any given artist’s sophomore efforts. Janne Oksanen is a vocal chameleon, soaring through upper register passages one moment, mad as hell the next. The arrangements are clever and so above average, the listener will be shocked to acknowledge that this is a debut release.
Germany’s BEYOND SURFACE debut Destination’s End shows great stylistic diversity, utilizing forceful piano melodies, heavy guitars, sensitive arrangements and beautiful melodies. The band employs melancholic atmosphere, driving rhythms, and the ease and elegance of their songwriting has led European press to compare them with genre masters HIM. Guitarist Marten sums it up simply as, “Our supreme goal is to write good songs, which means combining beautiful melodies with heavy riffs and grooves. As we are pretty versatile, we feel more at home under the general term ‘rock music’.” Exceptional Rock music indeed. Check out the multimedia e-card here:
http://www.noiserecords.com/beyondsurface/destinations/ecard.html
Also released on April 20th is the 3rd release by Swedish powerhouse DEBASE, Unleashed. DEBASE can be referred to as the band that defies all attempts to be labeled. Critics internationally have, in positive reviews, planted them into genres like doom, thrash, power and neo-metal, and compared them to the likes of Machine Head, Rammstein, Metallica and Queensryche. Although their music may seem difficult to describe, there’s nothing complicated in DEBASE’s in-your-face delivery, brutal and above all catchy heavy metal, with extreme emphasis on ‘heavy’! The band has graced international stages touring with Judas Priest and Annihilator respectively. Experience the stunning rampage of DEBASE in the multimedia e-card here: http://www.noiserecords.com/debase/unleashed/ecard.html
Noise Records has many additional amazing surprises in store for 2004, including new releases from Dragonforce, Iron Savior, Lake of Tears, Silent Force, and Seven Witches.
