METAL BLADE NEWS
ARMORED SAINT
Launch Live Video For “The Truth Always Hurts”
Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral
On October 22nd, Armored Saint will release a new CD/DVD, Symbol of Salvation Live, via Metal Blade Records, to celebrate the seminal album’s 30th anniversary.
For a preview of Symbol of Salvation Live, a live video for “The Truth Always Hurts” can be seen at:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=LynF6A3e2VE
There are many ways to celebrate the anniversary of an important release in a band’s career, and for Symbol Of Salvation‘s thirtieth birthday – an album vocalist John Bush refers to as Armored Saint‘s “cornerstone record” – comes Symbol Of Salvation Live. A combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York’s famed Gramercy Theatre during their 2018 tour, it captures the power, diversity and peerless songwriting contained within it. “I felt like showing ‘Symbol‘ in another light was a great homage to the record itself,” states bassist Joey Vera. “Also, having all the fans be there and part of that event is a way for us to say ‘Thank you!’ For, without them, we can’t do any of this in the first place.”
There is no denying that Symbol Of Salvation stands out of the band’s catalogue as something truly special, something that the band recognize as readily as their rabid fanbase. “It links our past to our future,” says Bush. “I believe it was the time that we honestly thought we could do whatever we wanted to musically and it would somehow work. There’s a magical feeling about it and it continues to gain mystique every year.” However, the band went through some adverse times while initially writing the songs that would make up the record, being without a label for three years prior to signing with Metal Blade, and in 1990 – before they headed into the studio – losing founding guitarist Dave Prichard to leukemia. This ultimately served to light a fire under the band, pushing them to deliver their very best. “Because we had lifted ourselves out of these ashes, as it were, we felt a very strong desire to make every little thing count,” elaborates Vera. “It felt more important than anything we had ever done before. For one thing, we didn’t want Dave’s writing contributions to be in vain. Also, we were on a mission to let the world hear what we’d been working on for three years. Funny thing is, that during the separation of the metal genre between glam and thrash from ’85 to ’89, we kinda felt like we had to prove something to everyone else. But while making ‘Symbol’, we also had something to prove, except this time, we had to prove it to ourselves.”
The decision to play the album in its entirety on dates in the US and Europe in 2018 was in fact quite pragmatic, the band between records and wanting to play more shows, and with the anniversary of Symbol Of Salvation on the horizon, Vera believed it would be a “fun challenge” to play it in a live setting. “We thought since the fans seem to agree that this record is a favorite, it would be well received. And as usual, it takes time and planning for a release down the road, so we jumped on that idea and did a bunch of dates before we began writing for our next record,” says Vera. “It was really great seeing the reaction from the crowds when we’d play the really deep cuts. Not only the songs we very rarely played, but also the couple of songs that we had never played before. Some of these tunes took on a whole new life and it was very motivating for me, to see these songs in a different light. I would say that experience was an inspiration when I began writing for ‘Punching the Sky’ (2020).” The show itself was captured by a six-camera crew, Bush saying the band were “pumped up”, knowing that they were filming, and as always the quintet delivered their very best from the moment they stepped on stage. They also have fond memories of the show, which remains their biggest headline show in New York to date. “The vibe in the room was so great,” says Vera. “The fans made us feel so welcome, like we had come home for a celebration of sorts, and we all celebrated ‘Symbol of Salvation’. It gave me chills hearing people sing along to songs like ‘Burning Question’, a song we never had played live before.”
As an extra bonus, the vinyl and digital versions of the record contain five demo tracks from the Symbol Of Salvation writing sessions with Dave Prichard, which have never been released on that format. “They’re songs that didn’t make the record, however, there still is a vibe to those tunes, plus Dave’s playing is on them, so that makes them special,” says Bush. These tracks make for welcome additions, helping to further celebrate the record, and the band are just happy and respectful of the fact they have reached this anniversary. “If you would have told me thirty years ago that we’d be talking about this today, I would have told you that you were crazy,” Vera says. “All we’ve ever wanted was to make our own music, to take joy and take pride in doing it. The fact that we also have very loyal fans who continue to support what we do is the best icing on this cake. I try to look at our records as objectively as possible, and when I can do that, I’m very proud that this record is a huge part of the band’s legacy, and I am extremely humbled that I’m a part of that.”
Symbol of Salvation Live CD/DVD is available for pre order now
Metal Blade Records welcomes INGESTED to its worldwide roster
Metal Blade Records is proud to announce the signing of British death metal band, Ingested, to its global roster.
The flagbearers of modern UK death metal recently celebrated the band’s 15th anniversary, as well as the 10th anniversary of their sophomore effort “The Surreption” with “The Surreption II,” a complete re-recording of the album earlier this summer.
As the band prepares their Metal Blade Records debut, fans can check out the Ingested livestream from 2020 on their official YouTube channel here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmLxF6PFMDA
Vocalist Jason Evans comments: “Metal Blade Records is a legendary label, with a roster of legendary artists and we are very proud to say that after 15 years as a band, we now stand amongst them. We are super excited about this next step in our journey and can’t wait to bring you more music, more videos and more shows than ever before, worldwide. Welcome to the Metal Blade era of INGESTED!”
Ingested was founded in 2006 in Manchester, England and have since toured extensively with Cannibal Corpse, The Black Dahlia Murder, Nile, Carnifex, Revocation, and have been seen on European festival stages including Summer Breeze Open Air. The band earned Billboard chart entries in 2018 with their album “The Level Above Human,” including: #35 Independent Albums, #16 Hard Rock Albums, #135 Top 200. The band saw chart action again with their 2020 release “Where Only Gods May Tread” including #4 Current Hard Music Albums, #10 Top new Artist Albums, #139 Billboard Top Albums and #15 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums, and #50 UK Independent Albums chart. With an already extensive release and touring history, Ingested are eagerly anticipating an exciting new era as part of the Metal Blade Records roster.
LIZZY BORDEN ‘Master of Disguise’, ‘Deal with the Devil’ vinyl re-issues now available via Metal Blade Records
On November 19th, Lizzy Borden will release vinyl re-issues of classic albums Master of Disguise (1989)and Deal with the Devil (2000) via Metal Blade Records.
Pre-order your copies now at:
www.indiemerch.com/metalbladerecords/band/lizzy-borden
&
https://eu.kingsroadmerch.com/metal-blade/artist/1043
The records are available in the following versions:
Master of Disguise vinyl versions
– 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
– clear gold marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
– blue / black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
– sky blue marbled vinyl (US exclusive)
– blackberry marbled vinyl (US exclusive)
Deal with the Devil vinyl versions
– 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
– blackberry marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
– rose / white marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies)
– clear warm grey marbled vinyl (US exclusive)
– beige marbled vinyl (US exclusive)
W.E.B.Greek Symphonic Extreme Metal Act To Release Colosseum Full-Length November 19th Via Metal Blade Records; New Video Now Playing
[Photo by Georgina Staikou]
Athens-based metal outfit W.E.B. will release their Colosseum full-length on November 19th via Metal Blade Records today unveiling the record’s artwork, track listing, first single, and preorders.
Forged in 2002 out of a “necessity to scream, blast, and create emotions and get on stage to exchange them with an audience,” Greece’s W.E.B. have steadily forged a path to becoming one of the premier European symphonic extreme metal bands expressing darkness and death through adrenaline and poetry. An output that’s both candid and theatrical, W.E.B. is here to move you, provoke you, and invite you on a journey through ravendark and starless nights. With four albums already under their collective belt, 2021’s fifth full-length, Colosseum, is inarguably the band’s greatest and most direct work to date.
“We wanted this album to be as straightforward as we could make it. We wanted it to be aggressive and to the point, and at the same time we have pushed literally everything, higher, faster, louder, harder. It is our most metal album,” states guitarist/vocalist Sakis Prekas. Combining the brutal with the catchy and drenching it in orchestrations that only serve to expand its epic scale, Colosseum is a thrilling, gripping listen with each of its nine tracks playing an important part in the album as a whole, making it clear that W.E.B. stands toe-to-toe with anyone in their genre.
With Colosseum, the band welcomes two new members: drummer Nikitas Mandolas, who joined following the recording of 2017’s Tartarus and whose playing is perfectly suited to the music W.E.B. make, and bassist/vocalist Hel Pyre. “Apart from the great lyrics and the perfect bass performance, she offered her brutal and clean vocals on many parts of the album, leaving her own mark of fire. This is a completely new element for W.E.B. that really gave a unique character to the material.”
With the lineup solidified, writing commenced in early 2019, sending ideas back and forth to one another, subsequently honing each song over many pre-production sessions. “With no references, when we make music, our only thoughts are that we want to make it sound as awesome as we can,” states Sakis. The dramatic orchestrations are of course a large part of that, with Christos Antoniou of Septicflesh handling this aspect of the sound as he has on previous W.E.B. releases. “Metal is the most revolutionary music genre ever to exist; adding to it symphonic orchestra makes the experience even more epic and emotional in a massive way. We want our music to inspire the senses, thus we aspire to make it intense from our perspective.”
Stream W.E.B. stunning first single “Dominus Maleficarum” at www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vl-cPY2e-4
Colosseum Track Listing:
- Dark Web
- Murder of Crows
- Pentalpha
- Colosseum
- Dominus Maleficarum
- Necrology
- Ensanguined
- Exaudi Luciferi
- December 13th
In titling the record Colosseum, W.E.B. draw comparisons with the past and present, in typically brutal style. “The Colosseum was the famous gigantic arena in Rome to give the people ‘food and spectacle,’ whereas what it truly did was to quench the mob’s thirst for blood and violence and keep their minds away from thinking; kind of an ancient TV-brainwash machine,” notes Sakis. “People nowadays seem to be thirsty for blood more than ever. They seek violence in almost everything. You can see it in social media, in the streets – even a simple fight between kids in a schoolyard attracts the other kids, not to separate but to watch. Humans miss the Colosseum and what it gave to their violent nature, even though they will never admit it. The title Colosseum is the irony of giving them what they secretly desire. Maybe then they will start to understand what they see in their mirror and hopefully it will bother them.”
Colosseum was recorded, mixed, and mastered in Sound Abuse Production Studio in Athens by Psychon and produced by Sakis Prekas. While Sakis admits it was the most difficult record they’ve ever made, it was also the smoothest of all recording sessions, largely due to being so prepared. “It also had to do a lot with the chemistry between us and the way Psychon works with us: keeping the recordings on a strict schedule, and at the same time making us always feel comfortable to express ourselves.”
Still, there were obstacles to overcome when it came to orchestrations and arrangements. “When you enter the rabbit-hole of symphonic orchestra and synths, you are in a chaos of sounds, and new ideas are always born through this. We had to spend hours on sound design and decisions like never before, yet the outcome speaks for itself.”
W.E.B.’s Colosseum will be available on CD, Fruit Punch-colored LP, and digital formats. Find preordering options herewww.metalblade.com/web
[Cover art by John Toussas]
