Posts Tagged ‘rise above records’

SerpentCult parts way with singer; new album in the works

Posted on Saturday, February 6th, 2010

Guitarist Frédéric Caure of SerpentCult — the Belgian band featuring former members of Thee Plague of Gentlemen and Welkin — has issued the following update:

“In the last few months we have been working very intensively on our new album Raised By Wolves. It was and still is a very strong period, in which we more or less ‘rediscovered’ ourselves. It was also a period of evaluation for all of us in the band about what we are actually doing in the band, what we want from it, and where we want to go.”

SerpentCult 2010

“It went so far that about two months ago, we even discarded about 80% of the new material just to start again from scratch. We don’t want to make Weight Of Light 2, we want to make something exceptional.”

“Creativity, vision, future, motivation and other very personal related topics are things we often discussed in the last series of months.”

“As a consequence of all this, our singer Michelle has decided to leave SerpentCult a few days ago for both personal and band related reasons. Cozy, Steven and myself agreed with her decision.”

“I speak for the whole of the band when I say that the material we have been writing for Raised By Wolves is by far the best stuff we ever made. The music comes straight from the guts, has clear vision, and in comparison with our previous material, is far more avant garde and experimental. However, the music still retains the typical tone and heavyness of SerpentCult.”

“The more the new songs were taking actual shape, the more we were wondering what position the vocals would be taking on this new material. Together with Michelle, we also concluded that the traditional setup of 3 musicians and a front vocalist does not work anymore for us.”

“Therefore, we have decided with SerpentCult to make some drastic changes. For a while already, I was playing with the idea of redefining the concept of a ‘band’. The departure of Michelle was the trigger for me to make these plans actually happen.”

“This is what will follow:

First of all, Michelle will not be replaced! This seems pointless to us, and would only be a weak attempt to continue what we’ve been doing on Weight Of Light. However, let it be clear that SerpentCult is NOT turning into an instrumental band!”

“From now on, the band will consist of a creative core of a limited amount of people, which are Cozy, Steven and myself, as permanent members. This “core” will lay out the vision and the basics for all the future SerpentCult happenings.”

“The band will expand with a few other musicians, who will join us in the realisation and creation of our visions and music. These members will be very close to the band, but will not be permanent SerpentCult members.”

“We do not limit ourselves to an amount, nor to certain instruments. Vocals and lyrics will still play an important role in SerpentCult, however, the approach will be totally different from what is commonly accepted and expected in modern music.”

“This new concept will allow us to spread our wings, and touch new horizons. We are extremely excited to start working within this new setup, and we see it as one of the most challenging things we have ever done in music.”

“These changes obviously have their impact on the short term future: First of all, we have to cancel all the one off gigs in the coming two months. We would like to apoligize to the bookers of these gigs for the trouble this has caused them.”

“For the European tour with Dark Fortress, Sardonis and Farsot; Michelle and the band have agreed to make it happen. This will be the last opportunity to see SerpentCult in the ‘old’ line up.”

“After this tour, the band will start working intensively on the new concept, and we will be proud to present you the new material at Tom G Warrior’s “Only Death Is Real” – Roadburn Festival, April 16th.”

“We  would to stress that the friendly relations between SerpentCult and Michelle remain unaffected, and we are still good friends. These 4 years together in the band have been awesome, and we wish her all the best for the future in her new projects and personal life.”

“We know that the steps we are taking now will create strong reactions amongst the fans. SerpentCult however has never been a band you know what to expect from. We do this because it’s our minds and hearts speaking. We follow the path that we think is right, and we’ll be the only ones to judge this.”

“But this is what it’s all about for us; we do what we want and what we feel we must do. We do not seek acceptance, our lives will be free…”

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The Gates of Slumber: new track available for download

Posted on Saturday, September 12th, 2009

A new The Gates of Slumber track is now available for download. (Courtesy of Stereogum).  ‘Blood and Thunder’ comes off the group’s new album entitled Hymns Of Blood And Thunder, which is scheduled for release on September 29 via Rise Above Records.
According to Stereogum’s Brandon: “If you’re familiar with Indianapolis’s ...read more

Album of the day: Litmus – Aurora

Posted on Friday, August 28th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from The Obelisk:  They’re based in the UK, but there’s really no telling where planet-hopping space rockers Litmus might end up in or out of this feebly-armed galaxy by the end of their third album, Aurora, and where they might take you likewise.
Their second album on Rise Above ...read more

Album of the day: The Gates of Slumber – Hymns of Blood and Thunder

Posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from our friends at Stonerrock.com: If The Gates of Slumber’s sophomore album, Suffer No Guilt, proved they could write undeniably great songs and follow-up Conqueror showed they were able to write a consistent album, Hymns of Blood and Thunder demonstrates they can do both at the same time.
What ...read more

The Gates of Slumber: New song available for streaming

Posted on Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

‘The Bringer of War’, a brand new song from Heralded Indianapolis, Indiana doom metal masters The Gates of Slumber, is available for streaming at DecibelMagazine.com. The track comes off the band’s new album, Hymns of Blood & Thunder, which is scheduled for release on September 13 via Rise Above Records.
The ...read more

Album of the day: Blood Ceremony – Blood Ceremony

Posted on Sunday, August 9th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from Sputnikmusic: Looking back on the past decade, it seems that traditional, backwards-looking doom metal has gradually become more prevalent in the metal scene. Pagan Altar and Witchfinder General have both returned from obscurity to blow everyone’s minds again, while relatively newer groups such as Reverend Bizarre, The ...read more

Roadburn playlist: August (Walter)

Posted on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

Obviously, we need good music on the stereo while we are busy putting together the 2010 edition of the festival. Be on the lookout for updates from time to time on what’s spinning on the Roadburn turntable, CD player and Winamp player (And if you are on Last.fm, come join ...read more

Album of the day: Moss – Tombs of the Blind Drugged

Posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from Doom Mantia: Last year’s Sub Templum was one of the most extreme exercises in monolithic Doom ever created and now they are back. A bit different this time around but no less punishing. Tombs of the Blind Drugged has shorter tracks than usual but it is no ...read more

Album of the day: Church of Misery – Houses of the Unholy

Posted on Saturday, July 18th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from SputnikMusic.com: The drug-infused, feedback-driven style of sludge doom that Church of Misery have perfected over the course of their decade-long arse pummeling reaches another peak with their fourth full length, Houses of the Unholy.
In every sense, the band has remained within the confines of the genre, as ...read more

Album of the day: Firebird – Grand Union

Posted on Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Lovingly pinched from one of our favorite blogs, The Ripple Effect: Play this album for a friend but don’t tell them what year it was recorded. When they’re done moaning about how rock was so much better in the 1970’s you can let them know it’s the brand new record ...read more

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