Category: Skelator

Seattle’s SKELATOR To Release ‘Blood Empire’ EP and Reissue ‘King Of Fear’ On Vinyl In September

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Seattle’s SKELATOR will release the new “Blood Empire” EP and reissue their fourth studio album, “King Of Fear” on Sept 23 via Gates Of Hell Records — a double-dose of epic speed metal!

The “Blood Empire” EP was recorded in September and October 2021 at the band’s rehearsal studio and home studios. The album was mixed by guitarist Robbie Houston, with mastering by Collin Jordan of The Boiler Room Mastering. The cover art was created by Max Nazaryan.

Like so many of their contemporaries, SKELATOR’s 2020 plans — including a tour in support of their 2019 “Cyber Metal” album — were thwarted by the pandemic. It prompted the band to hunker down and focus on new material while also dealing with a lineup change.

“We had the framework of a song called ‘Vengeance’ which later became ‘The First Empire’,’ says guitarist Rob Steinway. “This song was our catalyst for the rest of the songs that appear on the EP. During the first bit of 2020, we parted ways with our bassist and had our friend Leona [Hayward] join. Most of 2020 and 2021 were spent working on songs remotely, exchanging files, and recording demos until restrictions in our area were eased and we were able to rehearse in person again and actually record. After completing the music for ‘The First Empire’, we began working on ‘Good Day To Die’ as our second song, which went through several revisions as well but was also the first songs that had completely written music and lyrics before we even played through the entire thing in person as a group. ‘Deeds Of Honor’ and ‘Bloodwine’ were written and finished at the same time.”

Steinway describes “Blood Empire” as “less futuristic” sounding than “Cyber Metal”; drawing influence from the epic heavy metal and thrash influenced sounds of SKELATOR’s early releases and also notes the production is less pristine. Vocalist Jason Conde-Houston notes that “Cyber Metal” was inspired by German power metal bands GAMMA RAY, GRAVE DIGGER and PRIMAL FEAR with sci-fi and ’80s movies, whereas “Blood Empire” tackles new lyrical themes.

“The EP is straight-up inspired by Klingon lore from the entire ‘Star Trek’ franchise,” he says. “It’s a bit more primitive in nature, but still with some very technical skills involved. I’d say that the two epic journeys will impress more than we have in the past.”

“King Of Fear” will be brought to life on vinyl — a long overdue happening considering the number of requests SKELATOR fielded from fans to have the album on this format. The album has also been purposely re-mastered for vinyl and will feature expanded cover art.

“‘King of Fear’ had only been released on CD and digital download — we desperately wanted to release it on vinyl, but we struggled to find anyone that was wanting to work with us on that,” says Steinway. “At the time of its original release, we weren’t officially on any label, just collaborating with Swords & Chains Records to get the CD distributed. Every show we played, people always ask if we had ‘King Of Fear’ on vinyl yet, along with requests from people to our social media pages. I think we all have personally said, ‘Sometime soon; we really want to release it on vinyl’ hundreds of times. We approached Gates Of Hell with the idea and they were receptive and helped us bring it to life. The art we had is great on CD, don’t get me wrong, but having a larger version will really be a treat and the detail will stick out a lot more.”

 

Outside of the release of “Blood Empire” and reissue of “King Of Fear”, SKELATOR is also planning on making a return to the live stage.

“It’s been two years and I think our fans deserve to hear some Heavy Metal Madness once again,” says Conde-Houston. “We already have song ideas for the next release so there is no stopping this train. We will continue to deliver new material to the masses as long as there is oxygen in our lungs.”

“Empire Of Blood” track listing:

 

  1. Deeds Of Honor
  2. Good Day To Die
  3. The First Empire
  4. Bloodwine

 

“King Of Fear” track listing:

 

  1. King Of Fear
  2. Stronger Than Steel
  3. Temple Of The Witch
  4. Sword Of The Dawn
  5. Raging Demon
  6. Curse Of The Black Hand
  7. Test The Metal
  8. Honor Is Life
  9. Necromancer
  10. Master of the Universe (BONUS TRACK)

SKELATOR Inks Deal With GATES OF HELL RECORDS; New Album ‘Cyber Metal’ Due In June

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(Cover art illustration and design by Dordji Bowles and Ryan Rich)

Veteran west coast metallers SKELATOR has signed with Gates Of Hell Records for the release of their fifth studio album, “Cyber Metal”. The album is due June 14 in European territories and June 21 in North America.

Formed in 1998, SKELATOR has capably flown the flag of never-say-die true metal, harnessing Jason Conde-Houston’s stratospheric vocal range, dueling guitar harmonies and battle-tested rhythms. SKELATOR originally met Cruz Del Sur Music/Gates Of Hell owner Enrico Leccese in 2013, who relayed word that SLOUGH FEG leader Mike Scalzi suggested the label sign the band. Fast-forward six years and the two parties have joined forces for “Cyber Metal”.

“Creating ‘Cyber Metal’ was a long process for us, not just recording and writing, but finding the right lineup as well,” says Conde-Houston. “We started writing for the album in 2016 but had two incidents of needing to find a bass player to round out the lineup which effectively put a stop to the writing process. Luckily in 2017, we found Darin Wall and he brought the driving bass that we needed to solidify the lineup. His playing immediately locked in with Pat’s [Seick] ‘rock bomb’ drumming style and enabled Robbie [Houston] and Rob [Steinway] to focus in on delivering the guitar harmonies and heavy riffs and allowed us to shape the band’s sound into what we have always wanted. I can say without hesitation that this current lineup of the band is the most talented and cohesive that it has ever been.”

With the goal of making “Cyber Metal” their “most polished effort to date,” SKELATOR has assembled a batch of songs that deftly combine modern German power metal (GRAVE DIGGER, PRIMAL FEAR) as well as classic influences such as JUDAS PRIEST and RIOT. The result is an album with no shortage of screaming vocals, high-flying guitar solos, thunderous bass, gated drums and even extra doses of keyboards.

The album was recorded throughout 2018 between a variety of studios, including drums at Hangar 12 in Mountlake Terrace, Washington and vocals with Matt Roach at Rain City Recorders in Vancouver, British Columbia. The rest of the tracking was handled by the guitar duo of Houston and Steinway, who eventually put the finishing touches on the album this past December. “It was a long grueling process but it was well worth it because now we have the best sounding SKELATOR record to date,” says Conde-Houston.

Thematically, Conde-Houston says SKELATOR had one rule: No songs about swords, unless they are laser swords. “We touch on movies and comics that have inspired us since we were kids in the ‘80s. Songs like ‘Akira’, ‘Highlander’ and ‘Seven Scars’ are all obvious nerd-out lyrics based on decades of watching the same movies over and over. But the songs are still anthems and we still have at least one track about playing true metal.”

Now past the 20-year mark as a band, “Cyber Metal” finds SKELATOR at the top of their game with the same drive and passion as when they started. “The hard part about keeping a band together for 20 years is the fact that we are all getting older and have more and more responsibilities,” concludes Conde-Houston. “But the beauty of having this band for so long is that we have a great legacy of albums to share with the world, and we all enjoy what we do and have the drive to keep doing it. As hard as it was to create this new album, it is a joy to listen to. This is our most ambitious record and the catchiest as well. I think it will please SKELATOR fans new and old. Even if you are a ‘Give Me Metal Or Give Me Death’, purest you’ll be still be singing along to tracks like ‘Cast Iron’ or ‘Cyber Samurai’.”

 

“Cyber Metal” track listing:

  1. Cyber Samurai
  2. Cast Iron
  3. The Hammer
  4. Highlander
  5. Akira
  6. Erlkönig
  7. Seven Scars
  8. Psychic Silver Wheels