Obscura guitarist Christian Muenzner is working on his second solo album ready for release in May and set up an Indiegogo campaign. There is a video of a new song and some audio samples inside, help him to make it happen if you like what you hear: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/beyond-the-wall-of-sleep-solo-album
Line up:
Jimmy Pitts (The Fractured Dimension, Spastic Ink, Pitts/Minnemann) on keyboards
Linus Klausenitzer (Obscura, Noneuclid) on bass
Hannes Grossmann (Obscura, Blotted Science) on drums

The album will be mixed and mastered by Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry) in March 2014.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFNbaetfpf8[/youtube]

Guitarist Christian Muenzner (OBSCURA, SPAWN OF POSSESSION, PARADOX, ex-NECROPHAGIST) is working on his second all-instrumental solo album, following his 2011 debut CD, “Timewarp”. The new effort will be entitled “Beyond The Wall Of Sleep” and will feature the OBSCURA rhythm section of Hannes Grossmann on drums and Linus Klausenitzer on bass, as well as keyboard virtuoso Jimmy Pitts (PITTS/MINNEMANN, SPASTIC INK, THE FRACTURED DIMENSION). Estimated release date is around April/May 2014.

“Beyond The Wall Of Sleep” will contain 11 high-intensity instrumental tracks, and, like “Timewarp”, will be mixing different genres, such as neoclassical, thrash metal, progressive metal, fusion, ’80s heavy/speed metal and even elements of death and black metal. The album theme will revolve around old mystery stories and supernatural themes, which will also be reflected in the album’s artwork, created, once again, by Anestis Goudas. Some of the songtitles include “Shadow Over Innsmouth”, “Evil Spell (The Book Of Belial)”, “The Pit And The Pendulum”, “Demon’s Gate”, “The Witch Of Endor” and “The Crawling Chaos”.

Comments Muenzner: “The majority of the album is recorded by now. We’re just working on a few guitar overdubs and additional keyboard arrangements, and then the whole thing is ready to be mixed.

“The songwriting took place between October 2012 and May 2013.

“I have been working on the album on and off for most of the last year, whenever touring activties and my busy teaching schedule allowed it. It is also a very important step and personal statement in my career, as about two years ago I was diagnosed with focal dystonia and had to face the possibilty of never being able to play again. Even though I’m still dealing with the condition on a daily basis, I have been able to improve a lot with the help of some great people, without whom this album would never have been possible. It took some time, but I am convinced that this is the best and most intense playing I have recorded up to date.

“Compared to my first album, there is a lot more focus on riffing this time, but also the neoclassical elements and ’80s Shrapnel influences will be more apparent, and it contains some of the best melodies I wrote so far. I think the music is a little bit more straight to the point and in your face, but the album is once again going to include an eight-minute prog epic. In addition, Jimmy, Hannes and Linus have all delivered mindblowing performances. I am very lucky to be able to work with such outstanding musicians.

“This instrumental solo stuff is what I enjoy working on most recently, as it allows me the most creative freedom. I hope that this time I will also get the chance to tour and present the music of both albums in a live format.”

Hannes Grossmann is a drummer and composer from Nuremberg, Germany, and plays for the bands OBSCURA and BLOTTED SCIENCE.

He set up a crowdfunding campaign to have full artistic freedom for this project:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-radial-covenant-solo-album

Musicians:

• V.Santura (Triptykon, Dark Fortress), Florian Magnus Meier (Dark Fortress) – Vocals
• Linus Klausenitzer – Bass
• Jimmy Pitts (Spastic Ink, Pitts/Minnemann) – Keys

On guest guitars:

• Christian Muenzner (Obscura, Spawn Of Possession, Ex-Necrophagist)
• Ron Jarzombek
• Fountainhead
• Danny Tunker (Aborted)
• Per Nilsson (Scar Symmetry)
• Jeff Loomis

Sound examples:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114152412″ params=”secret_token=s-kC4ly” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114153574″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Obscura confirms DEATH TO ALL EUROPE TOUR

In 1998, “The Sound of Perseverance” – the very last studio album of progressive death metal icons DEATH from Florida – saw the light of day, and in 2001 their charismatic band leader, guitar god and sound pioneer Chuck Schuldiner tragically passed away. Many years later, the towering monolith of Chuck`s and DEATH`s testimony hasn`t even faintly started to crumble, and cult albums such as “Leprosy” (1988) or “Symbolic” (1995) remain untouchable!

Whilst older generations have their (live) memories to treasure, there`s a big bunch of younger death metal freaks who could get in touch with DEATH only via DVD or Youtube – and it`s about time we changed this! Earlier this year, the “DTA” tribute tour excited thousands of American fans, and in November 2013 this awesome trek will finally make it to Europe…

The DEATH line up consists of “Human” legends Sean Reinert (drums), Paul Masvidal (guitars) and Steve DiGiorgio (bass). Max Phelps – some of you will have seen him performing live with CYNIC –
will step in Chuck`s footsteps. This amazing tribute line up will perform songs from every DEATH era!

Supporting them will be German tech death crew OBSCURA who have been massively influenced by DEATH themselves and who are currently working on the follow-up to 2011`s “Omnivium”. Swiss act DARKRISE will also be part of the tour – the brutal death metal groove monsters recently thrilled with “Realeyes”.

Get your tickets at
www.hardticket.eu

DEATH European Tour 2013
Death
Obscura
Darkrise

11.11.2013 DE – Hamburg, Grünspan
12.11.2013 DK – Aarhus, Voxhall
13.11.2013 DE – Berlin, BiNuu
14.11.2013 PL – Warsaw, Progresja
15.11.2013 PL – Cracov, Kwadrat
16.11.2013 AT – Vienna, Szene
17.11.2013 CZ – Prague, Nova Chmelnice
19.11.2013 IT – Romagnano Sesia, RnR Arena
20.11.2013 FR – Colmar, Grillen
21.11.2013 DE – Jena, F-Haus
22.11.2013 DE – München, Backstage
23.11.2013 CH – Zürich, Dynamo
24.11.2013 NL – Eindhoven, Distortion Festival
25.11.2013 FR – Paris, Trabendo
26.11.2013 UK – London, Forum
27.11.2013 IR – Dublin, The Academy
28.11.2013 UK – Manchester, Sound Control
29.11.2013 DE – Essen, Turock
30.11.2013 BE – Louvain-la-Neuve, Mass Deathtruction Festival

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivfOE5EjJds[/youtube]

“I’ve never had a bass like the Ibanez BTB 676 before that has so much clarity in it’s tone and that’s so reliable on stage. So I was very excited when I’ve heard that Ibanez developed a 7 string bass of the BTB series which I can even expand my possibilities with. The sound and look of my BTB7, that Steve Vai’s guitar tech Patrick Koopman customized to be fretless, is just outstanding. Once again I’m very thankful and proud to be part of the Ibanez family.” – Linus Klausenitzer

click here for detailed specifications

Noneuclid Featured On Orchestral Tour

After 2010’s Transition Metal collaboration, we are happy to announce that the symphonic version of Into The Light from our upcoming second album will be featured in an exciting and groundbreaking orchestra show in july – on a boat, on the Rhine!

http://www.rheingold2013.com/en/wagner-experience

The piece will be played by a highly motivated 80-people student orchestra from Utrecht, along with other crossover pieces showing the influence of Wagner to this day in different genres.

Morean (all shows) and Linus (Koblenz & Utrecht) will join the venerable Utrecht Student Orchestra as soloists on stage.

Also, for the Wagner fans among you guys, there will be a spectacular performance of Das Rheingold the day before The Wagner Experience shows in every city.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWWXqU2VF3E[/youtube]

Press statement by Blood Music:

Blood Music proudly welcomes to it roster — the bizarre stylings of Noneuclid.

This underground “supergroup,” consists of key members from Obscura, Dark Fortress (Official), Triptykon (Official) (as well as a live member from Celtic Frost), playing indescribable compositions that fall somewhere in the realm of stone-faced thrash mixed with experimental progressive death metal.

We will be handling full release duties for the band’s incredibly long-awaited sophomore album “Metatheosis.” The album was finished in 2007 and didn’t find a home until now, 6 years later!

We view it as Slayer band on acid with heavy doses of monsters and outer space, and the band says of it: “It’s a condensed, multifaceted missile of hyperbolic extreme metal – utterly uncompromising, straight from the heart, and hopefully again a key to unlock very different doors into the psychic multiverse.”

As one of the first bands in extreme metal, OSCBURA funded their record “Illegimitation” with the concept of crowd sourced capital.

“The feedback for this crowd funding project was immense and bigger than expected. We reached our financial goal within a few days and by now we can use almost five times the amount to realize this demo collection with the voice of our fans. In the end they where deciding if this collection of our very early demos and some new recordings of the current lineup will be made available or not and also in what extend.
In times of decreasing physical sales crowd funding is a new way for artists to release their music, videos or movies with crowd sourced capital on a independent but high profile level. This is the future for irrespective, stand-alone artists of all genres and we are glad to be part of the forward thinking movement with our own project.”

The collection, released in March 2012, includes ten never-before-heard tracks, including the band’s earliest recordings from 2003, unreleased songs from the Cosmogenesis sessions of 2006, and brand new cover songs with the newest line-up from 2011.

The record is available on CD/LP in the official Obscura web shop:
http://www.realmofobscura.com/shop/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svV9usWliLk[/youtube]