Saturday, June 26, 2010

DUBLIN DOOM DAY: HOUR OF 13 LIVE


After 2 highly acclaimed occult doom heavy metal albums to date Hour of 13 will be making its long awaited and much anticipated live debut September 18, 2010 at Dublin Doom Day in Ireland. The concert is also planned to be recorded for an upcoming live album to be released in 2011 to promote Hour of 13's first tour expected Summer / Fall 2011. Hour of 13 are anticipating to fulfill fan expectation and are hoping fans will make their presence known throughout the set to give those unable to make the festival a preview of the 2011 live tour.

Hour of 13 are going to play Dublin Doom Day in their first ever gig. Wont be playing Europe again for some time and this is a one off gig. Tickets €28 from www.tickets.ie and Sentinel records.

So its official Hour of 13 will making the trip to Ireland to perform their exclusive live debut at the Dublin Doom Day festi...val. Thanx to our most loyal fans in the country of Ireland for giving us their tremedous support that led us to make the desicion to play Ireland. Chad and I considered all our options to meet the demand for Hour of 13 live and that demand has taken us to Dublins Doom Day. There has been enormous support from Ireland since day one and now we want to show our appreciation of their support by performing live and meeting these supporters first hand. We are excited to say the least and looking forward to seeing you all... Thanx especially to the organizers of DDD for making this a reality!!! -Phil

Dublin Doom Day:

Mourning Beloveth
Hour of 13 (USA), World exclusive, first ever gig.... One off in Europe
Pagan Altar (Eng)
Griftegard (Swe)
Brigantia
People of the Monolith
Shattered Hope (Gre)
Officium Triste (Hol)
Why Angels Fall (Por)
De Novissimis

Tickets are available now from www.tickets.ie and sentinel records

http://www.myspace.com/dublindoomday


BLABBERMOUTH REVIEW:
If you listened closely you might have heard critical rumblings about an outstanding new heavy/doom metal band called HOUR OF 13 that released a monumentally impressive self-titled debut album in 2007 on Shadow Kingdom Records. It was an underground success story that garnered little attention initially, then world spread slowly but surely and virtually everyone that reviewed the disc raved about it. I didn't review it, but I damn sure bought a copy and couldn't wait to get my hands on sophomore album "The Ritualist" on Germany's Northern Silence Productions (I'd sure like to know how Shadow Kingdom Records let this band get away). Believe me, it was worth the wait. "The Ritualist" is one of the best doom-based traditional heavy metal albums you'll hear this year, rivaling both its predecessor and albums like THE GATES OF SLUMBER 2008 release "Conqueror" for its old school spirit, godly riffs, and immensely memorable songwriting.

Let's clarify first that when I say "band" I'm talking about two people that make up the entirety of HOUR OF 13. Playing all the instruments is Chad Davis (ex-DEMONCY, FATHER BEFOULED, PROFANE GRACE) and vocalist/lyricist Phil Swanson (VESTAL CLARET, UPWARDS OF ENDTIME, SEAMOUNT). The duo make the magick happen on "The Ritualist" by combining the moroseness and chilling dread of doom — made even spookier by Swanson's haunting, Wino-meets-Ozzy vocals and occult lyrics — with the (relatively) conventional structuring of traditional heavy metal. The result is a collection of big, bruising songs falling predominantly in the six to eight minute range that burn, groove, and hypnotize with passion and purpose. This is an album for those worshipping at the altar of the mighty riff, as well as for those tired of the soulless digitization that has sucked the life out of far too many metal offerings. If a chill doesn't run down your spine when the main riff to "Possession" kicks in with its mammoth "Mob Rules" power (think "The Sign of the Southern Cross") or the hairs on the back of your neck don't stand at attention for the wicked trad-metal groove-riff of "Demons all around Me", then one can only hope that someone is nearby to check your vital signs.

From BLACK SABBATH to PENTAGRAM to MERCYFUL FATE to PAGAN ALTAR, "The Ritualist" reminds of those periods of the '70s and '80s where certain albums held listeners captive with a larger-than-life essence, owing both to songs that got better with every listen and a compositional form that wasted not a single riff or tempo change; everything counted and everything was remembered. That is exactly the type of quality that makes "The Ritualist" an album that is deserving of high praise. Don't let this one go unnoticed.


- Scott Alisoglu (blabbermouth)

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Sunday, June 20, 2010