Snakeblade is a relatively new one-man solo project that was spawned out of pandemic isolation. Over the past year and a half, the ever intrepid Mike Redston has written, performed and recorded two albums, “The Kingdom” in 2020 and “The Curse” in 2021. The first single off the latter is “The Red Mage’s Seduction” , which, like the rest of the album, is themed around Game of Thrones.
Even though both albums were released in relatively quick succession, Redston cites that the difference between the two albums is very clear. While the first album started out as a ‘fun’ project bordering on power / black metal, he has since taken a deep dive into a darker blackened thrash sound and introduced new symphonic elements. The project is still young, he explains further:
“The music has grown immensely in complexity and scale. A session drummer was hired to handle blasting the kit. There are new orchestral elements of strings, pianos, and choirs. Atmospheric synth interludes. Holy hell, there’s even a sexy saxophone solo! Lyrically, “The Curse” is somewhat of a concept album revolving around Game of Thrones. I say “somewhat” because as I began writing, the initial inspiration from GOT started mixing with my own experiences. What came out is a melting pot of nerdy fantasy shit plus my own personal shit. GOT plotlines of The Red Woman, Stannis Baratheon, and the Lord of Light religion meet my own personal plot lines of betrayal, failure, and rage. Overall, these songs are both deeply emotional and deeply nerdy.”
The single “The Red Mage’s Seduction ” is Redston’s favourite track off the album. It has the best of both worlds: a thrashy chaotic feel plus an atmospheric orchestral twist in the middle. Like the other songs on the album, it was written and performed by Redston with the exception of drums, which are performed by Dennis Kraakman. The album artwork was done by Elizabeth Holmes.
According to Redston, it has been a long, pain-staking process making this album and he looks forward to seeing how it is received by black, death and thrash metal fans. It is especially recommended for fans of Slayer, Dissection and Skeletonwitch.
“The Red Mage’s Seduction” can be heard via its premiere on NoCleanSinging HERE .
The album “The Curse” will be available on October 13, 2021.
Album pre-order - https://snakeblade.bandcamp.
Track Listing:
1. Destiny (Intro) (1:42)
2. Rotten Souls (6:48)
3. Harvester (3:35)
4. Dreams of Aida (1:53)
5. The Red Mage’s Seduction (6:01)
6. Foul Sorcery of Flame and Shadow (5:04)
7. Godswood (2:28)
8. Born Among Salt and Smoke (5:46)
9. Archways (3:05)
10. Exile, Outlaw… The Essence (6:34)
Album Length: 42:56
Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Mike Redston
Drums performed by Dennis Kraakman
Artwork by Elizabeth Holmes
'Dreams of Aida' co-produced with Macca Grills
'Godswood' co-produced with Logan Macdonald
• All songs written by: Mike Redston
• Produced by: Mike Redston
• Album Artwork by: Elizabeth Holmes
• Member of SOCAN
• Music is Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album Band Line Up:
Mike Redston – Vocals, Guitar, Bass Guitar,
Dennis Kraakman - Drums
For more info:
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About:
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Snakeblade was formed by Mike Redston as an escapist project while the entire world was quarantined. What came out of this anxious time may surprise you though, as Snakeblade refuses to follow typical one-man black metal trends. Every song on their debut album The Kingdom explodes with energy and youthful rage, delivering a pummelling of riffs, blastbeats, and shrieking vocals. With lyrical topics of fantasy, medieval battles, lord of the rings, and video games, Snakeblade is a headbanging nerd’s wet dream. Now on their second effort, the one-man project delves into bold new territory adding orchestral and electro elements to the blackened thrashy chaos that is: The Curse.
Discography:
2020 - The Kingdom
2021 - The Curse
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