“Beyond” was just released yesterday in Europe by Lifeforce Records and in Korea by Dope Entertainment Music and the North American release date will be March 5th via Lifeforce Records!
We’re glad to finally make it official and announce that OG is a real 6-piece troop again – we welcome Erkki Silvennoinen as a new bass player to Omnium Gatherum. Erkki is a die-hard pro dude with a warm nice attitude, just the way we like it, and we know him well from sharing same stages than us since almost ten years ago. He used to play in Amoral as well as in Finnish Idols winner Ari Koivunen’s band back in the day. At the moment he is also playing in awesome brutal tech death metal band De Lirium’s Order. At the same time we say huge thanks to Eerik Purdon (ex-OG / Shear) who was filling the low-frequence spot almost one year as a session member on stage and in studio – thanx mate and we owe you a big one!
Here’s what Erkki has to say about his new vocation:
“I’m very excited to join Omnium Gatherum. I already know most of the guys from way back when I was playing warm-up gigs for them. I have seen them grow and evolve into the tight unit they are today and hire
Jukka as their front-man, who also happens to be one of my best friends. It’s an honor to get to play with such talented musicians. The previous bass players have left some big shoes to fill… I hope they fit.”
The new up-coming Omnium Gatherum album is being mixed at the moment by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studio and tentative release date is set to early 2013, more info about the album coming soon!
The roaming mini-festivals have become increasingly popular and tonight, Neckbreakers Ball hits London. Like the recent Heidenfest, it covers half of Europe over the course of a month!
Joonas “Jope” Koto officially joins Omnium Gatherum as a new
guitarist, so OG is a twin guitar squad again and what’s even better
is that now we have Jackson guitar tour de force on both sides of the
stage! He have been playing already a big bunch of gigs with OG as
session live member as the previous guitarist Harri Pikka left the
band over a year ago, and Jope was even filling up Harri in some gigs
even before we separated ways.
Jope have been Markus’ partner in crime in a progressive metal band
Malpractice for many years by now, so he was the first, the most
natural and the only candidate for the job for us and gladly we got
him on board! He have been playing and recording previously in
To/Die/For and Hateframe too, so he is a hard core professional dude.
Joonas’ statement: “After two years as a session guitarist the guys
finally asked me to join OG and I didn’t hesitate one second! From the
get-go I have felt like part of a family. The guys are very great as
persons and professional as musicians. I’m very happy and proud to be
a part of such a great band of brothers.”
OG’s statement: “Welcome sir, we salute you!”
Omnium Gatherum proposed Joonas on stage during their performance at
last weeks gig on Finland’s Sauna Open Air festival where they the
band was opening directly for Ozzy Osbourne.
Next Omnium Gatherum summer festivals will be:
18.06. Kotkarock Festival, Kotka, Finland
01.07. With Full Force Open Air, Germany
16.07. Ilosaarirock Festival, Joensuu, Finland
22.07. Tuska Open Air, Helsinki, Finland
29.07. Qstock Festival, Oulu, Finland
06.08. Kokkolarock Festival, Kokkola, Finland
After that the band will head to Finnish club tour in September and
“Neckbreakers Ball” European tour in October/November.
Check out the new official album teaser for OMNIUM GATHERUM’s upcoming new opus “New World Shadows” to be released in Europe on February 7th and March 1st in North America via Lifeforce Records.
Omnium Gatherum will be teaming up for a first European tour leg in support of the new album in April/May as a direct support for Greek heroes Rotting Christ. More live action for the international field is in the works also.
OMNIUM GATHERUM have revealed another full track video teaser for the song “New World Shadows” taken from their Lifeforce Records debut album “New World Shadows” to be released on February 7th in Europe and March 1st in North America.’
Finnish adult oriented melodeathsters OMNIUM GATHERUM announces the Finnish release tour for the album “New World Shadows” which will be out in February in Europe (March in US) via Lifeforce Records. Also first summer festival announced, With Full Force Open Air in Germany!
NEW LIVE SHADOWS in Finland 2011:
09.02. Jyväskylä, Lutakko
10.02. Kuopio, Henry’s Pub
11.02. Oulu, Nuclear Nightclub
12.02. Karhula, Sam’s Pub
23.02. Helsinki, Tavastia
10.03. Jyväskylä, Lutakko (w/ Evergrey)
11.03. Oulu, Club Teatria (w/ Evergrey)
12.03. Helsinki, Nosturi (w/ Evergrey)
18.03. Kouvola, Rytmikatti
25.03. Turku, S-Osis
09.04. Hamina, Jack Up
01.07. With Full Force Open Air, Germany
The new video “Soul Journeys” coming from the album “New World Shadows” available here:
Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM will release their fifth album, New World Shadows, via Lifeforce Records on the following dates:
Germany/Austria/Switzerland – February 4th
Sweden/Finland/Hungary – February 9th
Rest Of Europe – February 7th
North America – March 1st
New World Shadows was recorded at Astia Studio 2 in Lappeenranta and OmG Studio in Karhula, Finland with Teemu Aalto, and was mixed and mastered at Unisound Studio in Örebro, Sweden by Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, OPETH, KATATONIA, DISSECTION, HAIL OF BULLETS, BLOODBATH).
The new album includes clean vocals from Dan Swanö, “growling screams” from Niilo Sevänen (INSOMNIUM) and “punishing organs” from Mikko “Monni” Reinamo (KAIHORO/WOLFTRAP).
Regarding the material for the bands forthcoming CD, the band remarked recently: “This time we really put a lot of time and effort on the pre-production of the stuff. It’s going to be an epic and massive attack of ever-flowing stream of Finnish melodic death metal, straight from the souls of black.”
Singer Jukka Pelkonen adds: “This is the album I’ve been wanting to do for years. Here it is, the OG’s musical evolution and career of 15 years in metal and this album surely is finally the musical diamond what we were starting to chase once we started this band, finally every piece of the puzzle are here and the notes on the right places! This is northern death metal without limitations, really melodic and intelligent but still aggressive while quoting lines from prog to even AOR and no less than having also my teenage idol sir Dan Swanö himself singing some stuff here, like we say it – this is adult oriented death metal in it’s most epic, melodic and purest form!”
New World Shadows tracklisting:
‘Everfields’
‘Ego’
‘New World Shadows’
‘Soul Journeys’
‘Nova Flame’
‘An Infinite Mind’
‘Watcher Of The Skies’
‘The Distance’
‘Deep Cold’
The end of a great if tiring week for metal in London, with Primordial, Obituary, Municipal Waste and Behemoth already having paid a visit to the Big Smoke, it’s now Dark Tranquillity’s turn. The very last date of the Great British Fiction Tour, the Swedes were supposed to have been supported by English thrashers Evile and Finnish melodic death band Omnium Gatherum, but Evile cancelled. There’s no mention even of the cancellation itself on the band’s website, let alone the reason, and people either found out from Omnium Gatherum’s website, or at the gig itself. Highly discourteous. Perhaps Evile were too over the moon to be touring with Megadeth later this month.
I recently had the opportunity to send some questions over to the very busy Markus Vanhala to discuss his involvement with the recent releases by Manitou and Omnium Gatherum. As lead guitar player for both bands, it was interesting to see how he balances two bands at opposite ends of the metal spectrum: on the one hand, there is the more traditional, highly melodic metal of Manitou and on the other there is the melodic death metal of Omnium Gatherum. Among other things, we got the chance to discuss the influences that contribute to both outfits, the difficulties in navigating the business end of things, and what the writing process is like in each camp.
Markus Vanhala of Omnium Gatherum Interview By Anders Sandvall Pictures provided by Sound Pollution Thanks to Niklas “Hobbe” Andersson at Sound Pollution for help with the interview.
The Finnish act Omnium Gatherum have recently released their second album YEARS IN WASTE on Nuclear Blast. I took the opportunity to ask guitarist Markus Vanhala a few questions about the album and about the band.
