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Artist : Helvetets Port
Album : Man with the Chains
Year : 2010
Genre : Heavy Metal
Label : High Roller Records
Cat.nr : HRR 151
Source : Vinyl
R.date : 20.04.2011
Size : 25,8 MB
Encoder : LAME 3.98.4 -V0
Bitrate : avg. 249kbps
Quality : 44,1kHz/Joint-Stereo
Website : http://www.helvetetsport.com/
Tracklist:
a1. Crusaders must ride 03:20
a2. Man with the chains 04:35
b1. Lightning rod avenger 06:35
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14:30
Release Notes:
Well, anybody who has been to a live gig of
Helvetets Port will surely know that they are a
legend unto themselves. They are a cult. The
clothes, the music, the attitude. Above all, they
do possess a fine sense of humour (unlike some of
their contenders, like Enforcer for example). I
talked with their drummer Oscar about the new
mini-album "Man with the Chains". It came as a
surprise to me that Helvetets Port have only come
up with three new songs. Are they perhaps holding
back songs for the next lp? Oscar confirms: "Yeah,
we've got more material. Some ready, some being
written during the album making process. We wanted
to make a shorter release, meanwhile, so the fans
wouldn't have to wait for ages before anything
happened. Now with the mini-album out we can take
the time it takes to record an earth quaking
second album. We have already started on it!"
That's good news indeed! What has happened in the
Helvetets Port camp since the debut album "Exodus
to Hell" came out? "We played live quite
frequently after the album release", knows Oscar.
"In 2010, we've only played one gig though. Mostly
because Kongo has been away, we have used the time
to write new songs and to get the studio rolling."
It has taken Helvetets Port quite some time to
come up with the follow-up to their debut album
but their drummer is able to explain why: "Last
year was too busy to fit in a recording process
and after the tour with Ram and In Solitude we had
a financial set-back which we haven't recovered
from still. We had to find a new rehearsal place
earlier this year because we couldn't afford to
pay the rent at our last location. It took some
time to find new practice space and then to find a
studio we could afford as well. Kongo deciding to
run off to Afghanistan didn't help making things
move quickly, either." Hmm, and then there also
was the spectacle of the German tour, a very
adventurous trek, I have leraned: "Yes, we had a
run-in with the German traffic police. They
stopped us to make a check of the bus, take drug
tests on our driver and make sure papers were in
order. They quickly decided our bus wasn't good
enough for the glorious German roads and
confiscated it. It was surreal standing there in
the rain with all the gear at the side of the
highway, just outside of Berlin, which was the
first stop on the tour. In Solitude came in their
mini-van and took the gear and us in to Berlin.
The morning after we managed to rent a mini-van
and continued on the tour, which turned out to be
amazing, in most ways! Logistics wise it was a bit
of a roller coaster since the original plan for us
was to sleep in the tour bus where we had our
beds. A couple of months later we managed to lend
money to pay the traffic fine we got from the
German police and to tow the bus back to Sweden,
something which wasn't cheap I might add."
The mentioned "Man with the Chains" mini-album
does feature a photo instead of a drawing this
time around. Oscar explains why: "We were spawning
on the idea of having a photo for cover this time
and decided that we wanted something more than
just a band photo. The title 'Man with the Chains'
inspired us to have a man in chains. At first we
tried to contact Kjell Nilsson who acted as the
bad guy Lord Humungus in 'Mad Max II: The Road
Warrior'. He's Swedish and we heard he was
supposed to be home in Gothenburg earlier this
summer. Sadly, he never replied and we had to find
someone else. I think we found the best man for
the job, since he looks quite lunatic without
trying hard. The location is the ruins of a large
caste just outside of Gothenburg. You can't see us
very well in the fog but just behind us there's a
cliff fall several meters down and it wasn't very
pleasant standing up there in the cold and on
slippery wet grass underneath our feet."
What have been the press reactions to "Exodus to
Hell" I wanted to know of Helvetets Port's
drummer. "Quite mixed", he answers. "Some of the
criticism I find justified in a couple of ways,
some not. But at the end, we've had a lot of press
and I suppose people have been talking about us.
Both good and bad, press is stimulating for
success, so I'm never considering anything people
write a disaster." I reckon the fans themselves
did show more positive reactions than the
mainstream press. This was indeed the case states
Oscar: "Yes, we've also had loads of really good
feedback. But even if we hadn't, we'd still be
doing what we love: Heavy Metal."
Are they surprised that Steffen at High Roller had
to do several pressings of their first album to
meet the demand by fans? "I suppose I am a bit
surprised how the Heavy Metal scene has suddenly
been going better and better over-all", finds
Oscar. "I started listening to Heavy Metal during
the '90's when people saw this ultimate genre as
something dead and buried, something you could
laugh or spit at. Heavy Metal is spitting back."
Perfectly put!
One aspect of Helvetets Port's appeal to their
growing legions of fans is their use of
all-original '80's stage gear and props. Where the
hell do they go shopping? Who is designing their
stage set? Oscar reveals: "The same guys who
produced the video for 'Lightning Rod Avenger' and
who has done all our recent photo shoots helped us
to realize the idea of having chess pieces on
stage. They are mainly made of styrofoam and
sculptured by our good friend Peter Holmgren."
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