"RED, WHITE, and HEAVY" demo series

[Stormspell]

Just for information, CD cover artwork size is 1500x1500 pixels. In general J-card scan would never be good enough for CD cover quality-wise, as well as it has to be cropped and with the logo permanently affixed it does not leave much choice. However, I may consider using such image or parts of it for the interior layout. Maybe

[MEXDefenderOfSteel]

Then here are a few recommendations that quickly come to mind:
Wrathblade
Midnight Priest
Portrait
Enforcer
Convixion
Vigilance
Trial
Attic
Boomerang
Alpha Tiger
Released Anger
Litany
Menace
Deceptor (UK)
Air-raid
Green & Wood
Renacer
Icaro
Razorwyre
Borrowed Time
Skullfist
Evil-Lyn
Still Heaven
the list is endless really, I can write many more and there are good bands in every genre.

you missed this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFbkXgWt3K8

[Avenger]

Just for information, CD cover artwork size is 1500x1500 pixels. In general J-card scan would never be good enough for CD cover quality-wise, as well as it has to be cropped and with the logo permanently affixed it does not leave much choice. However, I may consider using such image or parts of it for the interior layout. Maybe

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant 600x600 in terms of the resolution (DPI). Either way, I can't get a hold of the guy at the moment.

[xr2m]

Got this one recently (cool stuff!), and noticed that the tracklist on the CD is out of order by checking out the lyrics and the song choruses while listening to the CD. The correct tracklisting should be:

1. Fist of Steel
2. Night of the Wild
3. You're Chained
4. Prowler
5. Back Off!
6. Destructor
7. Against the Blade
8. Victory
9. Against the Blade
10. Kill or be Killed
11. The Only One for You
12. The Rebellion
13. Cherie
14. Fist of Steel
15. Pleader
16. Dangerous Woman
17. Kid Rocker
18. On the Rage
19. The Love is Gone
20. Fight for the Bright Lights

Anyway, I love this concept! Can't wait for the Iscariot release!

[Stormspell]

Yes there is a blooper on the traycard tracklist due to the last minute change on the song order, which in the hassle I forgot to update on the traycard.

I became aware of it when I was in Europe on my X-mas vacation. I was going to re-print the traycards, but by the time I got back, 1/2 of the pressing was sold already, so I let it go.

I hope one day it would be collectible because of this and Avenger's successors will argue the authenticity and bid on it like crazy

[Stormspell]

Preview of Restless Breed artwork (Attention scroungers: it is NOT ok to post this on metal-archives, thank you!)

[Avenger]

I think this new "Red, White And Heavy" series is fantastic. Keep cranking out these great demos Iordan. Restless Breed kicks ass.

[Stormspell]

Thanks, I have plenty of those in the works. I only wish I had the time and resources to release them faster

I also got a double CD set in the works which would make many local forum residents happy. Cannot wait to get contracts signed to announce it.

[ION BRITTON]

Got this one recently (cool stuff!), and noticed that the tracklist on the CD is out of order by checking out the lyrics and the song choruses while listening to the CD. The correct tracklisting should be:

1. Fist of Steel
2. Night of the Wild
3. You're Chained
4. Prowler
5. Back Off!
6. Destructor
7. Against the Blade
8. Victory
9. Against the Blade
10. Kill or be Killed
11. The Only One for You
12. The Rebellion
13. Cherie
14. Fist of Steel
15. Pleader
16. Dangerous Woman
17. Kid Rocker
18. On the Rage
19. The Love is Gone
20. Fight for the Bright Lights

I had noticed this earlier this evening while listening to the CD for the first time in its entirety and I was going to mention it but I see the mystery is already solved.
There are some more commercial moments in this release which even though they are not lame they somehow don't fit totally with the badassness of the pure metallic tracks. "Fist of steel", "Victory", "Kill or be killed" and my favorite "The rebellion" are gems of underground US metal. Sound quality is quite OK, expected it to be far worse.

[Stormspell]

A quick update on the RWH front: next batch is almost ready to go to pressing:

RWH Vol.4: COLDSTEEL - 20 Years of NY Thrash: The Demo Anthology CD
RWH Vol.5: RESTLESS BREED - No Walls Can Hold: the Demo Anthology CD
RWH Vol.6: ASSASSIN / DEADLY ASSASSIN - The Metal Knights CD
RWH Vol.7: DETEST - Thundersteel: Complete Demo Anthology 2CD Set
RWH Vol.8: ARACHNID - Arachnid CD
RWH Vol.9: ISCARIOT - Arisen CD

Layouts for the Volumes 4-6 are done (as seen below), the rest are in progress. Hope to wrap them all by the end of the week and send to pressing in early September.

[Avenger]

This is great news. It's nice to see this stuff come to light. Is Chalice and Oppression still in the works or have these been put on the back burner? I also heard something about you having contact with Steel Vengeance. Is there anything to add on that?

[Stormspell]

OPPRESSION has been scraped off. We butted heads over the artwork/layouts and I sort of lost interest and backed out... it is going to be released by another label I've been told, although I don't know which label it is.

CHALICE: I'm ready to work on it the instant I receive the booklet materials. My guess is as good as anyone's when that would be... sooner than later, hopefully.

STEEL VENGEANCE: I've been in contact with Michael Wickstrom, but that was a good 3 years ago, if not more. We were going to put a massive box set with all albums. However, this project came to a premature end when Black Dragon proclaimed the master tapes not available anymore. Both Michael and I weren't very keen remastering from the vinyl/cassette tapes, so it sort of felt apart.

I know that Retrospect Records announced a re-release of at least some of the albums, which was supposed to happen like 2 years ago, but I'm not sure if it ever happened. And yesterday I read on another forum that Metal Mind is re-releasing those albums now. I have no info who licensed it to them and what source they will be using.

[Priamos]

Do you have regular distribution in Athens, Iordan? Do the stores supply with everything you release or do they buy only certain items?
Sooner or later I always find everything I need from your stuff in our local shops but i prefer the "sooner" prospect much more!

[bigfootkit]

Preview of Restless Breed artwork (Attention scroungers: it is NOT ok to post this on metal-archives, thank you!)

I love the artwork on this one so much.
A very literal representation of the "nuclear family".

I must say, you always seem to go the extra distance when it comes to the artwork and packaging, something which many labels nowadays don't seem to consider much.
It always draws me in, causing me to investigate the sound clips on material i'm unfamiliar with, and i doubt i'm the only one.
Much respect to you for keeping the standards high.
Next time i'm flush you can expect a big order.

[nightsblood]

'kit- that's a good point and something i've pondered lately. With mp3s/downloads supposedly impacting CD sales, it seems that labels would want to offer people an incentive to buy the CD instead, and that incentive should be the packaging. The music's the same, but the mp3 doesn't come with liner notes, lyrics, photos, artwork, discog info, etc. For new releases, if I see that there's minimal packaging (ex- the new Nachtmystium album), my knee-jerk reaction is "fuck it, I'll just buy the d/l from emusic". BUT if I see that the album has really cool packaging (ex- Cage 'supremacy of steel"), then I think "cool, I WANT that booklet!".

And yes, SS always has top-notch packaging, as do several of the labels represented on this site (SKR, BBTAD, etc).

Someone's been selling SS cd's back to the local used store (some used SKR & Steel Legacy titles are showing up too). Understand, I live in a small city in the Southern US; finding a used Stormspell cd in a store around here is like walking into a tea shop in rural Iceland and finding a hoard of giant albino penguins building a nuclear bomb. The downside is that the place is trying to charge $12 for 'em- boo to greedy capitalist running dogs