'Forever Advancing...... Legions'
Behind The Scenes notes online
First show in 3 years announced! We last played
a live show back in July 2005 in Birmingham, so to say we're eager to
return to the stage is an understatement! We're really looking forward
to getting onstage and giving the new songs from 'Behind The Shadows...'
a good airing. PURCHASE TICKETS FROM ZT MAG.COM PURCHASE
TICKETS FROM STARGREEN
MITHRAS ANNOUNCE NEW LINE-UP... AND
THEIR AVAILABILITY FOR LIVE SHOWS! - NEW PRESS RELEASE Rayner Coss (oratory/bass) says of Ben's return: "It's great to have Ben, one of our former members back in the band; he knows the material fantastically and is perfect for the role. We auditioned him and he nailed 11 songs taken from all our albums right off the bat, so we're really excited and looking forward to getting on stage for some shows asap!" Of Ben's rejoining the band, Leon Macey (guitars) reveals that he "got in touch with Ben almost out of the blue during the drum auditions period to gather some material for our upcoming release, but one thing led to another and now we're slaying the tracks in the rehearsal room!" And the man in question, Ben White (drums), adds: "Fate it seems has dealt a good card for us all! It was really cool when Mithras got back in touch again and as we have all evolved as musicians it seems to work better than ever now. It's good to be back!" Mithras would like to thank all the drummers who applied for the position and sent in audio and videos. Best of luck with your future projects. ----- LIVE SHOWS ----- SEE THEM LIVE... WELL, ALMOST! >'Behind
The Shadows' full song<
'Worlds...' Guitar tab online now! Here's the guitar tablature for the track 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' from the album... you guessed it! 'Worlds Beyond The Veil'. I've not really followed tab convention with this, as I don't use tab at all EVER!! However it should be understandable to most people. Any questions, please post in the forum thread linked below and I'll try and answer them. cheers Leon
Drummer found! To complete our live line-up we'll soon be auditioning for a rhythm guitarist, the criteria for which will be posted as soon as I can knock some tab together for a song or two, watch this space! cheers Leon
Mithras seek live drummer
Mithras sign to Galactic Records “I really enjoyed working with Candlelight, both with them reissuing our first two albums 'Forever Advancing...... Legions' and 'Worlds Beyond The Veil', not to mention our first release proper for them, 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness'. However, as a band, both Rayner (Coss – vocals / bass) and I decided that rather than enter into the gruelling task of starting up discussions with interested labels, we’d sign the band to my own label Galactic for our next release. It was a logical step to take - at least we know who we’re dealing with at Galactic, and they’re top notch guys, of course - lol!” "
Important updates in the Mithras camp: Firstoff, we're no longer signed to Candlelight Records. Although we signed with them for a possible three albums (of which 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' was the first), Candlelight decided not to take up the option in our contract for what we're just calling "album four" atm, giving the reason that we don't tour. While we're not particularly disgruntled by this, it did come as a bit of a surprise given the fact we made them aware we weren't a touring band when they signed us (and we signed as a duo). However, the music industry has changed a lot over the last few years and it is definitely a different and harder market these days. Nonetheless, it was a great experience working with Candlelight on 'Behind The Shadows...' and we wish them all the best for the future. Work continues on album four as I type this... But rather than start a hunt for a new record label and go through agonising negotiations, we've taken the astoundingly obvious and logical step of signing to my own label Galactic Records for our next release, which is scheduled to be an extensive double cd package and celebrates the 10th anniversary of Mithras. More details to follow... In other news, we're pleased to say there's a Mithras feature in the March/Apr 08 issue of legendary magazine Metal Maniacs, check it out! Leon
New website / forum / general update Leon here. Well it's been wayyy to long since the last news update! However there's been a load going on behind the scenes (that's my excuse anyway)... Firstoff, you may have noticed we finally have a snazzy new website, so many thanks to Alex York who's been slaving away designing it for the last two months and patiently (painfully) waiting for me to send stuff over for him to add... The new site is much more in depth yet concise, with extra sections and is much easier to use than the old site. Check out the new Discography section and the "Extended Release Info" buttons for each release, which feature explanations relating to the lyrics and soon to come "Behind The Scenes" sections - basically notes and anecdotes about each release and the genesis behind the albums / recording sessions etc. There are also plenty of new photos (and old unseen ones) added to the photo gallery in the media section, so be sure to check them out. We also have a brand new updated forum skin themed similarly to the website (also courtesy of Alex) which has replaced the tired Solaris one which served us well, so check it out in the media section of this site or at the usual address. There's much on the horizon for Mithras in the next two years, but I'll leave any teasing till a bit later in the month... cheers Leon
Mithras live line-up announcement Hi everyone. I'm sad to announce that Sean Broster is no longer drumming for Mithras. We'd like to thank Sean for all the effort and time he's put into the band over the years, it's certainly been a "blast". Back in 2004, Sean destroyed everyone else in the audition stage and joined as our "live" drummer, and later accepted a role as our main drummer for our (then in progress) new album 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness'. Rayner (Coss - Bass/Vocals) and I always intended Mithras to be a three piece band so we could record albums and also do shows with relative ease, so we were really pleased with this development. However, Sean decided he had to step down and return to just being our "live" drummer at the tail end of 2005, during the writing sessions for the new album. Unfortunately and like previous albums, this meant I had to get back on the Mithras drum seat full time as well as handling all the guitars. It also meant we had to put all our live plans on hold and concentrate on completing 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' as a two piece once again. After years of work and delays, 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' has recently been released worldwide on Candlelight Records, and the fantastic responses it’s getting from both the press and fans (new and old) is amazing and really encouraging, so thanks to everyone who's supported us so far! We recently decided to have a shot at assembling a live line-up purely to do some shows in support of 'Shadows...' and had some rehearsals with Sean and Alex de Moller (Scythian) as live session musicians. After a while, it became clear to Rayner and I that it was going to take an immense amount of rehearsal time and a herculean effort to get to the stage where they could accurately represent the material from our albums, something not helped by both the sheer complexity of the new material and the fact everyone had other commitments. Sadly, this made the situation unworkable for us, so we'd like to publicly thank Sean and Alex for giving it a shot. Since stepping down as a full member of Mithras in 2005, Sean went on to join the UK’s Sarpanitum, an up-coming extreme metal band. Sarpanitum were the first signing to the newly established UK label Galactic Records, which I founded recently (www.galacticrecords.co.uk); and their highly recommended debut album 'Despoilment Of Origin' is out now - death metal fans everywhere seem to be bang into it, so be sure to check it out! cheers Leon Macey (guitars/drums)
T-Shirts / New Merch store 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' T-Shirts are now available, please click here to visit our new online merch store and view the new shirts and our available merchandise.
Behind The Shadows Lie Madness released in the UK / New T-Shirts/ 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' was released on the 16th of April in the UK, and will be released on the 6th of May in the USA. New T-Shirts featuring the incredible cover artwork painted by Dan Seagrave will soon be available.
Original release date reinstated The release date for 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' has been reinstated to the 16th of April.
Album completed / New track online / Album release date changed The 3rd album from Mithras entitled 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' has finally been completed. A preview track from the new album entitled 'To Where The Sun Never Leaves' has been uploaded to the Mithras MySpace page. To listen to the track click here. A test preview of the artwork has also been uploaded to the MySpace page. The release date for 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' has been pushed back to the 28th of May.
Release date announced Mithras' long awaited 3rd album, 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' will be released on the 16th of April 2007 through Candlelight Records.
Recording Update Finally, after countless set-backs and what seems like a near eternity, Mithras are now completing work on their third album entitled 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness', the follow-up to 2003's critically acclaimed 'Worlds Beyond The Veil'. The recording line up is as follows: Leon Macey - guitars / drums 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' is being recorded, mixed and produced at Dreaming Studios and will be released through Candlelight records worldwide. The cover art has been painted by renowned artist Dan Seagrave and will be unveiled nearer the release date (tba)
New member announcement Mithras would like to welcome new live guitarist Alex de Moller (of underground London based band Scythian) into the fold. The Mithras live lineup is now: Rayner Coss - Oratory / Bass Mithras will be gigging towards the end of the year in support of the new album 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' (more news and release tba) with what promise to be their most intense live shows yet. Promoters interested in booking the band, please email shows@mithras.org.uk
Album progress update Song writing for 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' is now completed and the album will feature 12 tracks. Mithras will soon enter Dreaming Studios to record the entire album, which will be produced by Leon Macey and Rayner Coss and will be completed over the next few months. Mithras hope to gig and tour in support of the new album later in the year and an annoucement about their touring line-up will be made in due course.
Rehearsal mp3 sample Hi everyone, Behind The Shadows Rehearsal Sample mp3 This file is short snippets of the songs 'To Fall From The Heavens', 'Behind The Shadows' and 'Thrown Upon The Waves' all mixed together into one file. The samples were recorded using a minidisc player and small sony mic about head height 2 foot behind me and my drumkit. This doesn't represent anything other than us playing normally at rehearsal, but it give you a small idea where we are going.
Line-up change / Album news Lee du-Caine is no longer live guitarist for Mithras. This is unfortunately down to us having differing expectations concerning the band. Here's what Lee had to say: Hallo everyone, We'd like to thank Lee for his contribution to the band over the years (2002-2006). As he said it really wasn't an easy ride, with obstacles at every turn, so we'd like to wish him the best for the future. Atm our live line up comprises Rayner, myself and Sean. An announcement will be made when / if we have any further news about our live line up. Onto album news, In terms of 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness': We've got all the song titles now and the album is getting closer to completion (but always seems so damn far away!). We'll be entering the studio soonish to record the drums (once i'm a bit happier with my drum performance). The album is likely to have 12 tracks, here's some titles: Into Black Holes Of Oblivion The cover artwork is about completed and I'm proud to announce it's been painted by none other than Dan Seagrave who has done a fantastic job bringing the concept to life for the album cover, it's incredible. More news as it transpires.
Live videos added to site Live videos from the band's last gig at Edwards No.8 in Birmingham 31/07/05 have been uploaded to the videos page, you can see them here. Thanks to Mark Broster for sending them in and Peter Broster for shooting them and also to Adam Chapman for editing them and brightening them up a bit. They are low quality visually, and only short, but it's all we have video wise atm. Behind The Shadows... is progressing really well and is on target to be finished on time. Watch this space for more information and updates.
Archive photos / mp3's added to site Archive photos from the band's history have been added to the site, you can view them here. A new mp3 of the song 'Ancient Prophecy' has been added to the media section. The song was originally recorded in 1999 and included as part of the limited edition 'Gods Among Men' mcd (back when the band were named Imperator). Mithras re-recorded 3 of the tracks from said mcd when they got offered some free studio time (a friend needed to record them for a project towards his sound engineering qualification) at the start of 2003. The intention was simply to knock the tracks out as fast as possible and have fun, so the tracks aren't perfect. These re-recorded tracks will hopefully be released at some point. This track is a low resolution rough mix and should hopefully appease some of the people who haven't heard any of the older songs.
Album 3 title revealed Album 3 is tentatively titled 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' and is progressing well. Some of the song titles so far: 'Behind The Shadows Lie Madness' More updates as they come in.
Sean Broster no longer drumming on 3rd Mithras album / Gigs cancelled Sean Broster will not be drumming on album 3 as planned. This is down to him being "unable to commit to the extensive rehearsals needed before going into the studio". This is very dissapointing to the other members after the amount of rehearsal and planning we have done thus far. Leon will be retaking the drum seat for the 3rd album, the title of which will be announced soon. All gigs Mithras had planned / booked have now been postponed until after album 3 is completed so the band can prepare as much as possible for the album with Leon on drums.
Sean drumming for Sarpanitum Mithras drummer Sean Broster will be performing session drums for Sarpanitum and playing live for some of their upcoming gigs until a new permanent sticksman is found.
Gig Photos Online Photos from the recent Mithras gig in Coventry have been added to the Media Section - Live Photos. Thanks to the photographers. More to come, plus some video clips. More live shows have been added to the Tour Dates page, London shows to be announced soon.
New T Shirts in stock now Two brand new Mithras T Shirt designs are now available in a multitude of sizes, a Mithras 'Logo' shirt, and a colour 'Wrath Of God' shirt with backprint. Please check the merchandise page for full details and to order. Mithras are headling an alldayer at the Coventry Jailhouse on May the 8th, in their first live show for over a year (and the first with their new drummer). Full details on the Tour Dates page. Promoters interested in booking Mithras, please email Leon for details.
Gigs / Live gig Cancellation / Album 3 news Mithras are happy to announce they will be playing some live shows in the very near future, please check the Tour Dates page for shows thusfar confirmed. Promoters interested in booking Mithras, please email Leon for details. Mithras are not able to play the Wakefield gig on April 15th as advertised, the reason being that Sean is suffering from a chest infection and needs adequate time to recover. Apologies to the other bands and anyone who was planning on making the trip to see us. Album 3 is still in the writing stages, with recording likely to start later this year. The Mithras picture archive is nearly
completed and will be added along with the new promo shots which will
be taken soon. Also, some additional interviews and reviews have been
added to the relevant pages. Drummer announcement / Rehearsal video
posted Mithras are very pleased to announce that their most recent recruit Sean Broster will be drumming on the as yet untitled 3rd album. This will be the follow up to the widely praised 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' and is scheduled to be recorded towards the end of 2005. Click here to see what Leon said about his shift from the drum seat and some more details on album 3. A low quality rehearsal video of part of 'Sloping Altars' has been added to the videos page, in the media section, check it out. More videos to follow soon. We will soon be adding a picture archive to this site, with some very old to new pictures, mostly unpublished.
Isolated drum mp3s / Site spring clean Some Isolated drum mp3s from 'Worlds...' have been added to the mp3s page in the media section. Also the site has undergone an extensive spring clean, with most pages being rejigged and updated. Some more reviews and interviews have been added to the revamped media section.
New pictures Some pictures of our new sticksman Sean Broster have been added to the media section (live photos section). More to follow soon. Mithras are currently rehearsing for UK live shows at the start of next year and Leon is working on music which will make up the as yet untitled third album...
Live Sticksman finally found! The search for a live drummer is now over! We were looking for someone to play live drums for us who could, specifically, play blastbeats at 280bpm+ and double bass at 250bpm+ and could also accurately replicate the drumming from both our albums. We had applications from a number of countries. Thanks to everyone who applied / sent in material, best of luck with all your future projects. Only one candidate made it to the final audition stage. After Sunday's audtion it was obvious that Sean Broster is the right man to occupy the Mithras live drum stool. We auditioned Sean playing some of the hardest songs from both our albums and it was clear that his brutal and super fast, yet technical drumming style is perfect for Mithras. Mithras will now be rehearsing extensively aiming to play some shows before the end of the year.
T shirt sale extended The reissue of our first album 'Forever Advancing...... Legions' (featuring new artwork and layout) is now on general release in the UK on Candlelight records.
T shirt sale now on / US release We are now clearing out the 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' T shirts at the reduced price of £8. First come first served! 'Forever...' is released 17/05/04 in the UK.
Album explanation added to lyrics page An explanation of the themes and ideas behind 'Forever Advancing...... Legions' which was done as part of the interview with Panzerfaust zine has been added to the lyrics page as it's own file, so people can find it easier. 'Forever...' is released on Candlelight Records 04/05/04 in the USA and released 17/05/04 in the UK.
Mithras forum new url Mithras' forum has a new url, the old server proved a tad sluggish! Mithras official forum
Mithras forum online! Mithras now have their own forum! The forum can be accessed by visiting this link: Mithras official forum Mithras would like to thank David Tooze for setting the board up and moderating it.
Mithras albums rereleased / Number 10 in Terrorizer Readers' Poll Today sees the re-release of 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' on Candlelight records. The album has been slightly tweaked, cleaned up and remastered from the original Golden Lake pressing, also coming soon, 'Forever Advancing...... Legions' (due 17/05/04). 'Forever...' has been cleaned up and remastered and sports a new layout to show off the artwork created by Desmond Sia (of Angelcorpse fame) which never featured on the original pressing. Also Mithras would like to thank all the readers of Terrorizer who voted us number 10 in the best album of 2003 category, up there with the likes of Iron Maiden, Dimmu Borgir etc. It seems the T writers were more concerned voting for Therapy, The Deftones and Hatebreed ;)
Mithras sign to Candlelight Records MIthras are proud to annouce they have just signed a 3 album deal with 'Forever advancing...... legions' will benefit from a new cd layout which at last includes the exclusive artwork by Desmond Sia that was originally intended for the first pressings. Mithras would like to extend their thanks to Fraser and Graeme at Golden Lake Productions for all their hard work over the years that has helped us get to where we are. Watch this space for further news on album number 3...
'Sloping altars' t shirts have finally landed! The new Mithras ' Sloping Altars' shirts featuring artwork by Desmond Sia are now available, go to the merchandise page now!
Mp3's online Mp3's from 'Worlds Beyond The veil' and 'Forever Advancing...... Legions' have been added to the mp3s page. More mp3's from the band's history including rare mp3's will be added soon. Mithras Live drummer leaves Due to missunderstandings and inabiltiy to commit to Mithras, our live drummer Ben White (who has been drumming for us for few months) has parted company with Mithras at his request. Thus we are now seeking a replacement to take the live seat, (serious individuals only) please contact drummer@mithras.org.uk, The Sloping altars shirts really will be available very soon on the merchandise page!!
Mithras Guestbook now online / Studio report / Sloping Altars shirts A guestbook has now been added to the contacts page, please leave us your comments! Also coming soon, a studio report about the making of 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' sessions with exclusive video audio and pictures. The Sloping Altars shirts will be available very soon on the merchandise page.
Official Mithras statement regarding Sinisterweb Recently, Sinisterweb and its associated forum has gone offline. Contray to the belief of a few misinformed persons, this was not at the request of Mithras, nor the other individual who various users have taken upon themselves to pose as and attempt to discredit in a particularly vicious manner. Mithras welcomes and encourages opinion whether it be in the form of praise or criticism related to the band, but will NOT tolerate slanderous and or vindicative behaviour regarding or relating to the personal lives of its members and families. Sinisterweb were asked to delete the offending postings but instead decided to shut down, which was not something we requested or expected at any time. Mithras hope that Sinisterweb is soon back online as it is a worthwhile addition to the online community.
''Worlds beyond the veil' gets album of the month in Terrorizer Mithras have recently beeen awarded 10/10 album of the month in the new issue of Terrorizer magazine (issue 114, November) copies onsale now. please check it out! Cheers to Stuart Banks for the review. T shirts are now available on the merchandise page, based around the new album artwork. Cheers to Allan@7dd.co.uk for sorting it for us, and the Detrimentum guys for arranging the artwork in the first place. Reviews and links to reviews of the new album will be online shortly.
New album available now / Terrorizer feature The new album is finally with us! Please see the merchandise page for ordering details! Mithras have a 4 page feature in the new issue of Terrorizer magazine (issue 113, October), please check it out! 2 sets of T shirts are now being printed based on the artwork for the new album, and also based around the 'Sloping altars' design Desmond Sia did for the first album.
Pressing delayed Due to a technical error the new album has been slightly delayed, but should be available within the next week or so. Here's the press release regarding the new album: - "At last, the groundbreaking new album from the UK's elite extreme metal Mp3s of some of the new tracks will be added soon to the media page.
Interview in next Terrorizer magazine We have a big feature in the new Terrorizer magazine (issue 113 October 2003 on sale 3rd october) wherein Rayner and Leon discuss the themes and ideas behind the new album. Be sure to check it out!
Worlds beyond the veil completed!! 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' was finished on on Friday the 12th of September and is being pressed now! The tracklisting and cover art has been added to the discography page. Lyrics and more info will follow as soon as the album is released, along wth ordering details for all the Mithras merchandise.
New web address! We have a new web address! The new address is http://www.mithras.org.uk, please update your bookmarks, as the current address wont remain active for that much longer. At the moment, its just a redirect service to the current site.
New album playback session The playback session of the unmastered new album 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' will take place upstairs at The Plough public house; opposite Atlantis bookshop, Museum street ,WC1 London at 18.30 pm tonight. Nearest tube stations: - Holborn and Tottenham court road.
Mithras Album release moved The album release has been pushed back to the 29th of September, to accomodate more mixing time. The band are holding a special playback session of the unmastered album in London on Friday the 5th of September; the location of which will be disclosed on this site on the day!
Mithras album updates The new Mithras album 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' will be released on September 15th by Golden lake productions. The album is 90% completed with just some lead parts and vocals to be completed, before the mixing/mastering sessions which are booked for the middle of August. Mithras are in the process of sorting out a special show towards the end of the year in London, watch this space for more details.
Mithras announce new members Mithras are proud to announce that for the first time, they now have a full lineup of permanent members! Joining are Lee du-Caine (of Motion Sickness) and Ben White (of Orbethium) Lee has been playing session guitar for the band for the last year, and Ben White was in the band prior to the recording of 'Forever Advancing...... Legions'. Ben has been an on/off session member playing live guitar for years; but is now taking over the drum seat so that Leon can get back to playing the guitar live The lineup is: - Rayner Coss: - Oratory / Bass The new lineup will be playing some shows in the autumn to support the new album 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' which is being recorded now, the drum tracks having been completed by Leon Macey a few weeks ago.
Mithras interview with Metal reference Leon recently completed an interview with Metal reference, check out the direct link to the interview!
Mithras to enter studio soon Mithras will soon be entering the studio to record the follow up to 2002's 'Forever Advancing...... Legions' (recorded July 2001). Titled 'Worlds Beyond The Veil' this album is a massive leap forward in all ways for the band. A demo version of the track "Bequeath Thy Visions" that will feature on "Worlds Beyond The Veil" is now on the cover cd of Terrorizer magazine (Anthrax on the cover). Check it out!
Review of London show Here's a review of our London show by Pete at www.live4metal.com "I believe this was the first time Mithras had played London but they certainly had an expectant buzz caused by very positive reviews. Leon and Rayner have been hard at work gathering a full live band together and they all trooped on stage wearing full-length red cloaks. The words Spinal Tap were mentioned but there was nothing cheesy about the punishing death laden grooves they forged on with. With implicit technical barbarity I was somewhat shocked at what a fluid, tight killing machine this lot actually are live. Deciphering the growled out track titles was a mission and one that was beyond me. One thing was for sure this lot have the scope to give the likes of Nile and Origin a run for their money. In fact they may well progress to attack the crown held by Vader. Bassist/singer Rayner is an imposing front man and he twitched and juddered around the stage like a man possessed. Lords & Masters seemed to be a title and I was beginning to think that I haven?t caught a 1st gig by a British band of this intensity since the 1st time I caught Akercocke. The Sky God Has Fallen In Fire apparently well they certainly use their instruments like weapons firing out squealing riffs with trail blazing zeal. A new album is on the way and we got a track from that and I have to say that I am looking forward to hearing it. Finishing off with The Thing That Lives Beyond The Eyes Of bluurgh, I may have missed the last word but wouldn?t be at all surprised if it had HP Lovecraft connotations. Lets face it what self respecting Death Metal band wouldn?t pen an ode to his memory. Ones to watch."
10/10 review in Terrorizer magazine The Latest Mithras demo cd (recorded July 2002) 'Bequeath Thy Visions' recieved a rare 10/10 in the Cannon fodder section of Terrorizer 107. Cheers to Stuart Banks for such an amazing review.
'Bequeath Thy Visions' mcd review. What makes this so impressive is the compositional ability of the band. They've taken brutal technical death metal and thanks to a completely different view on the subject, have layered the music with soaring, gargantuan scales. Surging waves of epic, enveloping sound rise and collide on the ethers of conciousness hammered in by breath-taking velocity and tectonic shifting riffs. If a succinct description could be possible this it would be: - what Emperor would sound like if they did Death metal. This is beyond the next level, in fact this is beyond the capabilty of most bands. 10/10 (Stuart Banks) |
