Deathmaster: vocals
Dark Omen: bass
The Forger: rythm guitar
Guardian Angel II: lead guitar
Wrathlord: drums
It was in September 1997 when Deathmaster, a member of the extreme metal band Agarthi, decided to give birth to one of his musical dreams: the creation of an epic metal act in the way of his favourite bands of the 80's. DoomSword were born. No more than a month was necessary to have enough material for a demo, and, even because for the increasing interest for this new band, DoomSword immediately recorded a tape with really unprofessional instruments.
That tape suffered a bad recording, but it really sounded in 80's style, so it was published with the name of "Sacred Metal"(150 copies limited. Sold out!!!). DoomSword influences were clear: Warlord, Medieval Steel, Candlemass, and all the bands that played a kind of epic metal based on slow tempos and atmospheric parts.
The interest from some labels arrived in the same period in which the cult act Agarthi had to split up: the bass player from Agarthi entered DoomSword with the name of Dark Omen. The new singer Nightcomer was found in a prog metal band called Madrigal, and his amazing similarity to Messiah Marcolin and Bruce Dickinson gave DoomSword a further increase of quality. Nightcomer joined the band just two months before the recordings session for the debut album that DoomSword decided to release for the Italian power label Underground Symphony, it has been released in March 99.
After three years in which the band had to face many difficulties due to line-up problems, DoomSword come forth with a new chapter of their saga: "Resound the Horn". After the release of "DoomSword" both Guardian Angel and Nightcomer left the band. So began the search for new members to be recruited who started with Guardian Angel II (Warlord style name!), who already played some solos in the first release. Rhythm guitar player and drummer were the missing members, after the decision to let Deathmaster sing in the new album, The band was able to find a musician whose spirit fit well with the feeling of DoomSword in the person of The Forger.
Just immediately after The Forger, GroM became the drummer and the line-up was definitely completed. It was the winter of the year 2001 when DoomSword had the first contact with the actual label Dragonheart. Deathmaster and Enrico Paoli (mainman of Domine) were in contact since the releasing of the band first demo "Sacred Metal", and the deal came almost obviously in the name of epic metal and a long time friendship (Brothers of the Sword). The new album "Resound the Horn" is the result of a three years effort.
DoomSword line-up of "Resound the Horn":
Deathmaster - vocals
The Forger - rhythm guitar
Guardian Angel II - lead guitar
Dark Omen - bass
Grom - drums
"Resound The Horn" was released in June 2002, and could be defined one of the most incredible surprises of the year.
Critics gave almost everywhere the highest marks to the album, the band was definitely recognized as one of the best acts coming from Italy, and one of the best bands of the nowadays world scene in Doom/Epic Heavy Metal.
The large promotion and the vast web of contacts granted to the band by Dragonheart made DoomSword well-known in a relatively short period of time. Unluckily, DoomSword still had to find a new drummer, since the leaving of GroM. Deathmaster and Dark Omen thought about their drummer in their previous band Fiurach, Wrathlord.
The band was ready to face the stage for their first time ever and decided to play live for the very first time as a special guest in the first and unique Italian date of the whole Manilla Road history.
After this concert, the band was really super excited by the audience response, and decided to start working on their third album. Deathmaster thought to definitely focus the lyrics theme on historical episodes, especially on the Scandinavian middle ages and the Viking period. In particular, the album will be a concept about the conquest of the city of York (Jorvik) by the Danish army of Ivarr the Boneless in the year 866 a.d.
The whole album has a structure which emphasizes the difference of both the points of view, that of the defenders (English) and the attackers (Vikings), so that for example "In the battlefield", "The siege" and "My name will live on…" will represent the Viking feeling, "Woden's reign" the English one, and "Heathen assault" will contain both of them.
Besides, "Let Battle Commence" is focused on the 6th track of the album which is called "Blood Eagle", which describes the macabre ritual reserved to defeated kings, which definitely represents the triumph of the pagan forces upon Christian ones. Yet, the album is not a mere collection of non sense insults towards the Medieval Church or the Christian themselves. After years of study, Deathmaster decided to take a little vengeance upon official Christian history.
The Album is an apology of an episode which didn't represent a glorious triumph in Viking history, yet, as christian always celebrated episodes of little relevance with glorious words and poems, so DoomSword did a celebration of the conquest of an undefended city, just to focus the attention on the pagan ritual of the Blood Eagle (Blodørnen), and spot out the importance of the role Vikings played in the northern culture, especially English one, which seems nowadays to deny it. Nowadays, official history is reconsidering the importance of the Norsemen invasions between 800 and 1100 a.d., and DoomSword want to be on the front line of this battle for truth, since nobody has nowadays still comprehended why Vikings never conquered anything in a glorious manner, according to the Christian chronicle point of view, whereas the most cried prayer of those centuries was "A furore normannorum libera nos domine…" (Free us, O Lord, from the wrath of the Norsemen…). On January 2003 the band entered the Conquest studio to record the album, the band prepared simultaneously the set list of the second DoomSword date, in the land where DoomSword have the strongest fan base and a fan club, Greece, the mighty land of the gods. The Greek audience received the concert as one of the best concerts ever happened, and there are already some plans about a DoomSword return to the Greek land in the beginning of Fall 2003.
DoomSword line-up of "Let Battle Commence" and the first two concerts:
The Forger - rhythm guitar
Guardian Angel II - lead guitar
Dark Omen - bass
Wrathlord - drums
Deathmaster - vocals
The album has been recorded once again at the Conquest Studio, and it has been mixed, engineered and mastered by Alex Festa. The sound of the album is really more powerful than the past recordings, and the atmosphere is even more epic than ever before! The musical approach is a bit more complex than "Resound the Horn" and "DoomSword", even because of an increase of the band musical skill, and all those who pre-listened to the album thought about "Let Battle Commence" as the best album of the band and 100% DoomSword!
The atmosphere of the album is even more icy and warlike, compared to RTH, yet some melodic elements of the first period are somehow reprised. All of the songs are based on the strongest rhythm section the band ever had, all of this being enhanced by the low tuning of the guitars. Besides, DoomSword tried to be as evocative as they could with the insert of many noise effects of battle and environment. "Let Battle Commence" is surely the most Bathory-inspired album of DoomSword, even though Candlemass and Manilla Road are clearly inspiring the atmosphere of the band's music. Thus, for example songs like "In the battlefield" and "My name will live on" ( a song that was already written for Deathmaster and The Forger's side project AESIR) are pure pieces of Viking metal, whereas "Deathbringer-Blood on my hands", "Blood Eagle" and "Woden's Reign" have a strong Candlemass influence of the "Nightfall" period.
DoomSword clearly tried to attempt to the throne of the most epic band of our days, and trust in their warrior spirit to show everyone that they deserve that title. DoomSword want to replace the old kings of the genre, and establish new criteria for the future of epic metal, trying to find the Righteous and True evolution of the past clichés.
Nowadays the band is preparing for their live apparition at the Headbanger Open Air, the first Keep It True! (together with Omen and Brocas Helm) and the Skeleton Bash Festival (with My Dying Bride).
Discography :
"Resound The Horn"-- 2002 Dragonheart
"Let Battle Commence"-- 2003 Dragonheart
"DoomSword"-- 1999 Underground Symphony
