SENSORY RECORDS News and Updates

Sensory Records is proud to unleash a trio of epic new releases all licensed for North America from various European labels. Nation Beyond's album The Aftermath Odyssey is licensed from Burning Star Records (Greece) and hits the streets March 11th. Dark Suns' album Grave Human Genuine is licensed from Prophecy Productions (Germany) and comes out March 25th, alongside Kingfisher Sky's album Hallway of Dreams is licensed from Suburban Records (Netherlands).

In the past few years SENSORY has presented the metal community with a number of amazing debut releases. Bands such as CIRCUS MAXIMUS and PATHOSRAY are generating maximum buzz and sales continue to climb. NATION BEYOND is our latest discovery and we are proud to introduce them to North America. NATION BEYOND began life as a side project from DEBASE guitarist JONAS KARLGREN and FACE DOWN bassist JOAKIM HEDESTEDT. These two industrial/death metal bands have a multitude of releases between them on labels such as NUCLEAR BLAST, BLACK LODGE and SANCTUARY/NOISE. It was the desire to create an epic concept album with a different musical direction that united these two talented musicians together. Using Debase and Face Down bandmates as well as some fresh new faces, they set to work. Vocalist NIELZ LINDSTROM is quite a discovery. His emotion filled delivery brings to mind EVERGREY’s TOM ENGLUND as well as DEAD SOUL TRIBE’s DEVON GRAVES. They have found the perfect counterpoint in the angelic voice of SARA HEURLIN. R “The Aftermath Odyssey” is a dramatic tale of love, hate and betrayal set in the wake of a nuclear apocalypse. Symphonic arrangements and the use of a real choir adds a dynamic contrast to the snarling riffs and hook filled melodies. Karlgren and Hedestedt have come up with the perfect balance of power and progressive elements evoking the spirit of classic metal albums like SAVATAGE’s “Dead Winter Dead” and QUEENRYCHE’s “Operation: Mindcrime.” This is intense, angst ridden music dripping with atmosphere that will draw you in as the story unfolds. A masterpiece such as this demands a graphic presentation that matches the music and the band delivers. NATION BEYOND arrives in a gorgeous digipak with a beautifully illustrated 28 page full color booklet.
www.nationbeyond.com

The KINGFISHER SKY story begins in 2001, when drummer IVAR DE GRAAF decided to part ways with WITHIN TEMPTATION, a band who were experiencing their first international breakthrough with the release of the “Mother Earth” album. Together with classically trained vocalist JUDITH RIJNVELD, Ivar started writing new music without being bound to a specific genre or musical style. R With diverse influences such as CLANNAD, TORI AMOS, KATE BUSH, PETER GABRIEL, and PORCUPINE TREE, the writing resulted in a style that isn’t easy to categorize, though the term “Progressive Myth Rock” seems to cover all bases. In short: contrasts – one moment dreamy and atmospheric, then heavy and brutal the next. By the beginning of 2006 the writing efforts were compiled on an impressive eleven track demo, which ultimately led to the duo signing a recording contract with Dutch label UBURBAN RECORDS the following October. Former ORPHANAGE bassist ERIC HOOGENDOORN, guitarists DAAN JANZING and EDO VAN DER KOLK and keyboardist GEORGE VAN OLFFEN were recruited to make KINGFISHER SKY a full band. From May through July of 2007 the band recorded in several studios under the inspired guidance of producers JOCHEM JACOBS (TEXTURES) and BOUKE VISSER of SPLIT SECOND SOUND. In January 2008, “Hallway Of Dreams” was licensed to THE LASER’S EDGE for the exclusive release in North America. “Hallway Of Dreams” is a unique and forward thinking release that encompasses progressive rock, metal and atmospheric moods. The band will draw interest from the fanbase of Within Temptation as well as THE GATHERING, Porcupine Tree and Tori Amos.
www.kingfishersky.com

Following two highly successful tours with established Progressive metalists PAIN OF SALVATION and two years of exacting work, DARK SUNS have finished their third album “Grave Human Genuine.” “Grave Human Genuine” – this unconventional title was chosen with care and purpose, as it represents the three characteristic elements of this work: “Grave” signifies darkness, the sinister force, and the inevitable fate. “Human” is synonymous with the music’s inherent soul-depth, while “Genuine” means “real” or”authentic” and hence refers to DARK SUNS’ uncompromising approach to music. R But what about the music? DARK SUNS don’t merely pick up where the successful predecessor “Existence” (2005) left off, they present themselves as many-facetted as never before. A clear nod to Doom, complex polyrhythms, unusual and diverse instruments and, last but not least, drummer NIKO NAPPE’s characteristic yearning vocals comprise the album’s cornerstones. The variety of sounds stretches from angular Metal riff attacks via atmospheric ambient soundscapes and Techno reminiscences to Avant-garde influences – despite this complexity, an accomplished musical mosaic of enormous expressiveness. R Exciting nuances are created by the incomparable bass of Pain Of Salvation’s long-time member KRISTOFFER GILDENLÖW, a friendly turn that resulted from the tours mentioned above, and DISILLUSION’s SCHMIDT’s guest vocals in “Flies In Amber.” With “Grave Human Genuine,” DARK SUNS have created a haunting album full of autonomy and instrumental class, self-consciously charting new musical territory. In this, the band from Leipzig embodies the essence of every true progressive band: compositional genius coupled with advancement. The dark suns radiate: gloomy, human and 7 6 3 2 3 2 3 0 4 1 2 3 egregiously genuine.
www.darksuns.de

Also coming in April….
Sensory Records is honored to continue our long running relationship with Zero Hour. The band's fifth album, titled “Dark Deceiver”, will be released worldwide on April 29, 2008. The Tipton brothers have come up with some fresh aural twists and turns that will definitely please their fans (and us too!).

As a sneak preview you can hear an mp3 of the title cut here: