Enter to win for free the album of THE WRING “Spectra” [Closed]

Metal Centre and Asher Media Relations arranged for you the album of THE WRING “Spectra”. For fans of Rush, King Crimson, Dream Theater, Opeth, Porcupine Tree. So, if you want to get this CD then you write for us by our profiles of FB (English or Polish)!

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3. One person of you will get the CD with album of THE WRING “Spectra”.

4. The contest is active until 26th February

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Band Name: The Wring
Album Title: Spectra
Release Date: December 16, 2022
Label: Wormholedeath
Distribution: Aural/Orchard

Track Listing:
1. Stiletto 4:40
2. Stones & Bones 4:58
3. The Prince 3.54
4. The Wolf 5:00
5. Tin Man 5:25
6. From Mars 4:43
7. Sins 4:43
8. Fallen 5:05
Album Length: 38:28

Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Dewulf/Hache/Minnemann/Mogel/McGregor
• All songs written by: Don Dewulf
• Produced by: Don Dewulf
• Mixed by: Francis Perron/Radicart Studios
• Mastered by: Yannick St-Amand
• Album Artwork by: Gord Woolley

• Album Recording Line Up:
Don Dewulf – Guitars
Marco Minnemann – Drums
Chandler Mogel – Vocals
Reggie Hache – Bass & Keyboards
Isamu McGregor – Keyboards

Live Band Line Up:
No live band currently

The album as a whole

Spectra is maybe a bit like a 1970’s King Crimson album but without any ethereal soliloquies and certainly with a more significant hard rock/metal influence. It is a cauldron of hard rock, jazz, metal, classical, 80’s rock, 70’s rock and probably a few other things. The performances are tight and meaningful. Marco Minnemann’s drums were the first thing to be recorded. His performance set the tone; the other guys had no choice but to play their asses off, and they did!

Track by Track:

Stiletto – This song is about the debilitating need for social media attention and validation. The blade goes in and you never even feel it, then you slowly bleed out. The verses are in 5/8 and 7/8 creating a somewhat jarring effect, also speaking to the theme. Chandler does a killer job on the chorus vocal and there is a very peculiar odd-time breakdown before the solo. Very fun song to play.

Stones & Bones – I’m so happy with how this song turned out; a few key changes but all very appropriate. A bit of odd time here too and another great vocal performance. There are also some keyboard parts buried in the mix. Originally, I had planned for this to be a bit of an ode to Deep Purple and Isamu McGregor played a Jon Lord homage but it was just too much (Blackmore never really played rhythm guitar to give the keys space; my rhythm guitars are the foundation of every song!!) I had to push the keys deeper into the mix; they still add a ton, but more subliminally than overt. Isamu will probably be mad when hears it, he played his ass off. Lyrically… I come from a mining town in Northern Ontario, Canada. Sometimes it feels like a place where music goes to die… just stones and bones.

The Prince – This one was inspired by the Thomas Hardy book ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ but is also metaphoric to the self-serving ruthlessness and controlling nature of societal predators. Musically it’s interesting because the verse is pretty straight ahead rock and the chorus is pure jazz and in odd time. The vocals smooth that over beautifully. “demi-gods blood-letting weaponized airwaves” – I love that line. Pretty much sums up the human condition these days.

The Wolf – An instrumental. Fun main riff with another jazzy chorus and a crushing ending. Reggie played some killer bass on this and added a great keyboard melody, lifting the song in many ways. I played this one on a 7-string which adds a nasty resonance. Fun breakdown and solo.

Tin Man – Starts off with some keys and acoustic guitar, my Opeth rip-off (I’ll say it before someone else does). Kind of a mid-tempo rock song after that. The theme is somewhat unusual for me as it was loosely inspired by my son. He is 18, brilliant, and has a moral compass, unlike any other human I know. This world is overfilled with greedy maniacs and murderous thugs. Kids like my son are on a path to change that. It’s my song of hope.

From Mars – One of my favourite songs on the record. Somewhat autobiographical, I think. As a younger person, I really struggled in crowds, especially ones in which I did not belong; which was most. If you’ve ever felt like a complete alien in a room full of people, you will relate! I am very proud of the middle breakdown. Some cool chords and a very fun solo. Another great performance by Chandler and by Reggie who played some killer bass and also came up with the spooky little piano line in the verses.

Sins – I love the main riff. It’s another odd time thing (in 13 this time) but the vocals really smooth it out. Has a total Metallica middle part that jumps out of nowhere! Marco’s playing on this was inhuman. The lyrics came from my dismay at how humanity can have advanced so much and in so many ways and yet still do absolutely horrifying things to each other. How many years will it take for Ukraine to recover from Russia’s insanity?

Fallen – The theme of this was a response to the protests and civil disobedience in both Washington DC and Ottawa, Canada. It’s incredible how a single charismatic mouthpiece can gather the rabble of humanity and shape it into a weapon. The intro is odd and staccato, my musical interpretation of crowds of rioters with no real purpose other than chaos. The main riff is simple and, I think, powerful. Love the solo and the end section on this one.

About:

Canada’s The Wring is gearing up to release a third album in December, which is an amalgamation of different styles, brought together by solo artist Don Dewulf. His project has been growing by leaps and bounds, and this new release will wow listeners across the heavy spectrum. “Spectra” is a bit like a 1970’s King Crimson album, but without any ethereal soliloquies and certainly with a more significant hard rock/metal influence. It is a cauldron of hard rock, jazz, metal, classical, 80’s rock, 70’s rock, and probably a few other things. The performances are tight and meaningful. Dewulf comments on the album:

“I am very proud of the compositions on this album. You will hear rock, prog, metal, jazz, classic rock, and a few other things, covering a wide range of approaches, but still cohesive and very accessible for any kind of listener. Prog music can tend to be grandiose; I wanted this album to be the opposite of that. Tight, concise, and well-executed with interesting melody, rhythm, and lyrical themes. Marco Minnemann’s drums were the first thing to be recorded. His performance set the tone; the other guys had no choice but to play their asses off, and they did!”

To bring his vision to life, Sudbury, Ontario local Dewulf enlisted some of the best professional musicians to play the parts. Marco Minnemann – world-renowned drummer, member of The Aristocrats, and successful solo artist. Chandler Mogel – Amazing singer with a great 80’s vibe. Reggie Hache – Canadian bass superstar. Does his own thing and contributed incredible parts to this album. Isamu McGregor – Session keyboard player with great vision and feel. Together they deliver an expansive, detailed eight-track album that touches on a wide range of musical styles and themes. Each listener will hear something different in the compositions.

The Wring started in 2015, as Dewulf had a lot of material written that needed to see the light of day. He assembled the players and released the self-titled album in 2017. They played some shows, and players drifted off, but there was still an abundance of material. Another batch of studio musicians was brought together to release “Project Cipher” in 2021 and yet another diverse bunch got together for “Spectra”.

The band’s classic heavy rock intertwined with prog is recommended for fans of Rush, King Crimson, and Dream Theater.

“Spectra” is due out on December 16, 2022 via Wormholedeath Records.

Discography:
2022 – Spectra
2021 – Project Cipher
2019 – 48 oz. – Single
2017 – The Wring – Self-titled Album

Shared Stage with:
Anvil, Diamond Head, Sven Gali, Dead Daisies, Hookers & Blow

Tours and Festivals:
2018 – Budweiser New Music Festival – Sudbury – Finger Eleven, Glorious Sons, Crown Lands

BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS: (Don Dewulf)

1. When the previous album (Project Cipher) was released, Ashermedia took it out to the world. It was no longer just my personal basement project. I talked to so many people and received so many positive reviews and feedback, it was amazing. Even the bad reviews liked something about it. I learned that proper marketing goes a very long way.

2. During one of the many interviews I did for the last album, the interviewer asked if I was on a label. I said ‘no’ and he referred me to Carlo Bellotti at Wormholedeath records from Italy. Carlo really liked the album and I signed a distribution deal with them. I presented ‘Spectra’ to Carlo and he went crazy for it, offering an upgraded deal and some further opportunities to push my songs around the world. Great stuff.

3. When I was looking for players for the new album, I asked Carlo at Wormholedeath for some suggestions. He told me that I should look for guys that are killer players but not ‘famous’. I had already secured Marco Minnemann but followed his advice for the rest. Reggie, Chandler and Isamu all have great resumes and utterly incredible talent; I could not be happier with those performances. I should also mention that Marco is surely not human. His playing is absolutely interstellar.

4. When it came time to find a mixing engineer, I was a bit lost. There are so many guys doing this. Then I happened to pick up the new Voivod record. I loved the tunes and the production and they are Canadian, so I looked at who did the mixing… It turned out to be a guy named Francis Perron, also Canadian. I contacted him and he was keen to do the work on Spectra. He is a great human and a talented engineer. I am very grateful for his presence and spirit.

5. I am a simple guy. I love to write songs and hear them performed by great players. I don’t care about money but I do constantly seek to get my music in the ears of like-minded people. Jon Asher pushed that ball forward a lot. Two things I’ll always remember: having the album get a good review in Prog Magazine and having a video posted on the Bravewords website. Those are two places I’ve been going for many years for music news. To see my stuff there was surreal.