The crashing of the waves, the lashing of icy rain, and the relentless tearing of the winds, wedged in between the North Sea and the Baltic, the Nordic country of Denmark, home to the band SATURNUS, knows the at times even lethal force of storms only too well.
Yet the harsh conditions of the external natural world can be matched and mirrored by the inner turmoil and the tempests raging in mind and soul. The title of SATURNUS' fifth album, "The Storm Within" is intentionally hinting at both, the inner and outer world. It is quite obvious that the long time it took the Danes to create this album and the personal reasons behind the hiatus very much contributed and inspired its artistic expression.
SATURNUS have outdone themselves with "The Storm Within". The musical themes of the seas, rain, and stormy waters are a subtle presence and guiding thread throughout the songs that reflect anger, loss, melancholy, and pain in equal measure. The fully matured craftsmanship on this album is sublime and extremely dynamic, ranging from moments of calm to brutal outbursts.
The Danes have reached a new level of confidence and songwriting. Anyone looking for comparisons, may try the heart-breaking power of MY DYING BRIDE, the melodic melancholy of AMORPHIS, and the essence of doom metal. But after all, SATURNUS are fully themselves, and the evolutionary lines reaching down to previous albums are all there – they are just even more excellent than before.
Working again with producer Flemming Rasmussen, the legendary Danish producer of METALLICA's classic albums, also ensured that the sound of "The Storm Within" matches its outstanding musical quality.
SATURNUS came into being when singer Thomas A.G. Jensen started looking for fellow musicians in the area of Denmark's capital Copenhagen to form a death metal act in 1991. He soon found a kindred spirit in bass player Brian Hansen. Once a guitarist and drummer had joined, at first the band ASESINO was formed. Following a number of changes during the next few years, the name was finally switched to SATURNUS in 1993.
SATURNUS released their first album "Paradise Belongs to You" in January 1997. On the remarkable strength of the debut full-length, the Danes were invited to perform at the famous Roskilde Festival the same year. The show was recorded by Norwegian Radio (NRK) and ended up being broadcast all over Scandinavia, which firmly established the band as a death doom household name in Northern Europe.
SATURNUS hooked up with producer Flemming Rasmussen to record their sophomore album at his Sweet Silence Studios in early 1999. In January 2000, "Martyre" was finally released after a series of strange events caused a delay. This became a pattern.
The third studio full-length "Veronika Decides to Die" hit the stores in 2006 after more unfortunate events resulted in another hiatus in the Danes' activities. After the release, SATURNUS embarked on a small tour with AGALLOCH and NOVEMBERS DOOM, which was followed by a more extensive European circuit with Chileans MAR DE GRISES and THURISAZ in 2008. More dates happened in 2011, but it would take until November 2012 before the acclaimed fourth album "Saturn in Ascension" was released, which was once more produced by Flemming Rasmussen.
Celebrating their 20th anniversary, SATURNUS got back on the roads of Europe and also performed at prestigious festivals such as Brutal Assault (CZ), Copenhell (DK), and ArtMania (RO) among many others. The Danes continued touring with occasional breaks from 2014 until 2017, which got them as far as Russia and to the Middle East.
After several difficult changes in the line-up, SATURNUS were joined by guitarists Indee Rehal-Sagoo (formerly CLOUDS and EYE OF SOLITUDE) and Julio Fernandez from AUTUMNAL in 2020. Despite more obstacles created by the pandemic, the band finally started working on their next album and also continued their collaboration with Flemming Rasmussen.
"The Storm Within" took a long time in its creation and along the way demanded painful sacrifices from SATURNUS. All the blood, pain, and sweat have left their marks on this record. Yet in the end, the brutal honesty and the baring of the soul emanating from each note is what makes "The Storm Within" such a brilliant piece of music.Band: Saturnus
Album title: The Storm Within
Release date: June 16, 2023
Style: Death Doom
Label: Prophecy ProductionsLine-up
Thomas A.G. Jensen – vocals
Indee Rehal-Sagoo – lead guitar
Julio Fernandez – rhythm guitar
Brian Hansen – bass
Henrik O. Glass – drums
Mika Ditlev Gyldenøhr Filborne – keyboards, pianoGuest musician
Paul Kuhr (Novembers Doom) – vocals on ‘Even Tide’
Music written by Saturnus across 2020-2021.
Recording by Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence Studios, Copenhagen (DK)Recording by Indee Rehal-Sagoo at Cymatic Studios (UK)
Produced by Flemming Rasmussen and Indee Rehal-Sagoo
Mix & Mastering by Flemming Rasmussen at Sweet Silence StudiosArtwork & Layout by Mirko Stanchev (Illogical Conversions)Links
www.saturnus.dk
www.facebook.com/saturnusofficial
www.instagram.com/official_saturnus |
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