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”Y-Files”-Datasheet |
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Contents: Liner Notes: COUNT RAVEN - »Messiah Of Confusion«-Special |
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Date: 22.09.2005 (created), 03.11.2023 (revisited), 03.12.2023 (updated) |
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Origin: Liner Notes |
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Status: published |
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Task: convert |
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Comment: Über die Jahre half ich immer wieder befreundeten Bands beim Erstellen von Promotexten oder ich wurde von Plattenfirmen um Liner Notes für Re-Releases gebeten. Das kam allerdings nur relativ selten vor, während manche Journalisten einen guten Teil ihrer Brötchen verdienten, indem sie beispielsweise für Plattenfirmen solche Texte schrieben. Dennoch sollen meine wenigen Texte ebenfalls hier ihr Plätzchen finden. Dabei habe ich mich am Original orientiert, so daß einige der bei uns üblichen Schreibregeln wie beispielsweise die versale Schreibweise aller Bandnamen hier nicht zwangsläufig zum Zug kommt.
Ich wurde damals dankenswerterweise vom CYCLONE EMPIRE-Label, das die COUNT RAVEN-Scheiben wiederveröffentlichte, gefragt, ob ich Liner Notes beisteuern möchte. Allerdings erhielt ich das schwierigste Thema, denn »Messiah Of Confusion« wird seit jeher als das schwächste der frühen Alben der Band angesehen. Also war klar, daß ich hier nicht unreflektiert ein Loblied singen konnte, was man ansonsten bei Liner Notes sehr häufig - mit gutem Gewissen! - tun konnte. Also war es mir wichtig, die Entstehungsgeschichte zu freflektieren und zu verdeutlichen, daß auch »Messiah Of Confusion« nichtdestotrotz ein gelungenes Album ist. Natürlich durfte auch der Ausblick auf das Comeback nicht fehlen, das durch die unbescheinliche Show beim "Doom Shall Rise" 2003 gestartet worden war. |
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Supervisor: Stefan Glas |
COUNT RAVEN
»Messiah Of Confusion«
It was a tough time for COUNT RAVEN: With their first three albums, »Storm Warning«, »Destruction Of The Void« and »High On Infinity«, released in a quite short period of time between 1990 and 1993, they established themselves as one of the most important Doom Metal bands in the world of all time. But there was a big hiatus to their next and last album »Messiah Of Confusion«. The main reason were growing problems with their label, which was Hellhound at that time. "We were not aware of the status that the band had in the scene", bassplayer Wilbur remembers. Hellhound were busy all the time making the band smaller than it in fact was. COUNT RAVEN were hot and ready to go on tour in order to reach their old fans and gain new ones, but Hellhound were not willing to step in and pay any expenses, and destroying the chance for COUNT RAVEN to become bigger. Step by step this also disturbed the creativity and the atmosphere between the musicians. That's why it took three years until »Messiah Of Confusion« was released in 1996. But still the band managed to record one of the most interesting songs of their career: the epic ›The Viking Sea‹. But still Wilbur does not like to think of these days because the band broke up some time later: "It was the most terrible time in my whole life!", he confesses today.
But fortunately this was not the end of the story, even though at first only singer and guitarist Dan continued doing music with his new project DOOMSDAY GOVERNMENT, while Wilbur and drummer Renfield concentrated on their private life. But around 1999 Wilbur was getting into the right mood for doom again and started his own band SEMLAH. "I know that you can find on the internet, that I joined the band THERION for some time, but that's not correct. It must have been another musician with the same name as my real name, Tommy Eriksson. If I would have been there, I would remember it", Wilbur laughs. But SEMLAH was the first step for COUNT RAVEN to come back to life: SEMLAH played at the first edition of the wonderful "Doom Shall Rise"-festival in 2002 and the team of the festival was trying to convince Wilbur to give COUNT RAVEN another shot.
After some talks it became reality in 2003: COUNT RAVEN headlined the second "Doom Shall Rise"-festival and everybody who was lucky enough to be there can still clearly remember, what a magic moment it was. The band played for over two hours and took all the fans to a trip beyond space and time. For the last song the fans even invaded the stage, celebrating the BLACK SABBATH-medley (which you can hear in the studio version as a bonus track on this CD) together with the band, giving this show an even more incredible ending. I can still see in front of my inner eye how the guys left the stage completely exhausted but happy at the same time.
The same day I had the honour to do a spontaneous photo session with Dan, Wilbur and Renfield, and was able to find out, what kind of charming people they are. Probably you will be able see some of the results of that session in an upcoming release, scheduled for next year, unveiling sights and sound of the comeback and giving us hints at the future of COUNT RAVEN. In any case this states clearly: What we never have hoped to believe became reality! Yes, brothers and sisters in doom: The RAVEN flies again! (Stefan Glas, Rock Hard, Heavy-Magazine, Underground Empire)
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