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Alunah's 2013 in Review

24/12/2013

Last Christmas Eve when we wrote our first Year in Review, we stated that "in our 6 year history, this year has been our best", well we topped that this year! We played over in Europe for the the first time, released our first 12" Record, signed a worldwide album deal with Napalm Records, gained a new bass player and played with some of our favourite bands such as Saint Vitus, High on Fire and The Sword. We can't thank everyone who made this year awesome, but we truly appreciate everyone who came to a gig, bought merch and supported us!

The year wouldn't have been what it was without the input from the following people, most of whom we said thanks to last year; they continue to be the best people to have on your side!

Gareth Imber: Gaz left Alunah this year to concentrate on his other band, but we can't write this without thanking him. We spent 4 years with Gaz, and wrote and recorded 2 albums with him. We wish him all the best for the future!

Dan Burchmore: Dan joined us earlier in the year, he's an awesome bassist and a top bloke! He learnt our songs straight away, spent his first Alunah gig supporting Karma to Burn, and immediately got stuck in writing songs for our forthcoming album! We're excited about our future with Dan, and Napalm Records.

Sebastian Muench and the team at Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin Productions: Napalm released White Hoarhound on 12" vinyl back in January. We entered talks with them a few months ago regarding a long-term partnership, and at the beginning of December we signed a worldwide contract. News of the deal can be read here >>

Matte and the team at Sound of Liberation: We also partnered up with European booking agency SOL this year, and embarked on a 10 date European tour taking in France, Germany, Poland and Denmark. We are currently making plans regarding our 2014 tour.

Olivia Burr: Liv tirelessly sells our merch for us, provides transport when needed and handles all management queries for us! We couldn't do what we do without her!

Mez Dewsbury at OHMZ Sound Services: Mez accompanies us on the road, providing sound and technical services. He also promotes local stoner/doom gigs at Scruffy Murphys as part of his promotions company Heretic Promotions. Awesome bloke, professional and a top laugh!

Mona Miluski at Platinum PR: We came on board with German company Platinum PR to help promote White Hoarhound, and they have gone above and beyond to get us some amazing international press. They continue to be awesome!

Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios: Greg recorded both of our albums, he totally gets us, and is an easy creative guy to work with. He pulled out all of the stops to deliver some brilliant sounding demos recently, and has given us great advice regarding the legal side of the music industry. We will be working with him on our 3rd album also.

We must also mention the following bands, promoters, radio shows, webzines and podcasts who we've done stuff with in 2013. Again, in no particular order and sorry to those we've missed:

High on Fire, The Sword, Lonely Kamel, Saint Vitus, Ufomammut, Kadaver, Orchid, Gentleman's Pistols, Mos Generator, Fatso Jetson, The Wounded Kings, Samsara Blues Experiment, Witchsorrow, Conan, Black Moth, Black Star Riders, Skindred, Black Spiders, GOLD, Slow Worm, Jex Thoth, Moghul, Mage, Temple of Lies, Diesel King, Eldorado, Grifter, Greenhorn, The Albion Codex, Trippy Wicked, Hannah Rachel McCaul, Karma to Burn, Desert Storm, Stubb, Huata, Belzebong, Dopelord, Stoneache, The Skeletons, Cultura Tres, Prosperina, Heavy on The Ride, DesertFest Berlin, Heavy Days in Doom Town, French Metal Webzine, O2 Academy, Scruffy Murphys, Kerrang Magazine, I Did The Booking, Paranoid Hitsophrenic, Midlands Rocks, Contact FM, Rocking The Midlands, Doomsmoker.pl, Evil Wizard Promotions, Castle Cases, Vein-Tap.Com, Stoned Gatherings, Black Bullet Live, Terrorizer Magazine, Metal Mouth, Destruction Music, The Sleeping Shaman, Doommantia, The Obelisk, Cosmic Tomb, Temple of Perdition (R.I.P - thanks for everything!), The Sludgelord, Uberrock, Repulsive Revolutions, Stonerhead Let Groove Your Brains Tonight, Stonerrock.eu, The Paranoid Music Blog, Blabbermouth, Moonlight666.com, Hard Rock Hell, Native Ground, Metal as Religion, Brett Devey Photography, Zero Tolerance Magazine, Doommantia, Michael Cowell, DesertScene, Rock Regeneration, Doomed and Stoned, The Morsel, Get Ready to Rock, Get Your Rock Out, TBFM Radio, Planet Mosh and Eyes From The Mosh Pit.

In 2014 we will release our third album, re-release Call of Avernus on tape cassette, play various festivals, play with Grand Magus, tour Europe and the UK and hopefully meet a load more awesome people! Here's to a happy new year, these were our most viewed blog posts and images of 2013...

Top 5 Most Viewed Blog Posts

1. Alunah's 2013 European Tour Diary - by Soph

2. Alunah Sign Worldwide Album Deal with Napalm Records

3. Alunah Announce New Bassist

4. Alunah to Support St. Vitus in Birmingham

5. Alunah Play Hard Rock Hell 7

Top 10 Most Viewed Images of 2013

Alunah @ DesertFest Berlin

Dan's first Alunah gig

2013 Promos

Alunah in Bournemouth

Soph @ HRH VII

Representing!

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The Sword, Lonely Kamel & Alunah @ The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton - Review by Midlands Rocks

11/1/2013

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Thanks to Chop (review) and Mark Lloyrd (photos) at Midlands Rocks for the review, Soph has since been diagnosed with Glandular Fever and she's making a good recovery so not a bad gig and review considering.

"It’s always nice to break yourself into the New Year gently. Three interviews, three bands to analyse, what more could a reviewer want? Before launching into the bands’ appraisals a quick pat on the back for the venue and staff seems in order: always polite, always efficient, guest list always ready and accurate. Thanks to all involved for making this part of the evening run so smoothly. Without further ado, to the bands…

Selected to get the evening under way were local doomsters Alunah. Sophie’s greeting earlier in the evening of a clutched throat and wave meant that everything was crossed for her voice to hold up throughout the set. Initially things went well, but the less said about the last song the better. One song too far I’m afraid, and hopefully there won’t be any lasting damage to her vocal chords. Can’t fault the ‘show must go on’ attitude though. Musically the band was in fine form, and visually the projector onto the bass drum was a nice touch. Four lengthy compositions off their recently released second album showcased the band’s abilities well. Best wishes to Sophie for a speedy recovery!

Set list: Demeter’s Grief, White Hoarhound, Oak Ritual, Belial’s Fjord

Lonely Kamel were playing their first ever show in the UK. On the evidence of this set they’ll be playing a lot more gigs over here, and hopefully soon. Good as Alunah’s sound was, Lonely Kamel sounded massive, with slicing guitar tones and a perfectly mic-ed drumkit. Classing them as a stoner outfit is selling them somewhat short; their three quarters of an hour set encompassed aspects of classic rock, doom, stoner, and blues rock to name but a few. Such was their crossover appeal that they’d have fitted comfortably on a bill with a whole gamut of bands – Wolf, Orange Goblin, and Year Long Disaster sprang immediately to mind. It’s astonishing that a band that have been around as long as they have, with three albums under their belt, have such a low profile over here. If their performances on the rest of the tour are anywhere near as good as this, you’ll be hearing a lot more about these guys. Journalists have a reputation for being a cynical bunch, and much of the time it’s true. Then you witness a set like this, grin from ear to ear, and realise just why you enjoy going to gigs so much. Solid as a rock musically, with a frontman from the Mikael Akerfeldt school of banter, expect great things from them. Absolutely stunning.

Set list: The Boys, Don’t Piss On The Lizard, I’m Your God, Rotten Seed, Damn You’re Hot, Evil Man, Stick With Your Plan, Spacerider

Tough act for The Sword to follow then? Maybe so, but with seventy minutes stage time and the benefit of four albums worth of material and ten years’ experience to draw upon, it proved to be well within their capabilities. Perhaps you could question the selection of songs played, and perhaps the lack of audience involvement and crowd addresses could be held against them, but otherwise this was the best I’ve seen them play since they supported Nebula onThe Age Of Winters tour.

New drummer Jimmy has settled in remarkably well; he hits the kit frighteningly hard, whilst utilising considerable finesse with his fills and runs. The dual guitar work and thumping bass is as solid as ever. Being picky, some of the slower material dragged a little, but the more up tempo songs more than compensated for this. All in all a return to form, a quality display to round off a thoroughly enjoyable evening, with the bar set very high for future gigs to surpass. Looks like 2013 could be quite a year!!

Set list: Apocryphon, Freya, Hammer Of Heaven, Tres Brujas, How Heavy This Axe, Cloak Of Feathers, The Hidden Masters, Dying Earth, Maiden, Mother & Crone, To Take The Black, Seven Sisters, Arrows In The Dark, The Horned Goddess, Veil Of Isis. Encore; Winters Wolves."

http://www.themidlandsrocks.com/the-sword-lonely-kamel-alunah-the-slade-rooms-wolverhampton-6-january-2013/#.UO_NduSEyzk

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The Sword, Lonely Kamel & Alunah @ The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton - Review by Rocking The Midlands

8/1/2013

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Thanks to Andy at Rocking The Midlands for his review of our gig with The Sword and Lonely Kamel on Sunday 6th January 2013.

We first clapped eyes on Alunah not far off two years ago. Since then they have released the “White Hoarhound” record and are developing very nicely. Opening at an early time tonight the crowd is a little thin, but the local stoner mob have a nice line in slow, Sabbathy tunes. The title track of the new album is perhaps the highlight of a set that not even the loss of vocals halfway through and frontwoman Sophie struggling with a sore throat can spoil too much. Here is a Brummie band playing traditional Brummie metal and doing it well.

Lonely Kamel were a new one on us. Not really surprising considering that it was, according to frontman Thomas Brenna, their first time on these shores. They Norwegian’s bill themselves as “Blues Boozers” and although they are broadly – like the rest of this bill – a stoner outfit, they are one in the same vein as RTM faves Stone Axe. Rather than Sabbath, they take their cue from classic rock bands like Thin Lizzy. It also helps that they give the appearance that they live in a van.

Their sound is built around the superb guitar work of Brenna and lead axeman Lukas Paulsen and such is the fun they are having in their 45 minute set they carry the audience with them. “Rotten Seed” and “Blues For The Dead” have an instant appeal, but really, the whole thing was a copper-bottomed triumph. One of their songs is called “Roadtrip with Lucifer” for goodness sake, how does it get better than that? Our new favourite band to bore everyone about – bet your last pound on it.

Austin, Texas foursome The Sword have plenty to look forward to right now. Tonight is the first show on their European tour and this is not just any tour either. It is one to celebrate the majestic “Apocryphon” record and happily they play most of it during their frequently brilliant set.

It is with the album’s title track that they kick us off this evening, before moving us right back to their debut record “Age of Winters” for “Freya.” Indeed it is a well structured show which sees the song “How Heavy This Axe” from the second and the fourth “Tres Brujas” being from 2010’s “Warp Riders.”

“….Brujas” neatly sums up the band. It’s verses about “the sacred smoke” wrapped up in an extremely catchy and tight track. It is a style that the “Apocryphon” album has built on superbly and its second track “Cloak Of Feathers” sounds incredible in this setting as does set closer “Veil of Isis.”

There is a time for an encore of “Winters Wolves” with frontman John D Cronise explaining it was the only choice for a gig in a place called Wolverhampton. At its end you are left to reflect on the jaw-dropping power of the group.

There is nothing remotely flashy or gimmicky about The Sword, indeed, if they suffer from one flaw it is a slight lack of charisma. They are a group, though, that rather like obvious brothers in arms Red Fang and Mastodon, prefer to let the music do the talking. It didn’t so much talk tonight as shout very loudly.

A quite superb way to start 2013.

http://rockingthemidlands.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/the-sword-lonely-kamel-alunah.html

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Alunah's Year in Review, Thanks to All Involved!

24/12/2012

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2012! It's safe to say that in our 6 year history, this year has been our best! We released our second album, worked with some amazing people, played some great gigs, met new awesome people, caught the eye of Napalm Records and made a few end of year lists (read whose here). From a music point of view it's been our best, but we also suffered the loss of Soph's Dad John who was a big supporter of Alunah, we dedicated our upcoming vinyl to him and he will always be in our thoughts.

The year wouldn't have been what it was without the input from the following great key people, in no particular order:

Mark Hegadus at Psychedoomelic Records: He believed in us enough to release White Hoarhound on his legendary Austrian label. One of THE best things we've done.

Sebastian Muench and the whole team at Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin Productions: They will be releasing White Hoarhound on 12" vinyl on January 25th 2013, so proud to be on yet another legendary Austrian label.

Olivia Burr: Liv tirelessly sells our merch for us, provides transport when needed and handles all management queries for us!

Mona Miluski at Platinum PR: We came on board with German company Platinum PR to help promote White Hoarhound, and they have gone above and beyond to get us some amazing international press.

Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios: Greg recorded both of our albums, and did a sterling job on both. He totally gets us, and is an easy creative guy to work with.

Tony Reed at Heavy Head Co: Tony mixed, mastered and featured on White Hoarhound. He also re-mastered the album for vinyl, a top bloke with unlimited amounts of talent.

Mez at Heretic Promotions / Scruffy Murphys, Birmingham: Mez is our number 1 promoter of choice to work with, complete professional and all round good guy. His promotions company hosted our album launch gig this year. Mez now also comes out with us doing our sound engineering.

Alison Richards and Martin Newman at Oath Communications: An awesome duo who are working on a video for White Hoarhound as well as attending the majority of our gigs in 2012 filming and taking photos.

We must also mention the following bands, promoters, radio shows, webzines and podcasts who we've played with / for. Again, in no particular order and sorry to those we've missed:

A Pale Horse Named Death, Gentlemans Pistols, Trippy Wicked and the Cosmic Children of the Knight, Gurt, Stubb, Arkham Witch, General, Desert Storm, Conan, Gods of Hellfire, Steak, Stone Axe, Arke, Ironrat, Gringo, Shebrew, Caravan of Whores, A Million Miles, Tairrie B and My Ruin, Baron Greenback, Desert Scene, Desert Fest, Heretic Promotions, Black Bullet Live, When Planets Collide, Kerrang Radio, Johnny Doom, Metal.de, Ripple Music, Metal Hammer Germany, Grip of Delusion Radio, Terrorizer Magazine, Soggy Bog, Core of Destruction Radio, 339 Metal, Doomantia, The Soda Shop, Fast 'n' Bulbous, 411 Mania, The Temple of Perdition, The Metal Observer, Via Nocturna, Unhallowed Nation, Planet Mosh, Skrikzine, Nocturnal Hall Magazine, Sludgelord, Sleeping Shaman, X Transmission FM, WCNI Radio, Femme Metal Webzine, The Obelisk, Black Sunday Magazine, MSN Entertainment, Metal Riot...

There are so many more, but not enough hours in the day to list them alll! Thanks to everyone basically, and special thanks to those who came to our gigs, brought our merch, brought us beer and shared our drunken ramblings!

In 2013 we will release our vinyl, carry on writing for our third album, play with The Sword, Lonely Kamel and Black Moth, tour Europe including Heavy Days in Doom Town Festival in Denmark, and hopefully meet a load more awesome people! Here's to a happy new year, these were our most viewed blog posts and images of 2012...

Top 5 Most Viewed Blog Posts

1. She Came, She Saw, She Rocked Out with her Cock Out

2. Alunah Sign with Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin Productions

3. Download Alunah's White Hoarhound for Free

4. Alunah to Support The Sword

5. Terrorizer Magazine Hail Alunah as Future of Doom

Top 10 Most Viewed Images of 2012

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Alunah to Support The Sword

20/11/2012

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Alunah will be supporting The Sword on the Wolverhampton leg of their January tour! The Texan band's 2013 UK tour will be in support of their new album "Apocryphon" released in November on Napalm Records, who Alunah have also recently signed with.

The Sword

The Sword, Lonely Kamel, Horisont and Alunah will play The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton on Sunday 6th January 2013.

Tickets will be available from the venue and also Alunah. Contact us for more info regarding tickets!

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Alunah Sign with Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin Productions

9/11/2012

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Alunah are proud to announce that they have signed a deal with Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin Productions! The legendary Austrian label, home to Karma to Burn, The Sword, Candlemass, The Answer, Brant Bjork and Monster Magnet just to name a few, will be re-releasing their second album “White Hoarhound” on 12” vinyl mid January.

The limited edition 12” vinyl gatefold will be available in two colours – white and transparent green. The tracks have been remastered for vinyl by Tony Reed and will sound warmer and heavier than ever! The gatefold also features new artwork.

Sophie Day, singer and guitarist commented about the band’s new deal “Alunah are extremely happy to be joining the Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin Productions family with the upcoming vinyl release of our current album. We’re sitting amongst some amazing bands and the label really understand what we’re about, 2013 looks set to be a great year for us”. Sophie also said this about Alunah's PR company "Platinum PR have done a great job in getting us coverage in the European press, we really hope that we can expand on that coverage with this release and subsequently, our tour".

Alunah will be touring Europe in 2013 to support the vinyl release, as for remaining 2012 dates, they will be playing with Gentlemans Pistols on Friday November 16th in their home city of Birmingham, England and with Gods of Hellfire and Arkham Witch in Bradford on Saturday 10th November. They will also be working with Oath Communications to film and produce a new video to accompany the track “White Hoarhound”.

Visit Napalm Records: http://www.napalmrecords.com/

Visit Spinning Goblin Productions: https://www.facebook.com/spinninggoblin

Visit Platinum PR: http://platinum-pr.blogspot.co.uk/

Visit Alunah: http://www.alunah.co.uk

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Alunah's 2013 in Review

The Sword, Lonely Kamel & Alunah @ The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton - Review by Midlands Rocks

The Sword, Lonely Kamel & Alunah @ The Slade Rooms, Wolverhampton - Review by Rocking The Midlands

Alunah's Year in Review, Thanks to All Involved!

Alunah to Support The Sword

Alunah Sign with Napalm Records / Spinning Goblin Productions

Alunah Blog

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