Sarcofagus' new album Back From The Valley Of The Kings available as digital copy, CD for pre-order

Finnish veteran heavy metal band Sarcofagus has announced their release and selling plan for their just released, self-published album "Back From The Valley Of The Kings", which has re-recordings of 12 of their original songs plus one new track, plus four "extra tracks" - seventeen songs altogether. Quite definite collection and presentation of the band's current state. The album is Sarcofagus' second album in the new millennium, a follow-up for Core Values (2007), and is available from their own website. As for now, digital download copy is out for price of £8. Physical copies are coming out on September/October, according to band's main man Kimmo Kuusniemi, and are now available for pre-order, along with direct access to the digital copy. Limited edition CD record is priced at £15 and CD+DVD set for £20, along with some higher tiers with some additional prizes (see the website). DVD will feature audiovisual presentation of the album by artistically talented Kuusniemi & co.

"I prefer to have total creative freedom to do these CD and CD/DVD my way rather than having to negotiate with a record label. [...] Working on this Sarcofagus "Back From The Valley Of The Kings" project has been a a chance for me to create something unconventional. This is why I want to do this directly with you, the people who like Sarcofagus and have been telling me how our songs have influenced you"  (Kimmo Kuusniemi, Sarcofagus official website. http://www.sarcofagus.com/Sarcofagus/ValleyOfTheKings.html)

Sarcofagus is, perhaps, the first Finnish pure heavy metal band, along with some other early groups such as OZ, Iron Cross, Zero Nine. Sarcofagus was formed in 1977, taking influences of early heavy metal and, in my opinion, from progressive seventies rock too. Where many of Sarcofagus' Finnish country-mates played more straight-forward style of music, and more rock-oriented, the band developed their own unique, rather doom-laden but crisp sound with rather acid-tastic keyboards and weird surreal illustration in their music. The band surely wasn't one of the most straight-forward and least creative units around! Yet they had seemingly made better impact outside Finland, than in their home country, weirdly enough, remaining quite unknown in Finland. While they may have drawn influences from heavier, darker, seventies bands such as Black Sabbath, Sarcofagus certainly put their own twist into things, and were one of the most unique sounding bands around, releasing three full-length albums between the early and mid-eighties, Cycle Of Life, Envoy of Death and Moottorilinnut (although, one single dates as far as 1978 or 1979, if I don't remember all wrong), of which the last one was released under another band name due legal issues (as Kimmo Kuusniemi Band).

Back From The Valley Of The Kings physical copies (CD and CD/DVD) will be only available as pre-order through the band's website and will not be sold anywhere else later on. The band, according to Kimmo Kuusniemi, aimed to achieve a eighties rooted sound and "live" feeling in this album. Judge by yourselves!

The special DVD includes "a full film" that features the thirteen songs form the album, being some sort of a musical and visual presentation of the album. Kuusniemi describes the film included in DVD version such as this:

"The Film, as you would expect from Sarcofagus, will be something different and surreal! In the video we also return to the original occult, magical and Egyptian world where the Sarcofagus started! I am making the 13 music films (assumption: each music film is about one song) to depict what I had in mind while making the songs in the 80s"  (Kimmo Kuusniemi, Sarcofagus official website. http://www.sarcofagus.com/Sarcofagus/ValleyOfTheKings.html)

In glory of Back From The Valley Of The Kings and it's upcoming DVD addon, the band has released a following taster-movie, consisting of an intro spoken by Kuusniemi (philosophy behind the album), as well as of five tracks with filmed illustration. See this mystic film below!

Back From The Valley Of The Kings consist of following line-up:

• Kimmo Kuusniemi (Guitar) (1978- Present Day) 
• Jukka Ritari (Vocals) (Moottorilinnut album 1982)
• Tanja Katinka Karttunen (Vocals) (1996- Present ) 
• Esa Kotilainen (Keyboards) (1980- Present Day) 
• Juha Kiminki (Bass) (1978- Present Day) 
• Anssi Nykänen (Drums) (2010- Present Day)

With a following track-list of re-recorded songs (along with the mention of which album they were originally played on):

1st Single A Side

• Go To Hell

From “Envoy of Death”

• Stolen Salvation
• Insane Rebels 
• Wheels of Destruction 

From “Cycle of Life”

• Subconscious Penetrating 
• Astral Flyer 
• Here I Am
• Eternal Silence
• Back To Black

From “Moottorilinnut”

• Talo  
• Metallinen Sateenkaari  
• 1000 Megawatin Totuus 

 From “Core Values”

• 2nd Coming 

EXTRA BONUS TRACKS

• Envoy Of Death (Envoy...)
• Die To Win  (Envoy...)
• Deadly Game  (Envoy...)
• Return From The Valley Of The Kings (New Song)

For more information about the release, visit Sarcofagus website.

-www.kultmetal.com |  dungeoncrawler