AMON-RA - "In the Company of the Gods" on Vinyl!
AMON-RA's "In The Company Of the Gods" will be released via PURE UNDERGROUND RECORDS / PURE STEEL RECORDS on Vinyl with unreleased bonus material.
Byron Nemeth:
"I am VERY excited that Pure Steel Records will be releasing the 1992 AMON-RA "In The Company Of The Gods" music as a new VINYL Record release in 2012!
What makes this special is that this AMON-RA release will be specially Remastered for Vinyl Record and within this process all the "warmth" and "punch" that was
missing in the 1992 digital CD release will now finally be heard as an Analog Vinyl Record Remastered Release in 2012.
The stand out tracks are number #7 (Cloak And Dagger) and number #2 (Graveyard Of The Dragon), these two tracks best showcase what AMON-RA was
doing musically in 1992 and now with this new 2012 Analog Vinyl Record Remaster they really jump out of the speakers and bring a new life to
'In The Company Of The Gods'."
Line-Up:
vocals - Dan Mattingly
guitar - Byron Nemeth (ex-Electro-Motive-Force, ex-Mercury, ex-Prodigy, ex-Sacred Heart)
bass - Ken Dugan
drums - Kris Dugan (Ground Zero, ex-Throttle O.H., ex-Terror)
keys - Jimm Motyka
AMON-RA "Daring To Be Different"
Feature story in The Cleveland Scene Magazine August 1992
by Joe Kleon
Different. Our friends, the Websters, define "different" as "unlike in form, quality, amount or nature;*dissimilar. Distinct. or separate."
Different - a perfect word to describe Cleveland's Amon-Ra, a fresh, exciting creative burst of energy landing on the scene at a time where most area bands seem to be imprisoned into a particular style. Their first CD, IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS, has taken the area by storm and is already a favorite on local college radio. The band will be making its live debut during the release party for IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS this Saturday, August 22 at Flash's.
How does one describe Amon-Ra? Well, begin by adding large amounts of progressive rock. Mix in a gothic style of musical texture, heavy amounts of keyboards, dynamic guitar and vocal melodies and one can begin to envision what exists here. From heavy complex rhythms to new age and acoustic dabbling, this record has it all.
The visual concept surrounding IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS is just as compelling as the music. The hieroglyphic artwork along the use of Egyptian pseudo-names adds a touch of mystery to this work.
"The concept results from my fascination with Egypt," keyboardist Jimm Motyka explains. "The name comes from the first Egyptian god, who was actually the overseer of everything, If you look back into religious text, the [Egyptians] were the first ones to have just one god. It was known as Amon-Ra, which was the hidden one, who is as powerful as the sun.'" Guitarist Byron Nemeth breaks in with an explanation of the band's pseudo-names. "They were important to help each of us develop our characters. They personify something else, almost in the same way Kiss used makeup to develop alternative characters."
Soon, the lighter side of the group surfaces. "If you look at the cover of the album," Motyka says with a smile, "it is very important to note that it depicts the first hieroglyphic of people waiting for government cheese. Even the gods weren't well to do."
The process of releasing a CD, rather than a cassette, is difficult for local bands, both in financial and productions points of view. Nemeth explains why releasing a CD was critical for Amon-Ra. "It was important to bypass the demo route because we wanted to start out on a higher plane. Coming out with a CD, it puts you on a higher plane. By doing that, we can start, headlining right away. That's very important to us because we want to be able to present our whole show and that is impossible doing openers." IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS begins in a rather unusual manner with "Intro Into Infinity," a well crafted new age introduction. "That was my leaning towards new age music" says Motyka. "If I wasn't doing rock and roll, I'd b doing new age. It's a tribute to everything I listen to."
This unorthodox introduction segues into "Graveyard Of The Dragon" probably the heaviest composition the disc has to offer and a favorite on local college radio. In a rather direct way, vocalist Dan Mattingly describes the song. "It's about the demise of American society." Enough said.
The next selection, "Forever," finds Mattingly sounding better than ever, giving one of the best vocal performances of this recording. The emotional guitar work of Nemeth also highlights this number. A breathtaking solo begins acoustically and transforms into an electric shock of intensity.
Next comes another of the album's heavier tracks, "Middleground." The emotional roller coaster ride continues as the serene tones of "Season's Of May" find a fabulous mix of acoustic guitar and keyboards.
"When The Glitter Fades Away" contains massive crossover potential and could easily become a big song on Cleveland commercial radio. It's too bad local program directors label area music "high risk." Amon-Ra recently gave another display of their versatility by performing this number in an acoustic form on Cleveland college radio.'The "unplugged" version of this track was breathtaking, to say the least.
"Cloak And Dagger" begins as an absolute assault on the auditory sense. A powerful progressive rhythm, combined with an acoustic lead, makes this track one of the most interesting on the record. "I wrote the lyrics to that song," begins Motyka. "I was in an up-and-down emotional period. You can relate it to personal relationships, government, etc. The song is really able to be interpreted differently by each listener. There are illusions and myths that surround a lot of people. This song is based around illusions and different situations you can get into where you think you have a good grip on what's going on and realize you do not."
Add the concluding anti-drug "As The Mirror Cracks" to this array of variety and one can only begin to describe the diversity and versatility of Amon-Ra. The production of the record was the result or guitarist Nemeth, bassist Ken Dugan and producer Dave Young. Motyka explains, "Dave became a very close friend to the band very fast. He had worked previously with ELP, so he did have a feeling for our sound and where we were coming from."
Recorded at the Beachwood Studios, IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS is a dynamic journey of epic proportions. The band promises its live show to be no less. Says Motyka of their first upcoming gig, the release party for IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS, "should be something like Kiss meets Rush. We're going to have a great stage show!"
AMON-RA @ PURE UNDERGROUND RECORDS
AMON-RA's "In The Company Of the Gods" will be released via PURE UNDERGROUND RECORDS / PURE STEEL RECORDS on Vinyl with unreleased bonus material.
Byron Nemeth:
"I am VERY excited that Pure Steel Records will be releasing the 1992 AMON-RA "In The Company Of The Gods" music as a new VINYL Record release in 2012!
What makes this special is that this AMON-RA release will be specially Remastered for Vinyl Record and within this process all the "warmth" and "punch" that was
missing in the 1992 digital CD release will now finally be heard as an Analog Vinyl Record Remastered Release in 2012.
The stand out tracks are number #7 (Cloak And Dagger) and number #2 (Graveyard Of The Dragon), these two tracks best showcase what AMON-RA was
doing musically in 1992 and now with this new 2012 Analog Vinyl Record Remaster they really jump out of the speakers and bring a new life to
'In The Company Of The Gods'."
Line-Up:
vocals - Dan Mattingly
guitar - Byron Nemeth (ex-Electro-Motive-Force, ex-Mercury, ex-Prodigy, ex-Sacred Heart)
bass - Ken Dugan
drums - Kris Dugan (Ground Zero, ex-Throttle O.H., ex-Terror)
keys - Jimm Motyka
AMON-RA "Daring To Be Different"
Feature story in The Cleveland Scene Magazine August 1992
by Joe Kleon
Different. Our friends, the Websters, define "different" as "unlike in form, quality, amount or nature;*dissimilar. Distinct. or separate."
Different - a perfect word to describe Cleveland's Amon-Ra, a fresh, exciting creative burst of energy landing on the scene at a time where most area bands seem to be imprisoned into a particular style. Their first CD, IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS, has taken the area by storm and is already a favorite on local college radio. The band will be making its live debut during the release party for IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS this Saturday, August 22 at Flash's.
How does one describe Amon-Ra? Well, begin by adding large amounts of progressive rock. Mix in a gothic style of musical texture, heavy amounts of keyboards, dynamic guitar and vocal melodies and one can begin to envision what exists here. From heavy complex rhythms to new age and acoustic dabbling, this record has it all.
The visual concept surrounding IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS is just as compelling as the music. The hieroglyphic artwork along the use of Egyptian pseudo-names adds a touch of mystery to this work.
"The concept results from my fascination with Egypt," keyboardist Jimm Motyka explains. "The name comes from the first Egyptian god, who was actually the overseer of everything, If you look back into religious text, the [Egyptians] were the first ones to have just one god. It was known as Amon-Ra, which was the hidden one, who is as powerful as the sun.'" Guitarist Byron Nemeth breaks in with an explanation of the band's pseudo-names. "They were important to help each of us develop our characters. They personify something else, almost in the same way Kiss used makeup to develop alternative characters."
Soon, the lighter side of the group surfaces. "If you look at the cover of the album," Motyka says with a smile, "it is very important to note that it depicts the first hieroglyphic of people waiting for government cheese. Even the gods weren't well to do."
The process of releasing a CD, rather than a cassette, is difficult for local bands, both in financial and productions points of view. Nemeth explains why releasing a CD was critical for Amon-Ra. "It was important to bypass the demo route because we wanted to start out on a higher plane. Coming out with a CD, it puts you on a higher plane. By doing that, we can start, headlining right away. That's very important to us because we want to be able to present our whole show and that is impossible doing openers." IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS begins in a rather unusual manner with "Intro Into Infinity," a well crafted new age introduction. "That was my leaning towards new age music" says Motyka. "If I wasn't doing rock and roll, I'd b doing new age. It's a tribute to everything I listen to."
This unorthodox introduction segues into "Graveyard Of The Dragon" probably the heaviest composition the disc has to offer and a favorite on local college radio. In a rather direct way, vocalist Dan Mattingly describes the song. "It's about the demise of American society." Enough said.
The next selection, "Forever," finds Mattingly sounding better than ever, giving one of the best vocal performances of this recording. The emotional guitar work of Nemeth also highlights this number. A breathtaking solo begins acoustically and transforms into an electric shock of intensity.
Next comes another of the album's heavier tracks, "Middleground." The emotional roller coaster ride continues as the serene tones of "Season's Of May" find a fabulous mix of acoustic guitar and keyboards.
"When The Glitter Fades Away" contains massive crossover potential and could easily become a big song on Cleveland commercial radio. It's too bad local program directors label area music "high risk." Amon-Ra recently gave another display of their versatility by performing this number in an acoustic form on Cleveland college radio.'The "unplugged" version of this track was breathtaking, to say the least.
"Cloak And Dagger" begins as an absolute assault on the auditory sense. A powerful progressive rhythm, combined with an acoustic lead, makes this track one of the most interesting on the record. "I wrote the lyrics to that song," begins Motyka. "I was in an up-and-down emotional period. You can relate it to personal relationships, government, etc. The song is really able to be interpreted differently by each listener. There are illusions and myths that surround a lot of people. This song is based around illusions and different situations you can get into where you think you have a good grip on what's going on and realize you do not."
Add the concluding anti-drug "As The Mirror Cracks" to this array of variety and one can only begin to describe the diversity and versatility of Amon-Ra. The production of the record was the result or guitarist Nemeth, bassist Ken Dugan and producer Dave Young. Motyka explains, "Dave became a very close friend to the band very fast. He had worked previously with ELP, so he did have a feeling for our sound and where we were coming from."
Recorded at the Beachwood Studios, IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS is a dynamic journey of epic proportions. The band promises its live show to be no less. Says Motyka of their first upcoming gig, the release party for IN THE COMPANY OF THE GODS, "should be something like Kiss meets Rush. We're going to have a great stage show!"
AMON-RA @ PURE UNDERGROUND RECORDS
