ALPHA TIGER Reveal Details For Upcoming iDENTITY Album
October 31, 2014, 9 years ago
There are a number of significant features which help to distinguish a good metal act from an outstanding one. Musical skills, strong songwriting qualities and a professional performance are some of the prerequisites which every band should have, but much more important is an individual style, an independent artistic signature, a band’s own trademark. Alpha Tiger from Freiberg in Saxony have found their own DNA. Their latest album is not only called iDENTITY, it also presents precisely that individual profile.
“When we released our debut album Man Or Machine in 2011, it was greeted by raving reviews because lots of fans felt reminded of the golden age of heavy metal. Although this was an ideal start for us, it was nothing we wanted to limit ourselves to,“ guitarist and main songwriter Peter Langforth explains, adding: “Instead of remaining in the comfort zone of our newly-acquired fan base, our second release Beneath The Surface already saw us develop more individualistic and topical traits without straying too far from our basic style. We’ve completed this process on iDENTITY, now we sound the way we always felt Alpha Tiger should.”
A pretty courageous step to leave the – as Langforth calls it – “comfort zone” of positive fan reactions in favour of a stronger stylistic identity. While Beneath The Surface still featured the influence of acts such as Queensryche, Fates Warning and Riot, the quintet now sounds unmistakably like Alpha Tiger. It’s all in the mix: the basis of the band’s deeply melodic sound is their impressive songwriting which is rooted in the tradition of classic heavy metal while featuring concise guitar riffs and haunting vocal melodies at the same time. On iDENTITY, Alpha Tiger succeed in blending those traditional patterns with a contemporary and topical sound without losing their vitality and dynamism. No wonder: The latest recording by the five-piece was cut under the direction of Mirco ‘Godi’ Hildmann (Guano Apes, among others) and Dominik Glöckner at Berlin’s Music Flash Studio. The nine songs plus intro were produced by Alpha Tiger themselves, before being mixed and mastered by Tommy Newton (UFO, Victory, Gamma Ray) at the Area 51 Studio in Celle. The decisive factor of their overall sound is vocalist Stephan Dietrich, whose powerful voice gives the songs their own personality and pace.
Talking of which: the pace of the haunting opener "Lady Liberty" is almost tangible: “To me, "Lady Liberty" is a prime example of how to write a short song. In the past, our material occasionally tended to get a little out of hand, whereas "Lady Liberty" has everything this number needs and not a single note that isn’t absolutely necessary,” Langforth explains.
"Closer Than Yesterday" reveals a whole lot of other strengths, in a way a perfect antithesis to "Lady Liberty". This time, Alpha Tiger have added a Hammond organ and synthesisers to their sound, and the result is a heavy ballad in the style of Journey and Survivor. With its lyrics about the fulfilment of dreams, "Closer Than Yesterday" counts among the highlights on iDENTITY, just like the first single release "We Won’t Take It Anymore". “We usually take weeks working on a song, but "We Won’t Take It Anymore" was completed within a mere two days. Seems like I was pretty pissed off during those two days, which you can hear from the lyrics because a lot of – admittedly positive – aggression is discharged in the song. Stephan brings those emotions across brilliantly.”iDENTITY will be available in three formats: as a Digipak including DVD featuring recordings from Alpha Tiger’s performance at the Bang Your Head festival in June 2013, as a jewel case and as a gatefold vinyl LP.
Release dates in 2015 are: Scandinavia January 14th, Germany January 16th, Europe January 19th and North America January 20th.
Following the advance release of "Lady Liberty" in early summer 2014, Alpha Tiger have shot a video to support their new single "We Won’t Take It Anymore". The band are also planning a number of spectacular release shows to follow the album launch entitled Alpha Tiger & Friends, which are scheduled to feature a number of the group’s pals.
So everything is ready: the new album iDENTITY presents the musicians Peter Langforth, Stephan Dietrich, Alexander Backasch (guitar), Dirk Frei (bass) and David Schleif (drums) as a mature and independent metal act who are guaranteed to win lots of new fans with their upcoming live shows.
Tracklisting:
CD+DVD Digi Version
CD
"Intro"
"Lady Liberty"
"Scripted Reality"
"Long Way Of Redemption"
"Identity"
"We Won`t Take It Anymore"
"Revolution In Progress"
"Closer Than Yesterday"
"Shut Up & Think"
"This World Will Burn"
DVD - Live at Bang Your Head
"From Outer Space"
"Against The Time"
"Beneath The Surface"
"Waiting For A Sign"
"Along The Rising Sun"
"Karma"
"Black Star Pariah"
CD Version
"Lady Liberty"
"Scripted Reality"
"Long Way Of Redemption"
"Identity"
"We Won`t Take It Anymore"
"Revolution In Progress"
"Closer Than Yesterday"
"Shut Up & Think"
"This World Will Burn"
2LP Version (cover artwork above)
Side 1
"Lady Liberty"
"Scripted Reality"
Side 2
"Identity"
"We Won`t Take It Anymore"
Side 3
"Closer Than Yesterday"
"Shut Up & Think"
Side 4
"Lady Liberty" video:
Live dates:
November
15 - Hamme, Belgium - Thrash Or Be Thrashed Festival
January
February
14 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Metal `til Midnight Festival
June
4-6 - Geiselwind, Germany - Out & Loud Festival
