Emerald (Swiss band)

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Emerald
General information
Genre (s) Power metal , true metal
founding 1995
Website http://www.emerald.ch/
Founding members
Michael Vaucher
guitar
 Jvo Julmy (until 2009)
Stefan Neuhaus (until 2001)
Roger Winkler (until 1996)
Véronique Remy (until 1996)
Current occupation
guitar
 Michael Vaucher
Thomas Vaucher (since 1998)
Drums
 Alex Spicher (since 2007)
guitar
 Julien Menth (since 2013)
bass
 Vania Truttmann (since 2014)
singing
 Mace Mitchell (since 2016)
former members
bass
 Roger Winkler (1995-1996)
bass
 Stephan Kaufmann (2001-2006)
Drums
 Andreas Bächler (2001-2007)
guitar
 Manuel Werro (2009-2013)
singing
 Thomas L. Winkler (2009-2013)
bass
 Adriano Troiano (1997-2000, 2006-2014)
singing
 George Call (2014-2016)

Emerald is a Swiss epic metal band founded in 1995 . Their style is influenced by heavy metal of the 1980s.

history

Emerald was founded in 1995 by the merger of the dissolved bands Dark Crystal and Oppress . The goal when it was founded was to pay homage to heavy metal, as Iron Maiden , Virgin Steele or Medieval Steel used to play.

After a few line-up changes, there was a baptism of fire on a live stage in November 1997. The band first appeared at an annual concert as part of “David's Musicworld”.

After the band had some experience with live performances in 1998 and their repertoire of songs became more extensive, they recorded their first CD: Rebels of Our Time . The consistently positive echoes of the CD were followed by reviews in heavy metal magazines such as Rock Hard , Metal Heart etc.

In 2001 Emerald performed at the “Swiss Metal Attack Festival” in the Z-7 Club in Pratteln . There they played the newly written songs and released them in June 2001 on the CD Calling the Knights . Calling The Knights became the demo of the month at Rock Hard . In the same year Emerald signed their first recording contract with Shark Records . Through this label a worldwide re-release of Calling the Knights was released in 2002 .

In 2003 Emerald performed at the Headbangers Open Air , which was the band's greatest success to date. Shortly afterwards we went back to the studio (Mohrmann Studios, Bochum) to record the third CD Forces of Doom . The CD was released in February 2004 under Shark Records. At the same time, Nina Hausammann and Diana Dietrich founded the Emerald Knights fan club .

In 2005 Emerald performed with Nazareth , Anvil , Ruffians and Vortex , among others . In 2006 Emerald signed a new record deal with Pure Steel Records . In spring 2007 the band began recording their fourth album Hymns to Steel in the Erzschlag Studio in Aue (D) . The album was released in September 2007 (later also as a limited double vinyl LP through High Roller Records ). A short time after the release, Alex Spicher replaced the previous drummer Andreas Bächler. Many concerts at home and abroad followed, including a. with well-known bands like Sabaton, Drifter, Stormwarrior or Unrest. Emerald have also participated in various tribute albums for Warlock, Manilla Road, Cirith Ungol and Angel Witch in recent years and placed songs on over 12 compilations.

In 2009 frontman Jvo Julmy left the band amicably due to musical differences. The guitarist Manuel Werro (ex-Fatherfuckers, ex-Shroudshifter) and the 23-year-old singer Thomas L. Winkler could be engaged for the vacant position.

On November 20, 2010, the fifth studio album by Emerald was released, which was recorded under the wing of VO Pulver (GurD, Destruction, Pro Pain) and is distributed by Pure Steel Records. In the November 2010 issue of Rock Hard the new work received 9/10 points and in the December 2010 issue of Heavy magazine the album was rated 11/12 points.

On August 24, 2012, the sixth studio album, Unleashed , was released under Pure Steel Records and with the same line-up as the previous production , for which VO Pulver was responsible as producer. Immediately after the release, the band embarked on their first major European tour as support for the Texas metal legend Helstar . The tour took the band through Belgium, Holland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Germany and Switzerland. Meanwhile, the new album received euphoric reviews in the metal press (Rock Hard again 9/10 points and 14th in the Richter scale) and individual songs by the band were featured on the Rock Hard CD and the Rock It CD.

Singer Thomas Winkler left the band in 2013. After a long search for the vacant singer position, they found what they were looking for in George Call (Aska, ex-Omen), who had already sung a song on the album Unleashed as a guest ( Eye of the Serpent ). Two years later there was another change behind the microphone after working with George Call, who lives in the States, proved difficult due to the great distance. With Mace Mitchell they finally found a suitable Swiss singer again.

style

Musically, the band is rooted in European heavy metal of the 1980s.

The band's lyrics deal with typical heavy and epic metal themes: swords, heroism and mythologies. On Hymns To Steel criticism of today's society is practiced for the first time. Songs like Empire Of Lies deal with the betrayal of society on the individual.

Discography

In-house productions

  • 1999: Rebels of Our Time
  • 2001: Calling the Knights

Studio albums

  • 2002: Calling the Knights (re-release)
  • 2004: Forces of Doom
  • 2007: Hymns to Steel
  • 2010: Re-Forged
  • 2012: Unleashed
  • 2017: Reckoning Day
  • 2019: Restless Souls

Web links