News Updates - Spring 06 - Winter 05 - Autumn 05 - Summer 05
Summer 2008 Update
NEW LABEL!!!
"Long-running Irish folk metal act WAYLANDER has inked a deal with Listenable Records.
Since the release of their last album, "The Light, The Dark And The Endless Knot", WAYLANDER has spent years bringing mosh pits to festivals across Europe such as Bloodstock, Pagan Nights and Ultimo Ratio. They have also spent this time finding and securing a powerful lineup with a passion to match their musical talents.
WAYLANDER's upcoming third album, entitled "Honour Amongst Chaos", is "more powerful and beautiful than ever, using a vast array of Irish folk instruments and armed with their passion for metal in its truest form," according to a press release. "Blending epic atmospheres and relentless brutality, 'Honour Amongst Chaos' reflects the heart and soul of pagan warriors worldwide."
Winter 2007 Update
Greetings and Salutations to you all,
It has been a very busy time for Waylander recently, hence the delay in updates and studio reports. "Honour Amongst Chaos" is now complete and is just waiting to be mastered, a full song off the album "As The Deities Clash" is available for streaming off our Myspace which you can access from the listen now button on your left.
On the surface it may appear that we have spent an overly long time recording this album. Things are never that straight forward for Waylander though. Preperations for the Full Metal Racket Festival in Belfast and behind the scenes activity in regard to our label gives a fairer reflection of the actual time spent.
In other news, Dave Briggs (Also of Runecaster fame and the producer of our upcoming album) has become Waylander's full time Tin whistle and mandolin player, bringing us up to a sextet. We played our first full length shows of the year earlier in November, first of all we returned to the Voodoo Lounge in Dublin which all went very well as a warm up show. This got the old energy flowing again for our return to Germany at the Ultima Ratio Festival in Oberhausen which held a crowd of over 3000 people.
We would like to thank the organisers for putting on a fantastic festival, we truly enjoyed ourselves from what we remember but in true Waylander fashion we abused our free bar privilages. Luckily we didnt turn it into too much of a farce (we hope).
We would like to add that our trip to Germany would not have been the same without our good friends from Ireland, England, Scotland and the USA, so we would like to thank you guys for making our Allydays so much fun! Was also nice catching up with our old friends from Wolfchant and Skyforger and meeting new friends Eluveitie (who also happened to be the highlight of the festival for all of us)
So we hope this explains a few things, and now that Waylander are back on form and our album is due for release. We must now look outwards from our so far Do It Yourself mentality and find a suitable record label to release this much anticipated album. So spread the word and Walk With Honour.
Bua Nó Bas!,
Waylander
New Artwork Released
"Honour Amonst Chaos"
We are thrilled to announce that the artwork for our new album
is finally here, courtesy of the one and only
Kris
Verwimp
A full size wallpaper of the artwork is available in the media section now.
Video Update!!
Click below for our first video update from the studio.
"Video update 1" features Saul and Gazz laying down some lead melodies
STUDIO REPORT 1 - 18th Dec
In true Waylander fashion, the proverbial spanner which seems to stalk our every move managed to intrude on our meticulous preperations. The drum tech we had planned to use couldnt make it to the studio due to being brought in to hospital the day before we were due to commence recording. As things turned out it ended up being a blessing in disguise as we used the time to record the songs live so as to get a decent overview of what was working and what wasnt in which we ended up making a number of minor adjustments for the betterment of the songs.
We took most of a week off to listen to the takes, practise over and consider folk melodys for the songs while we found another drum tech. We were lucky enough to find Willy Taylor of Northern Irish death metal legends Condemned to come down to Heathen Dream studios in Lurgan and within a few hours were ready to crack on with recording the drums.
We took our time with the drum tracks, breaking up each song with moments of insanity, rib snapping hilarity and various eating breaks. However we accomplished what we set out to do. Den showed just how tight of a drummer he is, even with his few years holiday from the drum stool a few years back he got the 9 album songs down as well as our bonus track, which for now will remain a secret..although will be quite familiar to some of you.
So over all, progress is going according to plan and we're pleased with what we have achieved up to this point.
Photos and Video updates due in the not so distant future...
Waylander
AUTUMN EQUINOX/SAMHAIN ‘S GREETINGS
There have been a few developments thankfully since last we
spoke. We are now going to record our album in a different studio,
mainly for practical reasons, as it’s located in the same county as
Waylander’s base and is only 20 minutes drive away. The album will
be engineered by Dave Briggs and we are fairly confident that we
can capture the sound that we require. The starting date has had to
be put back a few weeks as we frantically put everything into place
before the commencement but this can only be a positive as far as
we are concerned. The album, will still be released by Alderwood
Records, with a mid-spring release very much the plan. Despite
only having previously released an album by Old Season we still
maintain that this working partnership will eventually prove of huge
benefit to both parties. We will commence recording at the end of
November and aim to have the songs recorded by early January at
the latest. Mixing and mastering details will be revealed when we
decide what we’re doing in regards to them.
We have also been approached to contribute a song to an
Irish tribute to thrash release which we are seriously considering.
Obviously we will do a Sabbat song, simply because without them,
Waylander would probably never have existed. We are having
trouble deciding on which song to do though, so if you want to
make a suggestion, find the appropriate thread in the Forum section
and cast your votes.
There may be some kind of studio report here come the time
so check back here every now and again if plotting the progress is
of appeal to you.
We have decided to set up a Waylander street team, which will,
in time develop into some kind of fanclub. At the moment, what we
propose is that if anyone takes 5 items or more from us to sell to those
in their locality, we will give you a special price, enabling you all to
get a free cd or shirt or else make some beer money. We will throw
in a few Waylander rarities to sweeten the deal, nothing too exciting
but something fans may appreciate. For the moment the items in
question are The Pure Pagan Metal t-shirts and the re-release of the
Reawakening Pride Once Lost album. Apply here and as we expand
we will put up some maps indicating where members hail from.
We will be getting Honour Amongst Chaos shirts printed to
coincide with the release of the album. They will undoubtedly look
spectacular so we will be accepting pre-orders for both the shirt and
Cd around February/March time. Again check back here for updates.
Expect some fresh photographs to be added over the coming
weeks and hopefully some other web-site improvements before very
long also.
We have confirmed our 1st gig of 2007, which will take place
In Belfast on Sunday March 2?. Waylander will be headlining the
Full Metal Racket Festival, featuring ten bands, at Lavery’s Bar. This
will be out first time at this particular venue, so hopefully all goes
well for us and that people enjoy the half dozen or so new songs
which will be aired that night. Over the coming weeks and months
more gig confirmations will be added here and we are determined to
play as many gigs in as many countries as our resources will allow.
If anyone reading this knows of any promoter in their area who may
be interested in putting on a Waylander show, feel free to e-mail
ArdChieftain@hotmail.com. All mail will be answered.
Finally, we still have some re-release cds of Reawakening
Pride Once Lost left, with a new batch of shirts to be ordered this
week. Again, just drop me an e-mail if any of these items appeal.
Well, that’s enough news for now, hopefully one of us
will be
back soon with details of the studio report. Until then,
Bua No Bas !
ArdChieftain
WAYLANDER
GET REAWAKENING PRIDE ONCE LOST HERE
SHOPS
U.s.a/Canada – The End Records
France/Morocco/Andorra – Soundworks SARL
Switzerland – Non Stop Music
Ireland – Alderwood
MAILORDER
Ireland/uk – Sentinel, Midhir, Supernal, Seven Kingdoms
Germany – Omvina, Grau cd, Folter Records, Perverted Taste,
Hellion Records.
Estonia – Nailboard Records
Poland – Ritual Execution
Norway – Aftermath Records
Brazil – Somber Music
U.s.a. – Red Stream, Dark Horizon Records
Australia – Asphyxiate records
Japan – World Chaos Productions
BEALTAINE AND SOLSTICE SALUTATIONS
More belated greetings, but I’m sure you are all accustomed
to
it by this stage. Luckily I have some information to share, with the
ever elusive carved in stone plans tantalisingly close.
Firstly, we have returned safely from our first sojourn to
Germany,
where we were honoured to perform at the Pagan Nights Festival in
Bavaria. The people we met were as hospitable as one could only
dream of, despite their insane notion of providing us with free Beer
at all times. Needless to say, this Irish band fulfilled all the criteria
of our national stereotype. The setting for the Festival was stunning,
adjacent to a reconstructed Celtic village in the heartland of the
Bavarian Forest.
We hadn’t played live for a year or so and the rustiness
was plain
to us in our live performance, but with the vast majority of our slip
ups coming in our new songs, our sloppiness wasn’t evident to the
attentive and appreciative audience. Playing outdoors in a Festival
environment was never going to be an ideal way of getting the
sound we required, yet we somehow managed to pull it off, despite
the onstage monitors becoming more and more redundant as the
set progressed. We can and will play much better in the future.
The Wolfchant horde were genial and generous hosts with their
live performance being particularly pleasing to these ears. Eternal
hails go to each and every member of Wolfchant, Markus Eck,
and all the superb staff from the bar. We met so many
cool people that we could write a list as long as your arm here, so,
suffice to say, hails to all those we met at Pagan Nights !
We have finally booked a studio. Yes, it is actually true !!
We will record in Dublin at Alderwood studios during the months of
September and October. Unfortunately it will be mostly weekends
due to work commitments etc but from a positive perspective, at
least we can travel there easily from our own homes.
We will make an announcement on the Record Label we have
chosen within the coming months but I can safely say this, the Label
will be no household name as we think trust and total commitment
are the most important aspects of a working/business arrangement.
We will take an unwanted break from our frantic studio preparations
to play a concert in Dublin on Saturday July 29th at the Voodoo
lounge. The reason we are breaking our self imposed ‘ no more gigs
until the album is recorded ‘ policy is simple, the Cause of the
concert itself. The Irish government have approved a motorway
through the Tara/Skryne valley [ the site of the Ancient Capital of
our island and the Seat of the High Kings ], which will result in the
loss of most of it’s Archaeology, which, incidentally is one of the
most important Archaeological sites in the whole of Europe. Add to
this the fact that the aura/atmosphere of the area will be tainted by
the incessant traffic and resultant fuel fumes and it’s clear to see why
so many of us are seething with rage at these proposals. We must act
we must make our protesting voices heard, and whether or not we
succeed in halting the destructive route at least we have stood up and
had our say, and who knows, perhaps something CAN be done.
The concert is not only to raise awareness among the Irish Metal
Community however, as the proceeds will go to Vincent Salafia, who
has tried to sue the Irish government for their treasonous actions and
has been left with a staggeringly high legal bill. Such Noble actions
deserve our attention and support, so, 7 bands have offered their
services free of charge for this concert. Each and every band, James
and Craobh Crua deserve congratulations for making this stand. I
am sure that the Ancient Gods and the Spirits of our Ancestors will
be pleased with our collective efforts. Hopefully a large crowd will
be in attendance and a lot of money will be raised. So, if it is within
your power to be there, please, do not hesitate about attending.
We are presently editing a video of our German expedition so
expect to have this online within the next month or so. It will be
rough and ready and the sound may not be the best but it will
hopefully give you an indication of us as a band and as drunken
eejits. There will be an edited and unedited version, with the non
edited version reserved for Clan Waylander members only.
We have decided to organise a fan-club type of thing for the
true
fans of Waylander and anyone who joins can proudly proclaim
themselves Clan Waylander warriors. Details will appear soon but
i will give you a rough idea of what’s entailed here. For a nominal
fee, members will receive discounts on all purchases, everything
will be signed by the band, we will mail out exclusive rehearsal
Recordings of new material, with many more little bonuses in the
pipeline too. Hopefully there will be sufficient interest.
Many thanks to you all for taking the time to read through
these
ramblings. Until next time keep thy metaphorical swords as sharp
as thy collective wits, Walk with Honour, and as always,
BUA NO BAS !!!
ArdChieftain
WAYLANDER
There's a benefit gig on Sat july 29th 7 quid in 7 of the best and heaviest metal acts in the country who are all playing for free so the road going through the Tara Valley (m3) gets diverted
ABADDON INCARNATE + OLD SEASON + WAYLANDER + SLAVE ZERO + WARPATH + ERA VULGARIS + NEMESIS
Doors 5pm over 18's only
This is a benefit gig so to make up for the low ticket cost yer expected to drink till oblivion and to head bang till your head comes off. Thems the rules
IMBOLC UPDATE
This is later than usual but there is good reason, a few loose ends needed tying up before confirmation. Thank you for your patience and hopefully the following news will have made the wait worth-while.
Waylander are proud to announce that we have confirmed our first ever German gig at the Pagan Night Festival in Bavaria, Germany on June 10th. We are obviously thrilled to have finally achieved a long sought after and overdue milestone and without a shadow of a doubt this performance will be merely one of many on mainland Europe and beyond in 2006. Anyone reading this who promotes gigs or knows someone who does, don't be shy about getting in touch. Remember though, that the Waylander coffers are filled with nothing but cobwebs...............
The last days of Winter and the opening few of Spring has finally seen the completion of the 9 songs which will appear on the new album. We are now at the stage of fine tuning all the parts and it shouldn.t be too much longer until we are studio ready. The 9 songs for the new album in no particular order are : Walk with Honour, Galloping Gaels, Takers of Heads, Usurpers of our Legacy, To Dine in the Otherworld, As the Deities Clash, Bru na Boinne, Beyond the Ninth Wave and Elemental Chaos.
The promos have been/ are in the process of, being sent to Labels, so rest assured as soon as we know anything you will be the first to know. As soon as we come to an arrangement with a label we will enter a studio with all haste. We are chomping at the bit as it stands ! It is almost impossible to talk about release dates at this stage but June is very much the aim.
The re-release of Reawakening Pride Once Lost has been selling quite rapidly which augers well and should see the vinyl version rear it.s beautiful head sooner rather than later.
We are getting one final batch of Pure Pagan Metal shirts done. Sizes will be medium, large and extra large, price will be £8 + Postage and can be obtained by e-mailing any member of the band.
Waylander are proud to announce that we will be working with an Artistic genius for the Honour Amongst Chaos album. None other than Kris Verwimp, who should be well known to most of you by this stage.
All the pieces are finally slotting into place, momentum has gathered, blowing some of the dark clouds away.
Until next time,
BUA NO BAS !!!
ArdChieftain
WAYLANDER
10 November 2005
Samhain's greetings to you all ! May the time between times prove beneficial
to one and all.
At long last, the much talked about Promo cd is finally ready ! The sound could have been better and the tempos refined a lot more but we feel it's of a decent enough quality to use as a tool to remind the world that Waylander are very much alive and kicking in 2005.
At least one of the songs will be available to download from this Site or if anyone wants the cd, they can send us a blank cd, and some pennies toward postage and packing. In the uk £1.50 or 6 first class Stamps should cover it. Ireland and Europe, 3 euro, r.o.w. 5 euro. 4 Ballinteggart Road, Battlehill, Co.Armagh, BT62 4HN, N.Ireland.
We are still on schedule to have the album written by the year's end. At the moment 5 songs are more or less completed, with 3 other songs in various stages of development. We've decided not to bother with a cover song after all as it seems like everyone takes that route. We prefer to tread our own pathways. If the 8 songs aren't enough, we will write another.
Reawakening Pride Once Lost looks well with the proper logo now. The re-release of this album with some old demo tracks as bonus material will now officially take place in December via Ulster's Midhir Records. Pre-orders are likely, try www.midhirrecords.com
Many thanks to Dave Briggs [ of Runecaster fame ] for recording our promo for us, it is greatly appreciated and I'm sure we all took something positive from the experience.
We are now contacting Record Labels and weighing up our studio options and as soon as we know anything you will be the first to know of it !
Until next time, keep the ancient fires burning in your hearts,
Bua no Bas !! [ victory or death ]
ArdChieftain
WAYLANDER
21 Sept 2005
Update from Cíaran
Another statement, another tale to tell, it seems. Recent acquisition, Alan Connolly has had to resign his position due to health reasons. All at Clan Waylander would like to wish Alan luck with his health and future musical enterprises. Gaz Murdock, who previously had played session drums and bass, stepped into the fray at Day of Darkness on rhythm guitar and done as well as could be expected with less than a weeky been welcomed into the Clan. We fully expect this to be our final line-up change for several years to come. I do love to tempt fate !!
So, has anything positive been going on in the world of Waylander, I hear you all enquire, and justifiably so. Well, there is finally a stirring in the Beast. Song-writing has been going well, with a studio in the process of being booked for the recording of the much talked about 2 song promo. The 2 songs to be recorded will be Walk with Honour and Galloping Gaels as well as rough versions of 2 other completed songs. Expect the promo to be available to the public in October, which, incidentally will finally see the re-release of our cult debut album, Reawakening Pride Once Lost.
Another update should be here before very long, which will hopefully clarify, as well as add to, this statement.
Bua no Bas !!
ArdChieftain
WAYLANDER
8 Aug 2005
An interview with Cíaran is posted on Metal
Coven