Blizzen, along with Alpha Tiger and underground sensation Stallion, are at the forefront of the new “new wave of traditional German heavy metal”. Formed in Februray 2014 by Andi Heindl (guitars), Marvin Kiefer (guitars), Gereon Nicolay (drums) and Daniel Steckenmesser (vocals and bass), the band’s first mini-album »Time Machine« received rave reviews in the German metal press (winning them a lot of fans in the process). “Yeah, that’s quite unbelievable,” gleams bassist/vocalist Daniel Steckenmesser, spokesperson of Blizzen.
“We simply recorded the music we liked. It’s a real surprise that there’s so many fans out there liking the same stuff as us. Because of all the splendid reviews the EP got, a lot of new doors opened up for the band. I am very grateful for that, to be honest.”
At the beginning of their career, Blizzen were compared to label mates Stallion maybe once too often. It’s totally likely that the new album »Genesis Reversed« will put to sleep those comparisons once and for all. The record features strong traditional metal tunes such as “Trumpets Of The Gods” (one of the best songs on the album) along with slightly speedier numbers such as “Masters Of Lightning” and “Skid Into Death”. “Musically, we all share the same values,” says Daniel about how Blizzen approached the songwriting of the new record. “That definitely helps. Somebody has got an idea or a riff and we collectively work out the song. I am of the opinion that with »Genesis Reversed« we have matured a bit. We still stick to our musical roots but we have progressed in a certain way. We are 100% satisfied with how the album turned out. Actually, we can’t wait to hold the finished product in our hands. And we are very much looking forward to perform the songs off »Genesis Reversed« outside of our own rehearsal room.”
Strictly speaking, this has already been the case. When Blizzen performed live on the little festival tour alongside thrash metal sensation Space Chaser from Berlin, Tracer (kind of a sidekick of Space Chaser), Pripjat and Dust Bolt, they already played three new songs off the new album at each gig. The mentioned tour was organized by the bands themselves and carried the slogan “No bookers, no rivals, no bullshit”. “That’s right,” agrees Daniel. “But to be honest, the organization of the whole thing was mainly handled by Space Chaser and by Pripjat. And they both did a fantastic job. Those festivals were great for all the bands who participated. Our first record »Time Machine« had been recorded in September 2014 and came out in April 2015. So by the time we played those fests, it was more than a year old. We were continuously writing new material, so it was only logical for us to play some brand new songs live as well.”
“»Genesis Reversed« has more complex song structures and deeper lyrics,” continues Daniel on the topic of how Blizzen have progressed in comparison to »Time Machine«. “The new album has been recorded and mastered in the same studio as »Time Machine«. Our guitarist Marvin has got a new amp – so maybe that’s why the record is sounding a tiny bit different.”
The main influences for Blizzen have stayed the same though: “We do love the old Teutonic metal stuff, Accept and Running Wild. And old German thrash as well. That’s maybe why we have this kind of ‘Teutonic’ edge to our style. But we are certainly not going out saying: ‘Right, let’s write a song which sounds like Tyrant.’ It would be quite ridiculous to think that, actually.”
01. Intro - Anthem To A Distant Star
02. Trumpets Of The Gods
03. Masters Of Lightning
04. The Beast Is On Your Back
05. Hounded For Good
06. Genesis Reversed
07. Gone Wild
08. The World Keeps Still
09. Devil In Disguise
10. Bestride The Thunder
11. Skid Into Death
Deposite
Blizzen – Genesis Reversed 2016
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