Ced Rules, so Blazon Stone Rules too!!!

[mpexus]

Lets give our Buddy Ced some Love shall we?

I have no clue if he already shared this here or not, in case he did here it is again, in case he didn't here it is. He has been posting it on FB and YT:



Blazon Stone - Raiders Of Jolly Roger

Blazon Stone - Wandering Souls

Blazon Stone - Chainless Spirit

Blazon Stone - Endless Fire Of Hate

Blazon Stone - 1671 / Highland Outlaw

Blazon Stone - Black Sails On The Horizon

They are ALL EPICS!!! But I have to say this last one is probably my Fav

[Iron1]

Way to go Ced!

[beneharris]

I've seen that album getting some pretty good reviews, too.

[Blazon_Stone]

Thanks a lot!!! This release was a lot of fun to make!

First time Blazon Stone features a full line-up!

From left to right:

Marta - Bass (main band being Crystal Viper as leadsinger/guitarist)
Superglue Sniffer - Guitar
Matias Palm - Lead vocals (main bands being Domination Black and Heavy Metal Perse)
Emil Westin Skogh - Guitar (he plays solos on "Hell On Earth" and "Bohemian Renegade" on this album)
Karl Löfgren - Drums






In the past I have recorded all Blazon Stone album musically myself, with a selection of different session singers!!!

But this time I finally got the PLEASURE to work with such great musicians! Karl is fantastic drummmer, Marta is a great bass player, Matias is of course the star of the show with his thunderous roaring and Emil is a super-shredder!!!


It's still pretty much a DIY-recording and while I'm not 100% with the mix I think it's decent enough, it kind-of sounds like RUNNING WILD album from the 90s and thats kinda the point


It's also the first time since 2017s album Down Un The Dark I feature an "EPIC CLOSER". Many fans wondered why I didn't have "epics" on "Down In The Dark" and "Hymns Of Triumph And Death" but the reason is simply that I didn't have any inspiration back then.



AND THEN!!!

The lyrics. I outdid myself with lyrical content for this album and while there's two songs with generic "pirate lyrics" (it goes with the show) there's actually way more under the hood for this album. Not as much as I would have prefered, but for now, it's all cool. I think it's time that people recognize that I put effort into lyrics becuase for many years I really didn't, and I think that made a bad mark on myself as a song writer, that people ASSUME that I make mega juvenile lyrics or cannot write anything worthwhile; I was just not interested... But I have grown to really love the lyric writing process. To have some meaning or real stories behind it.


I'm not gonna spoil any lyrics here, I will let those who are interested dive into it themselves!



Thanks for the kind comments!!!

[petereanima]

Ced, you know my question - will there be vinyl?

Hey yo, Captain Ced, bring me back on the vinyl track.

[Dominic]

Looks to me like the bass player's wearing it?

[jacksonplayer]

Damn, this sounds great! I'm not a big power metal guy at the moment, but these songs and performances are all really good.

The mix sounds professional. I'm particularly impressed with how well the vocals sit--that's often the first "tell" for a DIY production.

[Valtteri]

Awesome

[Blazon_Stone]

Ced, you know my question - will there be vinyl?

Hey yo, Captain Ced, bring me back on the vinyl track.

Later, the waiting times are very long at the moment. But the label has put the order a few months ago. So... Haha!

[Blazon_Stone]

Looks to me like the bass player's wearing it?

I dont understand "wearing it"

[Blazon_Stone]

Damn, this sounds great! I'm not a big power metal guy at the moment, but these songs and performances are all really good.

The mix sounds professional. I'm particularly impressed with how well the vocals sit--that's often the first "tell" for a DIY production.

The singer also doubletracked all lead vocals, and I had one "regular track" and one that was slightly below in volume, but also low-passed to have less "ssss" going on.

[thrashinbatman]

The singer also doubletracked all lead vocals, and I had one "regular track" and one that was slightly below in volume, but also low-passed to have less "ssss" going on.

ever since i discovered double tracking vocals, i dont think ive ever not done it. it's 50/50 whether singers get pissy about it though.

[Blazon_Stone]

Yes! And... Not everyone can even do it.
I'm the kind of singer who can sing the same thing twice without any big issue, even synching the vibrato "perfectly" but I have NEVER really done, it, I should try it

[Blazon_Stone]

I uploaded another song today, and tomorrow I will upload the "last" one! This one features a mega-blistering solo by Emil Westin!!!

I haven't uploaded the songs in "album order", but rather just randomly like I felt like for the day.

[Leon]

Feck yeah!

[Dominic]

I dont understand "wearing it"

Apologies, Ced. The shiny trousers Marta is wearing could be vinyl. Admittedly, these days they are unlikely to be, as "wet-look" garments have entered the mass-produced fashion mainstream along with other stuff that was strictly fetishwear back when Priest emerged. I only made a quip because of a Paul Gilbert number called Vinyl on his debut solo CD where he describes how he was transfixed by "a girl wearing vinyl". I'm quite a fanboi of his. I also think that look is amazing – if one can wear it, which I, sadly, cannot, thanks to beer and cake, often together.

[Blazon_Stone]

Apologies, Ced. The shiny trousers Marta is wearing could be vinyl. Admittedly, these days they are unlikely to be, as "wet-look" garments have entered the mass-produced fashion mainstream along with other stuff that was strictly fetishwear back when Priest emerged. I only made a quip because of a Paul Gilbert number called Vinyl on his debut solo CD where he describes how he was transfixed by "a girl wearing vinyl". I'm quite a fanboi of his. I also think that look is amazing – if one can wear it, which I, sadly, cannot, thanks to beer and cake, often together.

I have no idea what material it is, but Marta makes a lot of her own clothes.
She has also been a professional custom stage-costume maker (is there a shorter word for this?) for big bands like Sabaton, Vader, Arch Enemy and... Judas Priest (well, "only" Andy Sneap, but still )

Right now she has quit the job of making clothes for bands, to focus on other things.

[Iron1]

ever since i discovered double tracking vocals, i dont think ive ever not done it. it's 50/50 whether singers get pissy about it though.

I've never not double tracked vocals. 2 albums, dozens of demos and a pile of one-offs. Not doing so is dumb and getting pissy about is unprofessional.

[thrashinbatman]

Apologies, Ced. The shiny trousers Marta is wearing could be vinyl. Admittedly, these days they are unlikely to be, as "wet-look" garments have entered the mass-produced fashion mainstream.

I cannot tell you how thankful I am that this has happened.

I've never not double tracked vocals. 2 albums, dozens of demos and a pile of one-offs. Not doing so is dumb and getting pissy about is unprofessional.

that's not entirely true; i just wrapped a gospel record a few months back where we didn't double track vocals. but honestly outside of the choir harmonies we didn't double anything at all. just never felt right. in all rock and metal stuff, i always do it though. i have had vocalists in the past complain about it, but i typically tell them to shut up and deal, and they do. when we get to harmonies and they see how much i ask of them, they typically forget about having to track the main vox part twice anyway.

[Budda]

Congrats Ced!

[Iron1]

I cannot tell you how thankful I am that this has happened.




that's not entirely true; i just wrapped a gospel record a few months back where we didn't double track vocals. but honestly outside of the choir harmonies we didn't double anything at all. just never felt right. in all rock and metal stuff, i always do it though. i have had vocalists in the past complain about it, but i typically tell them to shut up and deal, and they do. when we get to harmonies and they see how much i ask of them, they typically forget about having to track the main vox part twice anyway.

Well, clearly I have no experience in gospel recording, so yeah, you win.

[Blazon_Stone]

Last individual song upload from the album today!
This is lyrically the most personal song of the album, which doesn't happen very often with Blazon Stone.

It's a song for all misfit people who dedicate their lives to music, and I know some people didn't understand the title but it's a reference to "bohemianism" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemianism) because even tho we mostly sit at our computers and make music in this modern age, we still express it online, and most hopefully, on tour and stage when possibility allows.


I don't wanna brag too much but holy shit, the backing vox secton in the chorus is just sounds unreal, I love how the backing shouts turned out.

[mpexus]

I don't wanna brag too much but holy shit, the backing vox secton in the chorus is just sounds unreal, I love how the backing shouts turned out.

You should, you did an AMAZING job putting it all together and recording a damn fine Album.

[Hulk Krogan]

Yeah dude, everything on this album sounds so good. I love the guitar tone - and obviously the playing is incredible too.

[Blazon_Stone]

You should, you did an AMAZING job putting it all together and recording a damn fine Album.

Thank you!

The choir section includes some invited guest vocalist from different bands!

I have Dejana + Vladimir from Claymorean (Vlad plays guitar only in Claymorean, but has good voice)

Then we have Pancho Ireland who plays guitar and sings in his band Merciless Law, and besides being backing vocalist, he also played solo on "Wandering Souls"

And last but not least, almost the entire band of Drunktank + one of their friends.
Make sure to watch this video, it's really good

All these great singers combined and the choirs are absolutely insane!