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CD/DVD Releases: Status Minor Release Second Album ''Ouroboros'' On 25 April 2012

Posted on Sunday, April 08 @ 19:00:00 UTC by nightowl

Having made a sizeable impact with their 2009 debut Dialog, Status Minor return in fine style for their sophomore effort Ouroboros. Faster, stronger and better than before, the new album showcases a band ready to deliver and represents one of progressive metal’s highlights of 2012.

Musically Ouroboros is more straight forward than its predecessor; with more orchestral sounds used to create a big feel. Yet the overall effect is that of a heavier, more cohesive sound with focus and attention to song craft first and foremost all backed up by first class performances.

Ouroboros is a concept album written around a cycle often found in love-related relationships. People meet, they fall in love, then out of love and finally they separate in order to start again. The first song ("The Wind") introduces the main character and the starting point of the cycle. Until song four ("Like A Dream"), the love story builds up and peaks at the introduction of the loved one's voice (courtesy of Anna Murphy / Eluveitie). The story goes sour from the fifth song ("Confidence And Trust") onwards. The final decision is made in the 8th song ("Flowers Die") and resolution is tested in "Sail Away," which can be seen as the second part of "Flowers Die" (with many repeated themes both in music and lyrics).

The writing of the music started during summer 2009 and finished around August 2009. The lyrics were finished and vocal melodies finalized around December 2009. The recordings started in February 2010 and ended in January 2011. The albums guest vocalists finished their work around March 2011 after which the mixing and mastering were done. In early fall 2011 the master was finished.

Band Background: Status Minor is a progressive power metal act from Finland and a quintet of highly skilled and extremely productive musicians, many of whom also appear in other well-known line-ups. The foundations were laid by Sami Saarinen in 2002, and little by little the line-up stabilized to what it is today: Markku Kuikka - vocals, Sami Saarinen - guitars, Jukka Karinen - keyboards, Eero Pakkanen - bass and Rolf Pilve - drums.

The debut album Dialog was introduced to the world through Lion Music on September 11th, 2009 and immediately caught the attention of metal media worldwide big time. BURRN! Magazine (92/100), Lords of Metal (89/100), Metal-Rules (4/5) and Imperiumi (9+/10) are just a few examples. The band has performed live since 2005, blowing the minds of their audiences on stages of Finland and central Europe alike. With their debut album out, Status Minor has wasted no time resting but instead wrote a sequel called Ouroboros.

Track Listing:

01. The Wind
02. Hollow
03. Glass Wall
04. Like A Dream
05. Confidence And Trust
06. Stain
07. Smile
08. Flowers Die
09. Sail Away

Band Members:

Markku Kuikka – Vocals
Sami Saarinen – Guitars
Jukka Karinen – Keyboards
Eero Pakkanen – Bass
Rolf Pilve – Drums

Guest Musicians:

Anna Murphy (Eluveitie) – Guest vocals on tracks 4, 5, 6 & 9
Rick Altzi (At Vance, Thunderstone) – backing vocals

Album Credits:

Drums Recorded in Studio Audio, Jyväskylä , February 2010
Recording engineer Torsti Spoof (Leverage, The Magnificent)
Vocals and Guitars recorded in Cat Piss Studio, Riihimäki, March 2010 -January 2011
Cover artwork by Carl-Andre Beckston (Monowasp)

[Source: Lion Music]

Posted in Album Release News