A Band To Watch Out For
Colin Davies, Heavy Magazine, April 2010 Fibbers, 22nd April 2010
Playing in their home town, 'Morpheus Rising' got a good reception to their NWOBHM style of rock. They opened with 'Save the day' from the 'Original demos' EP, (all five tracks of which featured in the set), and the twin guitar sound was tight and precise. Vocalist Grae Tennick worked the crowd very well, and the whole band had good stage presence. The material was solid heavy rock which included at least one AOR tinged song, 'Those who watch' in the middle of the set. My favourite songs were the final one 'Hold on' and the epic metal of 'Lord ofthe North'. A great opener for the night, and a band to watch out for. Real And Proper Classic Metal Dom Smith, Sphere Magazine, Dec 2009 The Duchess, 22nd Dec 2009
The headlining band Morpheus Rising immediately evoke with their smashing beats and decadent riffage following a suitably epic intro. As is the theme of the evening, this band are all about stadium-baiting rock music drawing from legendary influences like The Cult and Iron Maiden. On ‘Save The Day’ the band pour all of themselves into the song and demonstrate a real emotion, intensity and grit that is rare within the contemporary rock scene on a national scale, nevermind locally. Download the full review here. |
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Well Worth A Listen
Colin Davies, Heavy Magazine, April 2010 A five piece NWOBHM style band from York, this is their first CD, and very easy to listen to. Opening with 'Fighting man' which is a classic twin guitar lead rock track straight from the early 80's in style. The second of the five songs 'Save the day', is the best on this CD. For one thing it sounds almost as if it was studio recorded. It has hints of Dream Theater with a solid bass and drum beat driving along the swhirling guitars. 'Those who watch' is a slower semi ballad, which has a large hint of AOR to it, but again the guitars stand out and the lyrics are easy to remember. 'In the end' is the most obvious choice for a single, if they wanted to put one out from this selection. A shorter, fast and punchy song with a chorus, not unlike much of Iron Maiden's most popular stuff. The final track 'Lord of the North' would be my favourite, but it does suffer from under production, with the vocals in particular needing some work, but get this into a studio and it would be a solid epic. It pounds along like a Heaven and Hell era Sabbath song, plenty of balls and very bassy. As a self recorded demo, this is very good and well worth a listen. It will be interesting to hear the band after they get into a studio, and having seen them live, I know they can produce the goods for an audience.
7/10 A Very Positive Debut Walter Scheurer, Underground Empire, Dec 2009 The band "Morpheus Rising" from York use the slogan 'NWoBHM - The next Generation', but they have also got influences from bands like Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy and Marillion. It seems to be very important for Morpheus Rising to be authentic, which they really know how to do. Whilst Morpheus Rising is a young, unknown band, Pete Harwood appears to be an accomplished musician which provides us with a very positive debut! Download the full review here. Bang Your Head And Raise Your Fist!
Oliver Kerkdijk, SacredMetal.de, November 2009
2009 A.D., the world and everything in it has changed in many ways, but real heavy metal is still braving every tide. One of the bands intent on bringing back the spirit of old are Morpheus Rising from York in the UK. Grae Tennick (vocals), Pete Harwood and Daymo Sweeting (guitars), Andy Smith (bass) and Paul ‘Gibbo’ Gibbons (drums) continue a very English metal tradition on ‘The original demos 2008’. This CDR (b/w cover, lyrics inside) serves up five weighty tracks that do the legacy of NWoBHM proud. Entering the arena with the anthemic ‘Fighting man’ – reissued in a re-recorded version as a factory-pressed single in October/November 2009 – Morpheus Rising sport all the trademarks of a dedicated band that refuses to do things by half. Top-notch musicianship, melodic-yet-raw vocals from Tennick, powerful-yet-natural production and, first and foremost, splendid compositions with an edge to them. In other words: melodies and rhythms to bang your fist and raise your head to. Er, well, you get the picture. Download the full review here. Remember The Name...
Michael Kohsiek, Rock Hard Magazine, June 2009 Fancy a dose of Twin-Guitars? Then you should try to get the debut-CD of this quintet's from York in England, because you will get twin guitars (and more) free to your home. This CD with 5 tracks already sounds so good that a contract with a publishing company should only be a question of time. Morpheus Rising was only founded last year but the material could be 25 years old as well. So if you fancy good-mood-Rock/Metal in the tradition of some Late-NWOBHM-combos with special emphasis on meaningful songwriting and very good work on the Guitar (just listen to the solo in 'Save The Day'), remember the name MORPHEUS RISING. 8/10 Download the full review here. |
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