SELVANS has today released a cover version of the DEATH SS track “The Hanged Ballad” as a stand-alone-single which can be streamed or downloaded at the following:
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The dark artist has also announced that there will be a new EP titled ‘Dark Italian Art’ at the end of the year which will be released on Avantgarde Music. Here’s Selvans statement:
“During the last months, I have been in the studio working on the new EP ‘Dark Italian Art’, which will be released by the end of the year on Avantgarde Music.
I’ve had the possibility to refine the dark progressive vein previously introduced with ‘Faunalia’, and, for the first time, I will be accompanied by a real band on the arrangement sessions of the songs.
At the moment I’m really satisfied of how the work is progressing and I’m looking forward to giving you more details. In the meantime, here’s my interpretation of a classic from the first album of DEATH SS, one of the best Italian bands ever.
With their debut full-length album “Lupercalia” now in its third repress, and with work progressing on their next studio album, Atmospheric Black Metallers SELVANS will celebrate the closing of the first chapter of their activity with a special live album on Avantgarde Music.
Titled “Hirpi”, the five-track album will consist of four tracks that cover all three of SELVANS releases to date, which, aside from “Lupercalia”, also include the “Clangores Plenilunio” EP, and the 2016 split with DOWNFALL OF NUR. The other track will be a cover of DRAUGR’s “Furore Pagano” in a tribute to the band whose demise gave birth to SELVANS.
“Hirpi” was recorded in Pescara, Italy, during two separate live performances. The first recording took place on the 26th April 2016 when SELVANS performed a special memorial concert for their former vocalist and drummer, the late Jonny Morelli, whilst the the second took place later in the year on the 16th December. The lineup on the album consists of Haruspex on vocals and Fulgiriator on guitars, together with session musicians Acheron on guitars, Cordyceps M on bass, and HK on drums. Former DRAUGR members Triumphator and Stolas joined the band on stage on guitars and bass respectively to perform “Furore Pagano”.
The unique “Faun’s Procession” artwork was conceived by Haruspex and brought into being by the Italian artist Umberto D’Ottavio. Track listing on “Hirpi” is as follows:
1. Lupercale
2. Hirpi Sorani
3. O Clitumne!
4. Furore Pagano (Draugr cover)
5. Pater Surgens
Split releases amongst bands are two-a-penny these days, which is why the new album from two much-talked about new Atmospheric Black Metal bands, SELVANS and DOWNFALL OF NUR, promises to be something quite different, with the two bands deciding they did not just want to take part in a split release, but wanted it to br a true collaboration in every sense of the word.
Instead of just producing their individual recordings in a state of total disconnect, with the bands concerned having only the most basic contact, and often none at all, as is frequently the norm for split releases, Italy’s SELVANS and Argentina’s DOWNFALL OF NUR, have not only worked together on the overall concept of the album, which simply bears the name of the two bands, they also perform on each others compositions.
The album, which will be released on Avantgarde Music on the 7th November, takes as its theme that very epitome of the perfect opposites – the Sun and the Moon – and the dualistic nature they represent. It is a theme that has been much represented by artists over the ages, and is a favourite topic of conversation of both scholars and mystics. According to Avantgarde Music, the album is an opus in four acts, in which SELVANS and DOWNFALL OF NUR give their own interpretation of the theme, each bringing their own indivdual thoughts and sounds, and melding them into a cohesive whole.
Written by SELVANS’ Luca Del Re and DOWNFALL OF NUR’s Antonio Sanna, and with artwork by the Argentinian artist Santiago Caruso, tracklisting for the album is as follows:
I. Intro/ SOL
II. Selvans – Pater Surgens
III. Downfall of Nur – Mater Universi
IV. Outro/ LUNA
The SELVANS / DOWNFALL OF NUR collaboration will be available in a six-panel digi sleeve CD format, black vinyl and digital formats as well as a gold vinyl edition which will be strictly limited to 150 available as a pre-order only. Pre-orders now open at https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/downfall-of-nur-selvans .
SELVANS, whose lineup comprises Selvans Haruspex on keyboards, traditional instruments, screams and clean vocals, programming and Sethlans Fulguriator on guitars, bass, clean vocals, was formed from the ashes of DRAUGR, and is a band noted for its ability to combine music, lyrics and aesthetics in such a way as to recreate the folklore of Italy’s ancient peoples.
Instantly snapped up by Avantgarde Music, the band’s first release was the “Clangores Plenilunio” EP, which also marked the final recorded appearance of co-founder Jonny Morelli, who was tragically killed in a motor bike accident. The EP was followed by the full-length album “Lupercalia”, which more than fulfilled the faith Avantgarde placed in it. So much so, in fact, that it is now on its 3rd reprint and is being made available in a different format, this time as a jewel case CD with the addition of the live version of the track ‘Lupercale’.
SELVANS are set to join KAMPFAR when the iconic Norwegian Black Metallers play a series of dates in Italy in November.
Upcoming shows as follows:
14 Oct: Rites of the Black Mass, Fabrica, Bucharest, Romania
15 Oct: Autumn Souls of Sofia, Live & Loud, Sofia, Bulgaria
On Tour in Italy with KAMPFAR
10 Nov: Traffic Live Club, Rome
11 Nov: TBA, Bari
12 Nov: Alchemica Music Club, Bologna
13 Nov: Blue Rose Saloon, Milan
A video tribute to SELVANS co-founder the late Jonny Morelli, who was tragically killed in a motor bike accident, and which shows the wild landscapes that the drummer loved so much, whilst his words, which were written for the song ‘Lupercale’ itself, have been transformed into drawings by Davide ‘DARTWORKS – drawstroy‘ Mancini , can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/AJDfmpYFa4Q
Avantgarde Music have revealed a track from “Lupercalia”, the debut full-length album from Atmospheric Black Metallers SELVANS. With the album, set for release on the 19th October, the track “O Clitumne!” can be heard below and at http://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/lupercalia
“Lupercalia” is composed of six-tracks which last an average of 10 minutes each, and the CD version will unusually appear in A5 Digpack format, in keeping with SELVANS’ concept of recreating the folklore of Italy’s ancient peoples by means of visuals as well as through the band’s music and lyrics. As frontman Selvans Haruspex explains: “For the artwork for “Lupercalia” we chose once again to work with Diletta of E.B.A. Art. The work she did on our EP “Clangores Plenilunio” brought to life my original designs in an fantastic way, and we decided that the A5 format would be the best medium for her extraordinary art”.
As well as the CD and Digital formats, “Lupercalia” will be available in a Limited Edition boxed version, strictly limited to 100 copies. The box is made of heavy wood with the SELVANS’ Faun fire-etched on the top and includes the A5 digibook CD, a certificate card numbered and smudged in blood by the band members themselves, a metal badge with the SELVANS symbol “Sistrum” and a large (60×42 cm) full colour cover art poster.
The lineup on the album itself comprises Selvans Haruspex on keyboards, traditional instruments, vocals and programming, and Sethlans Fulguriator on guitars and bass, and was recorded at the Faunalia Studios and in Patrizio Tamborriello’s Soluzioni Audio.
SELVANS will support Niklas Kvarforth’s SHINING on the Italian leg of their tour in November. Confirmed live dates as follows:
05 Nov: Traffic Club, Rome (with SHINING)
06 Nov: Circolo Colony, Brescia (with SHINING)
07 Nov: Alchemica Music Club, Bologna (with SHINING)
Just over a month after the former members of the now-defunct DRAUGR announced that they had formed SELVANS, a musical project born to recreate, through music, lyrics and aesthetics, the mysticism and the folklore of the different ethnic groups that have dwelt in Italy throughout the ages, they are now able to announce that the band has inked a deal with Avantgarde Music for the release of SELVANS’ debut EP. Titled “Clangores Plenilunio”, the EP is set to hit the streets in February 2015.
The lineup on “Clangores Plenilunio” includes Selvans Haruspex (Ursus Arctos of DRAUGR) on vocals, keyboards and traditional instruments , Sethlans Fulguriator (Mors of DRAUGR) on guitar, and DRAUGR co-founders Stolas on bass and the late Jonny Morelli on drums. Morelli was able to record all the drums and most of the vocals before he was tragically killed in a motor bike accident in June of last year, and the EP, which marks Morelli’s last ever appearance, is being released in his honour, just as the band embarks on the new path that he was so excited about and so very much looking forward to travelling together with them.
Commenting on the title and the decision to sign with Avantgarde, Selvans Haruspex had this to say: “The Italian translation of the Latin expression “Clangores Plenilunio”, hides a meaning linked to the memory of Jonny which is very important to all of us, to what was, and what will be. As fans of many of the label’s releases, we can say that we wore out quite a few of them through repeated listenings, and therefore the fact that Avantgarde’s Roberto Mammarella was interested in working with SELVANS was a great honour for us. The spirit of Avantgarde is a perfect match for both our music and the concepts we are expressing through it, and knowing that Jonny would have been proud of such a collaboration is by far the greatest satisfaction for us”.
PATRICIA THOMAS BAND MANAGEMENT 