SORTILEGE - Larmes De Heros LP 180g BLACK (Pre-Order)

All tracks mastered by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in September 2022.
Cutting by SST Germany on Neumann machines for optimal quality on all levels...
The ultimate audiophile reissue of this eternal French Metal classic!

Christian Augustin - lead and backing vocals
Stephane Dumont - lead guitar
Didier Demajean - guitars
Daniel Lapp - bass
Bob Snake - drums

01 La Hargne des Tordus
02 Chasse le Dragon
03 Le Demier des Travaux d'Hercule
04 Quand un Aveugle Réve
05 Mourir pour une Princesse
06 La Montagne qui Saigne
07 Marchand d'Hommes
08 Messager
09 La Huitième Couleur de L'arc-en-ciel

When French heavy metal band Sortilège formed in 1981, they were following the example of their fellow countrymen Trust. Musically however, the band from the suburbs of Paris took their musical approach one step further, forging an amalgam of true heavy metal without being influenced by punk rock (like the early Trust), blues rock (Ganafoul) or progressive rock (Océan).
After changing their name from Blood Wave to Sortilège, Christian Augustin, aka “Zouille” (vocals), Daniel Lapp (bass), Jean-Philippe Dumont, aka Bob Snake (drums), Didier Demajean (guitar) and Stéphane Dumont (guitar) recorded their first, self-titled EP for Dutch label Rave-On Records in 1983. The five original compositions: “Amazone”, “Progéniture Destructrice”, “Gladiateur”, “Sortilège” and “Bourreau” were received extremely well by press and fans alike (inside and outside their home country). High-profile support slots in the French capital for Samson and Def Leppard followed, before it was time to record the follow-up to »Sortilège«.
Sortilège’s first full-length album was called »Métamorphose«, and it was released in 1984 on French label Devil’s Records (with an English-language edition put out by Steamhammer Records in Germany).
When 1986 approached, it became time for the successor of »Métamorphose«/»Metamorphosis« to be recorded. »Larmes De Héros« is widely considered to be the best of the three Sortilège records. Guitarist Didier Demajean agrees wholeheartedly: “Yes, we think so too. It’s the most sophisticated, the most accomplished album of ours, and the songs are all very well written.”
»Larmes De Héros« was recorded in Germany at Karo Studios, produced by Vic Vergeat and engineered by Kalle Trapp. Steamhammer Records called their English-language edition »Hero’s Tears«.
Some people in France have described Sortilège as “absolute pioneers in Epic and Progressive Metal” … Stylistically, »Larmes De Héros« was different from most French metal albums in 1985/86. “Yes, we had found our own style,” is how the band’s guitarist explains it today, “we were much more Anglo-Saxon than the other French bands who all had a kind of complex towards English and American legends. The songs on »Larmes De Héros« are more melodic and were meant to reach a wider audience than just the usual hard core of metal fans.”