Bio 2001
The Realms of Ruins Source of Tide are back on the saddle! Two years have passed since the debut Source of Tide release "Ruins of Beauty" and as you would expect, many things have happened. All members have been busy in and out of the band. Lord PZ has left an indelible mark while co-writing and recording material for quite possibly the most interesting and amazing creature out there in metal-land: Peccatum. Pendragon has developed his web design firm (DragonWeb) while nurturing a new project called Paralyziz in collaboration with Cosmocrator. Cosmocrator himself has spent some months on the road with the masters of extreme metal aggression Zyklon as a session live bass player sharing the stage with some high priests of metal known as Samoth and Trym. If not enough he is also actively involved with MindGinder (formerly known as Mental Garrotter). To complete the picture Taranis is working on a project with Targenor, which is yet to be revealed to the public.
None of this has diminished the focus and efforts of the band as a whole. On the contrary such experiences all seem to have played a part in the further development of Source Of Tide. . "Blueprints" is, as it should be, a big step forward for the band. Both in terms of style and technical sophistication the band has evolved immensely.
Material for "Blueprints" was mostly written by Cosmocrator this time. It's no surprise then that the album has an heavier and brutal edge achieving a staggering balance between death metal riffs, catchy melodies and sampled and programmed beats. At the same time vocal arrangements have become much more complex, calling upon a more active involvement from Cosmocrator as second vocalist.
The album was recorded at Akkerhaugen Lydstudio, the temple of the sleepless metal community of the sleeping cold town of Notodden. Actually "Blueprints" is most likely the best production delivered from the Akkehaugen Lydstudio this far. Engage……
Bio 2000
Ruins of Beauty
The entity that is Norway's mighty Source Of Tide first came into being sometime in March 1996. The first six to answer the rallying cry were Sven Tore Dammen (Vox) Atle Høidalen (Guitar) Geir Hovland (Bass) Pendragon (Lead Guitar) Gøran Flåtin (Drums) and Cosmocrator (Keys), and from then on a band was born... As is often the case, the initial line up was not quite the meeting of minds that had first been assumed and there were to be casualties. At the end of their first year and on the eve of their debut recording ("Dawn Of Tides") they were to lose Gøran to a more sedate Norwegian home life. An urgent replacement was needed and luckily found a little closer to home than anyone would have previously guessed, Cosmocrator showing a natural gift for the battery took over for the sessions as well as fulfiling his keyboard duties, much to the delight of all involved. The resulting early gem was brought to life at the now legendary Akkerhaugen Lydstudio, and engineered by Torbjørn Akkerhaugen (this was the exact same winning combination that gave the world that mighty Emperor sound). Wanting to retain their independence as much as was possible the band self-financed and released the record under the banner of the Council Of Nome.With their debut release finally in the can and an underground buzz beginning to build it was time to venture into the live arena, but after only a couple of shows disaster struck again. Due to unrest within the ranks both Sven and Geir decided that it was time to take their leave. Once again we find a band without an essential part of their sound. Or so it would initially seem.. First the problem of the low end was solved with the discovery of local bass monster Targenor, and his inauguration was shortly followed by the arrival of Lord PZ to take care of vocal duties (This name in particular may be familiar to some of you due to his participation in fellow Candlelight signings Peccatum where he has proved himself to be in possession of a quite terrifyingly powerful voice) For a time the line up was complete but as was becoming usual, just as things were coming together the band lost another of it's founding members. Dissatisfied with the musical direction that was being pursued Alte decided to take his leave and was soon replaced by the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle in the shape of Taranis. Fast forward to the summer of 1998 - With a renewed enthusiasm and a finally solid line up Source Of tide return to the studio to record the "An Ode To The Art Of Self Destruction" demo. This time they use a studio that is a little closer to home. It is Symphonique the studio owned by Emperors Ihsahn who also engineers the recording. With no small amount of confidence the band send out a few copies of the demo and await the results. In no time at all Candlelight come back with an offer that is suitable to all and the deal is signed. We now find ourselves in the present day with a completed album in the "can" entitled the "Ruins Of Beauty". Once again recorded at Akkerhaugen Lydstudio", and engineered by Torbjørn Akkerhaugen. The Ruins Of Beauty will be part of the first wave of Candlelight for the new millennium. Watch closely...