their album Ancient Lies and Battle Cries ain’t half bad…
As the year draws to a close, we can conclude that 2014 has been a memorable year for Countess. There were several new releases and re-releases and we returned to the stage after an absence of more than sixteen years . . . in this newsletter we’ll take a look at some key events from the past year and we’re announcing a special midwinter sale.
MIDWINTER SALE: 15% OFF EVERYTHING
If you place and order at our webstore between now and December 31st, simply use midwinter as your discount code and you’ll get 15% off your entire order!
SERMONS OF THE INFIDEL: A COLLECTION OF CLASSICS
In November, we released Sermons Of The Infidel, a selection of 15 songs from Countess’ past. These tracks were selected by the band and all – save two live songs – were recorded again specifically for this album. Two of these songs have never been released on CD before. Eight songs were released in 2013 as a digital-only EP. Due to popular demand, we decided to release a physical version as well. The original tracks have been remixed and remastered and seven tracks have been added: five more new versions of Countess classics and two live tracks.
RETURN TO THE STAGE: SUCCESSFUL FESTIVAL APPEARANCES
This year, Countess performed live again for the first time since 1997. A new line-up was formed early in 2014 and in the remainder of the year we did several successful shows at a selection of festivals: ‘Veneration Of The Dead’ in Holland, ‘Under The Black Sun’ in , ‘Metal Magic’ in Denmark, ‘Witches Wrath’ in and ‘Black Flames Of Blasphemy’ in Finland.
THE GOSPEL OF THE HORNED ONE: RE-RELEASE ON CD AND LP
In October, the legendary first Countess album was re-released by New Era Productions and Heidens Hart. The CD is almost an exact duplicate of the original album, save for enhanced quality cover art and two bonus tracks. The LP has been carefully optimized for vinyl format, so it sounds fuller and better, but not drastically different. The LP also comes with two inserts and is limited to 500 hand numbered copies.
NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED: COUNTESSMETAL.COM
In August, we launched a brand new website. The site features the band’s history, releases, images, videos, store and more. You can also find the lyrics to all our albums there.
THE NEW ALBUM: ANCIENT LIES AND BATTLE CRIES
In April, the long-awaited new Countess album was released by Barbarian Wrath. Our fourteenth full-length, the record features ten tracks of uncompromising metal, blending first wave Black Metal and traditional Heavy Metal in a way only Countess can. Here’s what some reviews had to say about the album:
“The songs remain absurdly catchy and the tracks have an astounding amount of depth and longevity in them for relatively simple compositions. This is the joy and the gift of Metal in the hands of masters.” (Wonderbox Metal)
“Real songs!!! You can tell them apart, you feel something while listening to them and you you have listened to them. That, the precious thing most musicians forgot about while trying to be smart, that thing is here.” (Funereal Drone)
“I personally love it. Every track on here is amazing and this should be a modern classic. Ah, well, I’ll just spin it a few thousand times myself!” (The Third Of The Storms)
According to the Heavy Metal Saloon, the song ‘Call Of The Ancient Pantheon’ is one of this year’s fifteen best songs.
FOLLOW COUNTESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
We maintain an official presence on several so-called social media, including Facebook, Twitter and Google+, where you can follow us for all the latest news and updates concerning Countess. We also have an official YouTube channel full of exclusive videos.
official | facebook | google+ | twitter | youtube | bandcamp | soundcloud
