Mob Rules - Biography
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1999-
Biography
Following their co-headlining tour with Ivory Tower in the Spring of 1999, not to mention several festival appearances including an excellent reception at this year's Wacken festival, German melodic, power metal band Mob Rules now release their second opus "Temple Of Two Suns". The album is another concept piece which continues their story of the end of the world begun on their previous release "Savage Land". Despite being an atmospherically deep, pulsating metal opus, the album still provides enough breathing space for the individual songs showing the band as being more varied and stylistically interesting that before.
The band was formed in Summer 1994 by bass player, Torsten Plorin and guitarist, Matthias Mineur. Drummer, Arved Mannott and singer, Klaus Dirks were soon recruited and the band began playing heavily around Germany supporting bands such as Crossroads, C.I.T.A. and Pink Cream 69. By 1996 they had expanded their line up to include second guitarist Oliver Fuhlhage, whose sensitive solos perfectly suited the band's melodic sound. In the Autumn of that year the band produced an EP, which began to garner much attention from both fans and prospective labels. By Spring of 1998 the band had signed to Limb Music Products and their debut album, "Savage Land" was finally released world wide in March 1999. It received great reviews both at home and abroad and the band proceeded to go out on tour in support, playing alongside label mates Ivory Tower to enthusiastic crowds throughout their native Germany.
Invitations to play supporting slots for bands such as The Scorpions and Overkill enabled the band to play to much wider and varied audiences. In October 1999 the musicians began preparatory work for "Temple Of Two Suns". The songwriting was completed by April 2000 and after the pre-production phase Mob Rules went into the studio in early July. The recordings were paused only for a warm up gig in Hamburg's popular Headbangers Ballroom and for the show at the Wacken 2000 Open Air, during which the band thrilled their fans by playing songs from the new, yet to be released album.
The quintet recorded the new album at Gates Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the supervision of Sascha Paeth (Rhapsody, Angra, Kamelot). The album's content runs a gamut of styles from the driving, hymn like 'Celebration Day' which is reminiscent of Savatage to the sensitive balladry of 'Hold On', which turns up again at the end of the album in a fully orchestrated reprise. The band's sound is augmented by the addition of Thomas Rettke (Heaven's Gate) as guest choir vocalist and Susanne Mohle (Heavens Gate, Hyper Child) who duets with lead vocalist Dirks on the aforementioned 'Hold On'. The background of the album's concept focuses on the ruler of a mythical wasteland who leads his followers into a mysterious valley, at the heart of which lies the ruins of an Aztec temple. The Temple of the Two Suns is not only the political focal-point of the state, but also the centre of sacred rituals and celebrations. The heart of the story is captured brilliantly on the album cover by Belgian artist Eric Philippe, who has worked with the band before as well as having provided artwork for Rhapsody in the past.
The band was formed in Summer 1994 by bass player, Torsten Plorin and guitarist, Matthias Mineur. Drummer, Arved Mannott and singer, Klaus Dirks were soon recruited and the band began playing heavily around Germany supporting bands such as Crossroads, C.I.T.A. and Pink Cream 69. By 1996 they had expanded their line up to include second guitarist Oliver Fuhlhage, whose sensitive solos perfectly suited the band's melodic sound. In the Autumn of that year the band produced an EP, which began to garner much attention from both fans and prospective labels. By Spring of 1998 the band had signed to Limb Music Products and their debut album, "Savage Land" was finally released world wide in March 1999. It received great reviews both at home and abroad and the band proceeded to go out on tour in support, playing alongside label mates Ivory Tower to enthusiastic crowds throughout their native Germany.
Invitations to play supporting slots for bands such as The Scorpions and Overkill enabled the band to play to much wider and varied audiences. In October 1999 the musicians began preparatory work for "Temple Of Two Suns". The songwriting was completed by April 2000 and after the pre-production phase Mob Rules went into the studio in early July. The recordings were paused only for a warm up gig in Hamburg's popular Headbangers Ballroom and for the show at the Wacken 2000 Open Air, during which the band thrilled their fans by playing songs from the new, yet to be released album.
The quintet recorded the new album at Gates Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the supervision of Sascha Paeth (Rhapsody, Angra, Kamelot). The album's content runs a gamut of styles from the driving, hymn like 'Celebration Day' which is reminiscent of Savatage to the sensitive balladry of 'Hold On', which turns up again at the end of the album in a fully orchestrated reprise. The band's sound is augmented by the addition of Thomas Rettke (Heaven's Gate) as guest choir vocalist and Susanne Mohle (Heavens Gate, Hyper Child) who duets with lead vocalist Dirks on the aforementioned 'Hold On'. The background of the album's concept focuses on the ruler of a mythical wasteland who leads his followers into a mysterious valley, at the heart of which lies the ruins of an Aztec temple. The Temple of the Two Suns is not only the political focal-point of the state, but also the centre of sacred rituals and celebrations. The heart of the story is captured brilliantly on the album cover by Belgian artist Eric Philippe, who has worked with the band before as well as having provided artwork for Rhapsody in the past.