Mägo De Oz - Biography
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1989-
Biography
Mägo of Oz was founded by the middle of 1989 by Txus (drummer) who little by little went recruiting to the rest of the members of the band, until achieving a first stable formation that would last up to 1995. Txus: battery, Mohamed: violin, Carlitos: lead guitars, Chema: guitars, Salva: bass, Juanma: voice.
Every year Mägo of Oz became one of the most important groups in Madrid, thanks to its original way of composing and to their devastating Live Concerts. Their music was open to many styles and influences, but overall their musical potential is based on the Heavy Metal and the Celtic music, getting an original style as the critics in press and specialized said. In 1992 the group was finalist of the Rock competition 'Villa of Madrid" In 1994, produced byTxus and Alberto Plaza, their first CD titled Mägo of Oz. was released. This first self-financed work allows them to play for the whole country obtaining a great success and, as a consequence, they were chosen as group revelation of Rock in 1995, in several publications. In 1996 the formation of the group was the following:
Txus: drums
Mohamed: violin
Carlitos: lead guitar
Frank: guitar
Salva: bass guitar
José: voice and keyboards
In the same year they began to record what will be their second album, the Opera Rock Jesús of Chamberí", produced by Alberto Plaza and Mägo of Oz. The record was published in December of 1996 under the auspices of their current company Locomotive Music.
The tour that supported this second record took the name of 'Via Crucis Tour' and it obtained even bigger success in the whole country. In 1.997 they decided to record five themes of their first CD with a remarkable improvement of sound and production. This time was carried out by G. Sider. The success of this work leads to the group to an unstoppable chain of concerts and to their participation in great quantity of festivals. Special mention is to make to the presentation of the disk in the Sala Canciller of Madrid where public's affluence was huge.
Faithful to the style that so good results have given them, that Opera Rock it could be called conceptual album too -, and this time based upon the landscapes and the thematic of the immortal work of Miguel de Cervantes, El Quijote, their third CD was born "The Legend of La Mancha". We meet with a record replete of guitar riffs, melodies Celtic, excellent songs and a special care over its production that make this album one of the Heavy Metal's better albums ever published. In words of Txus, the drummer of the band: 'Probably, this it is our more mature work, in the musical aspect and in the treatment of the lyrics, in which we have tried to keep a balance between the hardest parts and the most melodic passages."
The tour of 'La Leyenda de la Mancha' was called 'The Riiiichal Tour' and it had several heights. The first one was to 'explode' completely (more than 3.000 people) The Riviera sala of concerts of Madrid - with a lo of people outside for capacity lack. The tour of this album was the most extensive Mägo of Oz finds ever had (by the moment... 115 concerts!).
Another of the important milestones of that tour was in the festival "Vineyard Rock 1999", concentrating to a great quantity of people (more than 25.000), around a performance with pyrotechnics and music. Some weeks later the van that transported the team of Mägo of Oz suffered a spectacular accident, suffering several fractures their assistants, as well as José, the singer of the group, to which they had to suture points in the head for what they were forced to suspend several of its concerts. "The Legend of La Mancha" was the resurging of the The New Wave of Heavy Spanish Metal.
After their performance for the international festival EUROMETAL in Madrid, with bands like Gamma Ray, Stratovarius or Angra, everybody could see the high level of Spanish Metal.
Mägo of Oz published then "Resacosix in Hispania." A home-video where more than 70 minutes about the last ten years of the the group. Anecdotes, unpublished images, video-clips, concerts, interviews, friends of the group,... all about Mägo of Oz. A very interesting videographic document released together with a CD with two new songs. In September of 1999, and for the request of their countless fans, that first album of 1994 so nostalgic and so missed was reissued. Improving in everything, better presented and remastering its sound.
Later the band keep on with "Santiago and Overturns Spain Tour" where they presented their album FINISTERRA, with two notorious incorporations to the band "Quisquilla " to the keyboards and "Fernando Ponce of León" to the flutes. This album reached disk of Gold and later of Platinum.
In the current year 2002, May 27 " FOLKTERGEIST " was released reaching record of gold in less than a week. It is a Double CD LIVE recorded in their last "Santiago y Vuelca España Tour" and it will be completed with they release in the last quarter DVD showing their recent spectacular scenery.
Since the end of 2002, the band was working on their new album "Gaia".
After 6 months of work, the new album is now on store.
Every year Mägo of Oz became one of the most important groups in Madrid, thanks to its original way of composing and to their devastating Live Concerts. Their music was open to many styles and influences, but overall their musical potential is based on the Heavy Metal and the Celtic music, getting an original style as the critics in press and specialized said. In 1992 the group was finalist of the Rock competition 'Villa of Madrid" In 1994, produced byTxus and Alberto Plaza, their first CD titled Mägo of Oz. was released. This first self-financed work allows them to play for the whole country obtaining a great success and, as a consequence, they were chosen as group revelation of Rock in 1995, in several publications. In 1996 the formation of the group was the following:
Txus: drums
Mohamed: violin
Carlitos: lead guitar
Frank: guitar
Salva: bass guitar
José: voice and keyboards
In the same year they began to record what will be their second album, the Opera Rock Jesús of Chamberí", produced by Alberto Plaza and Mägo of Oz. The record was published in December of 1996 under the auspices of their current company Locomotive Music.
The tour that supported this second record took the name of 'Via Crucis Tour' and it obtained even bigger success in the whole country. In 1.997 they decided to record five themes of their first CD with a remarkable improvement of sound and production. This time was carried out by G. Sider. The success of this work leads to the group to an unstoppable chain of concerts and to their participation in great quantity of festivals. Special mention is to make to the presentation of the disk in the Sala Canciller of Madrid where public's affluence was huge.
Faithful to the style that so good results have given them, that Opera Rock it could be called conceptual album too -, and this time based upon the landscapes and the thematic of the immortal work of Miguel de Cervantes, El Quijote, their third CD was born "The Legend of La Mancha". We meet with a record replete of guitar riffs, melodies Celtic, excellent songs and a special care over its production that make this album one of the Heavy Metal's better albums ever published. In words of Txus, the drummer of the band: 'Probably, this it is our more mature work, in the musical aspect and in the treatment of the lyrics, in which we have tried to keep a balance between the hardest parts and the most melodic passages."
The tour of 'La Leyenda de la Mancha' was called 'The Riiiichal Tour' and it had several heights. The first one was to 'explode' completely (more than 3.000 people) The Riviera sala of concerts of Madrid - with a lo of people outside for capacity lack. The tour of this album was the most extensive Mägo of Oz finds ever had (by the moment... 115 concerts!).
Another of the important milestones of that tour was in the festival "Vineyard Rock 1999", concentrating to a great quantity of people (more than 25.000), around a performance with pyrotechnics and music. Some weeks later the van that transported the team of Mägo of Oz suffered a spectacular accident, suffering several fractures their assistants, as well as José, the singer of the group, to which they had to suture points in the head for what they were forced to suspend several of its concerts. "The Legend of La Mancha" was the resurging of the The New Wave of Heavy Spanish Metal.
After their performance for the international festival EUROMETAL in Madrid, with bands like Gamma Ray, Stratovarius or Angra, everybody could see the high level of Spanish Metal.
Mägo of Oz published then "Resacosix in Hispania." A home-video where more than 70 minutes about the last ten years of the the group. Anecdotes, unpublished images, video-clips, concerts, interviews, friends of the group,... all about Mägo of Oz. A very interesting videographic document released together with a CD with two new songs. In September of 1999, and for the request of their countless fans, that first album of 1994 so nostalgic and so missed was reissued. Improving in everything, better presented and remastering its sound.
Later the band keep on with "Santiago and Overturns Spain Tour" where they presented their album FINISTERRA, with two notorious incorporations to the band "Quisquilla " to the keyboards and "Fernando Ponce of León" to the flutes. This album reached disk of Gold and later of Platinum.
In the current year 2002, May 27 " FOLKTERGEIST " was released reaching record of gold in less than a week. It is a Double CD LIVE recorded in their last "Santiago y Vuelca España Tour" and it will be completed with they release in the last quarter DVD showing their recent spectacular scenery.
Since the end of 2002, the band was working on their new album "Gaia".
After 6 months of work, the new album is now on store.