Magic The Gathering Inspired PLANESWALKER (ft. members of Helion Prime, Gloryhammer) Returns With New Video For Single “Compleated”
L-R - Jason Ashcraft - Guitar, Sozos Michael - Vocals
Magic the Gathering-inspired Power Metal band Planeswalker (ft. members of Helion Prime, Gloryhammer) have returned with their newest single “Compleated”. This single tells the story of the Father of Machines - Yawgmoth and about his departure from the Thran empire and becoming the ruler of Phyrexia, as well as his experiments with flesh and machine.
Musically we see a darker turn to naturally fit the theme of the song. Complex riffs and soaring vocals are nothing new with Jason Ashcraft (Helion Prime) and Sozos Michael (Gloryhammer). The pair is joined by Carlos Alvarez (ex-Power Theory, Behölder, Shadowdance) on bass and Stefanos Meletiou (The Zilla Project, Private Garden) on drums this time around and the two helped bring the big bombastic sound to this song.
Jason Ashcraft comments:
"I’m stoked to get some new Planeswalker material out into the world. This stand-alone single serves as a slight hint of what’s to come. We are working on a second album but have no immediate details on it just yet, but we hope this little slice can hold people over. I was also excited to contribute to writing this time around and I think this is a could example of what can be expected to come when Sozos and I riff together!"
Sozos Michael adds:
"Planeswalker is back! We took our time with this one but I'm excited to share our new song with everyone. This one is about one of MTG's big baddies, and I feel that both Jason and I had a strong and unified vision of what this song should sound like given the subject matter. It is a stepping stone to our next album and connected to its story in a way that will be revealed in time. Please enjoy this release while we are hard at work on PW2!"
Watch and listen to the music video for “Compleated” at https://youtu.be/CBDLtHHvbXE
Spotify - https://sptfy.com/RdqP
Planeswalker is:
Sozos Michael (Gloryhammer) - Vocals
Jason Ashcraft (Helion Prime) Guitars
Guest Musicians:
Carlos Alvarez (Shadowdance) - Bass
Daniel Carpenter (Celestiv) - Keys & Orchestra Arrangements
Stefanos Meletiou - Drums
Single Credits:
Mixed & Mastered by Ronnie Bjornstrom
Additional Engineering by Carlos Alvarez
Single cover art by Bo Bradshaw
Jason’s promo photo by Allgood Media Productions
For more info:
Facebook.com/planeswalkermetal
Instagram.com/planeswalkermetal
"With this album, Jason Ashcraft proves to be one of the most important figures of the genre in all of North America, as confirmed by the last six years in which Helion Prime has become a benchmark band in the country, and this new project only confirms the enormous talent he has for creating new power metal universes capable of engaging with a wide audience. 4/5" - Metal Rules (Tales of Magic 2022)
"I am definitely geeking out on this brilliant collection of musicians coming together to make something really outstanding. If you’re at all into Power Metal, you’re doing yourself a disservice not checking this out." - Teeth of the Divine (Tales of Magic 2022)
"chock full of glorious riffs and theatrical vocals at every turn. All the standard power metal gallops and runs are present, and Ashcroft does a great job showcasing his melodic sensibilities in his lead work that gels perfectly with Michael’s tenor howl." - Nine Circles (Tales of Magic 2022)
"The whole album is a cut or two above a lot of the rehashed symphonic/neoclassical/"flower" metal out there and I recommend it to anyone that is a fan of the luminaries of the style. 4/5" - The Metal Crypt (Tales of Magic 2022)
"Tales of Magic turns out a theatric, uplifting and adventurous entity which starts at its most accessible - the very European sounding title track... Ashcraft’s riffs and powerful melodic lead guitars throughout the album are things of beauty and come inspired from entities throughout the metal kingdom... With Tales of Magic, Planeswalker finds, through powerful, intriguing songwriting and stellar performances, a way to balance and bring the best of both realms. 4/5" - Tortureviews (Tales of Magic 2022)
"The opener immediately shows where to go and what the strengths of the band project are: bell-clear, hymn-like vocals that sit enthroned like on a peak, accompanied by sweet guitar harmonies, heading for a majestic chorus. Anyone who particularly likes early( EPICA, NORTHTALE, STRATOVARIUS or RHAPSODY will be impressed by the title track. Especially since at minute 4:13 a fantastic solo blows the listener off again. Yes, this is European power metal at a very high level! The production is great and the instrumentalists can do a lot." - Stormbringer (Tales of Magic 2022)
"Planeswalker kidnap us Tales Of Magic into the world of fantasy card games. Their atmospheric power metal fits this topic perfectly and is also suitable for genre fans without any knowledge of Magic: The Gathering interesting." - Soundmagnet Magazin (Tales of Magic 2022)
