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October 22, 2003

Holocaust sell out!

Just came across a remark on the Blabbermouth site in response to our recent reissue news. The statement, in its entirety, reads as follows:

"So much for Holocaust not being sellouts....."

It had occurred to me that others might equate our relationship with Sanctuary Records as selling out. Have we?

For the members of the band, Holocaust has been a financially losing proposition for 25 years. It only ever been profitable as a result of royalties from Metallica's cover of The Small Hours. Collectively, the members have sunk thousands of dollars (including all of the aforementioned "profits" and much more) into the band in the last two-and-a-half years alone.

After spending over two decades on independent and self-run labels, our most recent label -- Edgy Records -- licensed distribution rights of our back catalogue to Sanctuary for five years. We receive many requests from folks around the world who seek our (often difficult-to-find) releases, and we're pleased that these reissues will help fulfill their requests; furthermore, we hope that the remaining releases will also be reissued in response to the demand that exists. Please do not think, however, that sales of the new reissues will begin to help us recoup the money we have spent on promoting ourselves. Like the others, I have personally taken nothing but losses since joining the band -- and continue to do so on a regular basis, with no presumption of recovery -- because I believe in what we do.

If we have sold out, we have certainly done a pathetic job at it.



October 11, 2003

Sanctuary makes good; early Holocaust works receive ultimate release

Those of you who follow the metal news sites are likely familiar with the issues we had with Sanctuary Records this past year (see previous updates on http://www.holocaustmetal.com). I'm very happy to say that not only will the early Holocaust releases be receiving their most comprehensive and best-sounding reissues, but their production has been fully signed off by the band. Early this past summer, we took Sanctuary to task for issuing an anthology whose final production we felt suffered from lack of band involvement. To their credit, one of their VPs contacted us personally and pledged to work closely with us on future projects. This is precisely what has happened; thanks to the efforts of good folks like Steve Hammonds and Nick Bourne, we can wholeheartedly throw our support behind these two reissues. Likewise, liner notes guru John Tucker has also worked with us since shortly after the release of the anthology, and even played a key role in providing sources for a few of the tracks on the CDs.

The CDs themselves will be two double-CD sets. The first set will include The Nightcomers LP on CD 1 and all singles and EPs from the LP on CD 2. The second set will include the live LP Hot Curry and Wine on CD 1 and an entire performance taken from the rare video release on CD 2 (including Holocaust's rarest track, the otherwise unreleased Bridge of Impressions). Every Holocaust track recorded from those days will be on these CDs. I've heard the remastering job on these, and they just couldn't sound better. This is truly the definitive release of these recordings.

The CDs are due for release in early November. Big thanks to Sanctuary for their help; in a time when record companies are broadly regarded with derision (and often rightfully so!), they have gone the extra mile to show that they do indeed care about the bands whose material they release -- even those who only sell a couple of thousand copies instead of a couple of million.



July 31, 2003

Primal review excerpts

Once the opening concussion-riffing of "Iron Will" has crushed your skull, you'll be a total believer, long enough to have the tank-treads of "Black Box" plunder over your face. Forward we go into the album and the total metal onslaught continues with hammering slaughters like "Made Righteous," "They Colonize" & the massive Sabbathy thunder-stroke of "Colossus." The guitars of Mortimer & John McCullim lock into precise-yet-organic riff-violence & the bass/drums combination of Bryan Bartley & Ron Levine is as testicle-decimating as ever heard. In a word, the production here destroys. Laughable is the puny "St. Anger" sound next to this behemoth and the more direct lyrical approach fits the music like a glove. To put it simply, for anyone who loves pure, raw, nasty metal, this album is f*&king Godly & is so far beyond mandatory that I can't even rate it's impact.
- Ray Dorsey, Chaos Realm

...Boy do they deliver or what! Having heard the Friday the 13th demos - i was expecting a rather good selection of songs, with mediocre production.WRONG. The PRIMAL beast is actually much heavier. a lot more raw and angry than those demos. It's amazingly the first ex-NEAT act to have a decent production in years !!! ... Imagine the best elements of BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA and HOLOCAUST, rolled into one dealdy stick of dynamite, with the fuse lit, while you hold it. Boom! ... Hm, in my hands i have a release, that's worth far more attention, than it will ever get. There's no marketeer to push this down peoples throats, to tell them how cool it is. If it is at all. I think it's preety uncool. It's a genuinly quite angry record, with meaningful lyrics, open to more than one interpretations, quality heavy compositions and a production that does it justice. ... Anyway, i d' like to point out that PRIMAL makes [Metallica's] ST. ANGER sound like Britney fuckin Spears. ... Do your self a favor and seek this one out. It's worth it.
- Demetrius Fatourus, Metal Invader Magazine

This band has mastered the art of creating lofty metallic concept albums steeped in originalty and depth. This latest disc finds Mortimer and crew paring down their sound to a subsonic knife edge...focusing more on pounding heavy riffs than they have in the last ten years. The acoustic and clean electric passages that were so prominent on the last couple of releases have been relinquished in favor of a total wall of dark, distorted sound. Of course, lurking beneath this dark sonic shroud lurks tons of songwriting depth and John Mortimer's guitar mastery. For example, the soaring 80's style guitar licks of "Transcendence" bound right out of the speakers from the first note, and later intertwine with clobbering riffage and Mortimer's surprisingly gutteral vocals (almost soundling Lee Dorian-esque at times) to create a short but to-the point modern metal classic. The angular, atonal chords of "They Colonize" harken back to the stripped-down VOIVOD-ish "Sound of Souls" EP...and the aptly-named killer "Colossus" features some of the most brutal, titanic ka-runch I've ever heard from these Scottish gods. Another monster release from one of the best bands in heavy music today.
- Pooch, Peacedogman.com



June 17, 2003

Primal is out!!!

The long-awaited release of Primal is finally here! We appreciate everyone's support and patience, and the beast has definitely been worth the wait. This is Holocaust's heaviest (and coolest-looking!) release ever, and we're very excited about it. Copies are available from Amazon and CD Quest. Over the course of the next week or so, it should become available at more outlets. Be sure to bother your local retailer if necessary (see previous update below for worldwide distributors), and let us know who else is carrying it so we can publicize it here.



May 6, 2003

Sanctuary Records Responds

We are extremely pleased to announce that we received a lengthy and very considerate email from the senior management at Sanctuary Records this morning. According to them, the back catalogue will in fact receive a proper reissue later this year; the new Smokin' Valves compilation is just the beginning. In addition, Sanctuary agrees that some of the images in the CD booklet could have been better and that it was their error to have not contacted the band for assistance and input. In that spirit, they have stated that they will solicit the band's approval for all sleeve notes and artwork for all of the forthcoming reissues. The email ended with a statement of commitment to working with their bands and taking all feedback very seriously, and the senior label manager will be calling to speak with me personally.

Again, we are very happy that the folks at Sanctuary have responded so promptly and in such an attentive manner. Cheers!



May 3, 2003

New Holocaust Anthology from Sanctuary
Provides Another Example of Artist Disrespect

In this age of mp3 controversy and the attempts of the record industry to wield ever-increasing power, it has not become uncommon for artists to speak out against practices employed by various record labels. Those of you who have kept up with news regarding Holocaust (and the Neat Metal label in general) know that Sanctuary Records recently purchased licensing to the Holocaust back catalogue. Rather than give our CDs proper reissue (for which there just happens to be considerable demand), they opted to issue a double-CD compilation of these recordings. Compilations -- when done correctly -- benefit both the band and the record label by presenting an accurate representation of the artist's work and history. We feel that Sanctuary's job on Smokin' Valves: The Anthology largely fails and warrants honest feedback. Consider this to be constructive criticism from the band, including myself -- Ron Levine -- a 14-year fan of the band.

I received my copy of the new Anthology one week ago. By the time I got it, it had already been out for several weeks. Why didn't I get it sooner? Because I had to order my copy from eBay. That's correct; not only did the band not know that this release was even being issued unti the week before it came out, but three of us had to buy our own copies. My first impression was confusion at the cover art. It looked awfully familiar -- probably because it was the cover art of The Nightcomers. Rather than contact the band for ideas or at least come up with something original on their own, Holocaust now has two CDs with the same cover. Wonderful marketing strategy; I'm sure that'll help sales when people flip through Holocaust CDs at record stores.

Now come the really fun parts. Again, rather than contacting the band or a real fan (hell, they could have asked ME and had both in one shot!), a gentleman named John Tucker wrote the liner notes for the CD. As I read his words, I can picture him in his suit and tie sitting behind a desk at the Sanctuary offices, wondering how he got stuck with an assignment to write liner notes for this Holocaust band. Let's take a look at his handiwork:

John Mortimer -- one of metal's most underrated, persevering and influential players and songwriters -- deserves to at least have his name spelled correctly in the liner notes. He is regularly referred to as "John Mortimore," despite being credited correctly in the tracklisting credits. While the early band lineups are well documented, no mention of members after 1992 are made. Apparently, members such as Graham Cowen and Iain McKenzie do not warrant mention, whereas other shorter-term members do. Furthermore, while Sanctuary went to the trouble of putting on three tracks from the obscure No Man's Land LP, they couldn't be troubled to find out exactly who played on it. The liner notes are more complimentary towards The Sound of Souls EP than No Man's Land (and quite rightly so); yet they include three tracks from No Man's Land and zero from The Sound of Souls. Brilliant. According to the liners, "many of the songs" on the Hypnosis of Birds CD "were far too long for their own good." Presumably that's why disc two includes The Tower, which the longest -- and arguably, least accessible -- track from Hypnosis. Right. Rather than include unrecognized classics like In the Dark Places of the Earth, Caledonia, Alexander, etc., they put on the cover of Master of Puppets, which was never meant to be taken seriously in the first place (and Spanner Omelette, as much as I personally love that track, also falls into this category). It appears that Mr. Tucker -- or someone who knows as much about Holocaust as he seems to -- must have chosen the tracklisting for this compilation. To be blunt, some of the CD cover pictures in the booklet look like ass. This is because they quite obviously grabbed the pictures off of the bio page on this very site, and those pictures aren't of the best quality. Don't they OWN the rights to this stuff now? They can't do better than to grab the pictures off the page? Some of the band pictures are no better. Sanctuary was already using this page to snag pictures of CD covers, and they couldn't drop us an email to request a real photo rather than copy and resize an already resized .jpg file? Perhaps the most insulting of all: they had no problem making use of the band page when they needed pictures, but couldn't be troubled to say a damn thing ABOUT the page -- they didn't even provide the address! Instead, they made it sound like no one knows whether Holocaust did (or will do) anything after 2000's The Courage To Be CD ... meanwhile, right next to the very paragraph that questions our existence is a freaking picture of the War in Heaven CD we put out last year! Hello?! On top of that, it's not like the impending Primal release is any great secret either ... hell, WE OFFERED THEM THE CHANCE TO ISSUE IT LAST YEAR!!

So here's what we've got. Sanctuary purchased our back catalog right up to 2000, but couldn't be bothered to take on Primal. Fine; that's their choice, however little sense it may make to me personally. Then, rather than give that back catalog proper issue, they put together -- at best -- a half-assed compilation which a) does the band no favors in terms of track listing or publicity, b) has no band input, and c) the band didn't even know about until the week before release. Meanwhile, that's OUR name in big letters on the cover. They did a crap job and put our name on it, while the word "Sanctuary" is in little letters in the bottom right-hand corner in the back. In the name of accuracy, this release should have a big "Sanctuary" logo on the front, and a little note on the back that says "This product happens to include recordings by Holocaust."

As I stated earlier, a compilation can provide benefits to both the artist and the issuing label. This compilation does neither. The music, by itself, is still excellent (and as a fan, I do particularly enjoy all of the rarities on disc 1), but it is unfortunate that Sanctuary did not see fit to make use of the band's easy accessibility to make this package the truly outstanding product that it could have been. It is precisely this kind of behavior that propels record labels towards extinction.



March 11, 2003

Primal due out next month
Primal will finally see its long-awaited release next month! Here is a partial list of labels that will be carrying the worldwide release:

USA: City Hall, Cargo Distribution, Medusa, Century Media Mail Order
Japan: Disc Heaven
UK: Proper
Germany: Sony
Scandinavia: Showtime
Benelux: Bertus
Spain: Caroline
Australia: Shock
France: Socadisc
Italy: White + Black



March 10, 2003

--Sanctuary Records are releasing a Holocaust double anthology next week called Smokin' Valves. Visit their site for full information and track listing.



August 6, 2002

--Holocaust is being featured on MP3 College Radio Network's home page this week. Stop by their page and scroll down to see it!

--Iron Will is currently the #2 heavy metal song on all of mp3.com, and it has received over 1200 plays in the last four days!

--Here's an excerpt of a forthcoming review of War in Heaven / Hell on Earth from Heavy Metal Universe:

The three first tracks (Iron Will, Black Box and Hell on Earth) can be described as dark raging marches which lead the listener straight to Hell, melting heavy rythmics with dark atmospheres and a rough voice; track four (Transcendence) is a short and really excellent Heavy Metal hymn with great vocal and guitar harmonies. All in all, these four tracks can make us expect the best for the forthcoming album which will surely kick some serious ass!

August 1, 2002

--For those who haven't gotten it yet, our new CD is still available at our mp3.com page. By the way, if you ARE one of the folks who haven't picked it up yet, perhaps you should read what Holocaust fan Jameson Calantoc just passed along:

Ron, mine arrived the other day and dammit! It won't leave my player! I am trying to let everyone know about it. I am enjoying the new tracks and the SOS stuff is great. Never got around to picking up a decent turntable, so having these on CD finally rocks!

--Speaking of our mp3.com page, we have added two new tracks: In the Dark Places of the Earth and Caledonia from the Spirits Fly CD.

--A lot of folks have been asking when Sanctuary will be reissuing the back catalogue. Unfortunately, we don't have a timetable on that at the moment; as soon as we get some information on that front, we'll post it here.

--Songs from our War in Heaven / Hell on Earth CD are in rotation on Snake Net Metal Radio, Zwarp, HardRadio, and BWBK. Visit their sites and request Holocaust!

--Holocaust is pleased to accept MP3 College Radio Network's offer for their New Music Army promotion service.

--In addition to the stations mentioned above, we'd like to thank some of the sites that have been carrying our news, such as KNAC, Electric Basement, and Abrasive Rock.



July 17, 2002

--We'd like to thank everyone who has gotten War in Heaven / Hell on Earth. The response has been great so far, and we have continued to place in the metal charts on mp3.com. In fact, all five of our songs are in the top ten for heavy metal in Boston, with Iron Will at number 1! We will be posting a couple of more tracks on our mp3.com page very shortly. So head over there to play our tracks to keep our chart positions nice and high, and if you haven't grabbed the new CD yet, here it is! Prepare to be crushed!



July 9, 2002

War in Heaven / Hell on Earth is out on mp3.com!
We have checked out War in Heaven / Hell on Earth and it simply KICKS ASS!! The sound is awesome, the artwork is killer...it is the TOTAL PACKAGE! See previous updates below for the track listing, and then:

Get WiH/HoE at our mp3.com page!



July 4, 2002

Special notice: War in Heaven / Hell on Earth
Our mp3.com CD War in Heaven / Hell on Earth is now listed as available for purchase on our mp3.com page. However, we are awaiting arrival of our test copy to make sure everything is as it should be. While we don't anticipate any problems, we'll make the official announcement of its availability as soon as we've received our copy and checked it out.



July 1, 2002

--Full lyrics for Primal have been posted on our lyrics page.



June 30, 2002

--All files for War in Heaven / Hell on Earth have been uploaded to mp3.com. The songs have all been approved and the artwork is going through the approval process, which should be done today or tomorrow. 24 hours after that is done, we should be able to get a test copy to make sure everything is as it should be, and then it will be available! In the meantime, keep stopping by our mp3.com page to check out the tracks there. We've made it as high as number 27 on the metal charts -- let's get it in the top ten! I'll be switching out some of the tracks soon, too. Post any requests on our message board.



June 28, 2002

--For the next week, we have a special link up on the left hand side of the mp3.com metal page for Iron Will. Be sure to check it out if you haven't already, and vote on our mp3 page right here on our site for your favorite Holocaust mp3. In early voting, it looks like Hell on Earth is the frontrunner.

--Here is a picture of the cover of our forthcoming War in Heaven / Hell on Earth mp3.com CD:





June 26, 2002

--Between our home page and our mp3.com page, we have quite a few mp3s available. What's your favorite? Tell us on our mp3 page, where we have set up a poll.

--The official Primal version of Iron Will has been posted on our mp3.com page at http://www.mp3.com/nwobhm_holocaust. This track will also be featured on our special War in Heaven - Hell on Earth CD (see below).



June 25, 2002

War in Heaven / Hell on Earth

Plans for our mp3.com CD are underway! War in Heaven / Hell on Earth will be a great release. The tentative track listing includes Iron Will, Black Box, Hell on Earth, and Transcendence from Primal, I Smash the Void, Dance Into the Vortex, and Curious from The Sound of Souls, and War in Heaven from the Japanese release of Spirits Fly.

The decision for the Primal tracks wasn't easy; we wanted to get some of them on there since the full CD won't be out until September, but we couldn't decide which ones to use. We wanted to put all of them on, but of course we can't really do that! Finally, we said, "Fuck it! They all deserve to be on the mp3.com CD, we can't make up our minds, let's just put on the first four tracks and be done with it!" So there you go!

The remaining four tracks are a treat for older and newer Holocaust fans for different reasons. For newer fans, this is some KICK. ASS. SHIT. Period. For the older fans, you already know that The Sound of Souls has been out of print for far too long, so Void, Vortex, and Curious have been practically impossible to get in any format. Equally impossible is the rare War in Heaven, which has only appeared on the Japanese version of Spirits Fly and on an obscure German compilation.

This will be a very exciting release, and we're glad to be able to make these tracks available. We will be using the revenue from this release to increase our exposure on mp3.com via their promotional auctions, so every purchase will be a big help! As a Holocaust fan myself, I'm making sure -- PERSONALLY -- that we put together something that will be worth your money. War in Heaven / Hell on Earth will be a raw yet professionally designed release and the music we be taken from mp3s encoded at 192kbps, NOT 128kbps. We are planning on releasing this shortly, and will continue to post information detailing our progress.



June 24, 2002

--We are looking into the possibility of releasing a special mp3.com CD with various goodies, both new and old. We're checking the legalities of what we can use at the moment. The plan is to be able to sell a sufficient number of reasonably-priced CDs through our mp3.com site in order to bid on (and win!) one of their promo placement auctions. Also, if it is successful, we may look into making future special releases available. Have a request or an idea of what you want on such a CD? Tell us!



June 18, 2002

--Bryan Bartley has left the band and we wish him the best. We will continue to push forward, beginning with finding a new bassist in the Boston area (which will have the band based in two locations instead of three!). If you just happen to BE a bassist in the Boston area and want to talk, drop me a line.

--Sanctuary records will not be picking up Primal for a US issue, even though they will likely reissue the rest of the back catalogue (which includes new full-length releases from as recently as two years ago!). The logic of this move, frankly, is lost on us. We are, however, intent on securing domestic US distribution, and Metal Blade have been reviewing our work with that in mind. We expect to be hearing from them shortly and will provide an update with that information when we receive it.

--Response to the new Primal mp3s has been very positive so far! We're glad to know that even though there have been delays in the CD release, the wait will be worth it -- for all of us! The new Iron Will mp3 on our mp3.com page is still going through their review process. We'll let you know when it is available.



June 15, 2002

Holocaust: State of the Collective

There are a couple of words that are often used in the professional wrestling industry: "work" and "shoot." A "work" is anything that is planned and follows the script. This is what the audience is supposed to see, and 99.9% of what people see on pro wrestling shows is a work. Once in a great while, however, a wrestler will do something that they're not supposed to do: break character and deviate from the script (either in words or actions). This is a "shoot." A work is supposed to fool the audience into thinking that something is real; a shoot IS real.

Why is wrestling terminology being described on the Holocaust site? I'll tell you why. We -- the band -- have felt as if we have had to be careful with our words since last fall. Every update (and there should have been more of them) could have contained more information, but we felt as if it might be harmful to our future to share some of it. There have been many emails coming our way (and also notes on the message board) asking about the status of the band and Primal's release. We've been tight-lipped with our responses because we felt we had to be (I will explain more in a moment). As the webmaster and main contact for the band, most of the responsibility of crafting carefully-worded answers to these questions has been mine. After a quiet period within the band (again, more on this in a moment), we are getting things rolling again. Our first item of business was determining that we are tired of feeling restrained in our words. This is our site, and it is also YOUR site. There shouldn't be any "works" here. You wouldn't be here if you didn't want to know exactly what is going on, and from now on, that's precisely what you're going to find. It is with great vigor -- and relief -- that I announce that this and all future updates will be a fucking shoot, and let the chips fall where they may.

So now that I've turned the band page into my own soapbox, where do I begin? Well, I'll start by saying that this might get rather long, so if you just want the latest updates, they're here at the bottom. If you want to go for the full ride, let's go back to last summer. When I think back to the summer of 2001, the first thing I picture is long, sweaty hours practicing for the upcoming Primal sessions. The sessions were going to be challenging for various reasons. First off, I'll tell you flat out that I ain't the best drummer walking the streets. Second, I had not practiced regularly (let alone done any studio work) for six or seven years. Third, there were a lot of fast double-kick parts to prepare for. And fourth, due to the logistical issues of getting together to record (what with one of us in Boston, one in Seattle, and two in Scotland), we had decided that I would record the drum tracks first (by myself) and then send them around to each location on CD for the remaining tracks to be laid. I memorized all of the songs and practiced them (and more double-kicking than I care to remember!) with the metronome for several months. It was the most intense and continuous practicing I had ever done with a click, but it was an exercise that my timekeeping definitely needed.

In anticipation of the sessions, I had totally overhauled my equipment. My previous kit had literally been my first, a Tama Swingstar from 1986 (!). I got a great Yamaha Recording Custom kit and the Pearl PowerShifter Eliminator double-kick pedal. I finally got my kicks up to where I wanted them for recording (Fools, in particular, was double-kick hell), when one of the vinyl belts on my pedals broke. (Mind you, I just bought the things 2 or 3 months earlier -- that's how much I was practicing!) With just a couple of weeks to go before the sessions (which had actually been delayed once already), I was out of business for double-kick practicing, as the drum stores in the area didn't have what I needed in stock. The only thing I could do was order what I needed (which wouldn't come in until after the sessions anyway), and get cheap generic replacement belts in the meantime. Well, the belts sucked, and my double-kick playing suffered as a result; so I redoubled my efforts to get my kicks back up to par with the new belts, and managed to hurt my left ankle from all the stress I was putting on it. That was all pretty annoying, to say the least.

At any rate, the sessions were set to begin on Friday, September 14. As that week kicked off, I was practically trembling with excitement. In spite of the setback with the kicks, I was really gonna...ahem...kick off the recording of the next HOLOCAUST CD. (I mean, holy shit! I still remember getting The Sound of Souls in early 1990 and desperately trying to find out anything I could about this band.) There is nothing I can say about the Tuesday prior to the 14th that hasn't already been said, so suffice it to say that it knocked the shit outta me. I felt like I was carrying a ton of lead with every move I made. I couldn't imagine playing. I couldn't practice. John Mortimer said to me that it would be more than understandable to delay the sessions while we (in the States) gathered ourselves. I wasn't sure what to do: I felt like I couldn't play, but stopping our lives (literally or figuratively) was the intent of the perpetrators of 9/11. I decided to ask Ben Atkins, the engineer at the Azure Design studio where I would be recording, what he thought. Let me tell you right now, in case I fail to mention it later: Ben's a hell of a guy. Just a great freakin' guy. He had loved ones close to the WTC, who thankfully were not harmed. He said, "Let's move forward; let's do something positive." So that's what we did.

The sessions were not easy. Recording all by myself with just a metronome was even harder than I expected. On various weeknights and weekends over the course of a few weeks, I made my way (with Ben's invaluable support)through the 11 songs' worth of drum tracks (drum tracks for Wide Awake Now were recorded, although this won't appear on Primal). Some tracks, like Colossus, Transcendence, and Lost Horizons were banged out pretty quickly. Others, like Fools and They Colonize, turned into marathon nightmares. My kicks just weren't what they were before that damn belt broke, but in the end, everything came out well. One thing is for damn sure, though: I don't ever want to record that way again!

In a surprise move, Bryan ended up shooting over to Scotland for a few days to lay his tracks, banged'em out, and got the hell outta Dodge. The next few months consisted of various sessions in Scotland for the guitar tracks, vocals, and mixing. The other big thing going on at the time was Sanctuary Records buying Neat Records (whose site has since been removed). There had been murmurings about this since around the time of the drum track sessions, but now the purchase was fully underway. Unfortunately, this left things in a bit of a lurch for us. Even though Holocaust is technically on the Edgy label (the other label that Jess Cox runs), all business on their end was essentially halted so that the numbers on the books didn't change while the buyout was in effect. So the good news was that Sanctuary appeared interested in purchasing the Holocaust back catalogue (presumably for it's first issue in the States), but the bad news was that no Holocaust CDs could be purchased through Neat in the meantime. Furthermore, we did not know if Sanctuary was going to pick up Primal as well, and we didn't want to jeopordize that possibility...hence, our self-imposed silence.

In early April, I was off to New Jersey for the annual Metal Meltdown festival (where we had our first show with the current lineup last year). I had the chance to meet Jess Cox and Victoria Robinson from Neat for the first time, which in itself was a real thrill. The downside of our meeting was that I found out that Sanctuary did not have plans to take Primal. They had not heard it; rather, the reasoning was that they only wanted to do reissues and did not want to promote new releases. (It seems to me that reissuing a back catalogue is already part of promoting a new release, and promoting a new release for a band that will be touring the area is sure as hell a great way to promote the back catalogue reissues, but that's neither here nor there.) At that point, we started considering other labels, including Spitfire, Cleopatra, and Metal Blade (who indicated an interest in checking out Primal and also will be including a vintage Holocaust track on their 20th anniversary compilation).

To begin wrapping things up; there have been various other things in the last couple of months which prompted our schedule to change, including John Mortimer unexpectedly becoming a first-time father (!). We are all excited to get the touring underway, but some members of the band have reason to get things going sooner than others; so the delays have caused some internal tension. Things are picking back up again, however, and I think that we will be channeling our energies into kicking SOMEBODY'S ass sooner rather than later.

So what's going on now? At the moment, Jess Cox has all of Primal's artwork and there shouldn't be anything holding up the CD's release any further. A short time ago, he indicated that talks had reopened with Sanctuary, but I haven't received any further information. So, until I hear otherwise, it is my assumption that Primal will be released on Edgy and we will be seeking a source for US distribution. In the meantime, we have posted two mp3s from Primal on our mp3 page: you will find clips of Black Box and Hell On Earth (with the beginning of Transcendence thrown in for good measure). We have also replaced the old demo version of Iron Will on our mp3.com page with the official version from Primal. It is currently going through their approval process, so it should be available shortly.

We'd like to thank everyone who has been keeping in touch, expressing interest, and giving us coverage. For those who don't know yet, each band member has a holocaustmetal.com email address on the contact page. Our site has not been as active as it should have been for some time now, and as you can see, that has now changed. We are excited to get this monster rolling again and there ain't gonna be any bullshit! So check out the mp3s...hit the message board...drop us a line...and hey, don't forget to sign up for the mailing list, because there's an extra little perk for list members, too.

Ron

John McCullim

Ron Levine

John Mortimer

Bryan Bartley