Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
Morpheus Rising is a British rock band formed in 2008 producing music which is influenced heavily by the NWoBHM style of rock dominated by bands such as Iron Maiden, Saxon and UFO. The band also draw heavily from the style of bands like Thin Lizzy making use of twin guitar harmony parts throughout their compositions. Having concentrated on perfecting their live performance until now the band have announced a full length studio album to be released in December 2011 with a UK tour in early 2012.
History
Early Years
Formed by Pete Harwood (formerly of Vixen) in April 2008 when Grae Tennick answered an online advert. Within weeks the two had written 6 tracks and were working on more. Additional members of the band were quickly lined up with Andy Smith (of Mostly Autumn) on bass guitar and Paul 'Gibbo' Gibbons (previously of The Bogus Brothers) on drums. A second guitarist, essential for the type of music the band were writing, proved harder to find with Rhys McPherson and Phil O'dea taking part in early rehearsals before Damien James Sweeting was recommended to the band by a mutual friend. Arriving at the studio knowing all 5 songs from the demo CD Damien's audition quickly became the first rehearsal of what would be the band's first lineup.
The band released a download only single, An Ordinary Man, in aid of HELP for HEROES, in November 2008 while working on demos for an album planned for late 2009. Releasing an EP, The Original Demos 2008, on 26 December 2008 the band didn't perform live until June 2009 when they supported GUN at The Duchess in York. At this time The Original Demos 2008 EP was reviewed in Rock Hard magazine receiving 8/10 from reviewer Michael Kohsiek.
Continuing to gig extensively in the UK the band released a live album 'Live @ The Boardwalk' in September 2009 (recorded at the now defunct Boardwalk venue in Sheffield), again as a download only release, before releasing the Fighting Man (in aid of HELP for HEROES and the Poppy Appeal) in November 2009. This single reached #2 in the UK Amazon CD Single Charts on the week of release and remained in the Top 100 of that chart in excess of 20 weeks. The independent nature of the bands releases proved both a help and hindrance to them. Receiving plaudits for their determination to go it alone they were featured artists on independent (internet) radio stations in the UK and US while failing to raise any interest from mainstream media. This despite a publicity campaign for the single which included National news publications and regional BBC coverage including a session for BBC Introducing.
2010 saw the band embark on their first UK tour. Mixing a handful of support dates for The Reasoning on their Adverse Camber tour with several headline dates of their own, including a second bill slot on the inaugural Forces Festival in Bulford, England. Additional dates included another support for GUN and more headline performances before the band were forced into hiatus while Grae deployed on operations in Afghanistan from Aug 2010 - Feb 2011.
After his return from Afghanistan Grae announced that he would be leaving Morpheus Rising due to both work and family commitments. Two final performances were fulfilled prior to his departure, a return to the Forces Festival (this time supporting blues guitarist Gwyn Ashton) and a farewell gig at Fibbers in York. Despite having begun work on their debut album (already postponed for Grae's operational tour) this was delayed further until a replacement vocalist could be found.
New Lineup
Not resting on their laurels, Morpheus Rising announced Grae's replacement, Si Wright (of Burnwylde), at his farewell gig. The band had already confirmed a slot at the Cambridge Rock Festival, just 6 weeks away, and began rehearsing in earnest. Returning to Fibbers for a 'warm up' gig the weekend before the festival appearance the response of the crowd was very positive.
Playing the Classic Rock Society sponsored Stage 2 of the on Friday 5 August 2011 the band announced that their debut full length studio album would be released before the end of 2011.
The new album, Let The Sleeper Awake, is scheduled for release on 9 December 2011 and will be released on WTG Music, the band's own label. A supporting tour for the album has recently been announced for January 2012.
Musical Style
Referring to their style as NWoBHM-TNG (New Wave of British Heavy Metal - The Next Generation) Morpheus Rising's musical style incorporates the fast upbeat tempos, power chords, fast guitar solos and melodic, soaring vocals recognised as core elements of the style made famous in the 1980s. In addition the band have continued the tradition of lyrical themes which draw inspiration from mythology and fantasy fiction themes.
Primarily written by Pete Harwood the music also draws on the melodic twin guitar harmonies made famous by the likes of Thin Lizzy. The pairing of Harwood/Sweeting has been likened to the guitar duo of Adrian Smith and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden on more than one occasion and BBC Introducing presenter, Matt Seymour, stated the two were the 'tightest guitar duo ever to appear on the show'.
Lyrically, both Grae Tennick and Si Wright have used science fiction, horror and fantasy literature and movies as catalysts for their inspiration. 30 Days of Night, Lords of the North, Night of the Living Dead and Dorian Grey have all played their part in inspiring the lyricists. In addition much of the early material was inspired by Tennick's operational tours of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Despite the heavy lyrical and musical influence of earlier British rock bands Morpheus Rising have managed to incorporate modern elements into their sound ensuring that their material stays relevant in the ever changing genre of rock.