Artist: THE SCOURGER
Album: DARK INVITATION TO ARMAGEDDON (CD)

Year: 2008
Media type: CD

THE SCOURGER was born 2003 in Helsinki, Finland when Ex-GANDALF-singer Jari Hurskainen and drummer Seppo Tarvainen came together. First they played as a trio (with Seppos friend Pekka Hдmдlдinen on guitar) and the musical direction for the band was to be Thrash Metal played with a modern sound for the new millennium and a fierce attitude that would kick some serious ass in the genre! They rehearsed a lot in order to release asap the first demo, which saw the light of day in the same year and featured besides three own tracks a fabulous cover version of AT THE GATES’ ’Cold’. In 2004 they worked on new material and shortly half a dozen new songs got finished. The songwriting was done mainly by Seppo, but the 2 new guys on guitar - Harri Hytцnen (GANDALF, CUBEHEAD) and Timo Nyberg (GANDALF, DIVINE DECAY) - also got involved. At the end of 2004 Tony Taleva of Stay Heavy Records offered them the opportunity to record the songs professionally, and so they entered Moonman studios in Kariaa, Finland, where they recorded with Aaro Seppovaara (BLAKE) the 6-Song-EP ’To The Slayground’ which was finally released at the beginning of 2005! Further on the played in 2005 a.o. at the PANTERA-Tribute-Gig “Dimen Nimeen“ in Helsinki (for the first time with the new bass-player Kimmo Kammonen) and in front of more than 2.000 fans at the FME (Finish Metal Expo). Shortly after the recordings for the debut-album started, and first of all they released in July 2005 the ’Hatehead’-single. But what happened was unbelievable: The single entered the Finnish single-charts straight on number 1 and stayed in the top-20 for another four weeks!!! In August/September they continued recording and had to get along with a line-up-change: Guitarist Harri had to be replaced by Jani Luttinen (THE WAKE). At the beginning of 2006 finally the debut ‘Blind Date With Violence’ got released in Finland and received overwhelming reviews and reactions.

In June 2006 they signed a worldwide licensing deal with Cyclone Empire and the next single ’Maximum Violence’ was released! Again the single destroyed the Finnish charts like a tornado and even forced SLAYER to get along with a lower position, when they entered at position 3 and even climbed on 2 the next week!!! Again they stayed for four weeks in the top-20!

In October 2006 Cyclone Empire released the debut-album ’Blind Date With Violence’ worldwide. The songs got remastered, the CD got a completely new artwork, cover and booklet and featured 7 bonustracks on it!!!

After playing numerous gigs as support on NAPALM DEATHs Svandinavia-tour the boys already started songwriting for their second effort. In june 2007 the first single ‘Never Bury The Hatchet’ was released in Finland and again blasted into the top-10!!! By the end of 2007 the new album ‘Dark invitation To Armageddon’ was finished and the band shortly after parted ways with their guitar-player Timo Nyberg, and replaced him with Antti Wirman, who already played in bands like WARMEN or CRAYDAWN. The album sees itґs birthday now on the 14th of March 2008 worldwide while again two bonus-tracks are featured. And again: Be ready for a mighty BLAST…even more diverse, intense and neckbreaking!!!!!!

TRACKLIST:

01 INTRO 1:26
02 NO REDEMPTION 4:40
03 IN THE HOUR OF RUIN 5:58
04 TO TAME A LIFE 4:38
05 NEVER BURY THE HATCHET 4:03
06 DEFORMED REALITY 4:29
07 DARK INVITATION TO ARMAGEDDON 5:19
08 REIGN IN BESTIAL SIN 5:25
09 BEYOND JUDAS 5:01
10 CRANIUM CRUSH 4:18
11 LAST NAIL TO THE COFFIN 6:48

Bonustracks:
12 VICIOUS CIRCLE (taken from “Hatehead” Single /FIN only)
13 HATEHEAD (Live at VR-Makasiini)

Total Playing Time: 59:55