Band Line Up 2014
The aim!
Stormzone's aim is to produce songs and live shows that honour everything that has traditionally made heavy metal the best and most exciting type of music ever created. Stormzone songs contain everything a listener wants, huge choruses, interesting arrangements, big guitars, bass and drums all influenced by their love of traditional classic heavy metal and the bands that put heavy metal on the map such as Iron Maiden, Saxon, Queensryche and Judas Priest. Stormzone present a fantastic combination of these legendary influences on stage and on record!
Formed in 2005 by vocalist John Harv Harbinson, Stormzone immediately got down to the business of writing songs and it soon became clear that everyone in the band wanted the same thing, to keep the spirit of classic melodic heavy metal alive. So in 2007 they created their debut album, 'Caught In the Act', which was released in Europe by UK based Escape Music. Interest in this new band and their exciting approach to songwriting guaranteed that Stormzone would see a release of their debut in Japan, where it was awarded a very prestigious 92/100 review in Japan's famous and important Burrn magazine.
The band then began to establish themselves as a powerful and exciting live act, touring in promotion of Caught In the Act with acts such as YT, White Lion and Dokken guitarist George Lynch. Having supported George Lynch, the band would return to the stage to actually play as his actual band enabling them to join the legendary guitarist performing Dokken and Lynch Mob classics! Other important appearances during the first years of Stormzone on the road included Firefest in the UK, Lorca Rock festival in Spain and Sweden Rock, their performance there being critical to the next few years of Stormzone's development.
It was at Sweden Rock in 2009 that the band were seen by a representative from German record label SPV. Stormzone had just recorded another album, entitled Death Dealer. Production duties this time were handled by the legendary Neal Kaye, the man responsible for discovering Iron Maiden! This was therefore a much heavier album than Caught In The Act and it was decided that the band needed a label more suited to their new direction than Escape Music. The new album was submitted to SPV, they loved it and Stormzone signed a 2 album deal with the German label.
Shortly after the release of Death Dealer Stormzone were back on the road, touring Europe with Tesla, in Spain with YT and LA Guns and making another great festival appearance at France's Raismesfest. It was on the Tesla tour that the band met Jess Cox, former singer with Tygers Of Pan Tang, a significant meeting as Jess was now owner of Metal Nation records, a label which was to have a bearing on Stormzone's future. Writing continued while the band were on the road, further tours with Winger, Cinderella and Stryper ensued and after a very successful appearance at Germany's famous Wacken festival the band was ready to enter the studio once more and the 3rd Stormzone album was created, 'Zero To Rage'.
The 'Three Kings'!
The band promoted 'Zero To Rage' intensely and doing so at the Metal Assault Festival in Germany in 2013 they once again met Jess Cox from Metal Nation records. The deal with SPV was over and Jess offered Stormzone a home for a new album should one be recorded that year! Another significant meeting took place with Steve Simms from Blink Music management, the band signed a management deal with him and this guaranteed a rise in their profile with Steve immediately securing support slots with Saxon and dealing with Metal Nation records to secure the release of the latest Stormzone album 'Three Kings', which has been getting brilliant reviews all over the world. With the help of Blink Management's North American representative Alan Cooke Stormzone has been receiving previously unheard of multiple plays of songs from 'Three Kings' on American and Canadian radio stations.
The future!
'Three Kings' the brand new album from Stormzone has been acclaimed as one of the best melodic heavy metal albums of 2013, as has the new official video for the title track and both have been brilliantly received by reviewers and fans, and the excitement is still growing! The band has further support shows in November with Saxon as well as an appearance at the very imporant Hard Rock Hell festival in UK. Plans for much more touring are top of the agenda!
We have toured with many great bands over the years and performed at a lot of European festivals, but being given the opportunity to rock the Sophie Lancaster stage at Bloodstock Open Air is definitely a major highlight of the Stormzone career so far. We are thrilled and excited at the prospect of delivering a highly charged powerful and exciting set for the masses who attend this excellent event, this is where we would undoubtedly be pumping fists into the air as fans and here we are actually rocking out live as artists! This is what being in a band is all about!!
Harv, Stormzone.
Discography
2007 - 'Caught In The Act' (Escape Music)
2009 - 'Death Dealer' (SPV/Steamhammer)
2011 - 'Zero To Rage' (SPV/Steamhammer)
2013 - 'Three Kings' (Metal Nation Records)
Latest Album: ‘Three Kings’ (Metal Nation Records)
