OBSESSION - Carnival of Lies LP+7 HRR 932LP, ltd 500, 250 x black + 250 x yellow vinyl, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert MICHAEL VESCERA - vocals SCOTT BOLAND - guitars JOHN BRUNO - guitars CHRIS McCARVILL - bass JAY MEZIAS - drums 01 Smoking Gun 02 Carnival of Lies 03 In for the Kill 04 Playing Dead 05 Guilty as Charged 06 Imagining 07 The Offering 08 Pure Evil 09 I Don't Belong 10 Written n Blood 11 Marshall Law 12 Panic in the Streets (bonus track) 13 Judas (bonus track) AVAILABLE

Mastered for vinyl by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in December 2022. American metal band Obsession formed in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1981, initially playing covers by the Tygers Of Pan Tang, Angel Witch, MSG, Accept as well as The Scorpions, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. It took the band two years to ink a deal with Metal Blade Records and come up with their debut 12” EP »Marshall Law«, which was very well-received in the US (selling way over 15,000 copies). To promote the record, apart from playing extensively in the New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts area, Obsession toured quite a bit on the East Coast of the US, before dedicating more time to the songwriting of their first full-length album. In the aftermath of »Marshall Law« Obsession changed management and label. In the end it was Enigma Records who released the band’s first full-length album »Scarred For Life« after a long delay in July 1986. A good year later »Methods Of Madness« followed, before Mike Vescera accepted the offer to become the new singer of Japanese metal band Loudness, putting Obsession on ice for a very long time. The little known Metal Mayhem Music label (based in Connecticut) was responsible for the release of Obsession’s comeback record »Carnival Of Lies« in 2006. “While touring with various projects I would always get asked about a possible ‘new’ Obsession album,” explains Mike Vescera today. “Jay Medias and I thought it would be a good time/idea to write some stuff and see what we could come up with. The writing process went really well, so it seemed the right time to record a ‘new’ Obsession album. Before Obsession re-formed, I had done a few solo albums and tours. I recorded the album »Kaleidoscope« with Roland Grapow and we also toured with this. Great band and songs. I also recorded a few albums with Joe Stump, quite good as well!” Mike Vescera engineered and recorded »Carnival Of Lies« himself: “Yes, we recorded the album at my studio back in Connecticut, The Toy Room. We didn't feel as if we needed any outside help with this one. We knew what we wanted and how to get there.” Guitarists Scott Boland and John Bruno, who had played on Mike’s solo releases, were new to the Obsession fold in 2006. “John and Scott are both great players,” comments the singer, “they understand exactly what Obsession is and work really well together. We felt we had to continue the classic Obsession sound and writing, with a bit more modern production. That was important for us. Obsession always was an ‘unfinished business’ thing for me. Although it did a lot for my personal career, I always felt that we could have done so much more with the band. I really love the title track ‘Carnival Of Lies’ and we still do that one when we play live. Everyone seemed to love the album, great reviews, press, etc.” Joe Stump acted as guest musician on »Carnival Of Lies«. “Joe is a great player,” explains Mike Vescera, “and a real good friend. When we first decided to do the album, we thought Joe would be a good addition, so he came in, as well as Robert Marcello, they both played great and wrote really well. Unfortunately, they both had other commitments when we were finishing the album, this is when Scott and John came in.” “After »Carnival Of Lies« things slowed down a bit,” closes Mike Vescera, “with all the different production things I was involved with and shows. I was still doing quite a few solo shows. I also moved to Nashville, so this put things on hold for Obsession for a bit.” MATTHIAS MADER