AVALON - Astral Claw MLP HRR 1063LP, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, insert 1st pressing: ltd 500, 250 x black + 250 x white/ black splatter vinyl Deanosaurio Del Rock - Screams & Bass Pakko - Lead Guitar Henry Stemme - Rythm Guitar Cowfluse - Drums 01 Astral Claw 02 Dante, The Loss 03 Cerberus 04 Eternal Darkness 05 Pandoras Doom AVAILABLE

Thrash Altenessen! Going back to the first half of the 1980s, history was made in the heart of the Ruhr area. Fast forward to 2026, and Avalon, based in Altenessen, set out to continue this legacy. Named after the song by German speed metal band Xandril, Avalon were originally formed in 2019 (with the first functioning line-up constituting a year later) and issued two self-produced demos and one single, recorded in their rehearsal room. “Fast, uncompromising and maniacal,” that’s how bassist/vocalist Deanosaurio Del Rock describes Avalon, “if one wants to put a label on our music, then classic German speed metal comes pretty close to what we are doing.” The band feels influenced by acts like Living Death, Atlain, Chainsaw, Paradox and Cutty Sark. »Astral Claw«, the first High Roller release by Avalon, contains five songs, recorded at Van Doom Studios in Gelsenkirchen and produced Frederik Aderholz. Brand-new are “Astral Claw”, “Dante, The Loss” and “Eternal Darkness”, whereas “Cerebus” and “Pandora’s Doom” are re-recordings of the first two songs the band has ever written. “They were too good to be forgotten,” comments Deanosaurio Del Rock, “and this time around they were properly recorded, not with a simple tape recorder in our rehearsal room.” Along with him, Pakko (lead guitar), Henry Stemme (rhythm guitar) and Nico Irönizer (drums) have played on the mini-album. According to the band, Avalon’s lyrics deal with mythology. “Things like the holy grail, the old testament and the tower of Babel,” specifies the bassist/vocalist. “We weren’t really aware of the fact that there are so many other bands around carrying the name Avalon. But looking at it, it should have been obvious. However, nowadays it’s virtually impossible to select a name which has not been used before.” Musically, Avalon’s pretty harsh and hectic style of speed and thrash metal does not shy away from hardcore and punk influences either. “Everybody likes punk and hardcore,” comments the singer and bassist. “If you ask me, the first two Iron Maiden albums are a perfect example of heavy metal coming from the streets. I like to think that we have this uncompromising attitude as well. Our sound is quite gritty.” Avalon are very much looking forward to issue a full-length album on High Roller Records in the not too distant future. “We are extremely proud to be signed to High Roller,” beams Deanosaurio Del Rock. “We all have been aware of High Roller before we signed with them. They are doing a fantastic job for the underground, both releasing old classics as well as new bands. It’s our aim to come up with an album that’s original and stands out from the crowd. I hope we will be able to reach our goal and not disappoint. We are very happy to be part of the High Roller family. It's like a dream has come true for us.” MATTHIAS MADER