Archive 2005

Pÿlon News

Dec2005: Worry not. The month being December and children’s eyes sparkling and shining like the foreheads of their elders subjected to shopping rampages are not reason enough to go all wobbly-reasoned. On the other hand, we hope to shake you by the ears early in the next year with some two or three presents, if you will, but more of that anon. This much: it won’t be the album yet.
It isn't HMN III either, but come to think of it, all too many neophytes out there would wish to be enlightened with and to metal - cases for whom one of these cures is recommended: being given either one of the two 2005 HEAVY METAL NATION compilations or a stint at the Swiss Metal Mailorder over at Quam Libet Records’.

Nov2005: The days just fly by, don’t they? They are grey, they are cold but they keep rushing as though for a reason. And we do what we like best: making music. Well, not quite as usual, however, as we have stopped rehearsing altogether for a short while. Tinu has long recorded the drum tracks for nine songs and also a good part of the guitars are ready to be altered digitally. So now it’s Jan’s turn to “get down” and lay down the bass lines so as to enable Sven to proceed with the first mixing process. Vocals are to follow suit, before keyboards and assorted other instruments may or may not be recorded.
Will everything be finished by the end of the year? Will the result be TEWB in its entirety? – No one can tell, we fear.
For the instant, “2046” is the latest available Pÿlon track (as an mp3 on HEAVY METAL NATION II), but another song is slanted for a compilation in the near future as well!

Oct2005: Yep, it makes me grin, too, reading our biography saying that TEWB might be out "by late 2005". You betcha that was penned down before the conception of HMN II was ever hatched!
On the other hand, the three of us have actually picked up on the song ideas Matt and Jan had preserved on mini disc nearly a year ago, whilst instrumental tracks to the partially-recorded songs are being added to the hard disc every now and then. Let's see how many six- or seven-minute tracks will fit onto the CD. And whether Jan will manage to find one or the other opportunity to use his seven stringie.
We are bemused to notice that Pÿlon's contribution to HMN II went unnoticed (or, perhaps rather, unmentionned for reasons of friendship). Nonetheless, it is always a pleasure to play "2046" to start off rehearsals, as it grants Matt to really loosen up and lose it for two minutes on end!
Jan burst with pride as he unfaithfully went on stage with Corpus Delicti at the HMN II release party at the Rock City in order to let it rip with their ingenious HMN II contribution, "The Immortal Knight". What a shame this moment were not recorded photographically - a member of Pÿlon actually sweating whilst playing! Such hasn't been observed ever since Tinu, panting, requested our dropping a wee li'l punk ditty of ours from our rehearsal set.

Sep2005: Tinu? And what he’s up to? – Yeah, that’s one funny question. He’s on holiday, of course! As it is, there are, however, times when this might come less handy than these days, as Matt and Jan had to give up on a few nights’ sleep anyway in preparation of HEAVY METAL NATION II.
Nonetheless, one or the other guitar and bass track actually made it onto the harddrive, and the instrumental “2046” could even be mastered and be hid somewhere within the depths of the compilation. Of course, we encourage you to have a go at solving the puzzle of what the title might stand for. Be this a hint: a very bad cinema movie which alledgedly had Jan actually flee during the intermission is of no relevance here.
What a let-down that the guestbook still isn’t quite up to par; otherwise we could have held a poll on whether or not a download of “2046” would be appreciated.

Aug2005: Time sure does fly when you’re having fun! We’re currently cuddled together in our cosy rehearsal room, recording drum and guitar tracks whenever we feel like it, toying around with an electric drum kit, looking into the options of tuning acoustic guitars down, and, above all, playing, playing, playing. And let it be known that it feels great – it’s amazing what a big sound we have as Matt runs loads of hall effects on his voice, Tinu’s vocal mike picks up the snare and the cymbals to echo them and Jan’s bass amp is broken and distorts even in a clean setting.
FITS, a song faintly alluded to as a slightly hidden track on Natural Songbirth, has evolved into ultimate doom in the orthodox sense, and other songs composed last autumn (but ignored ever since due to our HMN endeavors) will be reprised as well shortly. Let doom’s terror reign!

Jul2005: Sometimes the thoughts of putting Tinu on a leash cross one’s mind, but why should he not take off for a couple of weeks, leaving Matt and Jan with the first and second takes of seven drum tracks for them to gnaw on afterwards? But do they go in and record like maniacs? Not necessarily, as QLR is said to be currently taking up quite a bit of their time in return. (Mind you: time is long for doomsters.)
Still, it proved surprisingly interesting to lay down two new rockers shortly after their inception, as opposed to fiddling around with them and changing them throughout a few months before actually recording them. Rumour has it there might even be an instrumental amongst them for a little change.

Jun2005: The weather’s beautiful and what do we do? – Write songs of sorrow & doom, dragging and lagging behind all measures of time? - No. It may be a counter reaction to those months and months of rehearsing and “perfecting” songs (and finally getting the drum tracks down), but this was the third song in a row which clearly shows why we know there are two sides to ‘doom ROCK’. No need to worry: the ‘DOOM rock’ songs are getting darker, slower and more threatening as we go along & Matt urges ever-so-great guitar sounds from his amps, Tinu annihilates his snare heads and Jan is keeping it down by turning it up. Devastating fun!

May2005: Aye, Pÿlon now has the vastness of all elysian fields at its own disposal again! - And that includes a shop module and a guestbook (all of which you are kindly invited to make extensive use of, as you can guess), which also means we don't have to go around leaving messages for the QLR guys all the time! ;-)
Nonetheless, by and large, things are very much as they are wont to: our go at "Chinese Democracy" (TEWB) is still stewing slowly - perhaps ready to be served in autumn or winter 2005? After a couple of gaps in our rehearsal / recording schedule, we'll be opening our door once again this Thursday to greet some of our dear friends who feel like spending a musical evening with us.
All as training and doomy as it ought to be, then!

16Apr2005: Awesome news: - Pÿlon "in" Russia!

Apr2005: Just fine, just fine, thank you very much! Tinu, for example, has been laying low in some of the world's most beautiful spots for a few weeks. And there are no misgivings because he's the one who is actually done recording his drum tracks for two songs upon which Matt, Jan and Sven got to labour for a while. Ah, the luxury of being able of listening to the recording of "To My Brethren" and being able to now go back and twiddle the knobs a little bit more to the left and to the right in order to approach further the sound we want to get. And sneaky, secretive Sven finally came forward with masses of equipment nobody knew he had! That lad could actually set up and mix a show in a hall of a couple hundred just like that! But instead, and rather more usefully, he brought in some material which proved mightily useful to record with, and on.
Like once or twice every year, Jan is getting ready for a concert with a local brass band. (As a bit of cultural trivia: in our neck of the woods, the more traditional brass bands aren't big band style; rather, they are deduced from a military background, thus originally playing mainly marches. These days, however, they are quite open to many musical styles, and will play classical, Southern American, swing, rock'n'roll or pop literature as well, mixing them on some occasions, whilst concentrating on a single genre on the other.) Usually, Jan at such times comes along, mumbling something like "I didn't mean for it to happen", or he puts forward the argument that the change of styles and having to decipher sheet music every once in a while does him good, but rest assured that he does it most of all for one thing only: THE DOUBLE BASS he gets to play on a couple of tunes in live settings! Should footage of Mr Diva, all dressed up in his uniform and slugging away on the fat strings come into existence, you'll be the first to learn!
Talking of 'coming into existence' - there are two things growing in the pleasant lands of Pÿlonia: one lady's belly and one gent's joyful anxiety ...! But hush! I didn't tell you a thing about this yet, ok?
But before toddler pix be strewn all over the page (see the new band snaps in the gallery yet, by the way? - Lordy, it was cold that evening!), one of the band members submitted a load of images of his very own babies. But, as they are not for the weak at heart, they needed to be hid cleverly somewhere on this site, so ... oooon your marks - get set - go and FIND 'EM!

Mar2005: Time and again, we are looking for a six string slinger as Matt aims to increasingly focus on his vocals. Relieved, Tinu happily goes with this and plays even more fascinating stuff on the drums instead. But Jan simply cannot be bothered to bustle around with more than four strings - synaptic limitations, we reckon. So, all you axemen, come around and imprint your footsteps in the clay of time as the new album is being recorded. "Three bass tracks or just two? Five layered guitars or a single track?" - Such the questions going round and being tested to the marrow. As slow and mighty as the compositions, the conception and birth of TEWB proceed.
Unfortunately, James, a guitarist who had joined our ranks in February and who showed us that our tunes actually do make sense to instrumentalists even from without our range of styles, will be unable to remain with us and thus further the chances of Pÿlon getting up on stage in the near future. On the other hand, we rejoice at the possibility that one or the other TEWB song may end up featuring another fantastic guest solo guitarist!

Feb2005: A problem: If you expect 200 visitors during a time-span of ten days, how many are to be expected in thirty days? ... Wrong: nigh on 2, 000! There have been days with up to 130 visitors, and yes, the nederlandstaalige are one of the four main groups of visitors! Thanks a lot for coming around - why not leave us a little something to decipher in our guestbook! It would be sheer bliss if you guys wanted to import a couple dozen copies of HEAVY METAL NATION and show your friends what's going down between the Alps and the Jura! In any case, the interest in our project definitely shows that there is something larger happening in and with the Swiss underground scene.
Of course, we are very grateful for all of the kind comments we get for "To My Brethren", our contribution to the compilation, and - believe it, or not - for the repeated question, whether Pÿlon would go live again in the near future. Well, better not rush things yet, right, lads & lasses?
More time going into rehearsals rather than new compositions now, Matt and Jan find the time to delve up to their ears into new more or less fancy little projects completing the HMN experience. Getting reviews from medazzarock.com, a feature in the new "RockStar Magazine", and air-time on Radio Bern is splendid, but there might be something else in the bag yet. - And do send us bags full of clippings on HEAVY METAL NATION, should you find them; source and/or time of transmission included. A free CD to that good person to send us most or the strangest bits and pieces!

Extra! Extra!
19Jan2005: Only today we learned that no less than 4, 800 visitors have honoured with their active interest: 182, 129 hits are registered here at quamlibetrecords.ch! In no less than ten days, we are to greet our 5, 000th visitor, and would you believe it - he may be Dutch! For, in fact, the largest group of non-Swiss users are pancake-eating, tulip-sniffing, and hard-riffing rockers from the beautiful plains of the Netherlands!
But let us celebrate a little in advance: for you meisjes and boeben from all over, "To My Brethren ", our contribution to the compilation, is now available as an MP3 download: enjoy!
We of Pÿlon and Quam Libet Records thank you cordially for your support and raise our glasses to the near and farther future!
 All yours - Matt, Tinu, Jan, Peter & Sven

Jan2005: "No news is good news." - Well, perhaps, but if even the year is a new one, old news is simply boring.
And a stand-still again is only what is perceptible on the outside, as far as never-gigging Pÿlon is concerned. Granted, Matt and Jan have hardly had any full night's sleep for the last few weeks (which, in return, gave Tinu some time to plan his upcoming holiday trip), but at least we've twiddled knobs in some down-time, and turned "To My Brethren" into the hungry lion's roar it is supposed to be, thus saving the "philharmonic version" for our very own ShadowSongs III. It's still a pain in the mind to compare what one hopes to be the definite edit of a song on various stereo sets: it never, ever, ever sounds right on all of them.
- In any case, we've got our one-in-a-million Svengineer: this man can work with a roomful of opinions and "just try this for a second"s and pointing fingers smearing his computer screen ... but where others would put on the "then do it yourselves" record, he shows us all with a flick of the wrist. Amazing guy doing an amazing job!
And even the last tears will be dried once HEAVY METAL NATION, the aptly named and illustrated Quam Libet Sampler will be released! It is an honour and a pleasure to be on here with 17 other phantastic groups, kicking and screaming for 76 minutes straight as the brothers in metal we are! Not one ballad, not one low point, but heaps of 'sure I'll show you mine!' attitudes and idiosyncrasies that have the listener bang his head, shake it in disbelief every once in a while, grin, and bang on like a rabbit on uppers! - Git it here!

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