“Lupercale”

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Black-Folk Metallers SELVANS Post Video Tribute To Late Drummer Jonny Morelli

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 25, 2015

Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: "Clangores Plenilunio", "Lupercale", Jonny Morelli, SELVANS. Leave a comment

Selvans-2015

On the day that their colleague and close friend Jonny Morelli would have reached his 31st birthday, had he survived a fatal motor bike accident last year, SELVANS have posted a video tribute to the much respected drummer. Whilst the video uses the track “Lupercale” from SELVANS’ recently released EP “Clangores Plenilunio”, the band is very keen to emphasise that this is not a video for the track itself, but it is rather a “sincere tribute to a friend, to his passion, and to his art”. The video can be seen on SELVANS’ YouTube channel at

https://youtu.be/AJDfmpYFa4Q

SELVANS’ core members Selvans Haruspex (on keyboards, traditional instruments, vocals and programming) and Sethlans Fulguriator (guitars and bass), explained the ideas and the imagery behind the video, and why it is so representative of Morelli’s spirit: “Jonny loved nature. He was always our invaluable guide when we went hiking, or out searching for some breathtakingly spectacular settings for photo sessions. The study of Ancient Italian Paganism and Folklore was another of his passions, and this was clearly reflected in own work on tattoos and drawings. This video shows the beautiful wild landscapes that Jonny loved so much, whilst his words, which were written for the song ‘Lupercale’ itself, were transformed into drawings by our friend Davide ‘DARTWORKS – drawstroy” Mancini, who is also the designer who created the SELVANS logo”.

Selvans-Jonny

Formed after calling an end to their former band DRAUGR after ten years at the top of the Extreme Folk scene in Italy, Morelli was to be SELVANS’ drummer, vocalist and lyricist until his tragic death just as the band was about to enter the studio to record the “Clangores Plenilunio” EP. After a period of soul searching it was decided that as a mark of respect for Jonny’s enthusiasm, dedication, and hopes for SELVANS, the band would complete and release the EP, for which he had already done so much work, having written and recorded the drum parts, as well as 90% of the vocals. “Clangores Plenilunio” appeared on Avantgarde Music in February of this year.

SELVANS are currently working on ther debut full-length album “Lupercalia”, which will consist of of five suites inspired and influenced by ancient Italian history and folklore, and running in total for around an hour. It will be very much a continuation of what was started with “Clangores Plenilunio”, whose music is filled with the Italic spirit and redolent with its mysticism. “Lupercalia” is expected to be released on Avantgarde Music in late 2015.

SELVANS next live appearance will be on the 3rd May when they support NECROPHOBIC at the Tipografia in Pescara, Italy.

More information about SELVANS can be found on the band’s website at http://www.templeofselvans.com/ and on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/templeofselvans

” SELVANS’ “Clangores Plenilunio” EP can be heard at https://avantgardemusic.bandcamp.com/album/clangores-plenilunio

Avantgarde Music Debuts Track From Upcoming Release From SELVANS

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 28, 2015

Posted in: News. Tagged: "Clangores Plenilunio", "Lupercale", SELVANS. Leave a comment

With a release date set for the 13th February, Avandgarde Music has debuted “Lupercale”, a track from “Clangores Plenilunio”, the debut five-track EP from Black-Folk Metallers SELVANS. Fans of the band will be somewhat familiar with the track, as a digital single edit was released a few months ago, but now the track is finally available in its entirety and running for over 9 minutes. The track can be heard at this location, where the EP, in digipack and digital versions, as well as a special bundle that includes a T shirt and poster of the band’s much lauded artwork, can be pre-ordered.

Track listing for “Clangores Plenilunio”, which includes cover of “… In the Woods” from the “Heart of Ages” album by Norway’s IN THE WOODS as follows:

1. Lupercale
2. Clangores Plenilunio
3. Prologue
4. … In the Woods (In the Woods cover)
5. Epilogue

Selvans-cover

Formed following the demise of DRAUGR, who called it quits last year after 10 years as one of the top Black-Folk Metal bands on the Italian scene, SELVANS sets out to recreate the mysticism and the folklore of the different ethnic cultures that inhabited Italy throughout the ages. To do this the band uses not only its music and lyrics, but also its aesthetics, and, in fact, the release date of “Clangores Plenilunio” was specifically chosen as the 13th February is the date on which the the ancient Lupercalis Festival began. The lineup on “Clangores Plenilunio” includes Selvans Haruspex (Ursus Arctos of DRAUGR) on vocals, keyboards and traditional instruments , Sethlans Fulguriator (Mors of DRAUGR) on guitar, and DRAUGR co-founders Stolas on bass and the late Jonny Morelli on drums and vocals. It is very much a bittersweet release for the band, who want it to be a tribute to Morelli, who was tragically killed in a motorbike accident shortly after finishing recording the drums and part of the vocals.

As Selvans Haruspex recently explained, he and Morelli handled the vocals between them, with Haruspex finishing what Morelli was sadly unable to. “Jonny and I worked closely together when it came to deciding on the lyrical theme for the song, and we did a lot of research on the Sibyl’s Cave, which, legend has it, is located in the Marche region of central Italy. The fascination of this place, and the legends associated with it, was a great inspiration to us and we had planned to use the folklore surrounding it in several SELVANS pieces in the future. Although Jonny died before he could finish parts of the text, I completed them, and whilst “Clangores Plenilunio” is the first piece that features the Appennine Sybil, it definitely won’t be the last”. A video teaser for the title track can be seen below:

http://youtu.be/rZwpCXkO_fI

SELVANS will be playing a series of shows in support of “Clangores Plenilunio”, the first two having already been confirmed as follows:

07 March, Romaobscura III Festival, Traffic Live Club, Rome, Italy
27 March, Ride ‘n’ Roll, Chieti, Italy

More information about SELVANS can be found on the band’s website at http://www.templeofselvans.com/ and on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/templeofselvans

Former Members Of Pagan Black Metallers DRAUGR Launch New Band SELVANS, New Track Unveiled, Featuring The Late Jonny Morelli

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 12, 2014

Posted in: News. Tagged: "Lupercale", Draugr, SELVANS. Leave a comment

A year ago almost to the day, Pagan Black Metallers DRAUGR called it a day after an illustrious ten-year career that saw the band, whose music paid tribute to their Pagan ancestors, firmly at the top of the genre in Italy, and with a solid and ever-growing following world-wide. It is fitting, therefore, that some of DRAUGR’s original members have chosen this time to announce the launch of their new band – SELVANS. But it is a bitter-sweet moment because, in a lineup that includes Selvans Haruspex (Ursus Arctos of DRAUGR) on vocals, keyboards and traditional instruments , Sethlans Fulguriator (Mors of DRAUGR) on guitars, and DRAUGR co-founder Stolas on bass, one very important member is missing – drummer and DRAUGR co-founder Jonny Morelli, who was tragically killed in a motor bike accident in June of last year.

With a new website and Facebook page launched yesterday, SELVANS have today debuted a digital single edit of a track that is originally over 9 minutes in length and which will appear in its entirety on the EP that the band hopes to release in 2015. This EP marks the last ever appearance of Morelli, who recorded all of the drum tracks and most of the vocals before his death, and in whose honour the EP is being released. The track, “Lupercale”, is available direct from the band at this location and can be heard on the band’s SoundCloud page here, or on YouTube below:

http://youtu.be/D8Zghhn-RIw

Selvans-cover

Selvans Haruspex made the following statement yesterday where he talked about the new band and the impact of Morelli’s death: “Exactly one year ago today, together with the band, I announced that DRAUGR had split after ten years of activity. Barely a few months after that, on the same day of the month, we tragically lost Jonny, who has always been not just a good friend, but also a real example to us all.

During the months before that cursed day Jonny, Sethlans F., Stolas and myself had been working together to bring about something that had been on my mind for two years: SELVANS, a musical project born to recreate the mysticism and the folklore of the different ethnic groups that have dwelt in Italy throughout the ages – a concept to be expressed through music, lyrics and aesthetics. And Jonny was to have been the drummer, lead singer and lyricist.

At the time of Jonny’s death in June, we were about to enter the studio and record our first EP. Jonny had already written and pre-recorded the drum parts and 90% of the vocals. Never in a million years did we imagine that that we would have to face such a painful situation.

In August, barely two months after that tragic event, we gathered enough courage to listen to Jonny’s work again and to talk about what to do with SELVANS. Like the rest of us, Jonny had always been enthusiastic about the project, and he was doing some great work before being so suddenly and unfairly taken from us.
To put aside his work and give up would have been an insult to his dedication, so we decided to enter the studio and finish the EP in his memory, which we did with the aid of a few experts, who knew and appreciated Jonny, friends and family.

We decided that I would be the one to write and record the missing vocals. Even if I had never played this role before, the task fell to me because I have always been strongly involved in lyrical decisions and it was essential for SELVANS.

Today the time has come to let everyone who knew and appreciated Jonny listen to his final artistic contribution. Each element of this work has a special meaning to it, starting with the title, which will be revealed very soon together with other details. The EP will be out in 2015 and its songs will never be recorded again because this is going to be “Jonny’s EP” – a milestone to mark his passing and to remember him by, and with it, set off on this new path in his honour”.

An Italian version of the statement can be seen HERE.

More information about SELVANS can be found on the band’s website at http://www.templeofselvans.com/ and on their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/templeofselvans

JonnyRIP