Band info – ANCIENT CURSE

Musical style: Progressive Power Metal

Ancient Curse – the band from the north brought heavy metal to the Caribbean in 1996. The Bremen quartet’s latest album will be released at the end of 2024 – an innovative and spectacular sound sphere: “Dimension 5”.

The new record deal with the scene connoisseurs “El Puerto Records” is perfect. A video clip for the album song “Forevermore” is in the can and more are planned. Numerous elaborately filmed videos are already available on YouTube. Various live performances will follow, including of course a record release party in Bremen at the end of the year.

After the reunion in 2013 and many concerts, Ancient Curse received a very positive, sometimes euphoric response to their 2020 album “The New Prophecy” (released for the first time on CD, double LP and digital). With this epic work, the band built on their greatest success to date: In the mid-1990s, the “Cuban Town Musicians” (quote “Deaf Forever” 2/2020) landed a number 1 hit in Cuba with the song “Plastic Tears” and toured the sugar cane island as state guests and the first Western band after the Beatles. The tour under palm trees was a mega success: “The fans went completely crazy every night,” the band members remember. The song “Plastic Tears” from “The Landing” album topped the radio rock charts on the programme “Metallic Avalanche” for weeks.

With an unchanged line-up from the 90s, Ancient Curse have now recorded nine impressive and multi-layered songs on “Dimension 5”. There is a wide range of sophisticated music to be heard, from thrash attacks, elegiac-symphonic, progressive songs to power ballads. Pure progressive power metal is the common thread running through the album. The name Ancient Curse stands for razor-sharp riffs, energetic power parts, melancholic acoustic interludes, expressive and dynamic vocals and complex arrangements – all developed over many years of playing together.

The professional standard also applies to the live performance: whether as headliner or support (Brainstorm, Rage, Victory, Rough Silk, Tankard and many more), Ancient Curse have always managed to captivate the audience with their energetic live show. Various national awards – including Radio FFN “Local Heroes” and finalist at the Bundesrockfestival – also confirm the high musical quality.

Band members:

Pepe Pierez – Guitars/Vocals
Gunnar Erxleben – Guitars
Matthias Schröder – Drums
Thorsten Penz – Bass

All Keys and Orchestrations written and performed by Pepe Pierez and Gunnar Erxleben

Discography:
(Released / Name / Label)

1987 – “From below” (Demo, self-released)
1991 – “Contrast in Union” (Demo, self-released)
1994 – “Grains of Sand” (Demo, self-released)
1996 – “Thirsty Fields” (Mini-CD, RAVE MUSIC)
1996 – “Return of the Summer” (Demo, self-released)
1997 – “The Landing” (Full-length CD, MUSIC IS INTELLIGENCE)
1998 – “Thirsty Fields” (full-length re-release + 5 new tracks, CD, MUSIC IS INTELLIGENCE)
1999 – “My own Universe” (Demo-CD, self-released)
2020 – “The New Prophecy” (Full-length CD, D-LP, Digital, Pure Steel Records)
2024 – “Dimension 5” (Full-length, El Puerto Records)

Artworks: Matthias Schröder