Melodic metal in the vein of Avantasia from Norway. PelleK is marvelous singer/composer and great musicians/vocalists appears on this album such as: Oliver Hartmann (Hartmann, At Vance, J.S Blackmore), Amanda Somerville (Avantasia, Trillium), Tommy ReinXeed (ReinXeed, Golden Resurrection), Tommy Karevik (Seventh Wonder).
The album will be released on May 30 via Liljegren Records / Doolittle group. Check out the video blogs below, to get a taste of the album.
PelleK is the artist-name of the norwegian rock/metal artist & singer Per Fredrik “PelleK” Åsly. His musical career started in 2009, where he entered the talent-show The X Factor on National TV in Norway. This TV show was broadcasted for millions of viewers in Norway.
PelleK showed Norway how to sing power metal songs, more than anything and also to try and introduce the Norwegian people to power metal (in some areas) “unheard of” music genre. Despite competing against the more than 12,000 pop and poprock singers, PelleK ended up top 12, and went on to the final rounds on live TV, singing Italian and German power metal songs.
Although a fun experience in retrospect, the norwegian mainstream limelight was not the place PelleK wanted to be. After finishing the gigs in Norway that were already booked, he started writing songs, and asked the fans’ opinions on them as he went along in form of videos posted on his own Youtube channell. PelleKs videos racked up more than 2 million views all together, and 6 months later the album was done.
The YouTube videos got alot of attention in the right places, and was also the reason why PelleK got the lead singer role for both his UK-based band Damnation Angels, and the USbased band Thw Anabasis. After coming home from a 30-day tour in the UK, PelleK drove to Stockholm, Sweden with his fiancè, to guest star in a music video with Tommy ReinXeed & Swedish Hitz Goes Metal (Video can be seen below).
At this time no one knew what was to become of the PelleK album Bag Of Tricks. It was on this day however, that A&R Christian Liljegren offered to sign PelleK to DooLittle Group which is the reason the album got the amazing sound produced by Tommy ReinXeed.
The lyrics in PelleK songs are written in a first-person narrative, and debut album “Bag of Tricks” touch upon the human emotions love, fear, and trust/strength. All in all, the message PelleK wants to convey is: Life’s hard, don’t give up, and don’t take it (or yourself) too seriously.
With guests like Tommy ReinXeed (ReinXeed, Golden Resurrection, Charlie Shred), Marit Børresen, Tommy Karevik (Seventh Wonder), Anders R.S, Oliver Hartmann (At Vance & Hartmann) and Amanda Somerville (Avantasia,Trillium),
The Bag of Trick‘s album will take you on a melodic and majestic metal journey through the mind. This is only the beginning of the PelleK saga!
Tracklist:
1. Entrance
2. Fugue State
3. Reason And Psychosis
4. Send My Message Home
5. Thundernight
6. Win
7. Don’t Belong
8. Stare Into My Eyes
9. Born In Babylon
10. Bag Of Tricks
11. Conflagrate My Heart
Line-up/Musicians
– PelleK / vocals, keyboards
– Tommy ReinXeed / guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals, orchestration, drums, programming
– Gisha / guitars
– Oliver Hartmann / vocals on “Reason” and “Psychosis”
– Marit Borresen / vocals
– Amanda Sommerville
/ vocals on Send My “Message Home”
– Anders Ringdal Strom / acoustic guitars, lead vocals on “Born In Babylon”
– Tommy Karevik / vocals on “Stare Into My Eyes”
Weblinks PelleK: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Liljegren Records / Doolittle Group