~ Archived News

2008.05.21

Vocalist Norman Skinner of the US metal band Imagika has been invited by KWTF The Edge Internet radio to host a two-hour show where he will play songs by some of his current favorite bands. Norman also promises to play a couple songs from the brand new Imagika album “Feast For The Hated”, so make sure to tune in Friday, May 30th at 10:00 p.m. CST at www.kwtfworldwide.com and choose the player that fits your needs.

2008.05.20

Today is the day!!

Imagika’s 6th CD “Feast For The Hated” has been released today in the US.

Imagika has recently added a 2nd song from the new CD onto our MySpace page: Imagika MySpace

The song is titled “Bleed As One… Appease The Gods”!!

Check it out and let us know what you think of it.

Imagika will be guests on 90.5 www.ksjs.org this Thursday 05/22/08 to promote the release of “Feast For The Hated” as well as our CD Release Show this Friday.

We will be on The Insanitarium @ 10:00 PM (PST) with The Madman. We hope all of you can tune in for it.

2008.04.27

Heavy Magazine in Germany has just released their first quarter results for best new releases. These results are compiled from 12 highly regarded Heavy Metal critics that each reviewed 52 new albums.

I am happy to announce that the new Imagika album “Feast For The Hated” has placed #12 atop their list. NOT BAD!!!!

#12

The album hit stores all over Europe this past Friday the 25th and the reveiws have all been pretty positive. Hopefully we will see some good CD sales!!

As for the US and the rest of the world, you must still wait until Tuesday, May 20th for the US release. The CD will be available most everywhere.

For our local fans we will have copies for sale at our CD release show that following Friday May 23rd. We will also have a new line of shirts for the guys AND gals! This will be the first time Imagika girlie T’s are available. For those that are not local we will of course make the new shirts available through our website.

The CD release show features Thrash Legends “Agent Steel” as well as Los Angeles based thrashers “Anger As Art” & locals “Fog of War”.

We will be raffling off a brand new Dean Guitar as well as new Imagika T-shirts, CD’s and autographed pictures of the band.

The show is at Fat City SF
Show starts @ 9:00 and tickets are $12.00. You can purchase them at:

Ticketfusion.com

Demo recording has been going on in the Machine Called Man camp. All drums, guitars, & bass have been tracked so it looks like this weekend I will be recording demo vocals. As soon as we have some rough mixes we will be posting songs on our MySpace page.

This Wednesday will be the last Machine Called Man show for a few months while we work on getting new songs finished and the demo mixed.

A few months ago I announced that I was disbanding Tramontane and that 1 last 4 song EP would be recorded and released before calling it a day.

Track Listing:

  1. Call of The Kindred: Pt. I – The Hunger
  2. Call of The Kindred: Pt. II – The Embrace
  3. Call of The Kindred: Pt. III – The Fledgling
  4. Hurt Again

I plan on recording this CD this fall if all goes as planned and then finding a new label to release it.

I decided to hold everyone over until that time to upload a small sample from each of the 4 songs. These samples are unfinished/unmixed demo tracks but should definitely give you an idea of what the album will sound like.

The songs have been uploaded to the Tramontane MySpace Page.

If you don’t have Tramontane added as a friend please send a request. While you are there; listen to 2 tracks from the ’98 CD "December Dark". This was the first CD I ever did. LOL!!!



2008.03.17

RockStreams.com Has just uploaded a promo page for the new Imagika CD "Feast For The Hated".

On the page you can hear the newest single "Thinning Out The Herd" as well as view new pictures of the band.

Click Here: Imagika Rock Stream

2008.03.07

Imagika has released the cover art and the song "Thinning Out The Herd" from their "Feast For The Hated" CD to be released by Locomotive Records on 4/25/08 in Europe and 5/20/08 in North America.
The song & cover art are available here.
The song can also be heard on the band’s MySpace:
www.myspace.com/imagikametal.

Imagika will also be holding a record release party at Fat City in San Francisco on 5/23 with special guest Agent Steel headlining the show. Also appearing will be Anger As Art & Fog of War.

2008.01.12

Happy New Year!! Another bunch of news to report...

Imagika has signed a worldwide deal with Locomotive Records for the release of their new CD “Feast For The Hated” The release date is 4/25/08 for Europe and 05/20/08 for the rest of the world. The band is very happy to part of the labels great roster of artists. The bands last CD “My Bloodied Wings” will still be released by Sleaszy Rider in Europe. This is a re-release with new art and the bonus track “Haunt Me”. The release is scheduled for Jan. ’08. Imagika has also signed with the Extreme Music Agency for all future bookings.

I'm sorry to have to announce that long time bassist Elena Luciano has left Imagika after 6 years due to “personal issues.” Imagika wishes her all the best. Her replacement is SF Bay Area Metal veteran Jim Pegram. At this time we'd also like to announce the addition of Corey Krick as second guitarist. Both new members bring a fresh attitude and enthusiasm to the band and Imagika looks forward to their future involvement. Happy New Year indeed!

Machine Called Man played it's 1st show in 3 years and it went extremely well. The band plans to continue playing shows during most of '08. In November we also had our first photo shoot in 4 years. I have put a few pics up in the gallery section for your viewing pleasure.

I am also happy to announce that writing for Machine Called Man's next CD is drawing even closer. We have a couple songs to put finishing touches on and then we will begin pre-production for the new album. Check back for more details as they become available.

I had a absolute blast performing with Katagory V in Salt Lake City. I made a lot of new friends and it was fun to meet a few of the Imagika/MCM fans that came out to support. I was sent a few pictures from the show that I have posted in the gallery section.

I need to announce that I am officially disbanding Tramontane. With the successes of Imagika & Machine Called Man I just can't find the time to give 100% to that project. Therefore the album "The End of Tribulation" will not be released. I apologize to fans of Tramontane but can offer a bit of good news. There will be 1 final Tramontane release called "Call of The Kindred". This will be a 4 song EP containing the following tracks:

Call of The Kindred: Pt. 1 - The Hunger
Call of The Kindred: Pt. 2 - The Embrace
Call of The Kindred: Pt. 3 - The Fledgling
Hurt Again

This album will close a very special chapter in my life as I did a lot of learning and growing as a vocalist during my days in Tramontane. I will release more information about the CD at a later date.

2007.10.16

Well, I have been extremely busy so there is plenty to announce:

Imagika has signed a new record deal with Sleaszy Rider Records for the release of our “My Bloodied Wings” CD in Europe. The CD has been repackaged for the release including new artwork and a bonus track titled "Haunt Me". A fall release date is expected. The original version was released in North America by Crash Music last July. Sleaszy Rider will also release Imagika’s new CD next spring titled "Feast For The Hated". The band recorded the CD in late Aug. with Thierry Migeotte at his Blue Turtle Productions Studio. The band then headed to Sweden to once again mix\master the album with Andy LaRocque of King Diamond at his new Sonic Train Studios.

The CD is currently scheduled for a spring ’08 release. The title of the CD is “Feast For The Hated” and will include the following tracks:

  1. Your Creator
  2. New Power Rises
  3. Thinning Out The Herd
  4. Bleed as One… Appease The Gods
  5. Feast For The Hated
  6. Behind Immoral Eyes
  7. The Sick Sense
  8. Fear & Doubt
  9. Waking A Dead Man
  10. Succubus

Imagika has also signed a new Management deal with Skydra Management as well as a deal with Headbanging Agency for our tours. So plenty of good things lined up for Imagika! We have also had a new photo shoot done recently. I have added a few new pictures to the gallery section.

For those of you that made it out to our Oregon dates I want to thank you personally. We had an absolute blast!! Imagika has since fired short term guitarist Noor LaCroix. He will not appear on the new CD “Feast For The Hated”. The band is currently looking for a new guitarist. Candidates will have to work out of the San Francisco Bay Area. 7 and 6 string guitar abilities are required as well as attitude, image, pro gear and ability to tour. Interested individuals can contact Imagika at imagika6@gmail.com Please provide us with a sample of your playing and picture.

It has finally been annouced this week that indeed I will be performing a full set w/ Katagory V in Salt Lake City, UT on October 27th. This will be their CD release show for their new album "Hymns of Dissension" released September 25 in Europe via Burning Star Records & October 9 in the U.S. and Canada through Nightmare Records. I hope to see anyone in the area there as this will be a special show for sure.

Machine Called Man have been very hard at work writing the follow-up to the 2005 release 2.004. We currently have 6 completed songs and are preparing to do some pre-production demoing. Fans can expect samples to be posted here and on our MySpace account by Christmas.

Machine Called Man will also be performing our first show in over 3 years on November 30th @ Rooster's Roadhouse in Alameda. Hope to see everyone there.

2007.06.07

Machine Called Man has welcomed Ramon Ochoa (Ex - Total Eclipse / Down Factor) as our new drummer. With this addition to the band the writing for the next album is finally coming together.

We are completing the first 6 songs for our next album and are currently seeking a new label to release the disc.

Songs from our “2.004” release can be heard on our MySpace page.

Interested label representatives can contact us at: machinecalledman@gmail.com

Imagika have posted a demo version of a new song entitled "The Sick Sense", on our MySpace page. We do hope everyone enjoys the song.

We are completing the last of the songwriting for the follow-up to "My Bloodied Wings" and are presently recording demos of the new material. We plan on playing a few west coast dates before entering the studio in late August to track the album. Fans can expect a spring '08 release.

Tramontane are set to resume mixing of the demo tracks in October. Stay tuned for samples to be uploaded to our Myspace page.

2007.04.19

Imagika have been writing up a storm in the studio and have 11 songs finished or near completion. We started preproduction recordings of a few of the songs a couple weeks ago and decided to upload one to our website for everyone to enjoy. The song is called "The Sick Sense" and will be featured on our next as yet untitled release. Click the link below to hear it:

The Sick Sense (2007 Demo)

2007.03.25

MetalReviews.com has reviewed Imagika's latest release "My Bloddied Wings". Another very positive review. You can read it by clicking the link below and selecting Previous Reviews. Once on the previous reviews page Select March 2007 - Week 1:

Imagika - My Bloodied Wings Review

2007.03.03

Your's truly was asked by IMOTEP Magazine for my picks of 2006. This was a great honor to be listed along side of many of Metal's greats. And if you are wondering why the picture of me looks so good, it's actually a picture of Imagika bassist Elena Luciano. You can check out the list here: Best of 2006

My picks for 2006 were:

ds
In Flames - Come Clarity

sd
Scar Symmetry - Pitch Black Progress

sd
Poisonblack - Lust Stained Despair

Imagika are still busy writing up a storm for the next CD. We've got a good 7 songs in the works and will be doing some preproduction recordings this month. Imagika fans will not have to wait long for our 6th release.

Machine Called Man is extremely please to announce that Alex Sheldon (Bass) has returned to the band. Alex Sheldon can be heard on the 2005 release "2.004".

Things are rolling along in the MCM camp. We have been busy writing for our next CD. We've got a good 7 songs or so in the works and hope to name a new drummer sometime in the near future as well.

Tramontane finally has a home on Myspace. Currently 2 tracks from the '98 EP December Dark are available for listening.

Tramontane - Myspace

However the band is now on hiatus until August '07. Check back at that time for an update and NEW demo recordings of the upcoming CD.

2006.11.14

Powerslave.com has posted a review of our last live show. Click the link below to read the article.

Powerslave.com Review

2006.11.04

Things have been a bit slow on the band fronts as of late so forgive me for the lack of updates.

A video interview of Imagika has been posted on You Tube, conducted by Mike The Taco Man. This interview was just following our show in Alameda on October 20th. Click the link below to watch it.

Imagika Interview Video

Imagika has been hard at work writing new material for our next CD. We currently have about 5 songs in the works.

Machine Called Man is still writing new material as well for our follow-up CD. We have about 6 in the works and hope to finish those up soon.

Tramontane is putting the finishing touches on the demo tracks for the next CD "The End of Tribulation". Once the demo tracks are finished we will be posting a couple of the tracks on a new Tramontane Myspace page.

Be sure to check out Legen Beltza's new Disc "Dimension of Pain" containing the track "War of Wars" featuring both Steven Rice & myself from Imagika.

2006.09.09

I had a blast at Minneapolis Mayhem 3 and want to thank all the Imagika fans that came out to support us. I've uploaded 3 new pictures to the gallery section taken from that concert. I'd like to Thank Adam Warner and Gryphonmetal.ch for the use of the shots.

I was also sent a short review of the show. To read it click on the link below.

Minneapolis Mayhem III Review

In 2002 I recorded vocals for a Rock project called The Doggies. I was contacted recently and notified the album was close to completion and would be available soon. I will post more information once I have it. Samples are available on their website: The Doggies Website.

2006.08.19

Imagika has been gearing up for Minneapolis Mayhem III this weekend. We are looking forward to performing and meeting many of our fans in the Northeast. We have also been writing for our 6th album and already have 3 new songs in the works.

We are still holding open auditions for a 2nd guitarist. If you are interested please contact Steven Rice using this link: Imagika@hotmail.com

The Imagika website has gotten a new makeover to coincide with the release of "My Bloodied Wings". Check it out by clicking the link below:

Official Imagika Website

The band recently did an interview with Metal-Rules.com. This interview was done by the entire band and can be read by clicking the link below.

Imagika Interview

Machine Called Man is looking for a drummer. If interested please contact the band via our website:

Machine Called Man Official Website

2006.07.14

On Tuesday July 11th, Imagika released it's 5th album "My Bloodied Wings" across North America. The album can be purchased in most CD stores. Maximum Metal.com has spotlighted the CD for this months review section. To read the review click on the link here.

Your's truly has just finished an interview with RockDetector.com. To read it click here.

Imagika is now on iSound.com. The full song "Throw The Horns" is available for download here. Sign up to hear many great metal bands and be sure to add Imagika as a friend.

2006.06.25

Thank you to all the fans that stayed for the show on the 23rd. We eventually hit the stage at 1:30 AM I believe but still had a blast!!

Imagika will be shooting their first music video in August with Dawnrunner Productions for the track "Hunter's Moon" from our new CD "My Bloodied Wings" which will be released on July 11th through Crash Music Inc. The video will utilize some of the concepts from the CDs artwork. The video will be available at the end of August thru numerous outlets.

Imagika would like to thank Metal-Realm.net for creating another official forum for Imagika fans. Imagika now has 3 official forums:

Imagika - UltimateMetal.com

Imagika - Metal-Realm.net

Imagika - Evil's Rising (Brazil)

Paul Thuriot will be relocating back to the bay area in July and writing for the next Machine Called Man album will kick into gear.

2006.06.17

Due to Dragonlord's US tour cancellation Imagika has been asked to fill in and headline the June 23rd date in Concord, CA. This is a last minute gig and all the info is below:

IMAGIKA
TAUNTED
FOG OF WAR
OSKOREI

Friday, June 23rd, 2006
Bourbon St. Comedy Club
2765 Clayton Rd.
Concord, CA 94519

Show is 18+ and starts at 9:00 PM

Hope to see you all there!!

2006.06.06

Imagika have released a new tune called "Throw The Horns" via their MySpace profile.

Imagika - Myspace

This is the second preview from the band's new album, "My Bloodied Wings", which will be released July 11 through Crash Music in North America. The follow-up to last year's "Devils on Both Sides" was recorded at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California and was mixed at Los Angered Recording in Gothenburg, Sweden with Andy LaRocque of King Diamond fame.

Imagika have officially split with Mausoleum Records and are currently looking for an interested label to issue the "My Bloodied Wings" CD in Europe. Any interested parties can contact the band at imagika@hotmail.com.

2006.05.11

Pre-production for the next Tramontane CD is going at a nice pace. Drums & all guitars have been recorded as well as vocals. Right now we are in the middle of recording keyboards and then we will finish it up with bass. As soon as it is mixed we will of course have a couple samples up for everyone to listen to. A track order hasn't been set but here are the track titles:

  • 7 Years of Judgement
  • The End of Tribulation
  • Sinking Ships
  • Drown
  • The Consensus
  • Call of The Kindred: The Hunger
  • Call of The Kindred: The Embrace
  • Call of The Kindred: The Fledgling
  • Some Wounds (Never Heal)
  • Hurt Again

2006.05.04

I'm sorry to report that Imagika drummer Henry Moreno has fractured his index finger and will be unable to play for 3-4 weeks. This means that the Imagika show scheduled for May 13th in Berkeley, CA is cancelled.

Guitarist Pat Toms has left Imagika to pursue his career. We wish him the best with his future and will use this downtime to find a suitable replacement.

As some of you may have noticed Savascream.com was down for about a week due to ongoing problems with our web hosting company. We have now switched to a new company and given the site a new look.


2006.04.21

Imagika has been confirmed for Minneapolis Mayhem 3 set to take place August 25-26 at Star Central in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The bands announced to play so far are:

Avenger of Blood
Cold Colours
Division
Exciter
Gaia Epicus
Head On Collision
Hirax
Imagika
Jag Panzer
Noctuary
Omen
Steel Attack
Tankard
Under Eden
Usurper

2006.03.31

Imagika has just signed a licensing deal with Crash Records for the North American release of "My Bloodied Wings". The CD will be released in stores July 11th, 2006. I will update you as soon as a European release date is decided upon. Imagika Drummer "Henry Moreno" has also just finished the album artwork and it is very impressive. Click the thumbnail below to view a larger version.

fd

Spanish Thrashers "Legen Beltza" have released the list of guest stars to appear on their two part epic "War of Wars". The songs will appear on their upcoming release "Dimension of Pain" this June through mausoleum records..

War of Wars 1:
Johan Liiva ( Ex Arch Enemy )
Martin Akesson ( Impious )
Filip ( Corporation 187 )
Christofer Malmstrom ( Darkane )
Juergen Volks ( Rawhead Rexx )
Brigi Duque ( Koma )

War of Wars 2:
Freddy Persson ( Nostradameus)
John Dones (Cardinal Sin)
Pat Savelkoul (Callenishcircle)
Norman Skinner (Imagika)
Johan Lindstrand (The Crown)
Steve Rice (Imagika)
Alex Heggenauer (Soul Demise)
Arkadius (Suidakra)
Ben Varon (Amoral)

2006.03.07

Imagika has just confirmed it's 1st 3 shows for 2006. One show in San Francisco and another in San jose, all the info is on the shows page. I can't wait to hit the stage and shake off some of the Holiday rust. We will be performing many new songs from the upcoming "My Bloodied Wings" album. Imagika has also just finished a photo shoot for the new CD with Photographer Dave Lepori.

Tramontane is still in the middle of preproduction for our next CD & the writing continues for the next Machine Called Man album. Also for those that don't know, I will be celebrating my 31st Birthday on March 9th!! Yay for me. That's about it for now... I will of course keep updating everyone as things progress.

 

2006.02.08

I have returned from Sweden and the recording and mix for Imagika's "My Bloodied Wings" is complete. As previously mentioned Andy La Rocque (King Diamond) handled the mix at his studio (Los Angered) and the CD sounds killer!! Looks like you can expect a release by late spring/early summer. We have put up one of the new tracks "Forever Darkened" on our official website: Imagika as well as on our Myspace page: Imagika Myspace. The track listing has also been set:

  • The Tongue of Nyx
  • Hunter's Moon
  • Second Coming
  • Throw The Horns
  • Heart of Icarus
  • Weaken
  • The Darkest of All Secrets
  • Inhuman
  • One More Day
  • Forever Darkened
  • My Bloodied Wings

I am also happy to announce that Hellion Records will be handeling distribution for Machine Called Man's 2005 release "2.004". Hopefully this will make it easier for our fans to buy the disc and help to promote Machine Called Man.

2006.01.17

The rest of Imagika departs today for Gothenburg, Sweden to begin mixing our next CD "My Bloodied Wings" with Andy La Rocque (King Diamond). The CD should be wrapped up by Mid-February. At that time we should have some relase date information for you as well as a new song from the CD posted on our Myspace account and on our website: Imagika. Of course I will also have the song available here as well.

The tracks (in no particular order) are:

  • Intro
    Hunter's Moon
    Inhuman
    Weaken
    Heart of Icarus
    My Bloodied Wings
    Forver Darkened
    Throw The Horns
    One More Day
    The Darkest of All Secrets
    Second Coming

I would personally like to thank Evandro Giroto for the Imagika Fan Site he has created for our Brazilian brothers.

Check it out here or on the links page!!: Imagika Fan Site

Tramontane began recording guitars for the preproduction demo for the upcoming "The End of Tribulation" CD. I'll keep everyone up to date on the progress and you can all look forward to a song from these demo recordings as a bit of a sneak preview. The MP3 will be available here as well as on the Tramontane Website. Once upon a time Tramontane had a Yahoo Group running and now that the band has been ressurected we will be utilizing it once again. For updated information ect. sign up here: Tramontane Yahoo Group.

I leave next week to Sweden and will update the site when I return.

2006.01.09

This past Friday I laid down tracks for the first 4 songs of the upcoming Imagika album "My Bloodied Wings". This album is sounding Monsterous and a bit heavier than the last album. I return to the studio on the 11th to hopefully belt out another 3 or 4 songs. Need to get all vocals done by the 16th before the band heads to Sweden to mix. I will be joining them on the 26th. Should be a really fun experience. I am currently working on the new tracks for the next Machine Called Man album and Tramontane is still looking for a new drummer. As soon as we get that position filled we can begin demoing the new album.

2005.12.05

This weekend I finished recording the last 4 demo tracks for the next Imagika album. The songs are really coming together now and we will be going over the final touches to make all last minute changes before entering the studio next month. My plans to record in Sweden have been changed. It looks like I will now be tracking my tracks here in California and then going to Sweden for the mixing and to do any touch-ups needed. For anyone that has been waiting for your Machine Called Man or Tramontane orders; they have all been mailed out just in time for the holidays. To the Machine Called Man fans our apologies as we ran out of our initial quantity and had to make more.

2005.12.01

Walter Massenkoff and Tramontane have parted ways. I began my musical journey with Walter in 1995 and played multiple shows with him over the last decade in both Tramontane & Machine Called Man. I wish him great success with his future musical endeavors. Tramontane will now begin the search for a suitable replacement. If you are a drummer and are interested in trying out for the position please contact me at this link: Drummer Wanted!

2005.11.30

Imagika will enter Trident Studios this month to begin recording our next CD "My Bloodied Wings". After all the instruments are recorded yours truly will be heading to Sweden to record vocals and mix the album with the rest of the band and Producer Andy La Rocque of King Diamond fame. We are expecting to release the CD once again through Mausoleum Records this Spring '06. In the meantime I am still recording vocal demos for the pre-production of "My Bloodied Wings" before we hit the studio. Imagika has also signed on with The Headbanging Agency to handle our upcoming European tour. Yup, looks like I will finally tour Europe for the first time. I am very excited.

2005.11.17

Well, time for my first official update. I want to thank everyone that came out to see Imagika at The Pound last month. The pictures from that show are now up in the gallery section courtesy of PhotoMistress.com. I have been busy recording pre-production vocals for the next Imagika album. So far the songs seem to be coming together rather nicely. The plan is to finish these demo recordings and enter the studio in January. Tramontane has finally finished all writing for the new album. We plan to begin recording demo versions of the songs before years end as well. For those Machine Called Man fans out there, you'll be happy to know I have received the first 2 songs from Guitarist Paul Thuriot and I have begun writing vocals for them. Hopefully we can have something for you by 2007. Thanks for your continued support and be sure to sign the guestbook.

2005.09.29

Savascream.com is live and running. I want to thank all my friends, family and of course my fans that have stood by me over the years. This site will keep you up to date on all the happenings with my bands and various projects. Please check back often as this site will be undergoing major updates and construction.

~Thank You
Norman Skinner

© Savascream Design 2006