Our debut album celebrates it's first decade today!
ONE BAND, TWO FEET
The 10 songs which make up the album were recorded at Outhouse Studios in the UK in September 2011, under the watchful eye of engineers Ben Humphries and James Billinge and mixed / mastered by the incomparable John Mitchell. The decision to record a full-length album was taken in late 2010, with the approach of simply booking some studio time and recording whatever songs we had. How naive we were!
As a result, the tracklist of "TABULA RASA" shows HeKz at an interesting time in it's development, with one foot planted in the more trad metal style of the older material and the other furtively kicking at the door of all things prog.
Some songs on the album strike a balance between the two distinct styles - "Vendetta" walks that tightrope quite ably. Others veer more in one direction than the other - Bring the Fire and Hashashiyyin spring to mind.
Whilst arguably the least homogenous of the band's full-length recordings, the variety on the album certainly makes for an interesting listen and laid out the blueprint for what would follow on "CAERUS", "INVICTA" and, in time, "TERRA NOVA."
ALBUM LAUNCH
"TABULA RASA" came into the world on Friday 6th April 2012 with a launch show at Bedford Esquires, featuring an impressive supporting lineup of proggers AR and young metalsmiths As Daylight Dies.
The event was hosted by Keith "Keef" Pickering, who booked HeKz for our very first local shows in 2005. He even managed to film a few numbers from the set, check it out!
Whilst it doesn't appear on the album, "Flight of the Harpies" was a vital inclusion in the setlist of any hometown show!
This would be one of HeKz's final performances as a 4-piece as James Messenger would soon be recruited on keyboards, adding the extra dimension needed to complete the band's burgeoning progressive sound.
WILL THERE BE CAKE?
We're going to be celebrating the first decade with a few special things this month, starting tonight at 6pm BST.
Keep your eyes on this page and our socials to be the first to see what we're up to. In the meantime, let us know - what are your memories of "TABULA RASA"?
Did you attend the launch show back in 2012? What's your favourite moment on the album?