First-ever vinyl and cassette releases due Sept. 17 alongside expanded 2CD feat. bonus disc of live material
M-Theory Audio will reissue “State of Insurgency,” the acclaimed 2008 debut album from California neo-thrashers HEXEN, on Sept. 17. The band’s combination of old-school ferocity, new-school technicality and socially conscious lyrics helped them stand out in the fiercely competitive Southern California thrash revival that birthed acts such as Warbringer, Exmortus, Merciless Death and Fueled By Fire. Pre-orders for the upcoming reissue – available as a red vinyl double LP, limited cassette and a 2CD with a bonus disc of previously unreleased live tracks – are available now HERE.
Says drummer Carlos Cruz (Warbinger, Machine Head, Power Trip, Ohm), “Thirteen years later, out from the remains of the blast radius, no longer out-of-print, prepare yourselves for a brand-new double-CD with loads of never-before-heard extras and for the first time ever, the album on vinyl and cassette! My goal was to celebrate my first-ever full-length studio album by pressing and releasing it DIY on vinyl, but thanks to Marco Barbieri, his team at M-Theory Audio and the extensive archive of founding member Andre Hartoonian, we were able to go above and beyond our expectations on this re-release for thrash fans everywhere! Amass the insurrection!”
“State of Insurgency” – originally released by OSM Records – was powered by the shredding double-guitar assault of Ronny Dorian and James Lopez, the precise drumming of Cruz and the dextrous bass and searing vocals of Hartoonian. The album – produced by Dave Swanson (Carnifex, Riot V), and featuring cover art from iconic metal artist Ed Repka (Megadeth, Death) – was hailed by Blabbermouth for being “well-written, molten thrash metal… heartfelt and proudly old-school… jam-packed with great riffs.” HEXEN supported the album’s release via touring alongside fellow new-school thrashers such as Rattlehead and Mantic Ritual. Check out the band’s self-produced 2008 music video for the title track HERE.
M-Theory Audio’s reissue of “State of Insurgency” includes new liner notes and never-before-seen photos from the archive of Hartoonian. He adds, “The most important part of this entire project for me was how the vinyl would sound. I am SO glad to say that we lucked out. I’ve not been able to stop listening to the LP test pressings because our album has never sounded so good. EVERYTHING has been improved in the new vinyl remaster. Better instrument separation. Better vocal presence, allowing the riffs to be better heard now without anything being buried. You can actually clearly hear the bass guitar now! The kick drums have a bassy boom to them now, and parts where you couldn’t exactly hear the riffs underneath the vocals, you can hear them all clearly now the entire time. Everything has improved. Vinyl-heads are gonna eat this shit up!”
More information on HEXEN and “State of Insurgency” will be unveiled in the weeks to come by M-Theory Audio.
HEXEN “State of Insurgency”-era Lineup:
Andre Hartoonian (bass, vocals)
Ronny Dorian (guitars)
Carlos Cruz (drums)
James Lopez (guitars)
For more information:
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