Mephisto - Pentafixion (cd)

Jewelcase cd
‘The band Mephisto was founded in September 1997 in the city of Holguín, Cuba. Mephisto was the first Cuban metal group to combine a multitude of organic and orchestral sounds to emerge as the pioneers of the Black Metal genre in Cuba. Building on their unique sound, the band continued to push contemporary boundaries by appearing on stage in full make-up and costumes, another pioneering first, which caused a great movement within the national scene. With momentum building, 2018/2019 saw Mephisto welcome international representation with a view of developing a larger global following. Immediately Mephisto rebranded their image, logo and on stage style whilst simultaneously moving towards a more digital platform to facilitate the advancements in technology being felt throughout the music industry. With a grittier live performance harkening back to a more traditional hard edged Mephisto appearance, old fans and new ones alike, resonate with the Pioneers of Cuban Black Metal. Accepting invitations to appear at "The Beast in the Undercity”, Pinar del Rio, Bayamo Musicfest and Romerias de Mayo festivals, Mephisto quickly expanded these shows to encompass the entire nation; kicking off their “Haciendo Metal Cuba” tour in mid March 2019. Completing the run of dates in early May 2019, Mephisto once again returned to the studio to continue the development of their highly anticipated 2020 album “Pentafixion”. The band’s first single from this album titled “Pentafixion” was completed with filming for the complimentary video clip also undertaken. The video was shot on location in Havana by renowned Producer and Film Maker Victor Vinuesa (Vitiko) and demonstrates perfectly Mephisto’s professionalism, dedication and passion to their craft. Following up on this single, Mephisto under took it’s first tour of Nicaragua in late 2019 selling out venues and building a new fan base in the heart of Managua. A national tour of Cuba is now slated for mid 2021 before returning to Nicaragua for a run of dates later in 2021. BACKGROUND INFORMATION Mephisto is a band of prolific songwriters, recording numerous works over the past 2 decades, "Seven Dead Cities", "Knowledge of Necronomicom" and "Creation of the Magnificent" amongst them. From its foundation in 1997 Mephisto has built a solid reputation of professionalism which has seen them accept multiple invitations to perform at all the national festivals, including the Festivals of Pinar del Río (5), Ciudad Metal (9), Rock de la Loma (3), Cayman Rock (2), Athenas Rock (2), Sounds of the City (7), Rockevolucion, Brutal Fest and the longest standing festival in Cuba, the Romerias de Mayo Festival. Mephisto has also conducted performances at the Almendares Amphitheatre, Salón Rosado, Patio de María, Maxim Rock Havana and the Provincial Grand Theatre in Holguin to sell out audiences. Not content with these prestigious achievements, Mephisto developed and implemented plans to create and run the Metal HG Festival in their home town of Holguin. This festival continues to run annually since its conception and is a testament to their commitment to supporting both artists and the local music community alike.As Mephisto’s notoriety within the Cuban metal scene continued to expand, they were afforded many opportunities to share the stage with many international touring acts including Sugarless (Spain), Xapel Punk (Basque Country), Banda Bassotti (Italy), Kruks In KarnaK (Ecuador), Besatt (Poland). Their perseverance to excellence saw them officially recognised in 1999 becoming a project of the AHS (Cuba’s National Institution, the “Association Hermanos Saiz”), later becoming a National project achieving professionalization; which is recognised by the Cuban Ministry of Culture. Mephisto are now included in the Catalogue of Excellence of the Provincial Music Centre of Holguin. 2000 saw the release of their first official album "Carpathian Tales". This unique picture of the Cuba metal scene recorded in the studios of José Aquiles in Santiago de Cuba, was mixed and mastered by Raúl Nápoles a wellknown Cuban Engineer linked to the band “Agonizer” and the prestigious “Cuban Rock Agency”. For the next 2 years the band would tour the album nationally whilst continuing to write new material for their much anticipated follow up. By 2003, "Dominion Satanas" was recorded and slated for release to coincide with being honoured by the AHS Provincial with the “Venga la Esperanza” award. In that same year, “Symphony of Wolves” was included in the compilation “Territorio Libreproducido” by EGREM (Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales). In late 2003 / early 2004 Mephisto experienced a significant line up change which spurred the creation of yet more music and recordings. "Blasphemy and Evil" was tracked in 2004 and the band embrace music videos, creating their first clip for their single “Lord Dracula”. The clip was picked up and presented on National Television enjoying over 14 weeks of airtime on the state run media platform. Mephisto has since participated in television programs such as “Music and More Music”, “Giving the Note”, “A Buen Tiempo”, “Super 12”, “Lucas” and the National Music Awards night, the “Cuerda Viva” awards (where it has also received nominations for best album, most popular band, best single and best video). Whilst the band enjoyed a prolonged period of stability, they took their new line up to the masses, frequently engaging in live touring up until 2010. 2012 saw yet again a line up change with key figures returning to Mephisto to commence work on their biggest project yet. By September 2014 Mephisto was positioned to reveal the results of 2 years of secretive work. Joining with the Holguín Symphony Orchestra, Mephisto yet again proved their “pioneering” label to be justified, presenting the first ever Black Metal/Symphonic Orchestral album live in concert at the Holguin Provincial Theatre to a sold out audience. Spanning songs throughout their musical career including new material, the concert was critically acclaimed, spawning a comprehensive DVD and CD to be distributed through their label Bis Music. This material was nominated in the 2014 Cubadisco Awards for “Best Metal” album. Enjoying the success of the 2014/15 release, Mephisto signed with the Mexican label Concreto Records to distribute their new album “Reborn From Ashes”, which was released late 2016 throughout South America and their home country Cuba. 2017 saw the band scale back its national touring commitments and local performances leading to the departure of peripheral band members. With another infusion of musical influences and styles through the addition of new members, Mephisto commenced writing the follow up album to “Reborn from Ashes” whilst contributing to the compilation album “Metal Por México,” an multi-national Initiative released in Mexico to collect money for the victims of the 2018 earthquakes.