Biographie

Biographie

HolyHell, the name itself is indicative of the band's music. Combining angelic operatic female vocals with demonic thunderous metal riffs, HolyHell is something new and unexpected in the world of heavy music. Unlike the myriad of female-fronted metal music acts that have appeared on the scene, HolyHell presents a new sound without any pretenses, bolstered by the vision and the talents of the latest female sensation to hit the metal scene, vocalist Maria Breon. A classically trained singer possessing a unique and powerful voice, Breon is destined to become the new queen of metal.

Comprised of five diverse and talented musicians, HolyHell’s founder, Maria Breon, spent years developing the concept of HolyHell. The look and sound of the band was influenced by Breon's innate curiosity about the human condition, the eternal struggle between good and evil, heaven and hell, darkness and light that affects the internal conflicts we experience as human beings. An insightful mind that analyzes the spiritual aspects of life on this planet, Breon uses Biblical terms with gothic overtones. Her lyrics are epic in content, but can also be metaphors identifying struggles we all face on a daily basis. She resurrects thoughts of angels and demons amongst us and the possibility that we all possess a measure of both. The juxtaposition of angels that are holy and angels that succumb to evil, such as the fall from grace of Lucifer, now deemed the Angel of Darkness, is brought to light as references relatable to humans anywhere.

With the concept intact, now came the task of bringing the band to life. The first to sign on was ex-MANOWAR drummer, Rhino. Adding his own brand of power and might, he has taken HolyHell to another level. Attracting another legendary talent, Breon scored a major coup with Joe Stump. Known to the world as “The Shred Lord,” Stump is an acclaimed heavy metal guitar virtuoso who has already made his mark on the world of power metal. With many solo albums to his credit, Stump continues to progress and has recently released a collection of his greatest hits on the Magic Circle Music label. Francisco Palomo is an internationally known artist who was proclaimed the newest keyboard prodigy on the rock and metal scene; bassist Jay Rigney is one of the Boston area’s top studio musicians and has performed extensively with Joe Stump, making the chemistry between the two extraordinary.

The unified effort of all of these artists is truly something that must be heard to be appreciated. Mixing elements of classic metal and hard rock with orchestral arrangements and haunting gothic melodies, HolyHell is a tour de force of powerful, heavy music. “All members of the band are classically trained and it makes them extremely skillful musicians. Their schooling and the immense pool of experience in the genres of classical and rock music make this a gifted group of professionals. Regardless, we are more open-minded than traditionally trained classical musicians. In the end, we are all about metal and giving our blood, sweat and tears for the music and for the fans,” said keyboardist, Francisco Palomo.

HolyHell‘s popularity initially skyrocketed based on their live performances alone. When their EP debuted, it immediately appeared in the German Top 100 charts. The press became enamored with the band. Famous metal journalist, Gunnar Sauermann, who traveled on tour with HolyHell wrote, "...Maria’s powerful voice is always on key. Her own mixture of a heavy metal and dark female tone is a very good alternative to the squeaky voices of the Gothic copies which are springing up all over Europe at the moment..."

Produced by Joey DeMaio of MANOWAR, their exciting self-titled debut album is ready to appear on the metal horizon in June of 2009. “HOLYHELL” was mixed and mastered at the famed Galaxy Studios in Belgium by two of the industry’s award-winning professionals. Engineer Ronald Prent put the midas touch on the mix while two-time Grammy winner, Darcy Proper mastered the disc to perfection. In addition, the songwriting collaborations of Breon, Palomo and Stump produced magical results. The album will feature songs released on the Apocalyse EP which set the stage and the story for the full length album, plus nine new songs. The new material consists of songs such as “Holy Water.” "The lyrics speak of good that comes to the rescue, about facing the fire and begging for water to cool it down. About someone who has entered the dark side and needs to be redeemed. It’s basic human nature to go to extremes. If we commit evil deeds, we try to alleviate the guilt, to seek atonement, “explained Breon. "Prophecy" was the first song written by Breon and keyboardist, Palomo. The song foretells the events of the other songs. It is about discovering your destiny and fulfilling it. “Angel of Darkness” is an example of the music writing the lyrics. It is dark, intriguing, scary, exciting, intense and emotional. "Gates of Hell” plays on the polar opposite of everyone’s take on the gates of heaven. This song was the prequel to “Angel of Darkness” and it focuses on cause and effect, the antagonist to light, the opposites and the conflicts that make it all work. How boring life would be without that bit of excitement. In the end, the ups and downs, the crash and burn make for amazing stories,” said Breon. This work of metal art will be deemed the dawn of creation for NEW power metal.

About to embark on the "Death To Infidels Tour 2009," as special guests of MANOWAR, HolyHell will perform at 6 of Europe's major festivals in the summer of 2009, culminating with Magic Circle Festival III at the Loreley in Germany. So get ready for the unique combination of metal and gothic power accented by the cult of personality that is Maria Breon and HolyHell.