ARTIZAN drummer/founder Ty Tammeus has teamed up with legendary producer Jim Morris (CRIMSON GLORY, DEATH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, ICED EARTH, KAMELOT) for the band’s forthcoming release “The Furthest Reaches Part 2: The Gaia Effect”, the follow-up to the heavy metal opera “The Furthest Reaches”, released in 2015. Morris is co-owner of the iconic Morrisound Studios located in Tampa, Florida, known for its extensive catalog of classic heavy metal.Tammeus comments: “Jim and I go way back to my days with the power metal band LEVIATHAN. A friend of mine had a cassette copy of ‘Transcendence’ by CRIMSON GLORY. The production was absolutely stellar, and I knew we needed to find a way to work with him. I sent Jim our first demo in 1989 and he agreed to produce and engineer our first release, the self-titled EP ‘Leviathan’. We flew Jim to Colorado for the sessions. A strong relationship was established and I have worked with him on every album since. This will be our seventh project together. But what sets this apart is the fact that I am co-writing all the material with him. Jim has written, and will be tracking, all guitars, bass, and synth, and is featured prominently on backup vocals. Jim will also be focusing on groundbreaking soundscaping that will be demonstrated in the final mix utilizing Dolby Surround. This is the ideal opportunity to showcase Jim’s abilities not only as a producer/engineer, but as a songwriter/performer, crystalizing the vision I have for this album.””The Furthest Reaches Part 2: The Gaia Effect” is an epic hard rock sci-fi saga, featuring elements of classic 1970s prog rock and modern metal. With a running time of over seventy minutes, all the stops have been pulled to deliver even more of the glorious, soaring, catchy melodies ARTIZAN is known for, along with truly dynamic, compelling song structure and storytelling.Nearly broken by the neglect of Man, Mother Earth strikes back, unleashing an apocolyptic maelstrom against humanity. But another factor exists — an interstellar force with its own agenda. The Keepers are back from The Furthest Reaches and they intend to uphold their promise.Morris says: “I first met Ty and Tom when they connected with me to produce a project for their band LEVIATHAN in Colorado sometime in 1990. I thought Tom had a great melodic metal voice, and Ty’s playing was fresh and interesting, really a feature of the music. Years later, they approached me with a new band, ARTIZAN. We worked on several records over the next ten years or so, always great, story-based writing, and really fun sessions. The band went through several amicable member changes, all the while featuring Ty and Tom. I let them know that I would always be ready to work with them, no matter the situation. Fast forward to February of 2024, and a call from Ty, asking if I would be interested in being involved with both the writing and the actual playing on another new record. I jumped at the chance to dig in with Ty and Tom on the ground floor. At that point, Ty and I started a really enjoyable writing collaboration. It was my goal to feature both of their talents while pushing ourselves to make the best record and songs that we could. I’ve been able to draw on my years of experience as an engineer and/or producer for artists like SAVATAGE, CRIMSON GLORY, ICED EARTH, DEATH and many others, to help focus this ARTIZAN record to that level. I love the results. Damn, this has been fun!”A world-class lineup has been assembled to portray the characters:* Matt Barlow (ASHES OF ARES, ICED EARTH) reprises his role as Xul-Gar, leader of The Keepers, providing a mindblowing performance on a seven minute track, specifically curated to showcase his extensive vocal prowess.Barlow says: “I feel very honored to have been asked to perform as a guest vocalist on another amazing ARTIZAN album. I believe this to be the magnum opus for Ty. I am grateful to be a part of it.”Stu Block (INTO ETERNITY, ICED EARTH) contributes his vocal talents on an equally mind-blowing track harrowing retribution on humanity.Block says: “It was a pleasure working with Ty on my song. He is truly a very talented artist with a clear vision for his music. It was also awesome to work with the legend himself (Jim Morris) again!”* Ray Alder (FATES WARNING) portrays “The Watcher” — an alien from a planet deep in our galaxy, delivering a stark warning to Mankind.* Sabrina Valentine (SEVEN KINGDOMS) returns with an emotional performance embodying the spirit of Mother Earth (Gaia).And, of course, the trademark voice of ARTIZAN frontman Tom Braden will be showcased throughout the album.The artwork, songlist and official running time for “The Furthest Reaches Part 2: The Gaia Effect” will be revealed in the coming weeks.Catch up on the entire ARTIZAN catalog at artizan.bandcamp.com.
