 Ostrogoth Tour 2014 |
Metallifreak 
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... Ostrogoth is playing in your country! Check the country or clubs and check the band page out for more info soon ... one of James hetfield's favorite '80s band .
2014.04.04 - Munich Club Concert, Germany
2014.04.05 - Innsbruck Livestage, Austria
2014.04.06 - Milano Blue Rose Saloon, Italy
2014.05.09 - Wuustwezel Sterbos Puntpop, Belgium
2014.05.11 - Athens Kyttaro Live Club Heavy Metal Assault vol.2, Greece
2014.06.07 - Erpe Mere Summerrock, Belgium
2014.06.07 - Poperinge, Heavy Sound Festival, Belgium
2014.09.13 - Andernach JUZ Swordbrothers Festival XIII, Germany
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07.01.2014 19:31 |
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Metallifreak
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Registration Date: 27.05.2005
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BIO
OSTROGOTH is an old school heavy-metal band from Ghent Belgium. The band writes, records and plays their own music since the early eighties of the previous century.Although the few interruptions as an active band, OSTROGOTH is still on the map nowadays. Influenced by bands as Scorpions, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and more melodic hard-rock bands, OSTROGOTH strives to write high quality and harmonic melodies combined with pounding drums and groovy bass-lines. Vocals and backing vocals have always been an important aspect to the band’s sound as a whole as well.
    
Josey Hindrix.....................Mario ‘Grizzly’ Pauwels..........Marnix Van De Kauter.........Rudy Vercruysse................Dario Frodo
In the beginning
The very roots of the band OSTROGOTH are to be found in 1976 when drummer Mario ‘Grizzly’ Pauwels and Marnix ‘Bronco’ Van De Kauter start jamming together with Phil(emon) Leybaert and Jean-Pierre De Keghel.
Luc Minne joins Ostrogoth as vocalist and soon enough it is clear what kind of music they are after. Influenced by melodic bands as The Beatles, Queen, Yes, Grand Funk, the more heavy style is unmistakable one you can call, melodic hard-rock with multiple changes in one song. At that time, the band changes names from Stonehenge into OSTROGOTH.
Guitarplayer Jean-Pierre asks to be replaced by Hans ’Sphinx’ Vandekerckhove, for personal reasons. Sometime later ‘Sphinx’ is traveling the world for his Doctorship in Eastern Philology. OSTROGOTH arranges auditions for an additional guitarplayer as they plan more harmonic instrumentals for songs to be written.
Rudy ‘WhiteShark’ Vercruysse comes out as best choice for the job and by the time ‘Sphinx’ rejoins the band, ‘WhiteShark’ manages to play all the songs flawlessly in harmony with the band. Little time after that, the singer from ‘White Temple’ Marc ‘Red Star’ De Brauwer, who takes place in front of the stage, replaces Luc Minne. OSTROGOTH is finally formed and ready to rock!
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07.01.2014 19:41 |
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Metallifreak
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First Album: Full Moon’s Eyes.
Early 1983 OSTROGOTH decides to spend some studio time to record their first album, the EP ‘Full Moon’s Eyes’ at the Kritz studio’s in Kuurne, Belgium. As soon as the first tracks are mastered, OSTROGOTH gets an invitation to be broadcasted by a regional radio show, called Domino. Two of the four songs went on air on that Saturday evening and the next day ‘Mausoleum Records’ calls OSTROGOTH to present a deal for the album. The people from Mausoleum Records suggest taking all expenses and prepare a record deal, which OSTROGOTH accepts. By May 1983, the album Full Moon’s Eyes can be released to the public.
During the Heavy Sound festival 1983 in Bruges where OSTROGOTH kicks off as first band to play, the album sells like hot-dogs. The crowd is wild enthusiastic and among them are a few guys from the U.S., later known as METALLICA. James Hetfield remembers the band OSTROGOTH until now, which he mentions in an interview. He can even sing the song The Full Moon’s Eyes out of his head. Back then Metallica often put on the Ostrogoth EP ‘cassette’ in their tour bus, he told the interviewer. OSTROGOTH also wishes to thank James for wearing a Full moon’s Eyes T-shirt backstage at Werchter Boutique 2012, Belgium and for pics on the Metallica 2013 calendar! In addition, the Ostrogoth patches on his denim jackets on stage are a big honor to us.
Ecstasy and Danger 1984
After a successful year 1983, a new album is on the line. Before booking studio-time for the album Ecstasy and Danger, an alternative version of the title song appears on the compilation album ‘If it’s loud we’re proud’, and is recorded at the Rainbow studios in Herent Belgium. Two other Belgian bands are on this compilation as well: Killer and Crossfire. OSTROGOTH hires the Kritz Studios again to record their second album, a full length LP. Mausoleum Records is still involved in the production for some OSTROGOTH records; they allow to do their thing all by themselves. The result is a complete different album with lots of experimenting and even more changes and melody, guitar twins, rhythmical breaks and a singer at his best. Later on, in 2007 the song Queen of Desire appears on the PlayStation-3 game ‘Brutal Legend’ among bands like Ozzy Osbourne, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Scorpions and a lot more. Ostrogoth is the very first band on the very first edition of the famous Belgian Pukkelpop festival in 1985 which now covers three days of high quality bands from all over the world.
Too Hot 1985
One year later, OSTROGOTH is ready for a new album, Too Hot. This time, Mausoleum urges the band to record the album in Brussels at the Shiva studios.
Producer Alex Gietz is the man at the mixing table who will look after all the details to put a perfect album together. A few special techniques are well thought over to achieve a strong sound. OSTROGOTH spends nearly two months in there. Backing vocalists are hired in as Peter De Wint i.e., who becomes Ostrogoth singer on the last album later on.
Feelings of fury 1987
After the Too Hot release and some tremendous gigs, ‘Sphinx’ cannot longer combine the rock and roll world with his job at the University of Tubingen and leaves the band. Shortly before ‘Bronco’ has quit as well for personal reasons and a long search for other musicians is on. Meanwhile keyboard player Chris Taerwe joins Ostrogoth by means of completion of melodies. Auditions attract some guitar players from all over Belgium and two guys are found to be the best choices. Junao Martins, a Brazilian guitarist and Pierre Villafranca, a bass player with roots in Spain join OSTROGOTH.
Ostrogoth 1987Sometime later ‘Red Star’ leaves the band also and again Ostrogoth is in search of a new guy. Peter De Wint, former ‘Crossfire’ singer who already appeared as backing vocalist on Too Hot is the man for the job. Therefore, OSTROGOTH (with only two of the original members ‘Grizzly’ and ‘WhiteShark’) and four new guys are putting heads together to start writing songs for the album Feelings of Fury. A one-day recording session for the whole album as a tryout, results in a decent set of songs so studio time is booked again, this time at the Rainbow Studios.
Ward Cuzsinsky is attracted as producer. The man worked with the Belgian band ‘Bad Lizard’ before.
Production quality is far from ideal on Feelings of Fury but the songs stand as a brick wall. Shortly after recording the album Pierre Villafranca leaves the band and Sylvain Cherotti takes his place for the concerts to come …. A lot of them. A tour is scheduled through Germany in 1987 and on the way back concerts are booked in the Netherlands. Due to visa problems, only the Dutch tour takes place. Disputes rise and musical differences pop up among band members. Finally, the band split end of 1987 just to sleep for 15 years until 2002.
2002 Mausoleum Records 20th anniversary
Mausoleum Records is about to celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2002. Alfie Falckenbach tries to put an ‘all stars band’ together with musicians within Mausoleum Records from over the past twenty years. He contacts Grizzly and it appears that all original OSTROGOTH members, except for ‘Sphinx’ who died in 1989 from a heart failure, are still available. They agree to perform live on stage at Biebob in Vosselaar. The band thus is Grizzly, Bronco, WhiteShark and Red Star from the early days, Junao Martins, and Peter De Wint from the 1986 line-up. 15 years of Ostrogoth silence is not what you can call routine on stage; so rehearsing like crazy is needed to accomplish a decent performance, only three months after the first contacts with Alfie.
A ‘three times a week’ rehearsing period of three months is just enough to be ready for the concert on May 10 2002. The concert is being recorded on DAT and six songs are drawn for the live compilation CD ‘Mausoleum Records 20th anniversary’. Red Star and Peter De Wint each take credits for three songs on that CD.
Killer with only ‘Shorty’ as original member and Mark Van Caelenberge and Rudy Van De Sijpe from ‘Crossfire’ playing with ‘Native Instinct’ are the only other Mausoleum all stars musicians.
As for surprise-act ‘Doro’ performs two songs from Warlock with the guys from Killer and by means of apotheosis, Killer’s ‘Shorty’, Doro and Ostrogoth playing all together ‘Love in the Street’ by Ostrogoth. The concert is attended by a bunch of Greek fans who read about the reunion of OSTROGOTH; they invite OSTROGOTH to play in Athens as headliner of a two-day festival in September 2002. The gig is a big success.
CD’s taken from the four albums, together with the live jubilee cd are released all over the world.
Shortly after that and a few concerts later, OSTROGOTH decides to bury the axes again due to several disagreements and undelivered promises.
April 2010
The blood flows as long as one lives. So almost 8 years later, after several tries from Grizzly’s part, Bronco and WhiteShark again share a table with Grizzly to talk about a proposition from the Ages of Metal organization to perform on their festival on October 9 2010. Red Star and Junao Martins are part of the band again as well, so rehearsals can start all over. Although the gig at AOM 2010 is not the best from OSTROGOTH, they are convinced of the capacity and keep hanging on to their believe to do better.
Next concert is in January 2011 with Wishbone Ash but OSTROGOTH has to cancel for urgent medical treatment on Bronco’s back. Meanwhile Junao decides to quit the band. A new guitarist Dario ‘Mister’ Frodo, well known by Grizzly – playing together in a former progressive rock band – enters the band. Dario is nowadays still member of OSTROGOTH and that is likely to stay.
The Greek guys had a good time back in 2002 and again OSTROGOTH is invited to do a headline show at Up The Hammers Festival in Athens on March 21 2011. Dario ‘Mister’ Frodo learns as fast as a ‘shark’. By the time Up The Hammers approaches, OSTROGOTH is once more ready for the show. The gig is a huge success with a crazy, singing, banging crowd. Keep It True XV in Germany is the next event on the agenda, a high standard festival with lots of good bands. Who wouldn’t like to play there…? Again, it was not to happen because WhiteShark had a terrible work accident at the end of March, sawing almost off his left hand.The guys from Ostrogoth are devastated but decide to wait for WhiteShark to fully recover. All for one, one for all. During that period of non-activity, Bronco suffers from a heart disease and surgery was eminent. Will it ever stop?By the end of 2011, the band is again operational and can start rehearsing for the postponed gig at Keep It True XV. “Thank you KIT for the second chance!” Two months before KIT Red Star leaves the band and Josey Hindrix takes his place. Once more OSTROGOTH survives a stressful period of rehearsing with yet a new member.That said, OSTROGOTH is working hard to be the best they can and to deliver very well on stage. Which is likely what happens according to some articles; many positive reactions on the band’s performance at Keep it True XV appear in fanzines.
Ostrogoth wishes to thank the ever faithfull roadies Tuur an Ludwig for supporting the band at all times since the beginning of existance. In other words, these guys too are Ostrogoth !!
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07.01.2014 19:42 |
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Metallifreak
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Josey Hindrix
The cold Northern winds blowing over the shore of the Belgian coastline brings a new era into the Ostrogoth saga. The search for a new singer came to an end late march 2012 and the band was pleased to announce that George “Josey” Hindrix will be fronting Ostrogoth. Only one month later, the band played its first gig.
George “Josey” Hindrix took his first musical steps in 1985 as rhythm guitarist in the Southern Rockband “Highway 61″, the band only lasted a couple of years and in 1989 he was one of the founding members of the Ostend based metal band “Firehorse”. There he took up the role of front man for the first time.The band had its highlights in 1991 when they played several local festivals, amongst them the Ostend infamous “Paulus feesten”. Unfortunately due to life, work and so on he was no longer able to keep playing in bands. He only returned to the scene late 1999 when asked to help out a friend with a prog-rock project by the name of “Edge of Eternity” as leadguitarist, not much later the bands vocalist left and he saw himself thrust into the position of frontman once again. This also had a strong impact on the the band with a new line-up and a new musical direction forcing a name change into “Hangmanz Jury”. Again he enjoyed some minor success and appraisal as they played a couple of gigs and festivals without really breaking trough outside the local scene. The band split in the fall of 2004 en yet again came a break in his musical aspirations until he was approached by the members of what later became “HeartAttack” to take up the part of leadsinger in their “classic rock” cover band. It was during one of their performances he was noticed and subsequently enlisted as the new front man for Ostrogoth.
Mario ‘Grizzly’ Pauwels
Mario “Grizzly” Pauwels saw birth in a musical family, his father being a professional musician and composer while his uncles and grandfather on his mother’s side were stage entertainers and musicians too. Mario grew up in an environment where music was a daily topic. He got to learn the swingtime and big band drive before falling in love with the Beatles’ era and related British bands. Later on Mario’s musical taste expanded to bands as Steppenwolf, Santana, Grand Funk Railroad, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath.
GrizzlyAs a young kid, he was very attracted to guitars and rhythm, but finally destiny led him to the drums. Mario “Grizzly” Pauwels formed a few local bands with school friends and youth companions. Phil and Marnix (Bronco) were some of them and later on JP joined the pack, with whom he made some demos and successful gigs. This fellowship led to the band STONEHENGE, which turned into OSTROGOTH during 1980.
Mario’s personal musical preference during this period was focused on bands as Judas Priest, Rush, Saxon, Scorpions and Iron Maiden. Then he realized that hardrock and heavy metal was his kind of musical fantasy.
Together with his companions Bronco, Whiteshark, Sphinx and Red Star he made 3 excellent albums, and a fourth with a changed line-up, in which Rudy still stood tall next to the Grizzly. Sadly, OSTROGOTH turned out the light in 1988, because of a lack of record company support and musical differences.
He joined his friend Dr.Moonshine in the power trio band SHELLSHOCK. A few months later, Mario was reunited with Italian bassist Sly and Brazilian guitarplayer Junao, with whom he recorded the last Ostrogoth album. The band HERMETIC BROTHERHOOD made an instrumental fusion metal album, which was very progressive at that time in Belgium…
Mario played during the 90’s with different kind of musicians from all over the world and he joined even a daring and surprising movieproject (together with Luc Hensill, a zooom traveler), for which he composed some music, in collaboration with HIGH DEFINITION FIREBIRD.
Beginning of the millennium, Mario again contacted his former fellowship members and a first reunion was a fact! Although, media support was again not sufficiently present, our record company mainly interested in personal promotion and after a few nice gigs, the band was on standby again….
He decided to expand his musical and spiritual journey and joined some interesting bands, where he learnt to widen his knowledge on other musical approaches.
Finally, in 2010, the Ostro brotherhood reunited for the third time and this time for real! Since then, Grizzly’s heart again beats and pounds for OSTROGOTH, who realized a new approach and astonishing determination, not only by the venue of two fresh, young and motivated members, but also by the full awareness that no one can run away from his destiny… Hail…
Marnix ‘Bronco’ Van De Kauter
Marnix ‘Bronco’ Van De Kauter
Marnix is too damn busy living his life to write something here. Check back soon!
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07.01.2014 19:47 |
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Metallifreak
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Rudy ‘Whiteshark’ Vercruysse
Music has always had a place in my life since my birthday in 1955. Family members on mothers side were musicians in all kind of genres throughout the years. I got my first guitar at age of 14, it was a small Spanish nylon stringed ¾ model on which I learned the basics from a friend. Thank you Sam!! 1955 plus 14 … isn’t that 1969….? Lol. That soon changed my interest to more heavy stuff like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Jimi Hendrix style and yes, like many of my generation, the first sounds produced with my “Hopf” strat model came through a modified old radio.
I quickly found some friends to jam with, so a year later my first ‘concert’ at the local City Hall was a fact. It wasn’t a big deal but more than enough to lose my heart to the stage, never to be healed from that lovely disease.
A few years and a couple of bands later Ostrogoth was searching for an additional guitarist. When I first met the guys the fire was on immediately. We quickly got along with each other and that is still the right basis to make music from the heart.
During the inactivity period of Ostrogoth in the nineties I followed several courses at the music academy to finally study the things I was doing before. There’s nothing I would recommend more to any starting musicians than that, except private lessons when affordable.
Also in the nineties I had a few projects with friends. Among them Bad Lizard singer Eddy Termote and others.
The “Mausoleum Records 20th anniversary concert” brought Ostrogoth back together after being inactive for several years. It didn’t last long however and I continued with my own projects.
Since 2010 my heart beats for Ostrogoth again until now and may health be with me, for numerous amount of years to come. An accident at work almost ended my musical career permanently. Fortunately by the end of 2011 I was more than adequately recovered to pick up my axe again.
Gear over the years: All links are taken from the web and are not exactly mine.
Dario ‘Mister’ Frodo
Hi Y’all,
I was born on July 20th in Ghent, Belgium. In my youth, I was a decent soccerplayer, but had to quit because of injuries. At the age of 12, I really got seriously interested in music, especially in guitars.
Reason for that was the single “I want it all” from the legendary band Queen. My dad bought “The miracle” from Queen, and “Appetite for destruction” by G ‘n R and the great guitarstuff and songwriting (especially by Queen 
changed my life completely. A couple of months later I started buying my own vinyl records with the little money I got from my parents. Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Metallica and Queensryche were among the first to enter my room!
At the age of 13 I started playing the guitar myself, not really seriously though, not until I was 16/17 years old and discovered guitarplayers like Paul Gilbert, Greg Howe, Tony Mc Alpine and Joe Satriani.
My first real band experience started at the age of 18, when I was asked to join the hardrock-coverband “Outbreak”, together with some good friends and great musicians like Bart De Walsche and Patrick Vantroyen (oa. Bad lizard, Universe). Outbreak was a perfect learning school for me and we did a lot of gigs over the 4 years I played with the band. Unfortunately, Outbreak had to stop because of the severe backinjuries of Patrick, and no one in the band wanted to have another drummer because of Pat’s legacy!
In 2000 I saw an advertisement from a guy who wanted a “Brian May” in his orchestral symphonic rockproject. Ghiribizzi was born and lasted for me until 2007 when I left the band after recording two albums.
In 2005 I was asked by my good friend Pete Mush (keyboardplayer Ghiribizzi) to play on the first Quantum Fantay record “Agapanthusterra”. The band was quickly rising thanks to the adventurous playing parts and haunting melodies.
Quantum Fantay’s name rose quickly and nowadays is seen as a world-leading band in the progressive-psychedelic spacerockworld,. The band has toured extensively in Europe and the US and is currently working on the fifth studioalbum set for release late 2013/2014.
In 2006, I became a Brian Moore endorser. Brian Moore is a manufacturer of high-end guitars, adding features like piezo, guitarsynths and even USB built-in.
In 2009 I got the offer of PRS (Paul Reed Smith) to join the PRS family. I am extremely happy to be part of what I feel, in my humble opinion, to be the greatest manufacturer with the best guitars made.
At the end of 2010, I was asked by Grizzly (who had played with me in Ghiribizzi in 2002) to join the re-incarnation of Ostrogoth. Obviously I immediately agreed, since Ostrogoth is a true legacy for me. When I started listening to heavy music, “Feelings of Fury” was just released and quickly I knew all of Ostro’s work, including classics like “Full Moon’s Eyes” and “Ecstasy and Danger”.
Over the years I’ve been blessed to tour or share the stage with a lot of remarkable artists, too many to mention, but here are some: Joe Bonamassa, Derek Trucks (Allman Brothers), Uriah Heep, Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Wailers, Mother’s Finest, Opeth, Treshold, Pain of Salvation, Ozric Tentacles, Uli John Roth, Steve Hackett ( Genesis) and many others…. But the most impressive I kept for last, George Duke (oa. Frank Zappa).
These incredible musicians keep on inspiring me to become a much better player and artist, and until my nose falls off, the world has not seen /heard the last of me
Meanwhile, stay focused while Ostrogoth is returning in 2013 with “30 years of Full Moon’s Eyes” and later on with brand new stuff.
I’d also like you to take a look at my other bands:
Quantum Fantay
and if you’re in for a great night of some of the finest coversongs
STS (Something to Say)
Right now I say cheers to you all and hope to see you soon somewhere on tour!
Yours truly
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07.01.2014 19:48 |
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