The Wring – Nemesis (2024) (WormHoleDeath Records) – Out Sept 27th
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Band Name: The Wring
Album Title: Nemesis
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Label: WormHoleDeath Records
Distribution: Aural/Orchard
Thewring.ca | Facebook.com/thewringband | Instagram.com/wringband | Youtube.com/@thewringband | https://linktr.ee/thewringband
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“Prog’s Tracks Of The Week (Aug 16)” – The Sword – The Wring – Prog Magazine
“There is a distinct, and quite energetic, 90s prog feel to Nemesis, reminiscent of bands such as Watchtower and Galactic Cowboys. The songs are loaded with intricate drumming, rock-solid bass playing, and great riffs and solos. Hache’s vocals may not work for everyone but they do for me, making this a super addition to any prog fan’s catalog. 4/5″ – Heavy Music HQ
“A lesson in classic and modern prog metal! Had Doug Pinnick and Jim Matheos come together for a joint project in the late 80’s, throwing together the progressive list of one with the groovy cornerstones of the other background band, wouldn’t it be so unlikely that the fantastic output wouldn’t stray too far from the Canadians at THE WRING in terms of sound. The band has already released three notable records in the past and has also attracted international attention with “Spectra” (2022)… THE WRING has already created some exciting moments on “Spectra”; However, “Nemesis” is finally the Champions League format that a trio with such advantages would actually have belonged in from the start. 9/10″ – PowerMetal.de
“Heads up prog-metal fans! Canada’s The Wring have a hot new number with “The Sword” and it’s not messin’ around. An early peak from their forthcoming album “Nemesis” due to drop on Sept. 27th, “The Sword” is complex with high power riffs, solos, a double kick throughout and soaring vocals that makesfor a beast of a track. Catch “The Sword” from The Wring on your Home for the Best New Rock…W-J-O-EEEE” – WJOE – Findlay’s Home for Rock & Roll
“This album marks a significant step in the band’s journey, showcasing a more cohesive and refined sound that blends their heavy rock roots with progressive and jazz influences. With eight tracks spanning just over 40 minutes, “Nemesis” adds a new, technical twist to progressive metal. – The Prog Space
““Nemesis” is a must for prog metal aficionados and their future is bright.” – Wormwood Chronicles
“recommended to every fan of technically perfect, slightly metallic prog rock, great bass lines” – Betreutes Proggen
“The hard prog songs are powerful and impress in their arrangements.8/10″ – Soundmagnet
“9 years and 4 albums into this band’s career have helped create some astonishing prog metal. It can get as catchy as hard rock radio, it can get as adventurous as jazz metal, and everything in between. I hear as much from bands like Watchtower as I hear as proggier sides of Between The Buried and Me and Cynic. There’s a dark sense of curiosity going on throughout the album that keeps it intriguing. If this sounds like it could be for you (keeping in mind it is all clean vocals), this is more than worth your time. It’s mesmerizing music written without being too wanky and written for the sake of fretboard Olympics, this is authentic. Seriously, give it a spin if you need some throwback but modern prog metal in your life.” – Heavy Debriefings
“Canadian band The Wring are out with the album “Nemesis”, and progressive rock is the style explored on this production. It is a variety of hard progressive rock we get in this case, by a band that does flirt ever so slightly with some metal attitudes along the way too. But in terms of expression and execution, I’d rather place this band in a similar kind of context as Canadian giants Rush. The songs are at least superficially straight forward sounding affairs, but with minute, subtle and quirky instrument details and structural changes taking place in a seamless manner. Occasionally with more overt alterations taking place too, on a few occasions reminding me ever so slightly about Voivod in the manner of how such alterations are executed. There is a bit of a classic rock element present here too, again with similarities to aforementioned Rush in that department, and the landscapes explored on this album should also have a reach and an appeal beyond the progressive rock universe due to that factor. The Wring strikes me as a band that explore a variety of progressive rock with a similar attitude as Rush in many ways, but making use of more contemporary impulses as they traverse the landscapes they explore. And I’d hazard a bet that many of the people that find that description interesting will find this album to be an enjoyable one.” – Progressor
“There is something about this band which reminds me of a combination of Mastermind and Rush, but given they are Canadian it is perhaps not surprising that they have picked up some of those influences along the way. There is no room to hide in a trio, and each of these guys are on fire, happily blasting away doing whatever needs to be done to ensure the metallic beast which is The Wring keeps on blasting. It starts at the base, with a rhythm section who are content to both provide the platform and take lead roles when the need arises, a singer who is very good indeed (not sure why he did not sing on the last album, which I have not heard), and a guitarist who likes to provide thick licks and plenty of multi-tracking so the sound is always good and heavy. They are much more heavy rock/hard rock than anything else, but the prog and jazz tendencies have just enough to push them out of the normal metal mainstream, so I can see why they were accepted by Heavy Prog on PA, but I can imagine it was an interesting discussion. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to seeing what they come up with next.” – Prog Archives
“Here’s one for prog dorks. This outfit’s third outing (Spectra) features drums by Marco Minnemann so you know the rhythms are mad. The regulars in the band ain’t slouches either though. This is intricate and melodic prog done well.” – Metal Injection (The Wring – Spectra – 2022)
“A band composed of top artists from the world prog scene, each of whom brings their own style to the band’s sound. Technique and energy, melodic passages, dynamic and expressive vocals and elaborate instrumental sections characterise the album. A recommended listen for all lovers of Progressive Metal sounds, an album to listen to again and again, always managing to give us positive emotions.” – Progressive Rock Journal (The Wring – Spectra – 2022)
“Tired of prog metal bands who fire away odd rhythms, fast solos and complex arrangements? Half of them trying to sound like Dream Theater but all failing completely? Look no further. The Wring from Canada offers great musicians who find their own way through the prog metal jungle. I said great musicians and I really stand for that. Or how about Marco Minneman (drums), Chandler Mogel (vocals), Don Dewulf (guitars), Reggie Hache (bass, keyboards) and Isamu McGregor (keyboards)”… Sometimes they are a bit more commercial, like in the first song ”Stiletto”, reminding me a lot of Threshold. Other songs bring a bombastic wall of sound, with riffs do die for – ”The Wolf” is a great example. The early parts of ”Fallen” has some Rush vibes (of the later and more rock base Rush era) and also softer parts Mogel is a very good vocalist, and he can alter his voice a lot. Something of a voice chameleon!” – Melodic.net (The Wring – Spectra – 2022)
“The opening notes of ‘Sins’ remind me of the opening salvo in Judas Priest’s ‘The Ripper’. Some of the riff structures are also reminiscent of Priest and it’s another great track.” – TheProgSpace (The Wring – Spectra – 2022)
“The third album Spectra by the Canadian progressive rock project The Wring is downright infectious with its joy of playing and catchy Hard Prog Rock songs. There really is a lot of light and very little shadow here.” – Soundmagnet (The Wring – Spectra – 2022)
““Wring² Project Cipher comes with a heavy, classic rock feel, but there’s an epic, questing nature to tunes like Sorceress, Steelier and Dose that pushes The Wring beyond metal norms and into prog territory.” – Prog Magazine (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“Here we have some progressive metal/classic metal, getting a little more into some more typical prog metal with good technical/complex stuff and yeah, keyboards!” – The Moshpit 89.9 FM – Madison, WI (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“The extreme professionalism on display throughout this entire album, although a labour of love, is a true master class of musicianship performed by musicians who are truly at the top of their game, making the industry what it is today. The sheer attention to detail is a credit to each and every performer as they tailor their craft neatly and precisely throughout every track, with nothing less than perfect being the order of the day.” – Stargazer Music Magazine (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“Overall, the entire album is laden with a rich tapestry of sound and lyrics, well thought out and carefully developed by founder member and visionary Don Dewulf, taking the listener on that perfect journey of thought, and is a credit to its makers gathering no dust in any collection. 10/10” – Stargazer Music Magazine (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“Thanks to his renowned session musicians and original compositions, The Wring is a refreshing discovery that offers a personal reading of modern metal. 4/5” – Music Waves (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“What sounds at first to be a straight-forward rock album, turns out to be so much more. It’s a tad short, but sometimes less is more. You can hear many influences in these tracks, some of them familiar, but The Wring have stamped their own identity all over it. This should keep you going for the time being but expect more from Don Dewulf with The Wring3 already in the recording stage!” – The Prog Space (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“Dewulf’s guitar work shines throughout, at times reminiscent of Alex Lifeson in his prime, such as his powerful solo on ‘Steelier’ which soars above the raging musical maelstrom below. There’s even a funk-infused breakout on ‘Dose’, which is infectious with its driving hook. It’s an absorbing record, one that takes time to soak in, but several plays ensure that it’s burnt deep into the memory. When those end-of-year lists come round, ‘Wring² Project Cipher’ is likely to be pushing for a slot.” – The Razor’s Edge (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“The Wring generally succeed at what they’re going for—Dewulf has produced a fun, catchy record. Particularly on the album’s middle section (“Cipher,” “Steelier” and “Dissension”), there’s some great songs with great riffs. If you’re after some new prog, you could do a lot worse than this album, and I found it quite hard to score.” – Angry Metal Guy (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
“The overall sound is something like the heavier side of Rush, with hooks and melodic elements smoothing out the guitar crunch, making this very accessible.” – The Progressive Aspect (The Wring – Project Cipher 2021)
[Download Album Cover | Download Album Lyrics]
Band Name: The Wring
Album Title: Nemesis
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Label: WormHoleDeath Records
Distribution: Aural/Orchard
Track Listing:
1. Badlands – 5:13
2. The Nail – 5:29
3. Blur – 4:17
4. The Sword – 5:37
5. Before I Disappear – 4:39
6. Welshrats – 5:18
7. Dark Passenger – 5:20
8. Nemesis – 4:47
Total 40:40
Album Credits:
• All songs performed by: Dewulf/Hache/Abbott
• All songs written by: Don Dewulf/Reggie Hache
• Produced by: Don Dewulf
• Mixed by: Francis Perron/Radicart Studios
• Mastered by: Alex Sergerie/SLAMM Audio
• Album Artwork by: Gord Woolley
• Member of SOCAN
• Canadian Content (MAPL)
Album Band Line Up:
Don Dewulf – Guitars
Reggie Hache – Bass, Vocals & Keyboards
Kyle Brian Abbott – Drums
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Describe the album artwork:
A friend of mine is a graphic designer and is responsible for all cover art and packaging for Nemesis and for the previous album, Spectra. Our process is now predictable and somewhat amusing. I sit down and carefully mock up ideas and concepts complete with artwork and other images. He then takes my ideas and converts them into proper visualizations but then he will stick a couple of his own ideas on at the end. We always go with his ideas. The cover depicts a cool image of a jellyfish. Oceans are a critical element in our survival and the jellyfish is an interesting allegory; deadly to humans, food for turtles and sensitive to human-caused climate change. A kind of circle of Nemesis…
Describe the album as a whole (Lyrically and Musically)
A nemesis is defined as a long-standing enemy and/or an inescapable agent of one’s downfall. Society’s individuals are buffeted constantly on all sides and internally by such forces, sometimes real, sometimes imagined. It seems that every human interaction now is adversarial. “Monkey killing monkey over pieces of the ground…They fight till they die” (Tool – ‘Right in Two” – 10,000 Days). The lyrics reflect my feelings on these things. Musically, I have no constraint so I write what I like, and I combine seemingly unrelated styles. Ever since I heard Hocus Pocus by Focus, I have been fascinated and obsessed with playing jazz chords in a hard rock/metal format. I think it adds so much depth and interest. I also build parts around jazz progressions which do the same and then intersperse super heavy metal parts to really let the songs bloom!
Track by track (Lyrically and Musically)
Badlands
Bad behaviour of major media outlets has given rise to powerful lower tier/social media that operate without any requirement for truth or decency; conflicting accounts, conspiracy theory, assertions without proof but presented as fact. It’s everywhere, but most obvious in the USA where almost every issue is dramatically polarized. Even the average semi-intelligent person doesn’t really know what to believe anymore. Musically, Badlands starts with a crushing bass riff leading into an angular verse and a very metal pre-chorus. The chorus is open and singable. I love the solo. It’s got some Lydian forms which has a ‘crooked major’ jazzy kind of vibe. Fun to play.
The Nail
The rise of populism in politics combined with the power of social media has given platform to a wide base of groups with extreme views. These groups previously operated on the fringes of society but figureheads like Trump have validated their ideas and subsequent actions, giving rise to insurrection and a general disrespect previously unseen. What they don’t understand is that they are just tools of megalomaniacs – they are the nail, not the hammer. And we are truly watching the end of all decency. The music here is all over the place. Some tried and true metal parts with another somewhat jazzy solo break – more in the chords than the notes. Another singable chorus but it goes to odd time in second half with Reggie starting on different beats each iteration. Fun stuff.
The Sword
The most ‘metal’ song and theme. If you live by the sword, you will die the same… I played this on a Dave Mustaine old-school Jackson King V for some historical vibe as well as tightness in attack. I also changed picks for the main riff… I almost exclusively use the Dunlop Malmsteen now (though I modify each one to have a sharper tip) but for this song, I used the Dunlop Jeff Loomis, which is thick, very stiff and has a sharp point. It was important to get the proper string tone and attack. Weird how these things make such a difference.
Before I Disappear
At a certain point in everyone’s life, each of us will start to think about mortality and legacy. I certainly don’t dwell on these things, but I have a son that is now a young adult, and we are very close, so I often think about the overlap of the contexts of our lives. A proper moral compass is the best I can do, and the song is about that. The music has a very major feel and is the most ‘pop’ of any Wring song, which I balance out with a very evil sounding pre-chorus. The solo starts out somewhat Skynyrd-esque but, of course, ends on the dark side of the street.
Welshrats
Weltschmerz (or the Americanized version – Welshrats) is a term from John Steinbeck’s ‘East of Eden’ and is loosely interpreted as a vague sense of sadness that can’t really be traced to a specific event. The song is about dealing with that – trying to understand it and come out the other side. I listen to a wide variety of music for inspiration, and I think this one came out of a Steely Dan phase with a Slayer/Lamb of God pre-chorus thrown in, just to scare off the yacht rockers…
Dark Passenger
A simple critique of humanity’s almost complete disregard for our planet and each other. ‘Dark Passenger’ came from the TV show ‘Dexter’; the title character’s ‘dark passenger’ was the personification of what drives him to kill. We are the earth’s dark passenger. We have poisoned our planet and each other and we are all facing existential crisis, though are still, for the most part, oblivious. Musically, this song drifts among genres with some straight-ahead rock riffs, dreamy arpeggios and odd-time breakdowns. The solo is short but one of my favourites. Tricky and fun to play.
Nemesis
Believe it or not, this is a break-up song. The song tries to examine the physiology and psychology of a tough separation. We’ve all had at least one nemesis moment. Like most of the songs on ‘Side 2’, it features a wide palette of musical styles with jazzy progressions mixed with distinctly metal riffing and a dissonant solo section. I particularly like the chorus, musically as well as lyrically. A very minor progression that I find heart wrenching with words that complement that, delivered emotionally by Reggie.
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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:
1. As I was scouring SoundBetter for players for Spectra, I kept coming back to Reggie Hache’s profile, and rightfully so. He ended up playing bass and keys on Spectra and those performances were unreal. At the time, I also auditioned him for vocals… What he sent back didn’t work, so I got someone else. For some reason, I asked him to try again for Nemesis with a different approach and it was exactly what I was after! It was a simple lack of communication/clarity on my part otherwise he would have done Spectra too. Oh well.
2. I connected with Carlo Belotti at Wormholedeath Records for the release of the second album, Project Cipher. He and his colleague were so kind and enthusiastic about my music that it was a no-brainer to return to them for Spectra. In a world where music is essentially free, an obscure studio project has sketchy prospects for financial success. I fully planned on releasing Nemesis independently to save WHD the cost and effort. Carlo was relentless in his objection. He convinced me to continue with them and offered an amazing marketing package to support the record. It’s hard to put a value to that kind of kindness, enthusiasm and support.
3. Project Cipher and Spectra both featured performances from some very prominent musicians including two of the best (known) drummers in the rock world today. At the time, it was incredibly gratifying to have these guys interested in what I was doing, and in many ways, it still is. What I’ve learned though is that having more emotionally invested players yields a different kind of energy. Only the listener will really determine if this is true, but I feel that Nemesis has a more cohesive and vibrant feel because my relationship with the players was more interactive.
4. I discovered Francis Perron when I was looking for a mixing engineer for Spectra. He turned out to be an amazing addition to the team! He has 2 Junos for his work with Voivod (one of my favourite bands!) but is incredibly humble and kind. Until recently, all of our interactions were by messaging. Finally, we connected via Zoom and it turns out that he typically avoids that because his first language is French and he is self-conscious about his English. It was an endearing moment for me, highlighting the humanity of such a great talent. And… his English is very good!! Way better than my French!!
5. Two things I’ll always remember about my musical journey: having an album get a good review in Prog Magazine and having a video posted on the Bravewords website. Those are two places I’ve been going for many years for music news. To see my music there is surreal. These things would not have happened without Jon Asher at Ashermedia. So… even if you have a record deal, find a great publicist!!
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The Wring – Album Lineup – L-R – Kyle Brian Abbott – Drums, Don Dewulf – Guitars, Reggie Hache – Bass, Vocals & Keyboards
Sudbury, Canada’s intrepid prog act The Wring is thrilled to announce the release of their fourth album “Nemesis” this coming September 2024 from WormHoleDeath Records. The album follows 2022’s highly praised “Spectra”. For this new record and new songs, band founder, Don Dewulf recruited a new drummer, Kyle Brian Abbott along with seeing the incredible talent of bassist Reggie Hache return and taking over vocal duties.
“Our previous album Spectra introduced me to the incredible talent of bassist Reggie Hache. Nemesis will also feature his vocal genius, delivering what I believe to be the most cohesive and memorable set of songs to date. Kyle Brian Abbott performed all drums on this record. Kyle is a precise and articulate player who was the metronomic backdrop for often slippery and shifting time. An absolute powerhouse.” adds Dewulf.
Dewulf also recruited the Juno award-winning talent of Francis Perron once again for mixing duties.
“The music would not be the same without him,” adds Dewulf.
Dewulf thinks that every album finds new ways to expand on his vision. “Nemesis” feels like the most cohesive record to date he has created and there are a couple of tracks that are more accessible than anything previously done, so it may attract a new range of new listeners.
The album is titled ‘Nemesis’ because every song deals with some sort of conflict; mostly with an adversary that is either unseen or difficult to overcome. The music is similarly juxtaposed, with hard rock and metal mixed with jazz and prog elements. It makes for interesting listening but all within 5 minute songs.
“There is also plenty of wankery for metal heads and proggies.” says Dewulf
Recommended for fans of Rush, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and Dream Theater, “Nemesis” is due out on September 27th, 2024 on WormHoleDeath Records and is available for pre-save at https://orcd.co/nemesispre-save
DISCOGRAPHY
2024 – Nemesis
2022 – Spectra
2021 – Project Cipher
2019 – 48 oz. – Single
2017 – The Wring – Self-titled Album
Shared Stage with:
Anvil, Diamond Head, Sven Gali, Dead Daisies, Hookers & Blow
Tours and Festivals:
2018 – Budweiser New Music Festival – Sudbury – Finger Eleven, Glorious Sons, Crown Lands
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