Heavenwood

Heavenwood is a Portuguese doom metal and gothic metal group from Vila Nova de Gaia. It begins in 1992 as a death metal band called Disgorged, and adopts the Heavenwood name after signing to the German label Massacre Records.

History

The band goes through an early setback in 1995 when its bass player dies by suicide. Despite this, it releases two albums under the Heavenwood name. Its first album, Diva, is promoted through two European tours: one at the end of 1996 with Atrocity and In Flames, and another in spring 1997 with Theatre of Tragedy and Lake of Tears. In Portugal, the band also shares bills with acts such as Cradle of Filth and Moonspell.

Diva also appears in Japan in 1997 through Marquee Belle Epoque Records with extra material. The second album, Swallow, appears in 1998 and includes guest appearances from Liv Kristine of Theatre of Tragedy and Kai Hansen of Gamma Ray. That same year, Heavenwood becomes the first Portuguese metal act to play Wacken Open Air, performing on the Wet Stage.

Reception and live activity

The band is noted in magazines such as Metal Hammer, Rock Hard and Terrorizer, including a four-out-of-five rating in Terrorizer. After a period of inactivity from 2001 to 2003 caused by internal problems, it returns with a full-house show in October 2003 at one of Portugal's main live rock clubs, followed by further concerts in Portugal and Spain.

Later recordings

In February 2007, Ricardo Dias, Bruno Silva and Ernesto Guerra record preview songs at Studio 213, including tracks titled Take My Hand, Fragile, From Dust to Dust, Red Harvest, The Sun Burns Red, Forthcoming Hate, Slumber, Abyss Masterpiece and 2012 A.C.. The band also plays two Portuguese festivals in 2007 with session musicians Luiz Ferreira on drums and Hugo Pires on bass.

Heavenwood's third album, Redemption, is released in Portugal in two special-edition versions, the first limited to 1,000 copies and including a ticket for one of the record-release shows. The initial edition sells out quickly, and a second version follows with different artwork and a different booklet.

Visual identity and design

The band's symbol is designed by Polish artist Wojtek Blasiak, who also creates artwork for bands including Moonspell and Vader. Its Myspace presence is designed by Brazilian creator JMello Design.