Holy Dragons (formerly known as Axcess or H-Dragons) is a Kazakhstani metal band, founded in 1992 in Almaty.
Since the beginning to the present day the main musical direction for the group has been heavy metal. The band sticks to the 1980s style.
In addition, one can trace the influence and identify the components of such styles as speed metal, power metal, hard rock, techno thrash and some other styles in the music of Holy Dragons.
The band recorded its first full-length album, Dragon Steel, in 1998. Since 2003, the band began to work with the Russian record label Metalism Records, some of the albums were released in cooperation with Soyuz Music, Metal Agen, Sound Age, etc.
In 2009, the band released the album Iron Mind as a free downloadable Internet release. Currently the group is working with independent label Pitch Black Records, based in Cyprus.Label rosters
History
Formation
Holy Dragons as a band were formed in 1992 in the then capital city of Almaty (since 1997 Astana has replaced Almaty as a capital of Kazakhstan). The band's creation date is considered to be 11 September 1992 when guitarist Jurgen Thunderson got together the first line-up with the singer Oleg "Holger" Komaroff, to make music in the style of hard rock and heavy metal. During the first years, the group was called "Axcess", which later was changed into its current name in 1997. The participants of the first line-up were: Bulat Sadvakassov – lead guitar, Marat Sadvakassov – drums and Roman "Africa" Cubashev (bass guitar). Under this name, the band recorded multiple demo tapes, which were distributed primarily through re-recording from one tape to another with a tape recorder among friends. Axcess – "In Magic Kingdom" (1992), Axcess (pre-Holy Dragons) – "Прыгни в Ад!" ("Jump into Hell") (1992), Axcess (pre-Holy Dragons) – "Дубовые Мозги" ("Oaken Brains") (1993) – most of the songs from those early demos later entered the licensed albums.
The band started to stylistically experiment in various metal genres and they became one of, if not the first, metal band Kazakhstan had produced. Since then, the line-up has undergone considerable changes with Thunderson remaining the sole constant member as a founder.
"Axcess" years (1992–1995)
Gradually, line-up was changed, Cubashev left the band to make his own reggae-project "Люди Солнца" ("People of the Sun"). He was replaced by bassist Denis Kozlov, playing on the bass-guitar and electronic organ. By mid-1993, the existing staff fell apart. Jürgen continues his musical career as a part of Izverg" (kaz), which played death metal at that time, and in a blues-rock "Benn Gunn Band", and Holger finds himself in the heavy metal band "Cerberus", where, however, his participation was occasional, and he started to be engaged in his own group of "Project Minstrel".
In 1994, the group gathers back again, with new recruits Veniamin Polovinko – bass guitar and Slava Greechenco – drums (ex-"Benn Gunn Band"), joined by Holger Komaroff. Two months after the start of the rehearsals, the group recorded a rehearsal demo Axcess – "Genocide", which included five tracks. After the recording of the demo, live performances and participation in local rock festivals at the end of 1994 and the beginning of 1995, the group splits. Jürgen continues to work as a part of the project "Heder", Holger goes to "Project Figaro". Greechenko and Polovinko – to "Benn Gunn Band" and "Deathrack" respectively.
Reformation (1995–1997)
By mid-1995, Jürgen decided to revive the group under a different name. Enlisting the support of a guitarist known under the pseudonym Chris "Thorheim" Caine (ex-"GB-5", "Lamia"), the newly formed group was looking for new members, as well as for the support from the former members of the group. This period was marked by a very brief participation of Veniamin Polovinko, and then Lekmar. Holger briefly appeared again only to disappear for a few years very soon. There were a lot of session drummers and other members of the group, coming and going at that period.According to the official
Eventually, the first demo album (under the "Holy Dragons" name), 8 songs demo "Halloween Night", was recorded in 1996, which was later developed into their debut album, Dragon Steel in 1998.
By 1997, with somewhat stable line-up (Anders "Caban" Kraft – vocals (ex-Beermaht, Holy Inquisition (kz)), Marina "Gill Sheffield" Mikhailova – bass guitar (ex-"Lamia", "GB-5", "Green Low"), the group becomes known as the Holy Dragons. Under that name the band goes into enters the studio for the first studio recordings and gives live performances. At that time the band recorded the first licensed album – "Dragon Steel" (an earlier version of the album, with Anders Kraft vocals), which was released in Kazakhstan by "Studio Iris" in the tape format. It took the band only 28 hours of studio time. For the promotion purposes the band presented two most successful tracks from the album in the form of a single, called "Wild Cat".
The band (although vocalist Anders "Caban" Kraft wasn't very much accepted by foreign listeners), showed solid heavy metal on this album. Perhaps it was the first complete recording of an album of the metal band from Kazakhstan (except for demo records), which has been available outside the country.
"Dragon Steel" became the first and last release for Anders "Caban" Kraft, bassist Gill Sheffield and drummer Simon, who were replaced by Daniel "Dan" Thorne, Steven Dreico and Seva Sabbath respectively. Later, vocals for this album were rewritten for CD format release with a new singer, who became Daniel "Dan" Throne.
The english-lyrics "classic" line-up (1998–2001)
Meanwhile, there were changes in the line-up again. There came and then left a keyboardist Konstantin Baev, then vocalist Anders "Caban" Kraft leaves and creates a band"Tornado" (kaz) (later joins– "Seduser Embrace" as a bass guitarist). The band starts to search for a new singer and there have been a lot of people, who went through the band, people like Tatiana "Gliuk" Gemashova and others. Despite the frequent changes in the line-up, the band recorded a demo "Knights of the Kamelot" with Jurgen vocal's, many songs from which were subsequently overwritten on the albums to follow, such as "Thunder in the Night" and "Judgment Day". Shortly after the recording is finished, Gill Sheffield left, and by the middle of July 1998 there came Daniel "Dan" Throne – vocals (ex-"Wooсk") and Steven Dreico – bass guitar (ex-"Wooсk"). The band overwrites the vocal lines on Dragon Steel (this version of the album became a cassette compilation "The Best"), released by Kazakhstan Fair Play studio in 1999. In 2008, the album was released by CD Russian label "Metalism Records". By the end of the year, the group was joined by Alex – (drums, ex-"Deathrack").
The year 1999 was mega-effective for the band. In 1999 the band gave a lot of live performances, starred in the TV show, wrote half an hour live video for the TV- program "City Jazz, City Blues", then recorded an album "Rock Ballads / Dragon Ballads" – consisting entirely of ballads, 8 songs, some of them were included into the compilation album "The Best" and some of them were also released as a bonus track to the earlier versions of CD- edition of "Judgment Day" and "Gotterdammerung", and a little later – "House of The Winds" (album, which is based on the songs composed in the 90s). "Rock Ballads/Dragon Ballads," spawned a music video for the song, "Christmas Time," and was released independently, as was their third album, "House of the Winds" in 1999. It was published in 2001 as a part of a cassette box set "Rage of the Dragon Lords". Later, in 2004 re- mastered album version (2004, "Obitel Vetrov"), with Russian-lyrics Holger Komaroff vocals was released on CD by "Metalism Records" in cooperation with the "Soyuz Music" and "Metalagen". All this activity was combined with concerts and even work "in the club format." Also in 1999, the band creates a website and puts their freshest album at that time, "House of the Winds" for free download in MP-3 format.
In 2000 "Thunder in the Night" was recorded. At this point, the drummer had left the band and Thunderson handled the drums himself. It was certainly a much more polished representation of the band, with far better art work and a shorter track listing of more polished songs.
In the same year Holy Dragons signed a contract with a Polish PR agency, Dragonight Records to release their fourth album, "Thunder in the Night" on the CD and TAPE versions, a limited edition. (источник 3 – официальный сайт группы) Later, in 2004 re- mastered version of this album (2004, "Polunochniy Grom") with Russian-lyrics Holger Komarov vocals was released on CD by "Metalism Records" in cooperation with the "Soyuz Music" and "Metalagen". The drums on the album were recorded by Jürgen Thunderson. The record contained some solid production work which represented a much clearer sound than some of their previous work, which was brought up soon after this album's release via a compilation album entitled, "Rage of the Dragon Lords", only the next year.
The beginning of 2001 was a time of discord and misunderstanding for the band. Instead of the next album, the band recorded a Russian-lyrics single "Strannik Zvezd" and partly English-lyrics demo "Warlock", which becomes the last work of Daniel Throne as a vocalist. Despite the local success, a compilation "Rage of the Dragon Lords" issued by the Kazakh studio Fair Play, which was a box set with which included albums "House of the Winds", "Thunder in the Night" and the single "Strannik Zvezd", it was impossible to stop the collapse of the band. On December 22d in 2001, Daniel "Dan" Throne and Steven Dreico leave the band. Briefly Jurgen gets to the microphone stand and a new bass guitar member comes, Muha Fly (bass guitar, backing vocals, ex-"Iron Cross" (kaz)) – but it didn't improve the situation.
That same year, an EP, "Warlock" was released before their next album, "Judgment Day", recorded in 2002, being released in January 2003.
Russian-lyrics line-up. "The Komaroff era" (2002–2009)
Soon Muha Fly leaves the group. The entire 2002 the rest of the band remained busy working on the next album. The basics of this work consisted in the re-written tracks from the "Halloween Night", "Knights of the Kamelot", "Warlock", and some new material.
"Judgment Day" marked the beginning of the Russian language period in the history of the band and also saw the debut of the new old singer, Holger Komaroff, as well as their first full length as a trio, following the departure of Steven Dreico, though second guitarist Chris Caine remained.
By the end of summer a new bass player Chris "Kuzmitch" Larson joines the band (being the member of the "Black Fox" (kaz)) and the new-old singer Oleg "Holger" Komaroff. The first rehearsal of the new line-up is held on September, 16 and already a month later, the group sends the album materials to the newly formed Moscow label "Metalism Records", which decided to release the album, together with the "giant" of the Russian music industry "Soyuz Music". In 2003 CD appears on the shelves, and in 2006 the second edition of the album with new artwork, re-mixing and digital re- mastering with 20-page booklet was released.