FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: (FRIDAY AUGUST 6th 2010)
HEAVY ARTILLERY SIGNS EXCRUCIATOR

HEAVY ARTILLERY RECORDS is pleased to announce the signing of Portland, OR based extreme thrash purveyors EXCRUCIATOR.

Unsatisfied with current trends and the overdone "core" music that was being heard throughout Portland, EXCRUCIATOR was formed to help revive the spirit and values of true heavy metal, long-since lost in the Pacific Northwest. Initially starting as a side project, the concept was hatched when guitarist/vocalist Chris Birkle proposed the idea of starting a faster, heavier, traditional metal band to long-time friend and fellow guitarist Josh Kay. The two agreed and during the winter of 2008 convinced the destroyer of strings, Craig Bridenbeck, to join on bass. Not content to sit idle while searching for a drummer, the trio began writing original material and recorded a rough one song demo using a drum machine. The demo reached the ears of drummer Marcus Hartford who quickly convinced the band with his thunderous beats that he was the right man for the job. The four found instantaneous cohesion and continued writing new material while rehearsing frequently.

Within a few months EXCRUCIATOR had built a solid repertoire of original songs and by the summer of 2009 the band entered the studio to record their first proper demo. The eight-track demo quickly gained favor amongst the Portland metal crowd and this growing notoriety allowed the four to acquire gigs with national acts such acts as Forbidden, Cauldron, Enforcer, and Witchaven amongst others. Eventually, the band’s hard work and networking allowed for them to be heard and ultimately signed by New York-based HEAVY ARTILLERY RECORDS, who upon hearing the band, were immediately convinced that what EXCRUCIATOR had to offer was a cut above the throng of young traditional metal acts whose demos flood the label's mail box.

Eager to prove their mettle to the masses, EXCRUCIATOR is currently writing all new material for their full-length debut album, tentatively scheduled for release during spring 2011. Forging a path of unrelenting sonic destruction, EXCRUCIATOR will be breaking the ice with an extremely limited vinyl release of their demo to coincide with their US tour. Stay tuned for details.

Listen to EXCRUCIATOR at www.myspace.com/excruciator1

Watch the live video for “Malevolence Impure” at http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...n=vids.individual&videoid=105479244