Hanover label Steamhammer/SPV has announced an exciting new addition to its roster: ALPHA TIGER, the melodic metal act from Saxony, have signed a worldwide recording deal (excluding Japan) and are set to release their third album, iDENTITY, via Steamhammer on January 19th (Scandinavia: January 14th, Germany: January 16th, North America: end of January).
The latest recording by the five-piece was cut under the direction of Mirco ‘Godi’ Hildmann (Guano Apes) and Dominik Glöckner at Berlin’s Music Flash Studio. The nine songs plus intro were produced by ALPHA TIGER themselves, before being mixed and mastered by Tommy Newton (UFO, Victory, Gamma Ray) at the Area 51 Studio in Celle.
Guitarist Peter Langforth promises a haunting new recording for which ALPHA TIGER clearly focussed on their own identity – as the album title hints: “Comparisons with Iron Maiden, Helloween and Queensrӱche, which we used to listen to occasionally, won’t happen with iDENTITY. Our new material relies more on diverse grooves with a musically wider range without losing any of our edge.”
iDENTITY will be available in three formats: as a digipak including DVD featuring recordings from Alpha Tiger’s performance at the Bang Your Head festival in June 2013, as a jewel case and as a gatefold vinyl LP. Following the advance release of “Lady Liberty”in early summer 2014, A ALPHA TIGER are set to shoot a video to support their new single, “We Won’t Take It Anymore”, in the next few weeks. The band are also planning a number of spectacular release shows to follow the album launch entitled Alpha Tiger & Friends, which are scheduled to feature a number of the group’s pals.
Peter Langforth: “Having signed with Steamhammer, we now have a label on our side with the greatest expertise when it comes to this kind of metal. While we tended to feel a little out of place with previous imprints, we have now joined the right family in every respect.”
Olly Hahn, label boss at Steamhammer/SPV, looks forward to this collaboration: “In ALPHA TIGER, we have signed one of Germany’s most promising young melodic power metal bands, who have taken an unmistakable step forward with iDENTITY and who promise great things for the future.”