Defenders Of The Faith, le forum Metal

BËEHLER — the Canadian band featuring the former EXCITER drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler, AGGRESSOR bassist Brian Stephenson and guitarists Sean Brophy and Scott Walsh — has inked a deal with the German label High Roller Records. The group's debut album, "Messages To The Dead", will contain 12 songs and will be released on both LP and CD (the exact release date to be announced soon).

"Messages To The Dead" track listing:

01. Jet Black
02. March Of Death
03. Eternal Tormentor
04. Message To The Dead
05. Destitude Abuser
06. In Know One We Trust
07. Organized Mayhem
08. Destroy
09. Megalodon
10. Save Me From Myself
11. Kill The Witch
12. The End Of The World

BËEHLER has already started working on its next studio album, which will mark a return to the classic EXCITER sound of the "Unveiling The Wicked" and "Long Live The Loud" LPs.

Commented Dan: "I vowed never to play again after EXCITER. My brother Richard was my mentor and fourth silent member of EXCITER, co-writing songs such as 'Under Attack' and 'Rain Of Terror'. He was the only reason I ever went anywhere in music. He did all the grunt work for EXCITER, critiqued every song and never missed a rehearsal. He begged me to do another album and play METAL again. I said no!

"When he passed away, Scott Walsh threw me in his studio, put the sticks back in my hands and said, 'Do it for your brother and call it 'BËEHLER.'

"Sean Brophy picked me up, gave me my confidence back. He worked like a dog, dedicated his life to BËEHLER. He kicked my ass, never gave up and without him there would be no BËEHLER. Together with Al Johnson [former BËEHLER/EXCITER bassist Allan Johnson] and Scott, they gave me an opportunity to play metal once more. I owe them and my family so much!

"This was Richard's dream, his spirit lives through these recordings. I even dug up his old lyrics once again and added them to 'Kill The Witch'.

"'Messages To The Dead' explains the communication existed and we truly believe he is at the helm of BËEHLER.

"Every song on this album was written about people who have touched my life, singing and recording it was an emotional roller coaster for me.

"For myself and the band, it goes much deeper than a collection of songs. The guys understand the journey that I'm on, driven by you know who!

"Richard, your spirit created this album..."

BËEHLER's sound is described in a press release as "a journey from speed to doom, heavily saluting their mentors like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD." "All we want to do is bring it back as a tribute to our metal heroes," the band said.

BËEHLER — the Canadian band featuring the former EXCITER drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler, AGGRESSOR bassist Brian Stephenson and guitarists Sean Brophy and Scott Walsh — will release its debut album, "Messages To The Dead", on December 5 via the German label High Roller Records. The effort will contain 12 songs and will be made available on both LP and CD.