British Metallers VENGER, Founded By SAXON’s DOUG SCARRATT And OLD FOREST’s JAMES FOGARTY, Announce Debut Album; “From Worlds Unknown” Music Video Streaming
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British heavy metal band Venger, founded by Saxon guitarist Doug Scarratt and by James Fogarty (of Old Forest, formerly In The Woods), will release their debut studio album, Times Of Legend, on January 9 via Silver Lining Music. Pre-orders are available here.
Venger’s first single, “From Worlds Unknown”, is out today. “The song engages a subject Doug and I have a shared interest in which is Ufology,” comments Fogarty. “It was written from the perspective of imagining that you were down by Stonehenge once and this UFO turned up but there’s no one else there to witness it. And does that really matter? Ultimately, I don’t think it does”.
Watch the video for “From Worlds Unknown”, by Sven Rothe, here.
Written and produced by Scarratt and Fogarty, Times Of Legend, offers an utterly refreshing reminder that endlessly engaging entertainment exists within the realms of history, folklore and fantasy.
“I like the idea that Times Of Legend could be like a heavy metal version of those 1950s schoolboy books where every chapter was a different story,” says Fogarty, “that each song is its own individual story and that listening to the whole album is giving people a collection of tales.”
“We’re both fans of cinema,” furthers Scarratt, “so you’ve got all the classic horror movies in there as well as some historical elements too. I’ve always loved anything connected with fantasy and movies, we’re surrounded by enough reality for me. When it comes to entertainment, I want some escape!”
Scarratt’s history with Saxon is well-known, whilst Fogarty comes from a varied array of projects embracing several genres including black and progressive metal, with bands such as the aforementioned In The Woods and Old Forest. Even though Venger only came together in 2024 when Scarratt’s son was playing his own show at a bar in Brighton, UK, and Fogarty introduced himself, the pair soon discovered to have common musical ground in a couple of areas, and spending time together started to quickly feel like having an afternoon between old friends down at your local hostelry: a safe space with genuinely fine people that share common interests such as metal, cinema and an appreciation of the art of storytelling.
In terms of workload, Scarratt is a guitarist’s guitarist, whilst Fogarty enjoys the melodies. Drummer Sven Rothe is in another of Fogarty’s projects, whilst vocalist Franz Bauer is also an associate from Fogarty’s musical alliance who guests on the album.
“James writes great harmonies and melodies but doesn’t solo, and I love improvising solos. I like to just listen to the track and see what happens,” says Scarratt, “I’ve always loved that. Some of the solos start with melody parts, harmonies, and then go into some free fall, but I like the free fall because I love the randomness of guitar. And you know, I’m not always able to totally recreate solos and stuff live because guitars are so random. I can get it very, very close but I can’t always make that harmonics exactly the same as I did on the recording. And as for the songs: settle in and get ready for stories.”
In an era where the world seems to want to rush at digital speed into digital things, Venger (the name comes from the one-horned sorcerer in the game Dungeons & Dragons) and their debut album, Times Of Legend, have wrought wide ranging inspiration and shed new musical light on figures and stories of old. For now, sit back, unplug, and enjoy turning the aural pages in Times Of Legend.
Tracklisting:
“From Worlds Unknown”
“Pharaoh’s Curse”
“Navigate The Labyrinth”
“Crystal Gazer”
“The Legend Still Remains”
“Séance”
“Throw The Switch”
“Impaler Of Souls”
“Tower Of Babel” (eaturing Matt Mitchell on vocals)
(Source: www.bravewords.com)
