Category: news

Still echoing their first full-length studio album, “Aurora”, released in March 2021, Symphonic/Alternative Metal band Secret Chord, who have already released two excellent music videos for the songs “Everything Repeats” and “Sickness”, featured on the album, continues in the process of promoting this latest work and released on August 6th, a new and exciting single and music video, with a version for the classic Portuguese song “O Pastor”, originally by Madredeus, with lyrics by Pedro Ayres de Magalhães.

In its first forays into our native language, Secret Chord pays a beautiful tribute that, at a vocal level, remains very similar to the original, but the instrumental keeps only a few details, carrying new and characteristic elements of the band’s music, from the riffs heavier even the epic and operatic passages, added in this new version of the theme, putting their own identity as a band to this reinterpretation. For those who have been following the band for some time, they will likely recognize a similar version of Secret Chord to the song that has been featured at the band’s concerts since 2017.

The version authorized by the holders of its copyright, also featured the participation of João Carlos Ramalheiro on piano, who once accompanied the band in the performance of this theme in a show in Secret Chord’s hometown, Vila Nova de Poiares, in addition to Mixed Choir of Sociedade Filarmónica Lousanense, which now has the name of “Louzan Associação Cultural – A Cor dos Aplausos”, which had already participated in the recording of the album “Aurora”.

Check out the video below:

About the release of “O Pastor”, Raquel Subtil, vocalist of the band, commented:

“For me, recording this song was synonymous with a lot of responsibility, as it is an iconic song, of an iconic and completely unforgettable band, which will forever be recorded in the history of Portuguese music. It is a great responsibility to sing a song where the voice is present by Teresa Salgueiro.”

Founded in 2015, in Vila Nova de Poiares, Coimbra district, Portugal, by Raquel Subtil on vocals, Carlos Pereira on guitar and backing vocals, João Conceição on guitar, Afonso Martins on drums and Nuno Fidalgo on bass, Secret Chord has already released the 2017 EP “Dimensions Of A Dream”, the 2018 single “Wraith Of Oblivion”, and the 2021 album “Aurora”.

You can learn about the band’s complete discography and the recently released album “Aurora” through the main streaming platforms, or by accessing the link below:

“Sickness” is the title of the latest single and music video released by the Portuguese modern and alternative metal band, which thus anticipates the release of “Aurora”, the debut album prepared to come out next week.

By chance (or perhaps not), “Sickness” is the name of the song chosen by SECRET CHORD as the second breakthrough single for the new album “Aurora”, due on Friday, March 12th. A title that fits in some way to the pandemic situation that the world is going through, but above all, represents a concept that is not limited to a single pathology.

After the presentation of the first single “Everything Repeats”, this new track is also revealed in the form of a music video and is already available for viewing on the YouTube channel of Sleaszy Rider SRL, the label responsible for the release of the first full-length by SECRET CHORD. The sound and image of the quintet surprises once again, clearly showing an “out of the box” perspective, when it comes to the message they want to convey, both musically and lyrically.

“Sickness” is one of nine tracks included in “Aurora”, the first album by SECRET CHORD, which was recorded, mixed and mastered by producer João Dourado, at Golden Jack Studios in Coimbra. The music video was directed once again by Carlos Calika. All filming took place in the studio “Flashefoco”, located in the municipality of Soure.

Watch the music video for the single “Sickness” via the link below:

In the middle of a pandemic but with hope for the future, the alternative metal band from Coimbra announces the release of their first album, entitled “Aurora”, on March 12th, through the independent label Sleaszy Rider Records.

Four years after the release of the debut EP “Dimensions Of A Dream”, SECRET CHORD present a new studio work, this time a full-length, which marks a new and exciting chapter in the band’s career. Composed of nine original songs with an impressive energy, “Aurora” is the first album of the group to be released through a label, in this case the independent greek Sleaszy Rider Records, and is scheduled for release on March 12th, Friday.

Very heavy riffs, striking melodies and epic ambiences are some of the main ingredients of “Aurora”, an album that aims to bring a glimmer of hope in times of great uncertainty and instability. The combination of aggressiveness and melancholy is one of the strengths of this new work, which reveals a sound never before experimented by the quintet, consisting of Raquel Subtil on vocals, Carlos Pereira on guitar and vocals, João Conceição on guitar, Nuno Fidalgo on bass and Afonso Martins on drums.

The concept of “Aurora” was built around several themes directly related to the psychological dimension of the human being and the melodic progressions present in each song also accompany this reflection, as explained by SECRET CHORD’s lead singer, Raquel Subtil: “The idea that we explored focuses on three fundamental elements – the human being, our inner light and the darkness from which we try at all costs to escape. “Aurora” represents the strength, perseverance and energy that we all have within us, although it is often faded and without vigor, but that always ends up being reborn, each new day “.

The first half of 2020 essentially served for SECRET CHORD to consolidate the composition of the new songs, taking advantage of the period of confinement to put into practice some more experimental and bold concepts. The recordings of “Aurora” took place at Golden Jack Studios, in Coimbra, during the last quarter of 2020, with João Dourado, drummer of the thrashers Terror Empire, in charge of mixing and mastering. A choice that was quite natural on the part of SECRET CHORD, since the band had previously collaborated with the producer on the debut EP and the single “Wraith Of Oblivion” in 2018.

The new “Aurora” contains special participations in some themes, of which the vocal contribution of Miguel Inglês, frontman of Porto Equaleft, stands out in the imposing track “Empowerment”. For his part, Francisco Brito was responsible for recording all the bass lines, even before he ceased to be an official member of SECRET CHORD at the end of last year. Last but not least, the album also counts with the collaboration of the Coro Misto da Sociedade Filarmónica Lousanense on about half of the tracks, something that surely comes with a more grand and elaborate tone that will not leave any listener indifferent.

Next week, SECRET CHORD will reveal the first breakthrough single for “Aurora”, accompanied by an official video clip, which will certainly satisfy some curiosity from fans about the content of the Coimbra collective’s debut full-length, crossing different genres of extreme music in a completely unpredictable way.