VI.BE

The year is 2017. After more than 20 years of absolute silence, the former band members of Belgium's Die Sinner Die decide to get together again and make some music. Lead singer Armand Thiebaut had left the band much earlier in the 90s, but is now back with them. The others are Jan Van Der Poorten and Ivan De Strooper on guitar, Gunther 'Gunny' Poppe on bass and vocals and Jeannot Schram on drums. It works wonderfully well, but being 20 years older the band members have evolved further musically. They decide to write new songs and actually start a new band. In their search for a band name, they decide to use the title of a recently written song, Cult of Scarecrow. Lead singer Armand, however, has to withdraw for health reasons, but continues to work with the band behind the scenes. He is succeeded as lead vocalist by Filip De Wilde. Filip's clear and hypnotic voice brings a completely new sound to the band. When a keyboard player, Eddy Scheire, is brought in a little later, the band's transformation is complete.

Early 2018, the band enters the studio to record a demo containing 4 tracks. Originally, they wanted to make a promo tape with the intention of securing a few gigs. But when the tracks were recorded and mixed, the reactions were unanimous: this is too good not to be officially released.

In November 2018, Cult of Scarecrow self-releases their debut EP. The 4 tracks together last more than 30 minutes, and reviews are praising. With this album, the band is pushed into the corner of doom metal, something they themselves do not fully agree with. They consider their music to be much more than that, with wider influences from all kinds of subgenres of metal, and very accessible.

After the release of the album, drummer Jeannot Schram leaves the band. He is replaced by Nico Regelbrugge.

With Nico on the drums, the band gradually starts to build a good live reputation. They are also welcome guests at several festivals. Meanwhile, the band continues to write new songs, and plans are made for a new album. 2019 was a good year, 2020 promises to be even better.

But then Covid throws a spanner in the works. Live performances, studio work, rehearsals, .... Everything is cancelled or postponed. In these times of uncertainty, keyboard player Eddy Scheire decides to leave the band in July 2020.

Cult of Scarecrow finds a worthy replacement on the keyboards in Robbie Eelbode. Robbie proves to be very talented and in just a few weeks he gets ready for concerts and also for recording the new album.

Eventually, the band reconnects with Ace Zec, with whom they also worked on the first album. And in October 2020, the band enters the studio again for a new album entitled 'Tales of the Sacrosanct Man'. Because of Corona, it eventually takes until January 2021 before all 8 songs are recorded, the mixing and mastering only finishing in March 2021.

But the result is amazing. The music is more accessible and melodic than the debut, but still the ominous atmosphere is present. They describe it as epic heavy metal with doom influences, with a touch of thrash and a pinch of grunge.

The Italian label WormHoleDeath Records is on the front row to release the album worldwide, digitally and on CD. No less than 3 new video clips precede the release, and on September 10, 2021, the time has finally come: the long-awaited sequel to the 2018 debut is unleashed on the world.

The reviews are more than laudatory: 'Tales of the Sacrosanct Man' is showered with superlatives. Especially the fact that the band's style cannot be placed under one denominator is highly appreciated.

In 2022, the band picked up where they left off and returned to the road for many concerts and festivals. They even got to open the gig for the world famous Swedish doomlegends Candlemass in Antwerp.

The band continued to perform until the summer of 2023. But then it was high time to compose and record new songs for a brand new and long-awaited album to be released in summer 2024. And the good news is that once again Ace Zec will be behind the controls.

Discography:

Cult Of Scarecrow (4-track EP, self-released, 2018)

Tales of the Sacrosanct Man (8-track CD, WormHoleDeath/Aural Music, 2021)