LANCASTER

track-List:
The Arrow
Something Wicked
Outlaw
Tropical Nightmare
Ravenstone
The Dictator
Diesel Punk
Hell Campaign

all songs performed and written by Simon Giard, Dave Mayot, Simon Nadeau, Rapahel Malenfant, Marc-Antoine Desjardins
produced by Raphael Malenfant & Marc-Antoine Desjardins
mixed by Raphael Malenfant
mastered by Ben Fecteau

Lancaster are:
Sim ‘G’ Giard – guitar, vocals
Dave ‘Meister’ Mayot – bass
Simon ‘Lefty’ Nadeau – drums

discography:
2023 – Hell Campaign – LP
2022 – MKX – LP
2019 – Bomber – EP

shared stage with:
Ross The Boss
Dayglo Abortions
Metallian
Burning The Oppressor
Dance Laury Dance

tours and testivals:
Quebec Rock Contest (2019 metal winners) Qc city
Quebec Rock Fest 2020 – QC City
RockFest Pour La Santé Mental 2021 – L’épiphanie, Qc
Break Out Tour 2021 – Province of Quebec and Ontario
Gaspésienne Metal fest 2023 – Matane, Qc
Metalodon Fest 2023 – Fredericton NB

The Metal Crypt:
“We hear a lot of death ‘n’ roll and black ‘n’ roll these days, but I’ll put Lancaster’s latest album into ‘heavy ‘n’ roll’. This is really fun music that could get the party going in any crowd receptive of at least hard rock music as it is quite accessible, yet hard-hitting enough to keep traditional heavy metallers interested. This is very catchy, upbeat, fast heavy metal and it’s that way throughout the album—no syrupy crap here, the band just plows ahead, delivering rocker after rocker. It’s not just heavy metal by name, this stuff is actually heavy, with a thick sound that brings the song to life. The vocals are melodic but with a slightly harsh edge, which is a good fit for the style.3.5/5″
Metal Universe 2023:
“LANCASTER restera lié d’une manière ou l’autre à des groupes comme Motörhead, dont l’influence est palpable sur ‘Outlaw’ avec des éléments narratifs parfaitement incorporés. Les membres semblent avoir délaissés quelque peu leur côté plus garage rock/metal pour une sonorité métallique pleinement assumée, Si vous aimez cette facette du groupe, vous la retrouverez sur ‘Diesel Punk’, qui combine le meilleur des deux mondes. Pour une raison inconnue, je trouvais qu’il manquait un petit quelque chose sur les sorties précédentes afin d’amener LANCASTER au prochain niveau. Avec la sortie de ce nouvel opus, le groupe québécois est prêt à envahir – encore plus – la scène metal avec une production qui rend davantage justice à leur matériel. D’ailleurs, vous devriez réellement écouter ‘Something Wicked’ qui représente très bien l’album avec des accroches et une bonne partie de leurs influences.”
Eloquence Art 2023:
“Comme toujours lors de leur performance, dès les premières notes certaines personnes du public commencent à s’agiter. C’est lors de la deuxième chanson, soit ‘Something Wicked’ qu’une petite cellule de thrash s’est déclenchéePlus je vois Lancaster sur les planches et plus j’aime leur musique. Les gars ont une énergie puissante et forte sur la scène ce qui nous pousse à regarder ce qui ce passe sur celle-ci ci. Je suis le groupe depuis deux ans déjà, de concert en concert, ils ne m’ont jamais déçue!”
Metal Universe 2019:
“Les membres sont vraiment sur une lancée et avec la sortie de ce premier EP, on peut croire que ce n’est que le début ! Avec leur heavy metal et ses influences crossover/thrash metal, il nous donné toute qu’un spectacle avec une énergie contagieuse. Sur scène, ils sont intenses et ne restent pas sur place. Quoi de mieux en cette soirée de septembre? À travers leurs compositions, le choix du nom du EP a été bien choisi, c’est une véritable bombe! Je vous conseille de surveiller le groupe s’il passe près de chez vous!”

A dystopian perspective on the nature of war and power.
Set in a ‘dieselpunk’ heavy metal fantasy, there’s also some political philosophy inspired by the times.
Lancaster:
“‘Hell Campaign’ was written to set the record straight. All the songs were written by the current line up and a special attention to detail was brought to the table. We wanted to hit big so we brought on some muscle with our producer Raph from Broil Music. We shut ourselves out from the world and didn’t get out of the studio until all the tracks were laid out. It took ten days but we got it done. I think the effort put in shows in the quality of the album.”
‘The Arrow’:
“The re-imagining of the Canadian war plane: The Avro Arrow as a dragon of ice and its story.”
‘Something Wicked’:
“Like a witch’s incantation, we’re painting an image that’s warning of something lurking in the shadows. Witchcraft and pentagrams. Foreshadowing our arrival.”
‘Outlaw’:
“As an ex-military member, I have massive issues with the militarization of police, its role in modern society, the issues with social media, bodycams, police unions, and training.”
‘Tropical Nightmare’:
“The instrumentals inspired the lyrics. A ‘1981 Heavy Metal‘ style zombie-killing fantasy.”
‘Ravenstone’:
“Inspired by Dan Carlin’s podcast (Painfotainment) about the death penalty, torture, and execution throughout human history, ‘Ravenstone’ is a recreation of a man sentenced to death and experiencing his execution as a state form of entertainment.”
‘The Dictator’:
“A dystopian landscape created by the nature of dictators. The verses are inner monologues, the pre-chorus speaking to troops, and the breakdown of a speech to a hypnotized and convinced crowd.”
‘Diesel Punk’:
“Like Cyberpunk, like steampunk, Dieselpunk is a setting in time. It’s a WW2 fantasy landscape intertwined with a punk setting. Anti-Nazi, Ally philosophy, political anthems of liberty, self-expression, and equality.”
‘Hell Campaign’:
“This song is about the eternal fight. As an ex-soldier, the warrior ethos has always been part of my personality. No matter the situation, you find a way, you persevere. The allegory is self-explanatory, you fight for what you want, and you do it out of an irrational love. It’s taken years, and it shows on the body, but the fight is never over.”
The album artwork is a worked version of the trench system on the Somme, France in WW1.
Showcasing the scars of the destruction of man’s war on the land.
Lancaster is an old-school heavy metal band out of Quebec City, Canada, who, like their namesake, rain down indiscriminate destruction in the form of memorable riffs, high-speed solos, and thunderous drums.
They have three albums out so far, the most recent being ‘Hell Campaign’, which debuted on October 6th, 2023.
The album has a dystopian perspective on the nature of war and power.
The band explains how the album came together:
“Lancaster’s themes get a lot of inspiration from guitarist/vocalist Sim ‘G’ Giard’s personal philosophy but also from his army background.”
Their lyrics often have a militaristic theme to them as they follow the band’s name.
They talk a lot about the dynamics of power, the horrors of war, and the madness brought on by both.
Lancaster strives to make their listeners feel powerful, energetic, excited, and hyperactive.
Especially those who enjoy Motorhead, Judas Priest and Megadeth.
“We once played a show on the south shore of Quebec City, the bar was not on the “legal” side of things and had some peculiar patrons, to say the least. Besides making some new questionable friends, mid-set, there was a police crackdown, we ended up finishing the set after we had been frisked and I.D’ed by the cops who arrested a man and left the rest of us to rock it.”