It was during the complicated crisis of the early 90's, in 1993, when Dark Moor is born from two young guitarists: Enrik García and Javier Rubio. From the very first songs and shows, there were coming the different members that were a part of the band, and they were creating the demos that would give birth to the unmistakable and actual sound of Dark Moor. The stability is achieved with the entrance of Elisa C. Martín and Albert Maroto, which would join Enrik, founder of the band, Anan Kaddouri and Jorge Saez. Shortly after signing their first contract, Dark Moor decides to incorporate the sound of a keyboard. After a few auditions Roberto Peña joins the band. It is the moment for recording their first record, Shadowland, thanks to the interest of Arise Records, which makes them loyal to this label to release their subsequent albums.
Shadowland is conformed by most of the songs that the band worked with during their years in the rehearsal place, very popular songs between the first's fans of their demos and shows. Thanks to this talk of the town the cd gets unexpected success, being even edited in Central Europe or Brazil, and giving the band the chance to make a memorable tour around Spain together with Demons & Wizards.
In August 2000, the band records their international confirmation, The Hall Of The Olden Dreams, and also starts a faithful relationship with the producer Luigi Stefanini, who will be responsible of most of their future projects. The expectation caused by the band, and the quality obtained at the Italian studio allows the band to enter to all the international heavy metal markets.
Within the subsequent tour, the band plays in some festivals with great success, like Viña Rock or Mijas Rock Festivals. Obtained some review awards and furthermore participated in the Helloween tribute album The Keepers of Jerico with the song Halloween, with this cover the band achieved respect and appreciation of half of the world and it would also be published in the EP The Fall of Melniboné for Spain.
The date chosen for the recording of the third album, The Gates of Oblivion, was November 2001. Again under the orders of Luigi Stefanini, Dark Moor records a new successful record with the collaboration of the choir Valcavasia and the singer Dan Keying (Cydonia). The new creation means one step forward concerning the growth of the group, editing records in new countries like U.S.A. and Canada, and managing to get a contract with the multinational J.V.C. for the distribution of the records in the Asian market.
The tour that followed this record allowed the group to get itself an important place in festivals like Rock Machina, Viña Rock, Nit de Reis or Metal Christmas, reaching lots of new fans, and never leaving the audience indifferent. Moreover, they started to build their leap to international stages.
After the first lap of the tour, Roberto Peña, keyboard placer, leaves the band, taking his place as guest player the keyboardist Isabel García. Soon after, August 2002, Dark Moor gets into the studio in Madrid to record 4 acoustic songs that will be included in what would be, afterwards, the farewell cd of the old line-up, Between Light and Darkness.
A short time before of the releasing of this album the band announces its separation. Caused by musical differences, Elisa C. Martín, Albert Maroto and Jorge Saez leave the band, and that force Enrik and Anan to raise themselves a new course for Dark Moor with new members and new ideas. For it, and after a long selection process, Alfred Romero joins the team, the new voice of the band. After him, José Garrido (guitars) and the drummer Andy C. arrive to the group.
They soon travel to Italy to record Dark Moor, the fourth long length cd of the band. With a new rawer and well cared sound, and a touch of quality more international thanks to the contribution of the new members, in special the new vocals, the band confirms its positive evolution and good health in spite of the line-up changes, to which we must add the leaving of José Garrido. With this good feeling they embarked themselves in an international tour, conquering together with After Forever Spain, Belgium and France. The good reviews and the impact achieved with these shows give the feeling of what was sown by the new Dark Moor can grow very big.
The moment of giving this new confirmation comes with the recording during summer 2004 of the fifth cd of the group, Beyond the sea, which will see the light in early 2005. For this new work under the orders of Luigi Stefanini, the band counts with the new bassist Daniel Fernández. In spite of the international crisis that affects international stages, both rock and music in general, Beyond the sea finds its place between the staunch admirers of good heavy metal all over the world, and does not hand over in any of the countries they have arrived yet strongly, standing out the great tracking that the band has in countries like Japan and U.S.A., where they sometimes pass by rock frontiers to arrive much further.
At this concrete moment for the band, Dark Moor receives news of the dissolution of their record label. Arise Records cancels the contracts with their bands to dedicate itself to other business spheres in music. From that moment, Enrik, Alfred and company start the quest for a new way to get to their audience. In summer 2006 they start, between negotiations for the future, the recording of their sixth album, Tarot, that will see how Andy C. leaves his place on the drums to the new member Roberto Cappa. Tarot is a conceptual album based in the enigmas of the arcanes and counts with the collaboration of Manda Ophuis, singer of the band Nemesea. Again, the union of the band with the producer Luigi Stefanini gives place to a record with a maturity level, both in the composing and sound, which talks of a new limit exceeded by the band. Modern, elegant and shocking, Tarot will see the light during the first months of 2007, counting on a success forecast never seen before by the group and reaching even strongly to the markets already conquered by Dark Moor. New labels like Scarlet Records or Avalon support the Project, everything united to a conviction even stronger, and just look to the facts; Dark Moor is out of the reach of crisis, styles and decadences.
http://www.dark-moor.com
