welcomes
legendary Greek label
KYRCK PRODUCTIONS & ARMOUR
to the family
SPKR welcomes legendary Greek label Kyrck Productions & Armour and its founder Iannis A. Mantzoros to the family. Kyrck is well known for its diligent toiling of making milestone demo recordings and albums from the early days of the Nordic black metal scene available again. With its attention to detail, passionate work, and excellent roster, Kyrck is more than a fitting match to the SPKR family of labels that already includes Prophecy Productions, Magnetic Eye Records, Dependent Records, and the book publishing company Index Verlag. SPKR will reissue key recordings of the Kyrck catalogue in due time. The manufacture and selling of amour parts will also remain an integral part of Kyrck Productions & Armour.
Martin Koller comments: “We are stoked to welcome Kyrck Productions and Iannis to our label family”, the SPKR founder enthuses. “We have been aware of Iannis’ meticulous work and admired his beautifully curated catalogue for many years. We are therefore proud to furthermore announce that Iannis will stay on board and he will manage the label’s course into the future, while SPKR will provide its business expertise, distribution network, and professional promotion and marketing. From now on, SPKR will be literally armed and dangerous. Welcome Iannis, and welcome Kyrck!”
Iannis A. Mantzoros writes: “Having founded and managed the label all by myself since 2001, I felt that it was time for a change”, the Kyrck founder announces. “I have been following the work and noticed the spirit of SPKR for a long time now. I am confident that I have made the right choice and handed the ownership of the label to people, who genuinely care about the music and its integrity. As part of the SPKR family, Kyrck will be taken to the next level.”
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https://kyrck.spkr.media
Kyrck Productions & Armour were founded in the year 2001 in Athens. The Greek label started out as a collective with the aim of promoting local bands including Nocternity, Mournblade, and Kawir. Nocternity founder Iannis A. Mantzoros soon took the lead.
The name Kyrck is a transcript from Cyrillic into Latin letters of the city Kursk. “At the time I was into free diving and the tragic accident of the nuclear submarine happened”, Mantzoros recalls. “Drowning struck me as a particularly horrible way to die and as that fit the black metal mould, I named the label accordingly.”
In 2005, Kyrck Productions went international with the release of two early demos of Norwegian black metal band Manes. “Maanens Natt” and “Ned I Stillheten” were collectively reissues under the title “Manes – 1993-1994”.
“In the early years of new millennium, most labels were abandoning the original black metal spirit and focussed on new sounds”, the Kyrck founder explains. “I wanted to bring back essential underground releases that were not widely available, but classics in their own right.”
The Greek label painstakingly build a library of genre-shaping demo recordings and albums that did not only delight the fans of such rare releases but are of enormous value to the music historian. The list of bands that followed the first Manes reissue reads like a ‘Who Is Who?’ of the Nordic scene and features an impressive collection of ground-breaking works such as In The Woods, Thorns, Strid, Ved Buens Ende, Ulver, Limbonic Art, Fester, Arcturus, and a Greek contribution in the shape of the legendary 1989 Rotting Christ demo “Satanas Tedeum”.
Yet, Kyrck Productions did not stop at the music in its pursuit of the early black metal spirit. Soon the ‘& Armour’ part got added to the label name. “To me, armour was part of the early black metal spirit that I wanted to keep alive”, Mantzoros elaborates. I spent 3 months assembling my first chain mail out of 10,000 steel rings. That was the start of building more pieces. Armour was not easily available in the 90s, so I took it on myself.”
Kyrck Productions & Armour have provided stage armour to bands such as Aptorian Demon, Nocternity, Sargeist, Strid, and Vinterriket among others, and also deliver to private customers.
Currently, Kyrck Productions & Armour open a new chapter in the label’s distinguished history by becoming part of the SPKR label family that already includes Prophecy Productions, Magnetic Eye Records, and Dependent. Iannis A. Mantzoros will continue to steer the label’s destiny in a management role. SPKR will reissue many classic recordings under the Kyrck banner and Mantzoros reserves the right to release new music in future, provided the label manager finds the effort worthwhile.
Links
www.facebook.com/Kyrck.Productions
https://kyrckproductions.bandcamp.com
Shop
https://kyrck.spkr.media
