Hellbarblues

D.o.C Presents Hell Bar Blues: The EP/mini-album was released on 15 March 2013 in MP3 format. A limited edition digi-pack of Hell Bar Blues was released on 25 July 2013. The EP consists of 7 tracks. The record label for this release is Echozone. This EP was soley written, performed and produced by DM Kruger, this inlcudes all of the artwork.

Hell Bar Blues is another unique album and something different to previous release(s) by DoC, especially compared to the previous album Songs from a Vanishing World. With a deep voice and passion DM Kruger presents the story of a band performing at The Burning Man tavern in Hell. This album is still influenced by magic and mysticism but is more story based and some of which is in jest. Each song relates to a different tale or aspect. This is a very visual album creating an atmosphere of the stories being told.

At the time of the single The Stranger being released on the Echozone - Correlation which was a CD/digital compilation album that was released in November 2011, the song was not listed as DoC but instead was listed under its own name of Hell Bar Blues. Sometimes during the production process the album was then put under the DoC title.

The history and concept of Hell Bar Blues is best described in this extract from the DM Kruger website and the inside cover of the CD release of the EP/Album:

"The Origins of Hell Bar Blues...You see I am not only a musician. I am a scientist...Beneath my studio is a secret laboratory. There I was able to discover and open a dimensional gate way to the central city in Hell (the human name for this plane of existence). The City is called Cradlemare. It is a nexus where All planes meet. I was able to travel there through the gateway and explore the complex world where creatures from all dimensions travel to for trade or as a passage way to get to other planes. I visited The Market of Souls, where the biological cassolettes of living things are bought and sold or used as currency. In a corner of the market is a seedy tavern call The Burning Man, frequented by all manner of beings for a place to stay or to sample rare vintages or rarer beverages from across the planes. Upon my visitation to the bar, I encountered a group of curious individuals, a troop of musicians who played to entertain the taverns guests...These sonic representations were captured on several of my excursions using the very latest in inter-planer audio recording devices...A whirling machine of copper and brass, resembling an old gramophone, enabled me to record them as they performed their live shows. The bands name is a mystery but I call the sound, Hell Bar Blues...The songs range from the sad to the insane. Some satirical whilst others simply tell a story. All you would need to entertain a place visited by demons and angels alike...Welcome to Hell Bar Blues."

Track listing:

The Burning Man

The Stranger

Between Worlds

Little Victim

The Empire

The Tale of Sebastian Brooke

The Market of Souls



Scans of the Hell Bar Blues digi-pack: