Mägo de Oz
| Mägo de Oz | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Begoña, Madrid, Spain |
| Genres | Folk metal, Celtic metal, power metal, symphonic metal, heavy metal |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Warner Dro Atlantic |
| Website | Magodeoz.com |
| Members | Txus di Fellatio (1987–) Carlos Prieto "Mohamed" (1992–) J.C. Marín "Carlitos" (1992–) Francisco Javier Gómez de la Serna "Frank" (1996–) Fernando Mainer (2012–) Josema (2010–) Javi Diez (2012–) Patricia Tapia (2007–) Zeta (2012–) |
Mägo de Oz (Spanish for Wizard of Oz, with a metal umlaut) are a Spanish folk/heavy metal band from Begoña, Madrid formed in mid-1988 by drummer Txus di Fellatio. The band became well known for the strong Celtic feel to their music strengthened through their consistent usage of a violinist and flautist. The name for the band was chosen, according to founding member Txus, because "life is a yellow brick road, on which we walk in the company of others searching for our dreams."
The band was founded in May 1989 by the drummer Txus di Fellatio, who slowly recruited the rest of the members for the band, finalising the line-up by 1992. Originally, the band was called "Transilvania" ("Transylvania" in Spanish), named after an instrumental piece by Iron Maiden, a heavy influence on the band. In 1992, the band members were Txus (drums and backing vocals), Mohamed (violin), Charlie (lead guitar), Chema (rhythm guitar), Salva (bass), and Juanma (lead vocals, backup drums). They recorded several demos: Y qué más da (in 1989), Canción de cuna para un bohemio (1990), and Con la cabeza bien alta, in 1992. Their music had a wide range of styles and influences, but was primarily based around folk metal and Celtic music.
In 1992 the band was a finalist in the "Concurso Villa de Madrid", and in 1994 the band released their debut album, produced by Txus and Alberto Plaza under the name Mago de Oz. This album found very little success and people were barely aware of the band's existence. During this time, Mago de Oz went through a period of turbulence and substantial line-up changes, before the line-up that has persisted almost until the present time was formed in 1996. At this point, the lineup consisted of Txus (drums and backing vocals), Mohamed (violin and backing vocals), Carlitos (lead Guitar and backing vocals), Frank (rhythm Guitar, acoustic guitar, and backing vocals), Salva (bass and backing vocals), and José Andrëa (lead Vocals, keyboards).
The same year, the band began recording their rock opera album, Jesús de Chamberí, produced by Alberto Plaza and the band themselves, which told a story of Jesus returning to the Madrid neighbourhood of Chamberí. The album was edited and released on the label Locomotive Music. Mago de Oz saw a huge surge in popularity across Spain following the release of the album, which was promoted with the "Via Crucis Tour". In 1997, the band decided to re-record five songs from their debut album with the new singer. The resulting EP was officially self-titled, but it referred to by many fans as La Bruja ("The Witch" in Spanish), as the album cover features a witch playing a violin with a moon backdrop. The name has now become as a de facto name for the EP and even the official website now refers to the EP as "La Bruja". La Bruja surpassed the success of Jesús de Chamberí, further raised Mägo de Oz's profile, and led to more festival appearances.
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