30th December 2011
Hi all, Vaughan here. Just letting you all know that our latest live album “Light The Hall II” is now available to download from our website. Just go to the mp3 store link and you’ll find it, along with all our other albums and EP’s. Like the original Light The Hall album, it’s a “pay what you want” download, meaning you can nominate any price, starting from $0.

The first 7 tracks are taken live from our 2009 This Day Forth album launch show. Even though the recording is a few years old, we were all keen to get it out at some point. The lineup is Elias Salmela, Matt Skipworth, Simon Hoggett, Dave Kilgallon and myself (Vaughan Gregory).

Track 8 is a song we recorded at my home studio while Richard Sallows was still drummer in the band. The track is called “Rockin’ At The Castle”, and it’s highly appropriate, as the gig was at The Castle. Sadly it has now shut down, but it was one of the first venues that booked us, and this song is our tribute to the place. It also represents the first official release to feature Richard on drums. We thought it would be a cool way to represent his time in the band.

I should add that the next studio album is finished. We have a cool new cover and the songs are sounding great. Daniel Holmes has done a great job. We’re also recording a cover of “Too Late For Living” by Saint for an upcoming Christian Metal Realm Saint tribute album. It’s been a really great few months.

We’d also like to take the chance to wish you all a happy new year, and we hope 2012 is successful and happy for you. Remember to be content with your circumstances. God has put you exactly where you are for a reason, so seek his will. Oh well, time for me to go and crank Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance. Like I always say, God Bless and ROCK ON!

Vaughan and Grave Forsaken

Hi everyone, Vaughan here. Work is continuing on the post production of our new album. Daniel Holmes is currently doing the final edit and mix. What we have heard so far has been really pleasing. We have started rehearsing the album tracks "End Of Days" and "Master Of The World" so that we can add them to our setlist.

Our new drummer Luke Gallagher is fitting in well. We've been rehearsing Monday nights and it's been great. Luke is really enthusiatic about the band, and the four of us are starting to gel. Elias and I have also been working on some new material for future albums. This is nothing unusual, since day one we've always been writing and arranging new stuff when we get the chance.

We have plans to start gigging again before the end of the year. Elias is planning a gig at his church, and we are really excited about going back there. We played there a few years ago, and we feel God wants us to start playing in those kind of environments again.

We've started putting the most recent episode of GFTV on the front page of our website at www.graveforsaken.com, so you can always check that out for recent info and footage. We've simplified the format to allow more regular episodes to be posted.

Thanks for checking, and we'll see you out there sometime!

God Bless and Rock On!
Grave Forsaken

Monday Mosh – 10th October 2011
G’day everyone, Vaughan from GF here with the latest update. After some recent discussions, guitarist Simon Hoggett has decided to call time on his stint with the band. Simon let us know that he felt he needed to move onto other endeavours. Simon has had two stints in the band, playing a crucial role in the development of our sound over the last couple of years. It’s a shame that it hasn’t worked out long term with Simon, but we understand that he can’t continue with something that just isn’t working for him. He did complete all his guitar parts on the most recent album, so the release of that will be his swansong with the band. He has written and performed some killer material on the album. On behalf of Matt , Elias and myself, we thank Simon for his contribution to the band over the last couple of years. He really has made a difference to the band.

So what does the future hold now? Elias, Matt and myself have made the decision that I will return to my role as guitarist/vocalist in the band. Those of you who have been following the band for a while will know that I played guitar from 2004 until 2009, when Simon first joined the group. I’ve enjoyed focusing solely on my role as lead vocalist for the last 2 years, but I’m really excited about picking up the guitar again.

There has been a good amount of interest in the new album. Mixing is well under way and we are getting all the artwork, photo’s and liner notes together in readiness for a release. As soon as we have concrete details concerning a release date we will let you know. We are keen to get it out, but there’s always things that need to be organised before that can happen. The vibe recording this album was so positive, and that really comes through in the final recordings.

Remember each day that all things happen for a reason in God’s plan for our lives. Stay focused on Christ during every hour of every day, because you never know when the enemy will attack our thoughts. I’ve been blessed to have experienced a renewal in Christ over the last few months, and it’s so true that if you draw near to him he will draw to you. Our God is a great God and he alone is worthy of our praise. Stand strong in faith and serve God.

Until next time, God Bless and Rock On!
Grave Forsaken

Monday Mosh – 26th September 2011
Hi all, Vaughan from Grave Forsaken here again. We hope that this week finds you well. We’re pleased to let you know that the 5th studio album has completed tracking and has now entered the mix phase. It really shouldn’t be too long until we have a final version, which is super exciting. Like we’ve said in earlier updates, the album features 9 tracks that will appeal to anyone who has enjoyed our stuff so far.

We are really excited about getting back into rehearsal mode. We’re having a band social night tonight, then back into it next Monday. Once we’re back in gear, we’ll start looking at some more live performances around the Perth area. It’s been a while!

For our eastern states supporters, we regret to let you know that we won’t be going to Easterfest in 2012. The decision is purely financial, and we hope to return in the future. We may consider applying for Blackstump 2012, depending on how finances are looking in the first part of next year. God willing we will be back out there with a better live show than ever.

To wrap up this brief update, I want to encourage you all to be strong in your faith in Christ. God is sufficient for all our needs, and we need to understand that as Christians. We need to be watchful of our attitudes in daily life. I firmly believe that negativity smothers the effectiveness of gospel living in our own lives. We can’t gain righteousness through actions, but we can be an example to every person we interact with. It’s critical as Christians that we set a Christ-like example wherever and whenever possible. And God can provide you with the strength.

So be encouraged, and we’ll catch you again soon!

God Bless and Rock On!
Grave Forsaken

Monday Mosh – 12th September 2011
Hi everyone, Vaughan here with the latest from the band. We are well on the way to completing our latest studio album. The album will feature 9 tracks in the familiar Grave Forsaken style. We hope to be finished by the end of this month, at which point we should be able to put up some samples for you to check out. Although there are several co-writes, 4 songs are essentially Elias tracks, 2 are Simon tracks and I’ve contributed 3. Most Grave Forsaken songs have a primary songwriter with lyrical and musical contributions from other members, and these songs are no exception. It makes for a good mix of differing writing styles, yet it still sounds very consistent. We are pleased with it.

As we’ve stated in previous updates, the live side of the band has been on hold during this recording project. We do intend on getting back to regular shows once the recording is finished. Given the long gap, we are all hungry to get back out there, and of course we’ll let you know when something comes up.

The last few months have been a real blessing for the band. We’ve had to work through some challenges, and the primary outcome has been a determination to return to the core values of the band, which is to be a Christ centred ministry. It’s not that we ever stopped being that, but it is so easy to get caught up in worrying about unimportant things. Our primary goal is to spread the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, and that is what we are determined to do. It is a marvel how bands like Rez and Petra managed to make such anointed, powerful Christian music. We are inspired by those bands to keep the gospel at the centre of our message.

There isn’t a whole lot of other news. There will be more announcements as we get closer to releasing this new album, and we look forward to sharing those details with you as they solidify. Until next time…

God Bless and Rock On!
Grave Forsaken

Monday Mosh – 10th July 2011
Hi everyone, Vaughan here on behalf of the band. You will be pleased to hear we have started recording the new album with Dan Holmes at Fattdog Studio. So far we have recorded 2 songs – Kill Your Idols and Victory Or Death. We plan to head into the studio to cut another track tonight. As always, we can’t wait to get there and get recording. It’s the best time you can have as a band I reckon.

If all goes to plan, we will be recording a song called Ghost Light tonight. This has been written by Simon, and is a really cool tune if I don’t say so myself. Mid paced with an epic feel, and I can’t wait to hear the final version. We were privelaged to have Rowland “ironguardian” Gwynne record backup vocals with us last week, and that was a lot of fun. I’m sure he will turn up a few more times to contribute his talents to the project!

We have submitted the pencil sketch of the cover to Ari, our colorist. This cover is probably our favourite GF cover yet. It’s very topical, and it relates closely to the themes in some of the songs. Not to mention it follows nicely from the last two album covers. We can’t wait to see what Ari does with this design!

In other developments, we continue to work on the band archive. We’ve had a few ideas about how we can some projects moving along. Once the archive is done, we will be releasing heaps of stuff on youtube and on our website. We will also crank up GFTV again for those who have enjoyed it through the years.

There’s not much more to say at the moment other than we will continue to record and hopefully have the album out by year’s end. If we don’t manage it this year, it will definitely be out by early 2012. Thanks for your continued support, and you’ll hear from us again soon.

God Bless and Rock On!
Grave Forsaken

Monday Mosh – 20th June 2011
Hi everyone, Vaughan here on behalf of Grave Forsaken. Since the last update, a few things have changed in the band. After discussing our options following Easterfest, it has been decided that Dave won’t be involved in the next album after all. The plan had been for Dave to drum on the album, but he has a very full schedule with his other band Cold Fate, meaning he can’t focus on this batch of songs. Dave also feels that if he isn’t the live drummer, then he really shouldn’t be drumming on the album. We understand and respect his point of view. It was great to have Dave back with us for a few months, and we greatly appreciate him helping us out. Dave made significant family and financial sacrifices to drum for us, and we all want to publicly acknowledge that. Thanks again Dave, from all of us.

To fill the drummer void, we have been rehearsing with a young musician by the name of Luke Gallagher. Luke is primarily a guitar player, but he is also an excellent drummer. Luke already has a recording credit with us, having performed a ripping guitar solo on “This Dying Day” from the previous album. We will watch his progress with interest!

Due to the changes in the drumming situation, we have elected to record the entire album with Daniel Holmes at Fattdog Studio. Those familiar with the band will know this is where we have recorded the last 3 albums, so this is an exciting development. In fact, we are going into the studio tonight to continue work on the album. The first song we are working on is called “Reap What You Sow”, and it’s a GF thrasher in the style of “This Day Forth” and “Fight To The Death”. The other song we are currently recording is called “End Of Days” and it is a bit like “Punishment” from our second album.

All this is very exciting for us, as recording albums is probably our favourite thing to do as a band. And working with Dan is always a lot of fun. We aim to deliver the perfect follow up to “Fight To The Death”.

It’s impossible to say exactly what will happen, but the album recording does put the live aspect of the band on hold for the time being. We need to focus our efforts on recording, meaning we won’t get as much chance to rehearse over the coming weeks and months. We are keen to get back out there, but it’s been a bumpy 12 months or so, so we really have to focus on one thing at a time. Having said that, if a gig comes up and we decide to can do it, then we most definitely will.

We have been working hard to put together a definitive archive of band information. We have done so much over the years and it’s fun going through it all and trying to put everything in the right place. We have uncovered stacks of old demos and live recordings, as well as video, photos and flyers. We are aiming to put together some kind of accessible history of the band for people to access. To that end, we have put up a “downloads” page on the official site. This site has all the downloads from the old Mosher Crew page, and now that we have found all these old recordings, you can expect regular free downloads to be available. The first “new” demo posted is the original version of “Warriors Of Light”. Check it out.

There’s a lot happening, and it’s such a blessing to still be doing this after 7 years. While we’re having a blast, this band will continue. Thanks for sticking with us everyone!

God Bless and Rock On!
Grave Forsaken

You may have noticed there is now a downloads page on the site. This used to be the Mosher Crew exclusive area. We decided to make it open access, as we don't want anyone to be put off by having to sign up to a list to access stuff. The Mosher Crew mailing list will still be in use, but we should get more downloads if any casual visitor can download  material for free. Ultimately it's just about putting the band out there so people can be blessed by the message.

We have some exciting stuff for the downloads section. We're slowly but surely organising the GF archive, and we're finding a lot of stuff we'd forgotten we'd ever done. We have hours and hours of video footage, plus heaps of live and demo recordings. There is so much to share. We'd also like to make exclusive studio recordings available on the downloads page as well. In fact, we are even considering releasing a future album track by track for free. Details need to be finalised, but that is an exciting project down the track.

For now, you can download a newly posted "Warriors Of Light" demo from the downloads page. It's rudimentry, but we think it's pretty cool nonetheless.

God Bless and Rock On
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken

30th May 2011
Hi everyone, Vaughan here with my latest blog. I’m really wanting to plug our “new” official forum at www.dansoutpost.proboards.com. I’m making a deliberate attempt to revive the forum, so I encourage you to head over there and start chatting about all things GF. There’s a bunch of other forum topics there as well, and between 2005 and 2009 it was quite a popular site. I think we can make it so again.

I had a late one on Friday night working on the new album tracks. I recorded guide vocals for the remaining songs, which I pleased to have accomplished. I’m hoping to complete my mixing this week so that I can get them to Dave for drum recording. This album is taking longer to compile than our previous efforts, but I’m fairly sure it will be a relatively quick recording process once the preproduction is finished. The thing that excites me is it will be our first “pure” GF album since our debut. Every subsequent album has used guest players on some tracks, whereas this one will only feature band members. My thinking on how to record changes from album to album, so I’m not saying we will never invite guests to perform again, but right now I want this to be just the band.

We have our weekly Monday night rehearsal tonight, and I’m optimistic we are getting a good groove happening. We are focusing on 8 or so songs to get them really tight in preparation for future live shows. I’m excited!

On another note, I’ve been getting a lot of correspondence lately with regard to international radio play and reviews. It’s always encouraging to know that people around the world are taking an interest in the band. Hopefully we can deliver more pleasing metal on this next release.

As always, I will do my best to keep you up to date with developments as they occur. Keep rocking, and thank you for your continued support. Just by reading this you are doing us a massive favour.

God Bless and Rock On!
Vaughan and Grave Forsaken

G’day again everybody – Vaughan here with the latest update. We’ve got a few things on the go right now within the band. We have started rehearsing on a Monday night again. I mentioned in the last update that Dave won’t be available for live drumming for the foreseeable future, so we’ve started looking into options for a live drummer. We have been discussing names and throwing around ideas, and I don’t think it should be too long before we find someone to stand in.

In the meantime, work continues on the 5th album. I’m currently in the process of preparing guide tracks for Dave to drum to. I don’t get as much time these days, so it’s a bit of a slow process. I need to get Dave a demo with and without midi drums. Each demo also needs guide vocals, so all the lyrics need to be written and reasonably complete. I’m working on 10 songs at the moment, most of which have been written by Elias. When the guide demo’s are ready, I need to get them to Dave and his brother Todd. Todd will engineering and producing the drum recordings for us. When the drums are done, I will import the raw files back into my demo multitracks and then we will rerecord everything in my home studio. Once the drums are done, it should be a fairly speedy process. We will just camp out in the studio over a few weekends and nail the tracks. I’m really looking forward to it. Musically it follows on where the last two albums have left off.

In other developments, I’ve decided to try and reignite the old Centurion Outpost forum. Many of you will remember that it was our official forum in the early years, and there used to be a lot of discussion on the GF board over there. We’d love it if people decide to start posting there again. The url is www.dansoutpost.proboards.com so head over there. I will also create a link from our official site. It might not work, but I’m going to try to post something there most days, even if I’m talking to myself for a while! Hope to see you on board.

Obviously no gigs for the time being while we are without a live drummer, but as soon as something develops I will let you know. In the downtime, Elias and I have been in discussion about finishing of some our non band projects. We have both been working on our own songs over the years, but nothing has been finished off properly. They exist halfway between demo and final versions. Sometimes we think of them as solo songs, then other times we think “maybe we can use them in GF anyway”. My latest idea is to pool them as Gregory Salmela Project, or GSP, and release them online as a collective package of songs. Ironically, as a combined project, they would strongly resemble the style of our first EP and album. Longtime followers of the band will have heard me talking about these tracks before! They are kind of an enigma, and I do want to do something concrete with them.

Anyway, time to stop rambling. As always, thank you for your continued support of the band, and you will hear from me again soon.

God Bless and Rock On!
Vaughan and GF