Luminis Announces New Lineup, Working On Original Material

New Jersey's Luminis, which started out as a female fronted symphonic metal tribute act, is now creating original music in the vein of the bands they once covered (e.g., Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation). Set to become a 100% original act, Luminis has been tweaking its sound, which included a lineup change. The full lineup now consists of Steve Megna on drums, Jon Hanemann on bass, Aralyn Scarlett on keys, Ivan Romero on guitar, and the original lead singer, Tara Ortiz. "The lineup change has been a huge factor in the influences we work with, and the style we are trying to achieve," comments Tara Ortiz.

The long-awaited demo has been pushed back as a result of the many changes Luminis has undergone in the past few months. However, most parts are now recorded and the finalization of the demo is in the forefront of the band's agenda. "We are hoping to have the demo ready to distribute at our upcoming show in September, in which we'll open for Blackguard," states Ortiz. It will also be available on their MySpace page. They will then focus on writing more and creating an EP and full length album in the months to come.

Luminis is looking forward to sharing the stage on September 4th with Canadian death-metallers, Blackguard, at Championship Bar and Grill in Trenton, NJ. Tara Ortiz comments on the show: "This is a big show for us, our first national show and we're excited to debut some new original songs. This will be our first show playing mostly originals, rather than covers!!"

Here are the latest Luminis shows planned:

August 7 - Muralhas Underground - Newark, NJ
August 27 - The Pavillion - Budd Lake, NJ
September 4 - Championship Bar & Grill - Trenton, NJ