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- Parent Category: Releases
- Category: Schattenmann
Release: June 30th 2023
Bands tend to realise their full musical potential only if they continue to evolve artistically, be it in terms of technical production, lyrical content or, of course, compositional progress. Over the course of their four album releases to date, Schattenmann have consistently driven this important process forward. Their latest offering ‘Día de Muertos’ is a prime example of a mature, uncompromising and ultra-modern metal record with contemporary industrial influences. Schattenmann’s style mark 2023 sounds powerful and dynamic, their guitars once again prove to be true riff monsters, their drums and bass a mercilessly driving groove machine, their hard-as-nails sonic agglomeration refined by expressive lead vocals and subtle, ingeniously interwoven synth sounds. ‘Día de Muertos’ is scheduled to be out on AFM Records on 30 June 2023, with five lead singles to be released before the event, so Schattenmann fans may look forward to an exciting spring!“‘Día de Muertos’ features only songs that get straight to the point without any detours. There are no half-hearted concepts or fillers,” says Schattenmann vocalist Frank Herzig, sounding both proud and happy. “We’ve rejected lots of material during the songwriting process and kept only the very best numbers to present to our audience, coming up with ten strong tracks that leave no questions unanswered.”This statement is all the more accurate as main composer/lyricist Herzig and his three bandmates Jan Shook (guitar), Luke Shook (bass) and Nils Kinzig (drums) have drawn on a broad range of subjects again, their credo being: “We want our fans to be touched by our music and to come away with new ideas and experiences. We want to create emotions, from positive to angry, but of course it’s also okay to feel melancholy or thoughtful.”
Frank Herzig, also responsible for the production and mix of ‘Día de Muertos’ – which was mastered by Christoph Beyerlein (Subway To Sally, J.B.O., among others) – is referring to the first lead single ‘Menschenhasser’, already available online along with ‘Hände hoch’. Since the end of March, the third single ‘Dickpic’ has also been present on social media and on YouTube, with ‘Jeder ist schlecht’ and the title track ‘Día de Muertos’ to follow soon. The thematic focus of the material is as complex as its musical diversity: ‘Menschenhasser’ is about the ever-present topic of mobbing, ‘Jeder ist schlecht’ is about the fact that nobody is free of blame, that everybody is guilty in one way or another. The title track is – as the name suggests – about life and death and everything in between, including the ubiquitous and apparently ever-more manipulative media, which Schattenmann address on ‘Hände hoch’. Things get really emotional on the final number ‘Eternity’, about which Herzig comments: “It’s about transience and the fact that we all leave just as we came. No one can take anything with them beyond life.To ease their fans’ wait for the eagerly anticipated upcoming album, Schattenmann are set to embark on an extensive tour of Germany in April and May 2023. The band can’t wait to prove their impressive live skills night after night between Hamburg and Munich, Berlin and Cologne. After all, Herzig & co. feel most comfortable on stage: “We make music to entertain, Schattenmann shows are pure entertainment! With us you get laughter, tears, dancing, sweating, in other words, all the things that contemporary metal stands for!”
