Van Canto
Van Canto is a heavy metal band from Germany. It consists of five singers and a drummer. Rhythm and lead guitars, bass and keyboards are imitated by the voices of the singers.
Band name
In an interview with the band's name was explained as follows: Canto come from the Latin cantare mean and I sing, the Van has no particular meaning, "but looks at posters of beautiful. "
History
Founding and first album
The band was founded in 2006 by Stefan Schmidt, first as a studio project. He knew his band mates of joint appearances his previous band Jester 's Funeral. In December 2006, released their first self- produced album, A Storm to Come, under the label of general records. Then seven of its own plants as well as a cover version of Metallica's Battery and Stora Rövardansen from the movie Ronja are included. Among the pieces of The Mission and Battery each video was filmed. The band played in 2007, among other things, on the Bochum Total, the Rock Harz Festival, the Dong Open Air, the Steel Meets Steel and December 29 to On a Dark Winter 's Night together with Nightwish.
Major deal and second album
In 2007 the band signed a recording contract with GUN Records / Sony BMG. A Storm to Come, was then re-released in December 2007. Dennis Strillinger was replaced by Bastian Emig. In 2008, the band toured in Brazil and performed at numerous German metal festivals, including Wacken Open Air. In addition, a second album named Hero was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind at Twilight Hall Studios by Blind Guardian, which was released in September 2008. Hansi Kürsch Blind Guardian hereby made a guest appearance in the book written by Van Canto song Take to the Sky. Also on the album in addition to covers of Nightwish, Manowar, Iron Maiden and Deep Purple also a cover of Blind Guardian Bard 's Song, which illustrates the stylistic proximity of the bands. Even in 2008 the videos were published to Speed of Light and the Nightwish - Wishmaster cover. From autumn 2008 to July 2009, the band toured as part of Heroes -on- tour - tour through Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
On 5 February 2009, it was announced that the song Magic Taborea from the new CD Tribe of Force is the official soundtrack of the computer game Runes of Magic.
Change to Napalm Records and third album
On 19 August 2009 bandleader Stefan Schmidt announced on the fan portal to Metalcon that Van Canto work again in the Twilight Hall Studios Blind Guardian directed by Charlie Bauerfeind on her third studio album. This was also announced that they would go after the closure of the GUN Records label Napalm Records, the new album Tribe of Force Hero and A Storm to Come will release worldwide on 26 February 2010 to coincide with the first two releases.
In January 2010, shortly before the release of their third album, the band show was seen live on Pro7 TV in the Nonsense Comedy winter. In this presentation a medley was played. For the medley next to your own song mission and a part of Speed of Light have been covered as a solo accompanied by the title Frozen by Madonna, Black Winter Day Amorphis and Do not Fear The Winter of Rage. In addition, the song was It's snowing by Rolf Harris, together with the comedian Bernhard Hoecker in a metal version played.
On 26 February 2010 the third album Tribe of Force appeared officially. In addition to 11 original songs it contains cover versions of Gravediggers rebellion and Metallica's Master of Puppets. Chris Boltendahl ( Grave Digger ), Tony Kakko ( Sonata Arctica ) and Victor Smolski ( Rage ) control with guest appearances, the latter. In a duel between sung and played lead guitar The song Magic Taborea is the first Van Canto composition with orchestral accompaniment.
Tribe of Force rose after publication at No. 83 in the German album charts.
In March and April 2010, the band played during the tour of Force in 13 German cities. The final tour took place at the sold-out Zeche Carl in Essen 650 visitors instead. After a few festival dates in the summer, inter alia, as a special guest on the headlining show of Grave Digger at the Wacken Open Air, the band went in October 2010 with Blind Guardian to tour.
Since October 2010, the band is also represented with an accompanying video in the game Runes of Magic.
Parts of the band worked in 2010 as a chorister, inter alia, on recordings by Blind Guardian ( Stef ), Tarja Turunen ( full band ), and Grave Digger ( Stef and Basti ) with.
The second headlining tour under the title We sing some metal songs, with Basti's side project in Legend and Orden Ogan in the interlude led Van Canto October 2010 to January 2011, inter alia, to Moscow and Switzerland. The tour was attended by more than 8000 spectators.
Van Canto et al occurred in summer 2011 on the Swedish Rockstad: Falun festival (as Special Guest Headliners of Sabaton ) and at Wacken Open Air 2011.
Fourth Album: Break the Silence
The fourth studio album " Break the Silence " was released on 23 September 2011 and debuted at number 23 of the German album charts. In addition to 9 own songs, the CD contains 4 cover versions of Sabatons Primo Victoria, Alice Cooper Bed of Nails, Manowar Master of the Wind and Running Wild Bad to the Bone. With Betrayed is again a piece with orchestral accompaniment on the album. The Ballad Spelled in Waters is accompanied by Marcus Siepen ( Blind Guardian ) on the acoustic guitar. The album is also the piece A storm to come to the debut album of the same name. This is a foretaste of the transmedia project peer returns. Peer returns to after a controversial plebiscite on public Schedule election, in which Van Canto have asked their fans to vote, are listed at the Thalia Theater in Hamburg.
There videos were shot for the songs The Seller of Souls and Primo Victoria. In the latter occurs Joakim Brodén of Sabaton as a guest musician.
The release was followed by a European tour that took the band as a headliner to Germany, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Holland, Belgium and England.
Fifth Album: Dawn of the Brave
The fifth studio album "Dawn of the Brave " was released on 7 February 2014. Preliminary it was advertised with a promotional video for the song " Badaboom ".
Style
Although the band lacks the distorted electric guitar than most typical instrument of Heavy Metal, Van Canto is considered metal band due to the band's sound, the arrangements, the stage presence and the chosen cover versions. Compositionally, the band moved in a modern power metal and can be compared to bands like Nightwish, Blind Guardian or Master Plan. Rhythm and lead guitars, bass and keyboards are imitated by the voices of the singers who call this imitation in their interviews themselves as Rakkatakka singing. The Imitation of guitars and bass were produced in earlier experiments with the help of a guitar amplifier, which was apart after the first album due to poor results in terms of feasibility on live concerts. The effect of the wah -wah pedal, however, was generated purely from the start with the mouth.
The name of Van Canto as a capella band is questionable, since not all of the rhythm instruments (drums and percussion ) can be mimicked by votes. Nevertheless, the a cappella metal style remains the band's trademark.
The band itself describes her music style as " Hero Metal A Capella ".
Discography
- 2006: A Storm to Come ( re-release 2007)
- 2008: Hero
- 2010: Tribe of Force
- 2011: Break the Silence
- 2014: Dawn of the Brave
Videography
- 2006: The Mission
- 2006: Battery
- 2008: Speed Of Light
- 2008: Wishmaster
- 2010: Kings of Metal
- 2010: Last Night Of The Kings
- 2010: Rebellion
- 2010: Magic Taborea
- 2011: The Seller of Souls
- 2011: Primo Victoria
- 2012: If I Die In Battle
- 2013: Badaboom
- 2014: Into the West