Album info
Official press info:
PURE STEEL RECORDS is very pleased to announce that UNCHAINED HORIZON will release their new album FALLEN KINGDOM on September 30th, 2022. The pre-order phase will start on September 23rd, 2022 in our webshop.
Four years have passed since the release of the bands last long player, since the band from Wilhelmshaven was able to further develop their strengths.
More epic, more melodic, more Heavy Metal. The anthem factor has increased, as has the courage not to stop at acoustic or more hard rockin’ parts.
The new songs were recorded at renowned Soundlodge Studio Rhauderfehn (Anvil, Dew Scented) and at Tonmeisterei Oldenburg. Mixing and mastering took place at Audiostahl Studios in Austria.
Due to the stable line-up of the last few years and – despite the pandemic – the live presence of the band, the songs sound compact and as made of one piece.
FALLEN KINGDOM offers classic Heavy Metal of the old (British) school, garnished with subtle epic and a certain dramaturgy. From raising your fist in the air on the driving opener to full body goosebumps in the title track’s epic moments. UNCHAINED HORIZON are back and they are stronger than ever.
TRACKLIST:
1. Warriors Speech
2. Stranger
3. Beneath The Ice
4. Lost Words
5. The Marksman
6. Through The Storm
7. Fallen Kingdom
8. Beast Within
9. Bridge To Nowhere
Total Playing Time: 39:27 min
LINE-UP:
Sascha Heese – vocals, guitars
Andreas Bauer – bass, backing vocals
André Hanzen – guitars
Christian Kriesch – guitars
Arne Meinerts – drums
Linernotes
Warriors Speech
- Chris: Our introduction to our album that marks the start of the „main character’s“ personal journey.
- André: No song per se, but an intro with deep grave voice, sword clashing and
horse noises in the background. This is the first time that we have recorded such an epic intro on CD. At the beginning it took some time getting used to it, but meanwhile we can’t and don’t want to live without it. - Andi: We were thinking of a real intro, we’ve never done that before. I can’t remember who’s idea it was, but someone said „Let’s make it Manowar-ish“. We had a lot of fun and often had to laugh when we came up with the words. Of course, the whole thing is not meant quite seriously and is very ironic. None of us wears fur underpants, haha.
Stranger
- Sascha: An important song for the band, because this set the sails in a new direction after the band re-shuffle.
- Chris: One of the first songs we wrote in the new lineup. The song was a bit shaky for a long time, because we couldn’t find a suitable verse. Thanks to a walk and the two guitar parts that fell into place there, however, the song was finally completed to our satisfaction.
- Andi: Stranger was the first new song we wrote as a full band after Arne and I joined. The typical NWOBHM gallop came somehow quite automatically and it quickly turned out that in this band constellation we will sound very traditionally and clearly more heavy metal than before. I think it’s a perfect album opener.
- André: A song where Chris and I put together a nice and effective twin guitar riff. Did I hear someone screaming Maiden? Ok, maybe a little bit, haha. Also, in the bridge, we were finally able to put in a part that had been cursing Sascha for 15 years. Finally this riff fits in somewhere.
- Arne: Stranger is one of the strongest songs on the album for me, and played live it sweeps everyone away.
Beneath The Ice
- Sascha: A very varied song with anthem factor. Ingenious guitar work and an absolutely brilliant live song. In addition, I like the story about a broken man who rediscovers his feelings.
- Chris: I love the thing with the different parts here, where I think especially the guitar part on the classical guitar is something special.
- Andi: Oh, I wasn’t the biggest fan of this song at first. I always play knots in my fingers during the verse part and somehow it just didn’t want to ignite. The bass solo part in the middle also drove me to the brink of insanity in the studio. However, the song works incredibly well live and when the audience sings along to the whohoo parts – which has always been the case so far – I get a kick out of it. By now it’s one of my favorite songs, haha. That’s how fast it can go.
- Arne: I think that this song will convince even the last doubter. Everyone will automatically roar along as loud as he or she can when the breakdown in the middle part starts.
- André: This is my personal favorite on the record! I love everything about this song! The
cool drums, the awesome bass, the guitar riffs and Sascha’s energetic vocals!
I will never forget how Sascha said during the creation of the song after half:“ Do something Spanish on the guitar!“ Well, and so the first solo was born for me which is completely without any other instrumental accompaniment. I sat at home on the couch for two hours, let Netflix run alongside without sound and actually put together something nice and Spanish sounding on the acoustic guitar.The icing on the cake are of course the crows and the wind in the background. My big dream is to play this song live with a sombrero on my head, hahaha.
Lost Words
- Andi: I think this instrumental was once intended as a part of another song. But somehow we thought the guitar lines were so awesome that we didn’t want to let them fall into the background with vocals. So we put together an instrumental in which André can really let off steam on the solo guitar. After the studio recordings we never played it again and I swear: I have no idea what I played back then, haha. If we ever put it into the live set, I’ll really have to try again.
- André: A pure instrumental piece. But with great effect! Our drummer Arne always says that we have to play it live! And damn it, he’s right!
- Arne: This is my personal favorite. Although it is purely instrumental, it does not need to hide.
- Sascha: Here the guitars speak only for themselves. Singing would be absolutely out of place here,for this I lack the words, haha.
- Chris: Did I ever expect that we would write an instrumental piece? No, never. But it happened and I’m more than happy with the song.
The Marksman
- André: A song that surprises a lot after the calm intro because you do not expect that it then goes on so fast. But then he also goes straight forward with a cool bridge, we changed and rearrangend a hundred thousand times. It’s one of my favorite ones.
- Chris: I always enjoy the song, the quiet epic beginning that then picks up speed right away and plays with dynamics throughout the rest of the song.
- Andi: Oh my god, I LOVE this song. Somehow it combines many of my favorite bands. The soft beginning always reminds me of Metallica, the ingenious guitar work of our three guitarists in the pre-verse has something of hard Maiden, the verse always reminds me of Iced Earth and the hard middle part breathes Metallica again through the rhythmic riffing of Chris. I know that Sascha is still not the biggest fan of the song, but for me it is in the Top3 on Fallen Kingdom.
- Arne: For me, the song is really fun. It has a lot of drive and is still varied.
- Sascha: […silence…]
Through The Storm
- Sascha: The message is clear: never give up, no matter how difficult and how strong the headwind is.
- Arne: I think Storm stands out a bit from the other songs on the album, but it still fits in perfectly into Fallen Kingdom, as it also tells a part of the story.
- Chris: A song that I always feel goes down well with the audience and gets them involved. Even people who haven’t heard the song before start joining in right away, clapping, dancing. It’s really fun.
- André: One of the last songs we wrote for the album. We actually had
only the riff at the beginning after the intro. But it turned into a song pretty quickly. The maritime feeling came all by itself. A song that always makes my fingers hurt live afterwards… I think but the other too, haha. - Andi: The last song we wrote for the album. I always wanted to write a pirate/Running Wild number like that. Very epic and sweeping. I love the bass line and I love playing the song live. The „row! row!“ part is always celebrated by the audience and I get goosebumps every time Sascha sings the „Don’t believe the sailor’s yarn“ part. Great song!
Fallen Kingdom
- Sascha: The guitar line came to me on the spur of the moment and then that little riff into a great song.
- Chris: The lyric line „Irritated and unwanted in this world“ and the Ohhooo part towards the end… two parts where I almost certainly get goosebumps live. The lyric line always touches me somehow and during the Ohhooo part the audience usually sings along. And when the whole hall sings in the choir, this is so good.
- Andi: To be honest: I personally think that this song is the best song I’ve ever recorded. And I also think that this song is by far the best song of Unchained Horizon. I remember the moment when we got all parts together and played it as a one-piece for the first time. I had tears in my eyes and goosebumps literally everywhere. Every single note in this song is perfect. When Sascha starts singing in this emotional way I could just melt away. He is such a brilliant singer. Also the guitar harmonies are so epic and perfect. And guess what? I created the solo bass line in the middle of the song in 1997 and I never found a fitting song for it. Until now. Funfact: The, well, MANOWAR-choir was sung by Chris and me. Jörg at Soundlodge Studios did an awesome job making us sound like a bunch of monks, haha.
- André: A song that took me a little longer to warm up to, but now it’s one of my favorites. I like the different parts and how everything is still so loose and fitts lightly into each other. We all love to play it!
- Arne: The song always has a special energy both on the album and live. Quite especially because of the quiet „Oh-Oh-Oh“ part.
The Beast Within
- Sascha: I didn’t dare to sing the intro like that in the beginning but my band mates encouraged me and so the intro stayed as it was. The chorus is catchy and the song is absolutely fun to play live.
- Arne: The quiet beginning provides goosebumps through the interplay of vocals and the
guitars and then it hits, in 4.5 minutes full speed ahead. - Chris: I love the soulful intro and then the ride on the pure rock’n’roll train, including guitars ripped high and fists raised in the air.
- Andi: We always play this smasher at the end of the set. Actually, I’m already pretty tired by then, but The Beast Within provides power and energy again. Quite a lot of Rock’n’Roll drive and Sascha in top form. One of the songs where he runs around on stage without a guitar, and pushes and dances like the devil himself. The band choreography is also world class, haha.
- André: After Beneath the Ice, my other favorite on the record. A straight-thru rocker without much frills! Just a great riff, a cool lead melody and a lot of power! A lot of fun playing it live! The song where Sascha always kinda pushes me on stage, haha. Who has ever seen live, knows what I mean.
Bridge To Nowhere
- Sascha: Our evergreen, is gladly taken live as a warm-up. At the end a small homage to our favorite band, haha.
Chris: The song is already a few years old but I never get tired of playing it. Live it is our opener and therefore the song had to be recorded with the best possible force. - Andi: Probably our opener for life. At least until we write a better one, haha. The song is fast, toxic, aggressive and with a slightly punky „in your face“ attitude. It’s a lot of fun live and ends in fireworks. Grandiose but also as a last song on an album, obviously.
- André: The oldest song on the album! Live always a smasher and actually to 90% always our opening song. I’m always kind of nervous when I have to play the intro riff after the set opening intro and the following „let’s start a rock’nroll show“- chaos intro. Does anyone know what I mean?