Born
as a one-off musical extravaganza between two Norwegian metal and hard rock
giants, Trond Holter (ex WIG WAM) and vocalist Jorn Lande , the Dracula Rock
Opera has now morphed into a full-time musical project with guitarist, producer,
and songwriter Trond Holter at the helm.
While
the original plan was to leave “Swing Of Death” as a unique one-off recording,
the success Trond had staging the album as a musical in front of audiences in
Norwegian theaters convinced him that a follow up was not only possible, but
maybe even mandatory. He was sitting on plenty of material anyway and felt
inspired to tell the stories of Dracula and other vampires that did not find a
home on the debut album's storyline.
"The
first round of the Dracula Rock Opera was, in terms of live shows, only half the
story with about 45 minutes of music. So, I added some additional songs for the
live shows in Norway, which completed the story,” tells Trond Holter. "It was my
intention all along to make this into a big show, even if it took some years to
complete. When I started working on the songs for the new album, I found parts
of them were outdated, so I rewrote parts of them and that inspired me to write
new songs as well. It's a bit hard for me to say being so close to the material,
but it's a few steps up the ladder sound wise. You can easily recognize the
spirit of the first album, only with more energy. The "Vlad the Impaler" album
was made to fill out the musicals being performed for the first album, so it is
in fact pretty much the sophomore album from Dracula."
The
result of this new inspiration is “Vlad The Impaler.” Vlad, also known as Vlad
Dracula, was Voivode (or prince) of Wallachia three times and is the historical
figure that inspired the famous legends about Dracula.
With
an outstanding line-up featuring singers Nils K Rue (Pagan's Mind) and Eva
Iselin Erichsen, Bernt Jansen on bass, Per Morten Bergseth on drums, and Erling
Henanger on keyboards, “Vlad The Impaler” starts where “Swing Of Death” left
off. Musically, it is an album that gets straight to the point while
simultaneously utilizing diverse musical landscapes and includes catchy and
melodic songs in a similar style to it's predecessor. Think Savatage meets Meat
Loaf meets Queen meets Alice Cooper with contemporary hard rock in the mix and
you'll have a sense of what's in store.
"We
all know Nils K Rue`s great work with Pagan's Mind. The vocals and theatrics he
delivers both live and on record are simply amazing! And the higher he gets, the
better he sounds!! I came across Eva Iselin Erichsen in 2016 and later, when I
got the chance to have her audition, I was blown away. She's all over the place,
live and on record, giving everything that she's got. She is an amazing singer
and a real star in the making. We are ready to take the whole Rock Opera live
across the European continent!” concludes Trond.
The
album will be presented in the live setting in Halden, Norway with a special
release show on November 10th. More shows are in the works including an
appearance in spring at Karmøygeddon Festival (May 3. 2019).
Without
a doubt, “Vlad The Impaler” is going to be one of the highlights of the heavy
metal genre in 2018. Enjoy!
Tracklisting: 1.
Worlds On Fire 2.
Awakened3.
Drums Of Doom4.
The Last Generation5.
I`ll Die For You6.
Shadows Of Love7.
Without You8.
Under My Skin9.
Vlad The Impaler10.
Save Me Part IIProduced
by Trond HolterLine-up: