Der Weg einer Freiheit Shares New Live Video for "Am Rande der Dunkelheit"

German black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT are now releasing a brand new live video for the song "Am Rande der Dunkelheit,"which was recorded during their recent European headlining tour with label mates REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER and BIZARREKULT in September 2022. The video can be seen at THIS LOCATION!

In addition, the band will be kicking off its massive European tour together with IGORRR, AMENRA and HANGMAN'S CHAIR later this week! The first show will take place on March 9 in Tilburg (NL) and rage through the main continent for more than a month until the final curtain in Groningen (NL) on April 13.

The band comments: "After having recharged our batteries over the past few months we are now ready to embark on our biggest tour we have done so far starting Thursday this week at O13 Tilburg in The Netherlands. On this tour we're playing 29 shows in 16 different countries including our first shows ever in Lithuania, Finland and Sweden! If you don't know what to expect, here's one of the songs we will be playing on the upcoming tour, recorded live on our last headline-run through Europe in September and October 2022. Enjoy 'Am Rande der Dunkelheit LIVE' and be sure to get your tickets as some shows are already running low on tickets. See you very soon!"

The band will be supporting their latest album, 'Noktvrn,' which was released in November 2021 and cracked the Billboard Charts for the first time ever! In the U.S., the band landed the Current Hard Rock Music Albums (#27) and Top New Artist Albums (#30) while in Germany, the band made the Offizielle Deutsche Charts (official German charts) (#34). The album was named one of the best records of 2021 by Metal Injection, No Clean Singing, The Big Takeover, Heaviest of Art, and more!

Stream/order/download 'Noktvrn' HERE.

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”       

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler

Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official  

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

For more on SEASON OF MIST artists, visit our official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, and TWITTER.

Der Weg einer Freiheit Shares New Live Video for "Eiswanderer"

German black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT are now releasing a brand new live video for the song "Eiswanderer," which was recorded during their recent European headlining tour with label mates REGARDE LES HOMMES TOMBER and BIZARREKULT in September 2022. The video can be seen below.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT comment on the video: "A song we haven't played live for quite some time and that turned out to be one of our favourites to play on our past tour! Many of you have been asking for it, so we included EISWANDERER in the setlist and recorded this live version at our shows in Vienna and Munich for all of you who didn't have the chance to join the tour. We hope you enjoy!"

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT previously announced another massive European tour along with with IGORRR, AMENRA and HANGMAN'S CHAIR in March & April 2023! The full run of dates can be found below!

The band will be supporting their latest album, 'Noktvrn,' which was released in November 2021 and cracked the Billboard Charts for the first time ever! In the U.S., the band landed the Current Hard Rock Music Albums (#27) and Top New Artist Albums (#30) while in Germany, the band made the Offizielle Deutsche Charts (official German charts) (#34). The album was named one of the best records of 2021 by Metal Injection, No Clean Singing, The Big Takeover, Heaviest of Art, and more!

Order 'Noktvrn' HERE.

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler

Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

Der Weg einer Freiheit Shares 'The Making of Noktvrn' Studio Documentary

German black metal experimentalists Der Weg einer Freiheit are now sharing a behind the scenes studio documentary that showcases the recording process of their latest album, 'Noktvrn.' The "Making of" video can be seen below.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT comments: "After months of hard work and going through countless hours of footage we can finally share with you the 'Making of Noktvrn' studio documentary. We have been accompanied by our long-time friend and videographer Emanuel Oropesa during our studio pre-production and the album recording sessions to capture the creation process of 'Noktvrn' as close as possible. If you want to know more about the live recording approach, the gear we used, our preparation routines or just random behind the scene moments, here's about 3 weeks of studio work compressed into 45 minutes! For the non-German speakers we included English subtitles in the video, you can switch them on/off in the YouTube player. Enjoy!"

'Noktvrn' was released in November 2021 and cracked the Billboard Charts for the first time ever! In the U.S., the band landed the Current Hard Rock Music Albums (#27) and Top New Artist Albums (#30) while in Germany, the band made the Offizielle Deutsche Charts (official German charts) (#34).

Order 'Noktvrn' HERE.

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler

Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

For more on SEASON OF MIST artists, visit our official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, and TWITTER.

Der Weg einer Freiheit Releases "Skepsis Part I" Live Video

German black metal experimentalists Der Weg einer Freiheit are now premiering a live video for the song "Skepsis Part I," taken from the bonus DVD of the band's latest release 'Noktvrn.' The song was recorded as a part of the European Metal Festival Alliance 2020. The full DVD is available in the collector's item digibox.

Watch the live video at the Season of Mist YouTube Channel.

Der Weg Einer Freiheit is supporting the release of their brand new album, 'Noktvrn,' which is out now! Order it HERE.

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler

Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

For more on SEASON OF MIST artists, visit our official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, YOUTUBE, and TWITTER.

Der Weg einer Freiheit Streams New Album 'Noktvrn' in Full

German black metal experimentalists Der Weg einer Freiheit will be releasing a brand new-full length, 'Noktvrn,' this Friday, November 19, via Season of Mist! The band is now stream the new album in its entirety ahead of it's release!

'Noktvrn' is available for pre-ordering in the Season of Mist shop on CD digipak, Deluxe CD + DVD box, Vinyl and Cassette HERE. Pre-save the album HERE.

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler

Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

Der Weg einer Freiheit Unveils 360° VR Live Video for New Song, "Monument"

German black metal experimentalists Der Weg einer Freiheit will be releasing a brand new-full length, 'Noktvrn,' on November 19 via Season of Mist! The band is now premiering a live version of the album track "Monument." This special version of the song, which differs from the official mastered cut that appears on the record, was recorded in the Ghost City Recording studio on the last day of 'Noktvrn's' recording sessions with a special 360° VR camera. Grab your VR-goggles and watch the video

The band comments: "Today we're presenting the second new track off 'Noktvrn' in form of a 360° virtual reality live session that we recorded on the very last day of our studio session just before packing all the gear and leaving the place. It's been a quite spontaneous idea and what you see and hear is the first out of three takes we did with the camera standing right in the middle of the room. Grab your phone (and some decent headphones please) or even a pair of virtual-reality glasses and enjoy! You can also watch it on the computer and move around in the room using the mouse, of course. This is, however, not the take that ended up on the album, although it has been more or less mixed the same way. There are some small differences between the album version (to be found on the streaming platforms) and this live session - if you listen closely and compare, you might notice!"

'Noktvrn' is available for pre-ordering in the Season of Mist shop on CD digipak, Deluxe CD + DVD box, Vinyl and Cassette HERE. Pre-save the album HERE.

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler

Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

Der Weg einer Freiheit Unveils New Song, "Morgen"

German black metal experimentalists Der Weg einer Freiheit will be releasing a brand new-full length, 'Noktvrn,' on November 19 via Season of Mist! The band is now unveiling the first song, "Morgen," along with a music video, which was created by Guilherme Henriques. The clip can be found below.

The band comments: "'Morgen' is the track we chose for premiering the first sonic and visual piece of our new album, 'Noktvrn.' Being the first actual DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT music video ever, it perfectly supports the suppressing atmosphere the song transports, picturing the world in between reality and dreams, day and night, anxiety and hope, having control and losing grip. It's a big pleasure and relief for us to finally reveal the first new song after more than four years since the release of 'Finisterre' and lets us smilingly look back on the whole creation process of 'Noktvrn' that soon is ready to see the light of day."

'Noktvrn' is available for pre-ordering in the Season of Mist shop on CD digipak, Deluxe CD + DVD box, Vinyl and Cassette HERE. Pre-save the album HERE.

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler

Press-kit: https://presskit.season-of-mist.com/Der_Weg_einer_Freiheit
Login: Presskit
Password: presskitofmist

Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

Der Weg einer Freiheit Shares Glimpse of New Music

German black metal experimentalists Der Weg einer Freiheit will be releasing a brand new-full length, 'Noktvrn,' on November 19 via Season of Mist! The band is now teasing a glimpse of the album's new music, which can be heard at THIS LOCATION.

The first track will be out on September 1, along with pre-sales for the album. 'Noktvrn' will be available on vinyl, clamshell box, CD, tape and digital.

Der Weg einer Freiheit has furthermore announced guest vocals by David Mako, also know as THE DEVIL'S TRADE, on the song "Immortal."

Progressive, avant-garde black metal experimentalists DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have never stopped smashing through the boundaries of the genre they’ve called home since forming in early 2009. And with 2021 welcoming the release of fifth album, Noktvrn, the Germans are looking to expand the minds and perspectives of their ever-increasing fanbase, similar to how they pushed themselves in every element of the new album’s creation. Ironically, supporters being able to pay witness to the leaps and bounds the band has made over the course of 12 years, five albums and one EP and live recordings should count themselves lucky for being able to do so.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT may have existed and thrived over the course of that time, but forging on beyond its self-titled debut wasn’t part of guitarist/vocalist/mastermind Nikita Kamprad’s original plan.

Formed out of the ashes of black metal quartet FROSTGRIM and good time-lovin’ melodic deathcore posse, FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND, Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky founded DER WEG EINER FREIHEITas an expression of both their love of black metal and the search for liberation through art, as evidenced by taking the idea of their moniker — which translates to ‘The Way of Freedom’ — to heart.

“FROSTGRIM could be seen as the direct predecessor to DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT,” says Kamprad, from his studio in Würzburg, in the state of Bavaria, “because it was Tobias, our former singer, and I. We had this black metal band together when we also had FUCK YOUR SHADOW FROM BEHIND. We were a part of both bands and when they split up, there was nothing left. For me, black metal was always the most important musical genre where I could see myself doing music. So, I created songs for myself and basically they became the first DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT album. It is officially self-titled, but it actually doesn’t have a title. It’s just Der Weg einer Freiheit because initially after I wrote and released that first album, the band was supposed to be over. But the feedback from friends, fans and the press was so immense and so many people wanted to see the band live and to see it continue, in the end, I was like ‘why not?’ There was no reason why I couldn’t go on with new stuff.”

Originally self-released, the debut was picked up by Viva Hate Records who then issued follow-ups in the form of the Agonie EP and second full-length, Unstille which were supported via appearances at name festivals such as Summer Breeze Open Air and Wolfszeit Festival as well as on European tours opening for the likes of WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NEAERA. 2014 had DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT joining forces with Season of Mist for third album, Stellar which was issued a few months later in March of 2015.

With the label and a groundswell of support behind them, the band’s star continued to rise in Stellar’s shadow with showings at Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Roadburn, a tour in support of MOONSPELL and their first headlining runs. 2017 saw the release of album number four, Finisterre, which continued the steady growth of the band’s profile. In addition to drawing bigger crowds at festivals and on tours, they ventured overseas for the first time, playing in Japan and Iceland.

“I was doing music for six or seven years when I started DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and I was always in bands that would meet up and write in a rehearsal space, but I always wanted to have my own band. I had the opportunity to do my own thing and that’s why this band is called DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT because it’s basically about my way of achieving my own freedom. For some people that way is through sport or cooking or writing; for me, it was about writing music and lyrics.”

Twelve years on, Kamprad is taking advantage of the freedoms afforded to him as he strives to personify the band’s titular expression. Being joined by drummer Tobias Schuler, bassist Nicolas Ziska and guitarist Nicolas Rausch has made DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT more a unit than ever and allowed Kamprad to feel comfortable relinquishing his steely grip on the band’s creative reins during the writing process which began in late 2019 and was completed by September of 2020. This has allowed for vast differences in Noktvrn’s creation that have expanded the album’s overall breadth beyond black metal and extreme music to incorporate the influence and inspiration of classical composer Frédéric Chopin’s Nocturnes, his series of 21 so-called “night pieces.” This, in turn, birthed the album’s artistic mandate requiring that material only be created during the wee hours.

“I always wanted to do an album about the night and dreams and I’m really, really big fan of Chopin and his night pieces in general. For me, it made sense that this album should have a title that connects with this theme. To the left of me right now is a piano and some of Chopin’s sheet music for the Nocturnes. One day I probably looked at it and wanted to pay tribute to this great composer. That’s why we chose to write the title a little bit differently with the ‘k’ instead of a ‘c’ and a ‘v’ instead of a ‘u’ to make it more special. We also chose the ‘v’ in particular because it’s our fifth album and that’s the Roman numeral for five. It’s just something special we did with the name, even though we weren’t sure at first about the lettering because it can be seen as generic, especially in black metal. We have reasons that are deeper than what you see on the surface; not because we want to be ‘true’ — or ‘trve’ — or something,” he explains with a laugh.

The Chopin and classical music influences on Noktvrn are much more than surface cosmetics. Lilting acoustic guitar piece ‘Finisterre II’ opens the album. Jericho-like horns are the bleating accent to the proggy black metal of ‘Monument.’ Baroque arpeggiation familiar to the tuxedo-and-coat tails crowd are spiralled around Oslo’s Helvete shop in ‘Morgen.’ There are also tendrils of folk, shoegaze and indie rock that make brief and appropriate appearances, but it’s the night-time theme that runs deep as Kamprad discovered early on in the writing process.

“‘Immortal’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and it was really, really weird because I wrote the song when it was very, very late when I fell into a night-time rhythm that was not my usual rhythm. Here, I felt I was having different kinds of dreams and thoughts. Sometimes I’d be half-awake, half-asleep and not really aware of what my real state of mind was. That was an experience that made me think about giving the entire album the nocturnal or night theme. I’m a very passionate sleeper; I love sleeping and dreaming and dreams are important to me because there’s a freedom in them. In this night rhythm, my head was in a different state and I wanted to create in this state because it was something different for me.”

Lyrically, Noktvrn has Kamprad taking enormous steps outside what has become his regular modus operandi since he took over the mic following Jaschinsky’s departure in 2012. The new album has him expanding his reach beyond not only his usual collection of personal thoughts and mother tongue, but also the style and texture with which he would previously deliver his meanings, ideas, and recollections.

“Usually, the lyrics have mainly been about myself, but on this album there were two events in the last two or three years connected to anxiety attacks. I haven’t experienced them myself, but a couple people who are very close to me have. The lyrics for the song ‘Am Rande der Dunkelheit’ are based around these people’s experiences and them telling me how they felt in a situation where they think they can’t breathe, that they think they’re dying and their life is coming to an end. I tried to imagine through the lyrics how they might have felt. I was trying to find my own words to describe the experience while trying to describe it if I had lived it myself.

“Another completely new thing on this album are the songs ‘Immortal’ and ‘Haven’ which are in English, which we’ve never done before. I always wanted to sing in English ever since I took over the vocals. Singing is the most direct musical expression I feel. Playing guitar is cool, but singing is even more my thing and I always want to push the boundaries so I implemented clean singing as well but, for me, doing clean vocals is very uncomfortable and difficult in German. I think singing clean vocals in English sounds nicer because German is a hard language which fits the harsh vocals perfectly. I wanted to try it out to see how it felt, and surprise, surprise, it felt great! I really like it and imagine there will be more English lyrics in the future.”

Barring a pair of live albums, all previous DER WEG EINER FREIHEITreleases were created almost entirely from the ground up by Kamprad. He would write the songs on his own and do the bass, guitar and vocal tracks himself with Schuler playing drums while engineering, producing and mixing along the way. Kamprad may still be the songwriter-in-chief who produced and mixed Noktvrn (with assistance from Jan Kerscher), but this album makes a significant developmental step as it not only welcomes song writing contributions from the other members, but has the band ably demonstrating their ability by recording live off the floor.

“The new album is the most natural sounding DER WEG EINER FREIHEITalbum,” he says excitedly, “not only the sound, but the riffing and because we recorded the songs live. Music today, especially metal, can be too difficult and technical for bands to even play and record their own songs from start to finish. For me it was very important during the song writing to focus on playing the songs all the way through without stopping. That created a very natural flow through the songs and throughout the whole album. Also, it was a new thing that the whole band was involved in the whole recording process and the last stages of the song writing. Writing and recording mainly by myself was a very exhausting and streamlined process that I liked at some points, but after Finisterre I couldn’t do that anymore and had to change something.

“I still wrote the songs here in my studio then showed them to the others,” he explains. “Then, we met up for rehearsal and pre-production and played through the songs, recorded them and really analysed all the small details, the iteration of parts, the transitions, the guitar sound, the drum beats and everything, even the cymbal hits! What came out were still my songs, but with all kinds of input from the guys. They’re the same songs, but going over all the details brings them to another level. When we entered the studio all we had to do was focus on playing and nothing else because everything was settled already. That was a new and very good experience for us as a band.”

All of the above makes Noktvrn a beacon of musical forward thought, drastic jumps and transformative risks. In his soft-spoken humble manner, Kamprad laughs at the idea that DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT is little more than a personal expression vehicle; instead, he refers to the band as “a very professional hobby,” while downplaying what makes these black metal mavericks entirely special.

“Maybe what is the special thing about us is that we never stopped. Since the beginning, we haven’t taken a break and we’ve always tried to be present with tours and shows and festivals, so there was never a break.”

Find DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT on Facebook and Instagram or check out the band's official website.

Line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Black Metal

Guest musicians: Dávid György Makó – The Devil’s Trade - on “Immortal”

Recording studio: Ghost City Recordings, Germany

Producer / sound engineer: Nikita Kamprad (producer engineer), Jan Kerscher (engineer)

Mixing studio / engineer: Nikita Kamprad / own studio

Mastering studio / engineer: Philipp Welsing, Original Mastering

Cover art: Max Löffler
Links:
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.de/
https://www.facebook.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://instagram.com/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://derwegeinerfreiheit.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/derwegeinerfreiheit
http://www.twitter.com/dwef_official

Available formats: CD digipak, clamshell box, vinyl black and coloured

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT Announces New Album, Inks New Deal with Season of Mist

Der Weg einer Freiheit full performance at the Slay At Home festival.Frank Godla of Metal Injection presents The Slay At Home festival in support of MusiCare...

Season of Mist are proud to announce that German extreme metal band DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT has inked a new deal with the label! After the successful releases of 'Stellar' (2015) and 'Finisterre' (2017), the label is happy to continue the cooperation with one of the most interesting and hardworking bands in the extreme and black metal scenes. In addition, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT will release a brand new album in 2021. More information will follow soon.

DWEF vocalist Nikita Kamprad comments: "It's been a little quiet around us lately, but rest assured we have worked our asses off this year to finally present you a new album in 2021! For this we are more than happy and honoured to have teamed up with Season of Mist yet again that we feel is the perfect home for us and our music. We'd like to thank them and all our fans out there for their tremendous support throughout the years! The final recording sessions for the new album will take place in March next year at Ghost City Recordings, the studio where we have also recorded the predecessor albums 'Finisterre' and 'Stellar'. If you want to learn more about the progress and works on the new album, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter on www.derwegeinerfreiheit.de that we will use regularly from now on to broadcast more in-depth information about what's going on you might not find anywhere else."

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT have previously released a live EP of their performance at Metal Injection's 'Slay at Home' Festival.

Having reaped critical acclaim for their latest album 'Finisterre' (2017) and solidifying their position as one of the best live bands out there, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT are about to release their first ever live album, recorded in Lido, Berlin (Germany) on October 14, 2017. The set, featuring songs from the band’s entire discography, is a testimony to the technical prowess of these musicians and the fine craftmanship in songwriting that the German band is widely known for.

Over the relatively short period of 10 years, the sound of DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT has clearly progressed, making each piece fit more seamlessly. 'Finisterre' flows together into a coherent picture that stresses the Germans’ unique approach and sound. This album marks the point where DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT turn their various influences into a work entirely of their own expression despite never trying to cover up their roots. This impressive maturity has been reached through several stages.

Founded in 2009 by guitarist Nikita Kamprad and vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT garnered early attention with their self-released debut 'Der Weg einer Freiheit' (2009), which quickly sold out and was re-issued with new drum tracks a year later. Following the 'Agonie' EP (2011), their second album 'Unstille' (2012) already cored international acclaim. In the aftermath of this record, co-founding member Tobias left and main songwriter Nikita Kamprad took over his vocal duties.

The frontman was first heard on third full-length 'Stellar' (2015), which sawDER WEG EINER FREIHEIT gaining traction across the pond as well as expanding their European base. Having performed along such diverse acts as WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, NEAERA, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMENRA, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, and DOWNFALL OF GAIA as well as playing prestigious festivals such as Graspop, Hellfest, Resurrection, Roadburn, Summer Breeze, and Wacken has honed the band’s songwriting skills to razor-sharp precision.

Current line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

Style: Extreme metal

DWEF Shop: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/DWEFshop

For more on DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT, visit their official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT Share Performance Clip from Metal Injection's "Slay at Home" Fest

Der Weg einer Freiheit full performance at the Slay At Home festival. Frank Godla of Metal Injection presents The Slay At Home festival in support of MusiCar...

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT are now releasing the video of their live performance from Metal Injection's 'Slay at Home' Festival on all digital streaming platforms.

The Slay At Home virtual livestream aired during the weekend of May 29 & 30 via Metal Injection. The effort raised funds for the MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund helping artists, crew and industry workers during financial crisis, as well as the Global Giving Coronavirus Relief Fund, an organization helping front line workers in need during the crisis. For more information on the event and the cause visit the festival website.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT previously released their new live album 'Live in Berlin.' The show was recorded in the venue Lido, Berlin (DE) on October 14, 2017. Listen to the album HERE.

'Live in Berlin' can be ordered HERE.

Having reaped critical acclaim for their latest album 'Finisterre' (2017) and solidifying their position as one of the best live bands out there, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT are about to release their first ever live album, recorded in Lido, Berlin (Germany) on October 14, 2017. The set, featuring songs from the band’s entire discography, is a testimony to the technical prowess of these musicians and the fine craftmanship in songwriting that the German band is widely known for. 
 
Over the relatively short period of 10 years, the sound of DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT has clearly progressed, making each piece fit more seamlessly. 'Finisterre' flows together into a coherent picture that stresses the Germans’ unique approach and sound. This album marks the point where DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT turn their various influences into a work entirely of their own expression despite never trying to cover up their roots. This impressive maturity has been reached through several stages.
 
Founded in 2009 by guitarist Nikita Kamprad and vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT garnered early attention with their self-released debut 'Der Weg einer Freiheit' (2009), which quickly sold out and was re-issued with new drum tracks a year later. Following the 'Agonie' EP (2011), their second album 'Unstille' (2012) already cored international acclaim. In the aftermath of this record, co-founding member Tobias left and main songwriter Nikita Kamprad took over his vocal duties.
 
The frontman was first heard on third full-length 'Stellar' (2015), which sawDER WEG EINER FREIHEIT gaining traction across the pond as well as expanding their European base. Having performed along such diverse acts as WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, NEAERA, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMENRA, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, and DOWNFALL OF GAIA as well as playing prestigious festivals such as Graspop, Hellfest, Resurrection, Roadburn, Summer Breeze, and Wacken has honed the band’s songwriting skills to razor-sharp precision.

Current line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

For more on DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT, visit their official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT to Perform at Metal Injection's "Slay at Home" Fest

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT will be live streaming a performance for Metal Injection's "Slay at Home" festival. The virtual metal music and art festival will take place from May 29-30.

Slay At Home will be an artfully curated two-day livestream event with exclusive never-before-seen performances from over 30 bands, a dozen cover song collaborations, commissioned music from artists that will debut at the fest, special guest appearances, art installations and much more!

The Slay At Home virtual livestream is set to air on May 29th & 30th at the Metal Injection YouTube page for free, in an effort to raise funds for the MusiCares Covid-19 Relief Fund helping artists, crew and industry workers during financial crisis, as well as the Global Giving Coronavirus Relief Fund, an organization helping front line workers in need during the crisis. The donation pages are now live, please lend your support before the big event. For more information on the event and the cause visit the festival website.

More information on the festival, including the first wave of bands, can be found HERE.

DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT previously released their new live album 'Live in Berlin.' The show was recorded in the venue Lido, Berlin (DE) on October 14, 2017. Listen to the album HERE.

'Live in Berlin' can be ordered HERE.

Having reaped critical acclaim for their latest album 'Finisterre' (2017) and solidifying their position as one of the best live bands out there, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT are about to release their first ever live album, recorded in Lido, Berlin (Germany) on October 14, 2017. The set, featuring songs from the band’s entire discography, is a testimony to the technical prowess of these musicians and the fine craftmanship in songwriting that the German band is widely known for. 
 
Over the relatively short period of 10 years, the sound of DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT has clearly progressed, making each piece fit more seamlessly. 'Finisterre' flows together into a coherent picture that stresses the Germans’ unique approach and sound. This album marks the point where DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT turn their various influences into a work entirely of their own expression despite never trying to cover up their roots. This impressive maturity has been reached through several stages.
 
Founded in 2009 by guitarist Nikita Kamprad and vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT garnered early attention with their self-released debut 'Der Weg einer Freiheit' (2009), which quickly sold out and was re-issued with new drum tracks a year later. Following the 'Agonie' EP (2011), their second album 'Unstille' (2012) already cored international acclaim. In the aftermath of this record, co-founding member Tobias left and main songwriter Nikita Kamprad took over his vocal duties.
 
The frontman was first heard on third full-length 'Stellar' (2015), which saw DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT gaining traction across the pond as well as expanding their European base. Having performed along such diverse acts as WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM, NEAERA, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, AMENRA, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, and DOWNFALL OF GAIA as well as playing prestigious festivals such as Graspop, Hellfest, Resurrection, Roadburn, Summer Breeze, and Wacken has honed the band’s songwriting skills to razor-sharp precision.

Current line-up
Nikita Kamprad: guitars, vocals
Tobias Schuler: drums
Nico Rausch: guitars
Nico Ziska: bass

For more on DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT, visit their official WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM.