When the gates of the world slammed shut in 2020, German metal spearheads, Caliban, focused their energies in the studio. The results were nothing short of prolific: at first, Zeitgeister, a collection of classic Caliban songs re-done in their native German, but more importantly, a brand-new album, Dystopia.

The band have also just released their new track, “Ascent Of The Blessed”, which is available on all DSPs now. Additionally, the music video, which was directed by Daniel Prieß, can be viewed below.

Caliban vocalist Andreas Dörner states about “Ascent Of The Blessed”: “This song is inspired by my imagination of a near-death-experience and the question about my life. It’s about the question if one is a good or an evil person.”

The approach to Dystopia was instinctive and organic. The result was simply darker and heavier. A state of the world address and a sign of these locked-down times. The band members worked in relative isolation, not being able to meet up for writing sessions. Ideas were passed around via the internet. Yet, the anxiety and angst they were all feeling came through. Hence the opening line of the album title track and war-cry: “Welcome Dystopia – Come show me who you are!” Amidst the anger and sonic wreckage, there’s still a ghost of hopefulness as the band searches for identity, solidarity and ultimately rising from dystopian ashes. A long running fixture in the European metal scene, Caliban have reemerged with a furious vision for these dark days. Welcome Dystopia.

Dystopia was produced by Benjamin Richter (Moonspell, Emil Bulls) and guitarist Marc Görtz, as well as co-produced by Callan Orr (Dream On, Dreamer). The eye-catching artwork was crafted by the creative team of Season Zero, who designed the artwork for Zeitgeister.

Caliban is:

Andreas Dörner (vocals)
Marco Schaller (bass)
Denis Schmidt (guitar)
Marc Görtz (guitar)
Patrick Grün (drums)