Acapella metal masters, Van Canto, return with their energetic and unique Rakkatakka-power and are set to release their eighth inimitable offering, To The Power Of Eight, on June 4 via Napalm Records. 

Van Canto's "lower rakkatakka" singer and songwriter Stefan Schmidt has launched a "How To Create A Van Canto Song" workshop, which will feature six episodes as he breaks down songwriting for the band from inspiration to the final result. Episode 5: Lead Vocals (And Some Gear Talk) is available below.

Van Canto are well-known for their catchy tunes and sophisticated interpretations of various scene classics and follow their path with record number eight as well, as the album triumphs with four red-hot cover versions and eight own, rousing band anthems. Today, those thundering voices unleash their very own and remarkable take on hammering “Raise Your Horns” by Swedish Vikings Amon Amarth.

Van Canto took the well-known favorite and turned it into their own unique version, featuring band trademarks without losing sight of the actual core of the track. Horns up!

Van Canto on the song: “'Raise Your Horns' is a very special cover for us. For the first time Van Canto tackled a song where the lead vocals are consistently in the lowest growl register. Thanks to the constellation of having three lead singers, Hagen could spread out in the lead, while Inga can set high, almost orchestral accents and Sly leads the choir together with Jan. For the first time in a while it's also a song where a "real" riff sets the direction, so that the Rakkatakka and bass singers are extremely busy as well. A great composition by Amon Amarth, that we gladly pay homage to.”

Watch the official video for “Raise Your Horns”:

To The Power Of Eight marks another milestone in the band's impressive career and presents Van Canto as a coherent entity stronger than ever! Starting out with their first full-length, A Storm To Come (2006), the unstoppable force set the stage for their very own genre and never failed in surprising their fans and beyond through the time being, while showcasing that metal can be heavy as hell without any riffage. With their previous full length, Trust in Rust (2018), the German rarity reworked its lineup, consisting of seven members since then. For To The Power Of Eight, the unit once again joined forces with Philip Dennis “Sly” Schunke, who had been the lead singer on their first six studio records. Sly joins lead vocalists Inga Scharf and Hagen Hirschmann on all twelve flawless tracks as third vocalist and special guest. It’s clear that this peerless piece of music was written with three voices in mind: To The Power Of Eight embodies a special sense of common bond and presents Van Canto in undeniable peak form.

Van Canto on the new album: “Being able to present an album after 15 years of band history, where three lead singers share the microphone hand in hand, makes us incredibly proud. Due to the pandemic situation we had a lot of time to work on To The Power Of Eight and put all our heart and soul into the compositions, the arrangements and the production. Originally we planned to have Sly as guest vocalist for one song – but it turned out to be twelve in total in the end. If someone would ask for one record to present Van Canto the most suitable way, we would choose To The Power Of Eight.”

From their own original speed driven tracks, like flaring “Dead By The Night”, raise-your-fist animated “Heads Up High” or mid-tempo, heart-warming “Turn Back Time”, to anthemic heavy metal covers such as Amon Amarth’s “Raise Your Horns”, Iron Maiden’s “Run To The Hills” or AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck”, Van Canto always manages to easily serve their own unique take with every output. On the one hand, To The Power Of Eight reflects a well experienced collective that has gathered several top 50 entries on the German album charts and played numerous shows around the globe and festivals like 70k Tons Of Metal, Wacken and Masters of Rock. But at the same time, it presents these energetic visionaries of acapella metal, who are far from resting on what they’ve achieved so far.

To The Power Of Eight will be available in the following formats:

- 1 LP Gatefold
- 1 CD Digipack
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

To The Power Of Eight tracklisting:

"To The Power Of Eight"
"Dead By The Night"
"Faith Focus Finish"
"Falling Down"
"Heads Up High"
"Raise Your Horns"
"Turn Back Time"
"Run To The Hills"
"Hardrock Padlock"
"Thunderstruck"
"From The End"
"I Want It All"

“Falling Down” video:

Van Canto is:

Hagen Hirschmann - Lead Vocals
Inga Scharf - Lead Vocals
Ross Thompson - Higher Rakkatakka Vocals
Stefan Schmidt - Lower Rakkatakka Vocals
Jan Moritz - Pad und Backing Vocals
Ingo Sterzinger - Bass and Backing Vocals
Bastian Emig - Drums and Backing Vocals