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. Prepare for an outstanding vocal offering smashing in with full force! The record marks another milestone in the band's impressive career and presents Van Canto as a coherent entity stronger than ever.

They have checked in with the following update:

"After Dennis' guest appearance on our 2019 Summer Breeze show, we had the idea to invite him as a special guest on one or two songs of our new album. Van Canto is a family business! It turned out to be 12 songs with Inga, Hagen AND Sly! 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!"

Former lead vocalist Dennis "Sly" Schunke comments: "I am thankful and happy that I was asked to contribute guest vocals on the eighth Van Canto album. The recordings were fun and the album sounds great and special with three lead singers! Now I really enjoy the fans' perspective and eagerly wait for The Power Of Eight to be released on June 4th."

Sly was with Van Canto from 2006 - 2017, recording six studio albums with the band.

With an impressive new teaser, Van Canto draw their devotees into a flawless universe and sonic adventure to deliver a glimpse of what can be expected in this multifaceted spectrum of vocal virtuosity. Adapted to the visual concept of the new record, this promising insight allows every band member to shine in high profile: A hypnotizing, harmonizing layer of drums smooths the way for vocal interpretation that only Van Canto can offer.

Van Canto states: “The teaser presents an epic intro of our new album and heats up the anticipation for all twelve tracks in total: Eight original numbers and four cover versions (Iron Maiden, Amon Amarth, Queen and AC/DC). From ballads to proper double bass, you can find everything in there!”

Bringing pure vocal power to the metal world since 2006, Van Canto set the stage for their very own genre and never failed in surprising their fans and beyond, 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"

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

(Band photo - Tim Tronckoe)