Van Canto

One of the more unconventional bands on the German metal scene, Van Canto is an a capella ensemble composed of five singers and a drummer. They employ versatile, classically trained vocal skills to re-create the genre's "rakkatakka" (their description) and wah-wah guitar, and "doom bass" sounds. They have selectively featured high profile guest vocalists and instrumentalists as well as orchestras and choirs. Since releasing their debut album A Storm To Come in 2006-- that included a globally celebrated version of Metallica's "Battery" -- they have toured Europe, Asia, South and North America and are regular festival performers. After signing to Napalm they issued Tribe of Force in 2010 with guest spots from members of Rage, Sonata Arctica, and Grave Digger. The following year's Break the Silence cracked Germany's Top 30. 2014's Dawn of the Brave included a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" recorded with a chorus of 200 invited fans. 2017's Voices of Fire included appearances by the London Metro Voices and Kinderchöre der Chorakademie Dortmund. 2018's Trust In Rust marked the debut of male lead vocalist Hagen Hirschmann (Inga Scharf is their female lead) with covers from AC/DC and Helloween. 2021's To The Power of Eight entered the international streaming charts inside the Top 30.

Formed in 2006, by lead singers Dennis Schunke and Inga Scharf, "mimics" Stefan Schmidt, Ross Thompson, and Ingo Sterzinger, and the group's only actual musician, drummer Dennis Strillinger (later replaced by Bastian Emig), the band's debut album, A Storm to Come appeared only a few months later through their own General Schallplatten label. It featured seven original songs, as well as covers of Metallica's "Battery" and "Stora Rövardansen" from the movie Ronja Rövardotter. Response was immediate. They began appearing on European festival stages alongside top shelf metal acts. On 30 September 2007, they announced drummer Strillinger had been replaced by Bastian Emig. and After signing a deal with Gun Records, they recorded their sophomore album, with Charlie Bauerfeind at Blind Guardian's studio. Released as Hero in 2008, half of its ten songs were covers including Nightwish's "Wishmaster" Deep Purple's "Stormbringer," Manowar's "Kings of Metal," Iron Maiden's "Fear of the Dark," and Blind Guardian's "The Bard Song." They also enlisted the latter band's lead vocalist Hansi Kürsch to sing on their own "Take To The Sky." Critical response was immediate. To date it remains their best reviewed outing. The set got airplay across Europe and entered the German charts. It secured the band a Brazilian tour, prominent placement at the year's Wacken Open Air festival, and a European tour with Manowar. They also signed to Napalm Records.

2010's Tribe of Force offered guest spots from members of Rage, Sonata Arctica, and Grave Digger (whose "Rebellion" was covered on the set). Van Canto undertook an extended club tour playing sold-out venues across Europe; they followed with high profile festival performances in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy. At Wacken Open air that year, they joined Grave Digger to perform on the main stage. That year Van Canto also guested on "Anteroom Of Death" for Tarja Turunen's What Lies Beneath.

2011's Break the Silence was the band's first to break Germany's pop charts. It placed well inside the Top 30 and featured guest spots from Sabaton vocalist Joakim Brodén on a cover of his band's "Primo Victoria." Other covers included Alice Cooper's "Bed of Nails," and Manowar's "Master of the Wind." The band toured for more than 18 months following the release.

2014's Dawn of the Brave offered 13 tracks, 10 of which were originals that showcased the group's ambitious, ever-expanding and inventive vocal stylings. While the set didn't chart, reception for its covers of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid," Europe's "The Final Countdown," and Bonnie Tyler's galloping "Looking Out For A Hero" registered with DJs and fans across the globe. It certainly didn't hurt the bands touring fortunes. They were now headlining in small theaters and playing on festival main stages. The following year Van Canto were recruited to sing on Dark Sarah's Behind The Black Veil album. In November 2015, Ingo "Ike" Sterzinger left Van Canto, and was replaced by Jan Moritz, of the Stimmgewalt choir.

2016's Voices of Fire marked the last recorded performances with lead male vocalist and primary lyricist Dennis "Sly" Schunke. A one-off for earMusic, the set marked the group's first complete set of originals, inspired by and conceptually created to coincide with bestselling German fantasy author Christoph Hardebusch's novel of the same title. The conceptually themed album featured episodic spoken narration by John Rhys-Davies, London's Metro Voices and the Chorakademie Dortmund children's choir. Dark Sarah's Heidi Parviainen also lent her voice to the project. While the album garnered positive critical reviews --especially for its songwriting and production-- it sold better overseas than in Europe.

2018's Trust In Rust introduced new vocalist Hagen Hirschmann (Logar's Diary, Desilence). Critics found themselves divided over the group's new addition, while longtime fans welcomed the change. The 11 song set included nine originals, and well relieved covers of Helloween's "Ride the Sky" whose lead vocal was provided by their singer Kai Hansen in a guest appearance) and AC/DC's "Hell's Bells." Issued in several packages, it also included a bonus disc of orchestral renditions of the album's songs with only Scharf and Hirschmann singing.

In March of 2021, Van Canto issued a video trailer via Napalm's You Tube page. While it announced the imminent release of their eighth studio album, it surprised fans with the news that Dennis "Sly" Schunke would be featured as a guest lead vocalist on all tracks alongside Hirschmann and Scharf. Eight of its 12 tracks were originals. As evidenced by video lead single "Falling Down," the group expanded on its now trademark "rakkatakka" singing style by employing techniques derived from European folk singing and musical theater. Critics welcomed their choice of covers: Amon Amarth's "Raise Your Horns," Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills," AC/DC's "Thunderstruck," and Queen's "I Want It All." Released in early June, the set debuted at number 26 on streaming charts. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi