The international symphonic metal collective Valcata return with their new single 'Archangel' featuring English sopranist Pete Rawcliffe (Crown Solace) on vocals.
"When I heard the incredible music of Crown Solace and Pete's stunning vocals, this was a collaboration I looked forward to," says composer Oha Cade, "Hearing him sing immediately inspired me to write a beautiful song, and I couldn't have dreamed how spectacular the final result would be. With his amazing versatility, range, and vocal creativity, he took it to an emotional level beyond what I could have imagined!"
The track was initially intended for release as part of Rawcliffe's solo work, but as the recordings progressed, all parties agreed that the song fit perfectly as a Valcata single. The song is a departure from Valcata's normally progressive style, focusing on a traditional symphonic metal direction, resulting in a heavy and dramatic banger inspired by big hits from the titans the genre.
'Archangel' also introduces other new names to the Valcata project. The guitars and bass for the song were performed by the Iranian progressive metal band Hyper Planet, made up of brothers Armin and Amin Saffar. Armin provides the groovy and virtuosic bass licks throughout, while Amin showcases thundering riffs and an astonishing guitar solo.
It's also the first Valcata song to feature full and lush orchestration, magically produced and arranged by William Khan, a Spanish composer and producer who runs the symphonic metal opera Golden World Archive. Jonas Schütz (Sacrosanct, Sapiency) from Germany returns on drums, enhancing the song with his killer grooves and signature prowess.
Lastly, the song was mixed and mastered to perfection by Joost van den Broek, a masterful engineer based in The Netherlands and a major name in the metal scene, having worked on music by bands such as Epica, Ayreon, and Powerwolf.
In conclusion, 'Archangel' is an example of the spirited collaboration that Valcata cultivates, and showcases yet another side to their versatile and powerful discography. It is, without a doubt, yet another promising sign of more great things to come from this collective of passionate musicians.
~
Credits
VOCALS
Pete Rawcliffe (Crown Solace) ~ England
GUITARS
Amin Saffar (Hyper Planet) ~ Tehran, Iran
BASS
Armin Saffar (Hyper Planet) ~ Tehran, Iran
DRUMS
Jonas Schütz (Sacrosanct, Sapiency, Eraserhead, Diësis, Condemned to Dream, First Encounter, Oceanrise) ~ Germany
ORCHESTRATION
William Khan (Golden World Archive) ~ Spain
MIXING AND MASTERING
Joost van den Broek (Ayreon, Epica, Powerwolf) ~ The Netherlands
ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Oha Cade — composition, lyrics, arrangement, production, design
Pete Rawcliffe — production, arrangement
William Khan — arrangement
Leiada Krozjhen — photography
~
Links:
Bandcamp
Spotify
YouTube
Apple Music
Website
Instagram
Facebook
