Non Compos Mentis: Music Showcase: Van Canto

Van Canto, Acapella Metal from Germany

So! I've known about Van Canto for years now. What sets them apart from typical A Capella, you might be wondering? You may also be unfamiliar with Acapella, come to think: Acapella/A Cappella is a song performed either solo or by a group with no instrumental sounds, relying solely on the harmony created be the voice(s). What brings the metal to their genre? They have a drummer and, occasionally, a guitar-style solo that is created by singing into the mic through a guitar's distortion pedal to create the same effect. It's pretty sweet, see below. (Skip to 3:25 for an example of the voice-created guitar sound.)

That is from an older album, so, now that the introduction is over, on to the new album. Arriving this past February, Dawn of the Brave is their brand new hit album that I totally only discovered yesterday. It's full of bad ass original tracks as well as their token cover songs. They freakin' covered The Final Countdown! By EUROPE! Hahaha... ahem. It's awesome. So is Holding Out for a Hero. I had always wondered what that would sound like covered by a metal band. Anyway, this album was so good that I felt the need to interrupt my string of discoveries to pitch it! Napalm Records released an album sampler video, so check it out:

There is a running theme of Heroism in this album that shows in the video to Badaboom.

I hope you enjoyed this band and teaser. So far, I haven't been shut down and accused of spam, so, I've got my fingers crossed and I'm knocking on wood, but I'm going to post links to not just this newest album, but their older albums too. As good as this new album is, the old ones are right up there with it. Take the time to check out their other hits and tracks. I totally recommend Neuer Wind, although it is in German.