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Freedom Call

A melodic, prog-tinged German power metal unit based out of Nuremberg, Freedom Call continue in the classic vein of regional decibel-pushers like Gamma Ray. Their intensely melodic mélange of twinned-guitar leads and chugging vamps, majestic, sweeping keyboards, double-timed drumming, and orchestral arrangements have ushered in hooky, theatrical songs delivered with Chris Bay's high-pitched lead vocals and group-chanted choruses. Freedom Call's dramatic songs are populated with images and creatures from epic tales and myth. 2009's Crystal Empire and 2014's Beyond are regarded by many as high-water marks, as is 2016's Master of Light. M.E.T.A.L., the band's tenth album, arrived in 2019 and was followed by intensive global touring until the pandemic forced them off the road. Freedom Call celebrated their 25th anniversary with the release of Silver Romance in May 2024. Formed in 1998 around the talents of vocalist/guitarist Chris Bay, drummer Dan Zimmermann, guitarist Sascha Gerstner, and bassist Ilker Ersin, the group debuted in 1999 with Stairway to Fairyland. 2001's Steamhammer-issued Crystal Empire would be the last Freedom Call outing to feature Gerstner, who would later join Helloween. Eternity arrived the following year and marked the debut of new six-string specialist Cédric "Cede" Dupont (Symphorce). 2005's Circle of Life saw touring keyboard member Nils Neumann officially join the fold, and the lineup changes continued on 2007's conceptual Dimensions with the departures of Dupont and Ersin, who were replaced by Lars Rettkowitz and Armin Donderer from the band Paradox. Legend of the Shadowking and Land of the Crimson Dawn arrived in 2010 and 2012, respectively, and in 2014 the band issued their eighth studio long-player, the chart-topping Beyond. Master of Light, which featured a lineup consisting of Chris Bay, Lars Rettkowitz, Ilker Ersin, and Ramy Ali, was released in 2016. The following year, SPV issued 5 Original Albums in 1 Box consisting of Legend of the Shadowking, the double-length Live in Hellvetia, Land of the Crimson Dawn, and the retrospective Ages of Light. By 2019, the band's lineup shifted again. Ersin and Ali left. Vexillum bassist Francesco Ferraro signed on and studio drummers Kevin Kott (Masterplan) and Dan Zimmerman (Justice) were recruited for Freedom Call's tenth album, M.E.T.A.L., issued in August. M.E.T.A.L. Fest, a live audio/video package, was recorded in Pilsen and Regensburg, Germany in 2022, and issued in July of the following year. In February 2024, Freedom Call released "Silver Romance," a pre-release single, and followed it with "In Quest of Love" in March. Both tracks were part of May's Silver Romance album, released in celebration of the band's 25th anniversary.
© James Christopher Monger /TiVo
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Discography

20 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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