Power metal fans, get ready! Southern Germany’s powerhouse, Brainstorm, are gearing up to unleash their new studio album “Plague of Rats”, and it’s set to blow your minds and rock your ears!
Created alongside their trusted team — Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann for mixing and mastering at Greenman Studios, Gyula Havancsák on artwork, and Alex Kühr on photography — this album delivers ten epic new tracks that will transport fans to the captivating world of India and beyond.
Singer Andy B. Franck explains: “The history of India dates back to 5,000 years and the Indus civilization is one of the oldest in the entire world. With ‘Maharaja Palace’ (‘Ambiguity’) but especially our breakthrough with the album ‘Soul Temptation’, it was important to me to bring my penchant for this history and culture into our music. I think it just fits well with the sound of Brainstorm. I love the sound and harmonies in the Indian music and I think it was about time to delve into history again and to bring this very special shine into our music”.
He adds: “‘Plague of Rats’ is more ‘in your face’ and very direct. I think it fits perfectly into our times and reflects the mood of the band: it’s very aggressive and energetic – attack”!
Though Brainstorm have a long history, much like the ancient Indus civilization, they’re still in tune with the times. Their latest opus combines signature elements with a fresh, modern edge that’s clearly left its mark on the album. Plus, the band’s ‘attack mode’ approach shines through with a line-up of powerful tracks – no slow songs, no ballads, just pure, high-energy metal.
“Of course, we have developed over the years. But I think we have something that many bands have lost in these days: independence. You can f***ing recognize a Brainstorm song after just a few seconds. That’s perfect and somehow makes us special”, the frontman comments.
Alongside collaborating with familiar partners, Brainstorm have ventured into new territory: their booking is now managed by Decibel-Touring, and they’ve recently signed a record deal with Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). This exciting partnership will bring their new studio album, “Plague of Rats”, to fans on February 28th, 2025.
Brainstorm states: “It’s more than just a band for us: the personal connections and chemistry between us make this group something special that you rarely find these days. Putting our music in the hands of a new label is one of the most important and trusting decisions of all. From the first meeting and conversation, we had a sensational, confident foundation with RPM that left no doubt about who we wanted to work with in the future. Landing on a Southern German label as a Southern German band is the best thing that could have happened to us in our career. We’re really looking forward to many successful years! We’re incredibly proud to now belong to the RPM family, and thank them for their trust. ‘Plague of Rats’ is the perfect beginning of this special connection. We speak one language and the same dialect. In this sense: ‘Wir freiat ons saumäußig uff a goila Zeit! Kracha lassa’! We couldn’t be any prouder”.
RPM managing director Jochen Richert grins: “If Porsche would have decided to collaborate with Daimler instead of Volkswagen, they could have caused an enormous load of Swabian power which could only be compared to the energy of this new union of Brainstorm and us. Their new album unleashes so much horse power and catapults the quintet straight into the Formula One of metal. During the accompanying release tour, Brainstorm will be spraying even more fuel and lift the roofs of each and every venue”.
The album’s first single, “Garuda (Eater of Snakes)”, is around the corner and will shift the level of excitement in the Brainstorm camp next month. Pre-save it to not miss its launch on December 12th, 2024, here.
“Plague of Rats” can now be pre-ordered in your preferred physical format [earbook, digipak-cd, coloured vinyl, ticket bundle], here.
Tracklist:
01. Beyond Enemy Lines
02. Garuda (Eater of Snakes)
03. Fale Memories
04. The Shepherd Girl (Gitavoginda)
05. Your Soul That Lingers in Me (feat. Elina Siirala)
06. Masquerade Conspiracy
07. From Hell (feat. Alex Krull)
08. The Dark of Night
09. Crawling
10. Celebrate Youth (Rick Springfield Cover; excl. digipak/earbook bonus track)
11. Curtains Fall
The release of “Plague of Rats” will be celebrated in style with an 8-date tour across Germany and Switzerland. Joining Brainstorm as co-headliners are Finnish metal sensations Arion, with Italian power prog band Stranger Vision confirmed as the support act. All dates can be found below; ticket+CD bundles are exclusively available at the RPM online shop here.
“After so many years, it’s difficult to record an album and not find yourself repeating yourself. ‘Plague of Rats’ is perhaps the album where we managed to learn from past mistakes and combine all our strengths. We’re all very proud of this album and can’t wait to play these songs live”, comments Brainstorm.
Arion are equally excited: “We are happy to join forces with Brainstorm and to return to central European venues since it’s been a little while. We expect to ignite a great party for the most metal of people”!
European Tour Dates 2025:
27.02.2025 DE Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal
28.02.2025 CH Solothurn – Kulturfabrik Kofmehl
01.03.2025 DE Essen – Turock
02.03.2025 DE Mannheim – 7er Club
03.03.2025 DE Munich – Backstage (Halle)
04.03.2025 DE Hamburg – Bahnhof Pauli
05.03.2025 DE Hanover – MusikZentrum
06.03.2025 DE Stuttgart – Im Wizemann
Festival 2024:
22.11.2024 ES Vitoria-Gasteiz – November Metal Fest
Live shows 2025:
08.03.2025 NL Harderwijk – Estrado
09.03.2025 NL Gouda – StudioGonz
05. – 08.06.2025 DE Oettingen i. Bay. – Camping Battleground Festival
24.08.2025 PL Pindelo dos Milagres – Milagre Metaleiro Open Air
Line-up:
Andy B. Franck – Vocals
Torsten Ihlenfeld – Guitars
Milan Loncaric – Guitars
Jim Ramses – Bass
Dieter Bernert – Drums
Weblinks:
www.brainstorm-web.net
www.facebook.com/officialbrainstorm
