Imagine a prime-time talent show on a major national TV channel. Pop starlet after pop starlet are giving their best to lull the audience with their favourite tearjerker. And then there is this innocent girly voice, performing Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do”. Both audience and jury feel safe and sound. Until the song reaches the first chorus. What happened then, shocked and electrified the studio audience and a whole country in front of their TVs. With her brutal and angst-inducing death metal growls she seems to be ripping apart the original US pop star and spitting her left-overs all over the studio interior. Shock and joy, curiosity and fear melt into ecstatic cheering and a hurricane of applause.
That girl’s name is Victoria Stoichkova and her performance quickly reached more than five million views on You Tube with a bursting comment section full of enthusiasm and cheering. This was the starting point of a career for sure, and what soon should become a full band and Europe’s next up-and-coming, extreme metal hopes Gwendydd!
Formed in 2018 in Sofia, Bulgaria, Gwendydd have now inked a worldwide record deal with Drakkar Entertainment for the release of their upcoming, sophomore studio album entitled “Censored”! Driven by a modern production, complemented by the mastering fingerprint of Max Morton (Jinjer, Ignea, etc.), the band‘s vibrant blend of wrecking guitar riffs and adrenalizing drums builds up to an extreme metal avalanche. The perfect carrier for that brute death metal voice, which cuts deep into the flesh of modern society – not only with words but with a message.
“Censored” is slated for a release on May 6th, 2022, via Drakkar Entertainment, and the album pre-sale is now available here. But give ear, as today Gwendydd also shared a new song taken of their upcoming album, watch the video clip for the brutally heavy track “Rape” below. The song is now streaming on all digital platforms here.
“We are so stoked to be working with Drakkar! We truly feel that this is the start of an inspiring symbiosis”, vocalist Vicky comments. “Our upcoming album ‘Censored’ is going to be even more brutal and energetic than our debut album ‘Human Nature’. We are happy. We are proud. And we can’t wait to share ‘Censored’ with the world!”
Maximilian Föse, Head Of Drakkar Entertainment adds: “Welcome to the family! We are proud to announce the signing of Gwendydd! You can hear right away that this is something the metal scene has been waiting for. I was so surprised by how diverse the final product sounded and how Gwendydd is playing with this style of extreme metal. The new album Censored” is a fantastic record and I’m convinced that there are many, many people out there who will love it too”.
Tracklist:
01. Awakening
02. Martyrdom
03. This is a War
04. Rape
05. One Step More
06. A Hypocrite in a Child’s Eyes
07. We Are the New Order
08. Spider
09. Dreadful
10. It’s All Up to You
In support of Censored, Gwendydd will join Dark Tranquillity and Ensiferum as special guests on selected dates, and have announced a European headlining tour. Find all upcoming live dates of the band below!
European Tour Dates 2022:
12.05. Athens, Fuzz Live Music Club (GRE)
13.05. Thessaloniki, Principal Club Theater (GRE)
14.05. Sofia, Club Joy Station (BUL)
15.05 Bucharest, Arelene Romane (ROU)
16.05. Cluj-Napoca, Form Space (ROU)
17.05. Warsaw, Proxima (POL)
18.05. Gdansk, B90 (POL)
19.05. Vilnius, Vakaris Club (LTU)
20.05. Riga, Melna Piektdiena (LVA)
21.05. Tallinn, Tapper (EST)
22.05. Helsinki, Vanha Ylioppilastalo (FIN)
23.05. Jyväskylä, Lutakko (FIN)
24.05. Oulu, Club Teatria (FIN)
(w/ Dark Tranquillity & Ensiferum)
“Censored” European Tour 2022:
27.05 Strausberg/Berlin, Volkhaus (GER)
28.05 Kiel, Medusa (GER)
31.05 Dortmund, FZW (GER)
02.06 Osnabrück, Bastard Club (GER)
03.06 Diest, Hell (BEL)
04.06 Übach-Palenberg, Rockfabrik (GER)
06.06 Cham, L.A. (GER)
08.06 Frauenfeld, Dreiegg (CHE)
10.06 Selb, Rock Club (GER)
11.06 Brno, Unleaded Coffee (CZE)
14.06 Kosice, Collosseum (SVK)
16.06 Székesfehérvár, Nyolcas Műhely (HUN)
17.06 Graz, Explosiv (AUT)
18.06 Vienna, Escape (AUT)
19.06 Villach, Kulturhof (AUT)
20.06 Zagreb, Hard Place (HRV)
22.06 Cluj-Napoca, La Tevi (ROU)
24.06 Sofia, Rock It (BUL)
Line-up:
Vicky Stoichkova – Vocals
Bambi Nikiforov – Drums, Programmings
Tina Zhelyazova – Guitar
Irena Angelova – Guitar
Sonya Radeva – Bass
