PHILOSOPHOBIA is an international progressive metal quintet formed by current/former members of Kamelot, Pain Of Salvation, and Wastefall. As they prepare to release their eponymous debut album via American progressive metal label Sensory Records, we are premiering today the official video for their killer new single “Time to Breathe”.
In 2007, longtime friends Andreas Ballnus (Perzonal War) and Alex Landenburg (Kamelot, Cyrha, Mekong Delta) had the idea of creating a prog-metal concept album. After recording a few demos, Landenburg joined Annihilator as their touring drummer while Ballnus became the guitarist for former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Dianno. With both touring around the world for years, unfortunately they had to postpone their prog adventure due to lack of time.
In 2018, Ballnus got in touch with Kristoffer Gildenlöw (ex-Pain Of Salvation, Kayak) for a book project he had written; the two soon became friends and when Kristoffer heard the demos Ballnus and Landenburg had recorded, he was blown away by the quality of the songs, and at that moment PHILOSOPHOBIA was born. Completed by keyboard wizard Tobias Weißgerber and vocalist Domenik Papaemmanouil (Wastefall), the recordings for the band’s debut album began in 2020 against all odds.
Landenburg and Ballnus headed to SU2 Studios in Southern Germany and recorded nine songs of which eight made it onto the album. In fact, six of them remained the same songs that were written in 2007. The two still felt that those songs were timeless and deserved to be recorded for the final album version. Together with recording engineer and producer Phil Hillen (Powerwolf, Kamelot, Alyssa White Gluz), PHILOSOPHOBIA recorded an hour-long experience covering a wide range of textures; somber tunes to heavy prog-metal tracks to instrumentally artistic roller coaster rides.
“Philosophobia” was mastered by Alan Douches (Fates Warning, Redemption, Mastodon) at West West Side Music in New York, and completed with cover artwork conceived by Ballnus and created by Björn Gooßes/Killustrations.
PHILOSOPHOBIA debut album via Sensory Records will also mark Kristoffer Gildenlöw‘s return to prog metal on stages worldwide since his departure from Pain Of Salvation.
Find physical preorders at the label webshop HERE, and visit Bandcamp for the standard digital HEREand 24-bit hi-res digital HERE.
“Philosophobia” track-listing:
1. Thorn In Your Pride
2. I Am
3. Time To Breathe
4. Between The Pines
5. As Light Ceased To Exist
6. Thirteen Years Of Silence
7. Voices Unheard
8. Within My Open Eyes
PHILOSOPHOBIA are:
- Kristoffer Gildenlöw / Bass
- Alex Landenburg / Drums
- Domenik Papaemmanouil / Vocals
- Andreas Ballnus / Guitars
- Tobias Weißgerber / Keys
Philosophobia Facebook | Philosophobia Instagram | Lasers Edge Group | Bandcamp |
