Finnish symphonic power metal band Everfrost is sharing their next single ‘Hacking To The Gate’ ft. Shiro Neko from their forthcoming EP of anime cover songs entitled “Frostbites”, which is due out on November 11th via Rockshots Records.
The band adds about the track:
“Steins; Gate is one of the highest-ranked anime series of all time and its opening song ‘Hacking to the Gate’ has become one of those unskippable OPs beloved by many anime fans. We chose this track for our anime covers-EP ‘Frostbites’ as a nice surprise and also a chance to explore our capabilities as a band, as the song contains some quite unorthodox stylistic elements. This is an emotional show centered around science fiction, electronics, and most importantly time travel, so the song’s mix of colorful chords, strange sounds, and sci-fi-inspired effects create a thick, melancholic aesthetic that fits the theme perfectly. Our goal was to capture this and revamp it authentically in our powerful style. This definitely made it the most intricate and time-consuming track to put together, such as a piece like this deserves.
For the vocals on this track, we had the pleasure of working with the insanely talented Shiro Neko, known for her incredible anime vocal covers on Youtube and working with other artists. Her vocal tone and impeccable Japanese pronunciation were essential in delivering this song. One aspect of the Frostbites EP we haven’t talked about much is the larger investment made in production this time around. From the time put into pre-production to the studios we used, up until the mixing and mastering processes, care was taken to bring the EVERFROST sound to a whole new level. Hacking to the Gate proved to be the song to showcase perhaps the best of all the tracks.”
Video for ‘Hacking To The Gate’
Everfrost is a Finnish symphonic power metal band known for incorporating Japanese anime and manga influences into their music, visuals and storytelling.
Metal fans and anime enthusiasts alike have described Everfrost numerous times as the band they were always looking for as the music is created from a passionate desire to energize you, make you happy and take you away from the struggles of everyday life.
The familiar influences of classic and modern Finnish heavy metal (Nightwish, Beast in Black, Sonata Arctica, Wintersun etc) are present in the Everfrost sound, however the band’s trademark wintery style combined with elements from non-metal genres such as eurobeat, dance pop and anime music bring a unique freshness to the mix. The result is an addictive cocktail that has proven to find its way into a wide variety of playlists, DJ sets, parties and live events.
Another big reason people fall in love with Everfrostis because of how immersive the band’s universe is. Each album features ongoing stories of a group of characters living in a cursed city, sealed off from the world. The concept is inspired by the ‘secret cities’ experiments established during the Cold War.
The band’s latest full length album “Winterider” was in particular quite a unique release in the metal world, being a concept album featuring this world and characters in a fully coherent manga comic, following the story and working in tandem with the songs. It received critical acclaim and high scores from multiple well-known metal media outlets such as Kaaoszine, Powerplay Magazine, Bravewords Magazine and Tuonela Magazine. “9/10 The next great power metal band.” -Bravewords
The album also made it to Disk UNION Japan’s top 10 charts for two weeks, charting at number 1 for the first week.
The band also won Tuonela Magazine’s ‘best new discovery’ award for 2019.
While the music may sound energetic and cheery, the lyrical themes are usually dark, melancholic and vulnerable, dealing often with escapism through fantasy and entertainment, death and loss, social isolation and hardship. These feelings and ideas are manifested in the stories and characters, however the core inspiration stems from how cruel and cold the real world can be at times. This combination of happy music with sad lyrics empowers listeners in whatever stage they are going through or have been through in their lives.
The band features keyboardist and songwriter Benji Klint-Connelly, guitarists Samuli Heiskanen and Joose Ylianttila, bassist Roi Partanen and drummer Jope ‘James’ Salminen. Past members have included vocalists Hew Wagner and Mikael Salo (Thy Row, Dyecrest). The band has also featured and worked with many other esteemed musicians such as Rob Lundgren (Mentalist, Reveal), Yannis Papadopoulos (Beast in Black), Asim Searah (Damnation Plan, ex-Wintersun), Sara Strömmer (Shereign, ex-Fear of Domination) and Bini Silvennoinen (Blame Me!).
“Frostbites” CD DIGIPAK PRE ORDER – https://bit.ly/FrostbitesCD