The popularity of near a cappella group Van Canto is growing with their fourth album, Break the Silence, as indicated by the fact that the album debuted at number 23 in the German charts, while their previous album, Tribe of Force, only managed to reach number 83.
With constant touring and appearances at festivals such as Wacken and Rockstad Falun, the band continues to convince audiences that heavy metal does not need electric guitars -- or any instruments besides the drums, for that matter.
On 2011's Break the Silence, the group again showcases its brand of power metal, performed by five vocalists (whose voices substitute for the guitars and bass) and a drummer -- with the exception of the ballad "Spelled in Waters," where Blind Guardian axeman Marcus Siepen guests with an acoustic guitar.
Apart from the original compositions, the album includes a number of covers -- including Sabaton's "Primo Victoria," which features Sabaton frontman Joakim Broden as a guest vocalist.
The limited edition includes three bonus tracks, including a cover of Running Wild's "Bad to the Bone.".
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | If I Die in BattleStefan Sebastian Schmidt | Van Canto | Play | 04:46 | 10 MB | 35 MB |
| 2 | The Seller of SoulsBastian Emig | Van Canto | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 26 MB |
| 3 | Dangers in My HeadStefan Sebastian Schmidt, Ingo "Ike" Sterzinger | Van Canto | Play | 04:05 | 9 MB | 31 MB |
| 4 | Black Wings of HateSebastian Scharf, Stefan Sebastian Schmidt | Van Canto | Play | 04:41 | 10 MB | 36 MB |
| 5 | Bed of NailsDesmond Child, Alice Cooper, Diane Warren | Van Canto | Play | 03:37 | 8 MB | 27 MB |
| 6 | Neuer WindStefan Sebastian Schmidt | Van Canto | Play | 03:21 | 7 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | The Higher FlightStefan Sebastian Schmidt | Van Canto | Play | 05:00 | 11 MB | 38 MB |
| 8 | Master of the WindJoey DeMaio, David Shankle | Van Canto | Play | 06:09 | 14 MB | 38 MB |
| 9 | Primo Victoria (feat. Jakim Brodén of Sabaton) | Van Canto | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 30 MB |
| 10 | Spelles in Waters (feat. Marcus Siepen) | Van Canto | Play | 04:26 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 11 | Betrayed (Bonus) | Van Canto | Play | 04:57 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 12 | Bad to the Bone (Bonus) | Van Canto | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 37 MB |
| 13 | A Storm to Come (Bonus) | Van Canto | Play | 09:13 | 21 MB | 65 MB |
| 62 mins | 142 MB | |||||
| 62 mins | 460 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bastian | Drums, Percussion, Vocals (Background) |
| 2 | Charly Bauerfeind | Drum Engineering |
| 3 | Joakim Broden | Composer, Featured Artist, Vocals |
| 4 | Desmond Child | Composer |
| 5 | Alice Cooper | Composer |
| 6 | Joey DeMaio | Composer |
| 7 | Dynamedion | Orchestra |
| 8 | Bastian Emig | Composer, Piano (Grand) |
| 9 | Ian Hamilton Finlay | Composer |
| 10 | Felipe Machado Franco | Cover Art |
| 11 | Frogster | Orchestra |
| 12 | Thomas Geiger | Drum Editing, Vocal Editing |
| 13 | Gregor Hopf | Composer |
| 14 | Saskia Horländer | Make-Up |
| 15 | Kathrin Karner | Booklet Design |
| 16 | Rolf Kasparek | Composer |
| 17 | Jan D. Kucharzewski | Composer |
| 18 | Jürgen Lusky | Mastering |
| 19 | Manuela Meyer | Photography |
| 20 | Runes of Magic | Orchestra |
| 21 | Sebastian Scharf | Composer |
| 22 | Stefan Sebastian Schmidt | Arranger, Composer, Engineer, Mixing, Vocals |
| 23 | David Shankle | Composer |
| 24 | Marcus Siepen | Composer, Featured Artist, Guitar (Acoustic) |
| 25 | Ingo "Ike" Sterzinger | Booklet Design, Composer, Vocals |
| 26 | Pär Sundström | Composer |
| 27 | Van Canto | Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 28 | Helen Vogt | Vocals |
| 29 | Diane Warren | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |