CHANGELING, the progressive death metal project led by fretless guitar luminary Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger, unveil a stunning animated music video for the track “World? What World?”, a highlight track from the band’s debut album, Changeling, out now on Season of Mist.
Bridging chaotic intensity with theatrical grandeur, “World? What World?” captures a pivotal moment in the album’s psychedelic concept: the protagonist’s confrontation with repressed fears and subconscious horrors. Fueled by a whirlwind drum performance by Mike Heller (FEAR FACTORY), a thunderous Wagnerian brass ensemble, and a gospel choir evoking Dark Side of the Moon, the track ascends from technical extremity into transcendent territory.
The song also features a guest guitar solo from legendary axeman Andy LaRocque (KING DIAMOND, ex-DEATH), trading leads with Fountainhead in a climactic fusion of virtuosic shred and eerie atmospherics. The visual accompaniment, rendered in animated/stop-motion style, vividly brings the nightmarish visions of the song’s lyrics to life.
Musically, CHANGELING combines technical death metal with elements of classical orchestration, jazz/fusion, and world music. The arrangements feature fretless and fretted electric guitars, oud, fretless bass, drums, synthesizers, and a broad spectrum of acoustic instrumentation, performed by over 50 guest musicians. The album includes performances by multiple guest guitarists (from legendary bands like DEATH, CYNIC and I AM MORBID), orchestral musicians, a choir, and players of non-western percussion instruments.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.