Progressive death metal project CHANGELING will release its self-titled debut album on April 25, 2025. Composed, produced, and mixed by Berlin-based guitarist and producer Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger, the album presents a 60-minute concept work written specifically for both stereo and Dolby Atmos, with the Atmos/Spatial-Audio version coming to streaming services on may 23rd.
The album consists of ten tracks that collectively follow a narrative arc structured around a first-person psychedelic experience. Each composition corresponds to a distinct stage of the narrator’s psychological transformation—from initial sensory distortion to ego dissolution and eventual cognitive reintegration.
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.
Key tracks include lead single “Abyss”, structured around quarter-tone modulations and layered choral textures, second single “Falling in Circles”, highlighting the band’s virtuoso performances and directly referencing Geldschläger’s earlier work on OBSCURA’s Akroasis – and the recently released title track Changeling, combining ritualistic vocal performances and atmospheric microtonal synth work with colossal death metal riffs.
The full album will stream live on the Season of Mist YouTube channel below.
You can also read our review for Changeling here.
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.