Winterstorm

History

The first storm warnings were issued at the end of 2008 over Franconia. At this time, the two musicians Sebastian Albrecht (drums, vocals) and Peter Cerveny (bass) were looking for new comrades after their band Circle Of Grief had died after ten years of working together.

The search quickly bore fruit and Armin Haas became the new guitarist, whereupon it was realized that a new band could now be founded that went beyond the old framework. After a further search, Michael Liewald joined as another guitarist and Matthias Müller (but only until the summer of 2010) on the keyboard. Most of the songs were created in this formation, all that was missing was the right voice to drive the horde...

Only after a lengthy search for a singer did the right frontman, Alexander Schirmer, come to light in the summer of 2009. Since then the group has been complete.

It quickly became clear that the right people had come together here to make music together for many years. It was decided to give this association the name Winterstorm. The name stands on the one hand for the influences from the cold north and on the other hand for those of power metal, which are unmistakable in the songs of the group.

At the end of 2009 all songs were complete and were recorded in February 2010 in the 3HE studios (hematoma etc.). After three months of hard work, the debut album 'A Coming Storm' was finally released at the release party in early May 2010.

Now the storm began to make its way and Winterstorm were able to play its way into the hearts of many other fans by 2012 as the support act for Rage, Saltatio Mortis, Crematory and Dragonforce and at many larger festivals. The debut was rated in over 40 reviews with an average of 7.3 points (13 times between 8.0 and 9.5) and has been available throughout Germany since April 2011 via Cargo Records in cooperation with the label FinestNoise Releases. In addition, Winterstorm had an interview and a sampler track in Legacy (No. 73) and further interviews on Powermetal.de, Powermetal4ever.de, medicine-metal.de and well-known radio stations. The enthusiasm that Winterstorm encounters among fans of various genres can also be seen from the fact that the band was voted the clear winner of the Medieval Rock Awards at Europe's largest medieval festival (Festival Mediaval) in September 2011.

At the end of September 2011, the recordings for the second studio album started in the band's own Mind-EQ studios in Bayreuth. Orden Ogan singer "Seeb" was ready for the mix of the new disc, who gave the CD the finishing touches, so that the piece was finally finished in February 2012. After a long and intensive search for a label and offers from well-known record companies, Winterstorm then decided to release the album again with the old, proven partners.

The worldwide release of the second album 'Kings Will Fall', long and eagerly awaited by all fans, was in August 2012. Exactly fitting in the month in which the band recorded their biggest success to date - a gig at the legendary Wacken Open Air. Contrary to many expectations, the reviews for the 2nd album were able to top the debut. The highest number of points was awarded several times and in addition to many interviews in web magazines, Winterstorm could also be found in major magazines such as Legacy and Metal Hammer with sampler tracks and interviews.

The band made a name for itself and finally got an offer from a well-known record company. In March 2013, Winterstorm signed with the Austrian label NoiseArt Records.

In the autumn of the same year, the band was on the Heidefest tour, which was the first major tour outside of Germany. At the same time they were working on the third record, which is often referred to as the groundbreaking and decisive album.

In February 2014 'Cathyron' was released.
It was to be the most musically varied disc to date and was the first concept album. The reviews again surpassed the previous album and confirmed the continuous development of the five musicians.

From February to April 2014, Winterstorm were on a European release tour with the a cappella metallers Van Canto. In addition to some festival appearances, participation in the complete Heidenfest tour followed in 2015.

In December 2015 it was announced that Sebastian Albrecht and Armin Haas were leaving the band. A short time later, Jonas Hack was introduced as the new drummer and Tobi Lodes as the new guitarist, so the band was complete again.

The fourth and so far most successful album 'Cube of Infinity' was released on August 19, 2016 at the Summer Breeze Open Air and rose to number 31 in the official German album charts. After further tours through Germany, all performances at festivals such as Rock Harz Open Air, Christmas Bash and again Summer Breeze Open Air followed.

The band signed a contract with the record label AFM Records 2019.

In 2021 Tobias Lodes, who is also active in Beyond the Black, left the band for reasons of time. He was replaced by Jochen Windisch.

(source: Winterstorm, February 2023)