Holter – Vlad the Impaler | BackStage360.com

Born as a one-off musical extravaganza by two Norwegian metal and hard rock giants, Trond Holter (ex-Wig Wam, JORN) and singer Jorn Lande, the Dracula Rock Opera has now morphed into a regular musical project with guitarist, producer, and songwriter Trond Holter on the helm.

While the original plan was to leave “Swing Of Death” as a unique, one-off musical recording, the success the musical had being staged in front of audiences in Norwegian theaters convinced Trond that a follow up was not only possible, but maybe even mandatory. He was sitting on plenty of material anyway and still felt inspired to tell the stories of Dracula and Vampires that did not find a home on the debut album.

The product of this new inspiration is “Vlad The Impaler.” Vlad, also known as Vlad Dracula, was voivode (or prince) of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death and is the historical figure that inspired the famous legends about Dracula.

With a lineup featuring singers Nils K Rue (Pagan’s Mind) and Eva Iselin Erichsen, Bernt Jansen on bass, Per Morten Bergseth on drums, and Erling Henanger on keyboards, “Vlad The Impaler” starts where “Swing Of Death” left off. Musically, it is an album that gets straight to the point while simultaneously utilizing diverse musical landscapes and includes catchy and melodic songs in a similar style to the previous album. Think Savatage meets Meat Loaf meets Queen meets Alice Cooper with contemporary hard rock.

Without a doubt “Vlad The Impaler” is to be one of the highlights of the melodic metal genre in 2018!