“White Wedding”, a cover of Billy Idol’s classic song, is the third single from Swedish gothic rock act Scheitan this year. The lyric video premiers today ahead of the single’s release on 27 October.
Scheitan have recently returned following a 24-year hiatus, and will release a new album “Songs for the Gothic People” in Spring 2024 by Greek independent label The Circle Music. The new album further explores the gothic vibe that was present on their ”Nemesis” album, released by Century Media Records in 1999.
“White Wedding” will also be available on all digital platforms from 27th October.
Guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Pierre Törnkvist comments on the new recording:
Billy Idol has always been one of my favourite artists. It was the same for Oscar, Scheitan’s drummer who tragically passed away some years ago. And I think Oscar would have approved of this version of “White Wedding”. We talked many times about recording “Rebel Yell” with our other band Helltrain but I think this one will do equally good.
I tried to go for a bit more “goth” than “rock” in the soundscape and vocals. Billy is an excellent singer so it would just have been stupid to try to replicate some of the stuff he does in the track. I know my place and capabilities.
I’ve spent a lot of time with his newer material like “Bitter Taste” and “Running from the Ghost” and have to say it´s equally good as the tracks he delivered as a young artist. I will now keep working on the upcoming album and perhaps throw in one or two more cover tracks along the way.
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Listen to the singles “Fire at Dawn” and “Lost in Time” which were released earlier this year.
Scheitan was formed in 1996 by Pierre Törnkvist (guitar/bass/vocals) together with Oscar Karlsson (drums). The duo started out as a black metal band but transformed during the musical journey into the fields of gothic/ambient rock. Both members had previous musical experience mainly from death and black metal such as The Moaning, Defleshed, The Everdawn and Gates of Ishtar to name a few. They established themselves as respected musicians in the 90s underground scene.
Scheitan released its first album Travelling in Ancient Times on Invasion Records in 1996. The album was an 8-track blast of intense black metal except for the last track Portals of Might which was the first indication of Scheitan wanting to explore other musical realms. The second album Berzerk 2000, also released on Invasion Records in 1998, was divided into different styles, to say the least. The first four tracks show a gothic/ambient Scheitan while the last three saw Scheitan bid a final farewell to its black metal roots. The first four tracks of Berzerk 2000 saw a digital re-release in 2021 as the “Deathgoth” EP.
Century Media signed the band after the contract with Invasion was finished and in 1999 the band recorded and released Nemesis. The musical style was now completely devoted to the gothic/ambient/dark domain except for the vocals of Pierre Törnkvist who were still kept in the harsh style present on earlier albums. The Nemesis album has in later days been hailed as a hidden gem and predecessor to many bands today with a similar style. When it was time to write new Scheitan material after Nemesis both Pierre and Oscar felt that it did not fit into the project and therefore Helltrain was started, which is a completely different story.
Scheitan went on a 24-year hiatus but was brought back to life in 2023 with the single “Lost In Time”, a gothic rock masterpiece in the veins of Sisters of Mercy, Fields of The Nephilim and The 69 Eyes. A few weeks prior to the release of the single “Lost in Time” Scheitan signed to Greek label The Circle Music and is set to release a full-length album in 2024.
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