Germany’s FAR BEYOND has today announced their signing to Prosthetic Records, with their forthcoming third album, The End of My Road, set for release via the Los Angeles label on February 16. Alongside the signing and album announcement the one-man melodic extreme metal project has also shared the lead single and music video for From the Stars and the Crescent Moon.
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR FROM THE STARS AND THE CRESCENT MOON BELOW.
Stream From the Stars and the Crescent Moon via Apple Music | TIDAL | Deezer | Bandcamp and Spotify
Pre-order The End of My Road here.
Commenting on the signing, Eugen Dodenhoeft comments: “The opportunity to release my album with Prosthetic Records fills me with great gratitude. I want to thank Steve and the entire label for their trust and support. I hope that this album meets their expectations and touches listeners in the same way it has touched me. The End of My Road is a condensation of my emotions and experiences that has grown over the years and is now being shared with the world through these songs.
“The title The End of my Road is highly metaphorical for me. It reflects the emotional highs and lows I experienced during the creation of this album. It was a journey filled with fears and challenges, and there were moments when I was on the brink of giving up. This album is my personal journey, a multi-layered one that resonates with sad yet powerful tones. It combines the processing of my own mental struggles with fictional elements inspired by life itself.”
Of the lead single, Eugen continues: “From the Stars and the Crescent Moon delves deep into the realms of dreams and nightmares, painting a vivid sonic tapestry that mirrors the intricate journey of FAR BEYOND. In this song, I explore the boundary between reality and the surreal, with lyrics that evoke the struggle to wake from a haunting dream. It’s a tale of longing and the quest for light in a world consumed by endless night.
“From the Stars and the Crescent Moon encapsulates the essence of my musical vision, blending haunting beauty with a touch of melancholy. I also want to mention the collaboration with Lukas Grässlin of Nahtram, whose evocative guitar solos add a layer of emotion that transcends the boundaries of sound and narrative.”
Formed in the early 2000s, FAR BEYOND is the solo project of Eugen Dodenhoeft. Based in the Franconian Switzerland region of Germany, FAR BEYOND’s history to this point has been one of slow and steady artistic progression with 2005’s An Angel’s Requiem and 2016’s A Frozen Flame Of Ice albums showcasing Dodenhoeft’s penchant for seamlessly alternating dynamics of gothic and death metal symphonia.
With time away from his Germany via New Zealand based melodic death metal project, Euphoreon, after two album releases Eugen forged ahead with the next chapter of FAR BEYOND’s existence. The End of My Road was completed over a period of years, with parts of the album written and self-produced as early as 2018, with the towering mountainous ranges of his Franconian surroundings, fantasy fiction and video games providing a much needed comfort and escape from everyday life’s drudgery.
Whilst a solo endeavour at its core, The End of My Road sees collaborative guitar solos from Nathram’s Lukas Grässlin as well as additional synthesiser embellishments from Ari Ahrendt on Tempus Fugit and the title track. The End of My Road was then placed in the hands of Patrick Stäudle of Glaswald Studios in The Black Forest, Germany for mixing and mastering.
Furthering their quest to understand the complexities of the unknown and transcend beyond, The End of My Road’s contemplative atmospherics and concentrated sonic extremities merge seamlessly with a deft poetic touch. FAR BEYOND’s latest full-length is an ambitious and fastidiously curated amalgam of melodeath, symphonic and power metal, covering themes of courage and heart in the face of depression and hardship.