Changeling
by Changeling
Christoph Wagner
Christoph Wagner
Bought while attending the Listening Party. Mind-blowing complexity. So many layers, and instruments, yet perfectly approachable. Almost certain to make my AotY list.
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Tom
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Abyss
00:00
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08:05
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Streaming + DownloadPre-order of Changeling. You get 3 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.Purchasable with gift cardDownload available in 24-bit/48kHz.releases April 25, 2025
$9.99 USD or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumCD in Digipak with 16-page booklet.
Includes digital pre-order of Changeling. You get 3 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.shipping out on or around April 25, 2025Purchasable with gift card$16 USD or more
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Record/Vinyl + Digital AlbumCrystal clear 12" double vinyl with red splatters in gatefold with double sided insert.
Limited to 300 copies worldwide!
Includes digital pre-order of Changeling. You get 3 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.shipping out on or around April 25, 2025edition of 300 34 remainingPurchasable with gift card$49 USD or more
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ShirtPrinted on a black 100% cotton T-Shirt.
Also available on Comfort Colors, hoodies, tank tops, and more at the Season of Mist website!ships out within 5 daysPurchasable with gift card$27 USD or more
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ShirtPrinted on a black 100% cotton T-Shirt.
Also available on Comfort Colors, hoodies, tank tops, and more at the Season of Mist website!ships out within 5 daysPurchasable with gift card$27 USD or more
-
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ShirtPrinted on a black 100% cotton T-Shirt.
Also available on Comfort Colors, hoodies, tank tops, and more at the Season of Mist website!ships out within 5 daysPurchasable with gift card$27 USD or more
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1. |
Introject
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2. |
Instant Results
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3. |
Falling in Circles
03:47
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flesh
fainting, flooded from within
muscular nausea
slight neon in the teeth
discarded in paralysis
the bones begin to glow
endorphins rising like a lurid sun
eyes sink into the dark
as other eyes open
losing all grip
and the floor disappears
and I plunge
as the world around me
levitates away
delirium
falling in circles evermore
shocked awake
as the world around me
levitates away
delirium
falling in circles evermore
down
I keep tumbling
fresh oblivion
lays its fires
born
into panic
crazed
by an impact
that never comes
mind slowly aging
as the world around me
levitates away
delirium
falling in circles evermore
who was I
I forget
since nothing ever lingers
I keep falling in circles
never to land
never to belong again
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4. |
World? What World?
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5. |
Metanoia Interlude
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6. |
Changeling
06:57
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this endless fall
past uprooted selves
whose debris appals
with insipidness
has shattered the dream of identity
exposing all attachment’s fickleness
what’s left is spiritual blasphemy
an awakening of ponderous wickedness
transient as a cloud
ephemeral as a memory
if this wreckage I see looking inwards
is supposed to be me,
then who’s doing the looking?
void and vengeance shall beget
a child from below
a changeling of clandestine soul
come to crush the illusion
that there’s anyone at the helm
mirror mirror
who is there
it is I
so I must be something
mirror mirror
who’s to say
that the I of tomorrow
is the I of today
not the soul steers the eye
not the eye hosts the soul
no! the vessel itself
is what creates the sense of self
void and vengeance shall beget
a child from below
a changeling of clandestine soul
comes usurping the holiest of hearts
and no-one shall know
the mine of hubris has collapsed
caved-in onto plains
haunted by screaming shadows
specked by the little fires of hypothermic wraiths
lost in the maelstrom of withering
fading shadows of belonging
ever yearning for purpose
slithering from mirage to mirage of self-prolonging
rise
come hither, oh vivibund
the tyrant has fallen
all ye indifferent to form
but desperate to be
come and feed
crawl from whatever hole
akasha had trapped you in
as spectres to rise
as mayflies to burn
come steal this life
everyone gets a turn
everyone gets a turn
the king is dead
he never lived
all this urgency
all this worry
to protect a shell
perpetually open for every random whiff
of sentience that floats
in the sewer of the mind
in the sewer of the mind
gods, what a mess
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7. |
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mundus plenus monstrorum
parietes odium spirantes
tranquillus manendum
et continuandum
vanitas vanitatum,
et omnia vanitas
hic nil diu durabit
nether after deathless nether
abyss underneath fathomless abyss
count your blessings
as long as there still is
a “you” to get upset
I’ve been sinking for so long
that “up” is no more
than a crumbling memory
abyss
abyss underneath fathomless abyss
so devoid of soul
even fungus turns away
in loathing of what’s left
no photon has ever strayed
to where blackness itself
becomes a blinding light
time and mind
eaten alive
dissolve
reduced to a tumorous hole
I’ve been rotting for so long
that “I” has faded
to a mere threadbare nexus
of vacuous woe
a universe crushed below
a multitude of universes
past and future
mangled in the bottomless void
of an annihilated presence
death - a relic of happier times
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8. |
Cathexis Interlude
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9. |
Abdication
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10. |
Anathema
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about
CHANGELING, the audacious new incarnation of Berlin-based music visionary Tom Geldschläger, is charting unexplored territories in the world of Progressive Death Metal. With a celebrated career marked by over a hundred versatile releases, Tom, also known as Fountainhead, continues to mesmerize with his fearless creativity and mastery over the fretless guitar.
Embrace the all-encompassing sonic journey that is the self-titled album ‘Changeling’. This 60-minute opus transcends the ordinary, weaving together threads of progressive metal, death metal, jazz fusion, and world music, all beautifully orchestrated with the help of a 50-piece ensemble. A masterclass in musical alchemy, the album enlists an all-star lineup featuring (ex-)members of Obscura, Fear Factory, Alkaloid, and Virvum, underscoring Tom's global influence and collaborative spirit.
Central to this narrative is the highly anticipated "Part 2" of "Weltseele", an orchestral metal epic that revisits and expands upon Tom's legendary contribution to Obscura's "Akroasis". Each track unfurls like a tale of its own, inviting listeners to lose themselves in intricate rhythms, haunting melodies, and the profound themes of transformation and identity.
Embrace the all-encompassing sonic journey that is the self-titled album ‘Changeling’. This 60-minute opus transcends the ordinary, weaving together threads of progressive metal, death metal, jazz fusion, and world music, all beautifully orchestrated with the help of a 50-piece ensemble. A masterclass in musical alchemy, the album enlists an all-star lineup featuring (ex-)members of Obscura, Fear Factory, Alkaloid, and Virvum, underscoring Tom's global influence and collaborative spirit.
Central to this narrative is the highly anticipated "Part 2" of "Weltseele", an orchestral metal epic that revisits and expands upon Tom's legendary contribution to Obscura's "Akroasis". Each track unfurls like a tale of its own, inviting listeners to lose themselves in intricate rhythms, haunting melodies, and the profound themes of transformation and identity.
credits
releases April 25, 2025
Core Lineup:
Tom Fountainhead (ex-Obscura, Amogh Symphony, Belphegor, Defeated Sanity) - Fretted & fretless electric & acoustic guitars, oud, keyboards, composition and arrangements.
Mike Heller (ex-Fear Factory, Malignancy, Raven) - Drums.
Arran McSporran (Vipassi, Virvum) - Fretless bass.
Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) - Lead vocals & lyrics.
Guest Musicians:
Bill Hudson (Trans-siberian Orchestra, Doro, I am Morbid) - Guest guitar solo
Jason Gobel (ex-Cynic, ex-Monstrosity)- Guest guitar solo
Andy Laroque (ex-Death, King Diamond) - Guest guitar solo
Yatziv Caspi (ex-Orphaned Land) - Tabla, hangdrum, dabouka, riq & shakers
Ally Storch (Subway To Sally)- Violins, viola & cello
James Dorton (The Faceless, NeObliviscaris, Black Crown Initate) - Spoken words
Alexander Kerski (Vianova)- Backing & harmony vocals
Matthias Alexander Preisinger - Piano and glockenspiel, violins & viola
Martin Matiasovic - Horns & Wagnerian Tube
Jan Ferdinand - Vibraphone & marimba
Chris Rützel - Flutes
Ivar Ludvig Nitzler - Cello
Shiho Murano - Tuba
Juliane Erding - Wagnerian tube & horn
Eduard Cortez - Wagnerian tube & horn
Tillmann Schulz - Wagnerian tube & horn
Ava Bonam - Female vocals
Moran Magal - Piano
Cydney McQuillan-Grace, Lauren Gill, Shannon Bedford, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bari - Ben Francis, John Schaffer, Alice Williams, Cyd McQuillan-Grace; Alto - Lauren Gill, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bass - James Schouten & John Schaffer - Choir vocals
Krassimir Jossifov - Trumpet
Brandt Attema - Trombones & bass trombones
Kristian Petkov - Bassoon
Stefan Prost - Church organ
Seonghyeon Park - Clarinet
Arnfried Falk - Oboe
Rouven Haliti - Upright bass
Dalai Cellai - Cello
Recording Studio:
FountainheadHQ, Hellersounds, Saforill, Klanghafen, Landesmusikakademie Berlin, Musikhochschule Carl-Maria-Von-Weber, Muziek Studio Beeld, Sonictrain.
Production Credits:
Produced & Engineered by Tom Fountainhead.
Mixed by Tom Fountainhead at FountainheadHQ.
Mastered by Leon Schmidt at his home studio & FountainheadHQ.
Cover Art:
Aaron Pinto (Gutslit) / KidSquidy
Photography:
Alexander Kerski / Comicsans_Ultra
Core Lineup:
Tom Fountainhead (ex-Obscura, Amogh Symphony, Belphegor, Defeated Sanity) - Fretted & fretless electric & acoustic guitars, oud, keyboards, composition and arrangements.
Mike Heller (ex-Fear Factory, Malignancy, Raven) - Drums.
Arran McSporran (Vipassi, Virvum) - Fretless bass.
Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) - Lead vocals & lyrics.
Guest Musicians:
Bill Hudson (Trans-siberian Orchestra, Doro, I am Morbid) - Guest guitar solo
Jason Gobel (ex-Cynic, ex-Monstrosity)- Guest guitar solo
Andy Laroque (ex-Death, King Diamond) - Guest guitar solo
Yatziv Caspi (ex-Orphaned Land) - Tabla, hangdrum, dabouka, riq & shakers
Ally Storch (Subway To Sally)- Violins, viola & cello
James Dorton (The Faceless, NeObliviscaris, Black Crown Initate) - Spoken words
Alexander Kerski (Vianova)- Backing & harmony vocals
Matthias Alexander Preisinger - Piano and glockenspiel, violins & viola
Martin Matiasovic - Horns & Wagnerian Tube
Jan Ferdinand - Vibraphone & marimba
Chris Rützel - Flutes
Ivar Ludvig Nitzler - Cello
Shiho Murano - Tuba
Juliane Erding - Wagnerian tube & horn
Eduard Cortez - Wagnerian tube & horn
Tillmann Schulz - Wagnerian tube & horn
Ava Bonam - Female vocals
Moran Magal - Piano
Cydney McQuillan-Grace, Lauren Gill, Shannon Bedford, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bari - Ben Francis, John Schaffer, Alice Williams, Cyd McQuillan-Grace; Alto - Lauren Gill, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bass - James Schouten & John Schaffer - Choir vocals
Krassimir Jossifov - Trumpet
Brandt Attema - Trombones & bass trombones
Kristian Petkov - Bassoon
Stefan Prost - Church organ
Seonghyeon Park - Clarinet
Arnfried Falk - Oboe
Rouven Haliti - Upright bass
Dalai Cellai - Cello
Recording Studio:
FountainheadHQ, Hellersounds, Saforill, Klanghafen, Landesmusikakademie Berlin, Musikhochschule Carl-Maria-Von-Weber, Muziek Studio Beeld, Sonictrain.
Production Credits:
Produced & Engineered by Tom Fountainhead.
Mixed by Tom Fountainhead at FountainheadHQ.
Mastered by Leon Schmidt at his home studio & FountainheadHQ.
Cover Art:
Aaron Pinto (Gutslit) / KidSquidy
Photography:
Alexander Kerski / Comicsans_Ultra
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
Changeling Berlin, Germany
Fountainhead is the alter-ego of (fretless) guitar player / composer / producer Tom Geldschläger, lead-guitarist for Obscura´s "Akroasis" album, member of instrumental prog band "Pitts/Minnemann Project" and regarded as the "Steve Vai of the new millenium" (quote: Christian Münzner). Endorsed by Aristides, Loxx, GoodTone, Neural DSP, Steinberg, MONO, Deadweald Audio Engineering, Winspear and Engl. ... more
discography
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Apr 2025 -
Jul 2020 -
Mar 2019 -
Aug 2016 -
Jan 2013 -
Jan 2015 -
Nov 2009
contact / help
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