CHANGELING
Releases Explosive Title Track from Debut Album

A Reality-Warping Progressive Death Metal Epic

Ritualistic Chants, Millennium-old Oud Instrumentation
& Microtonal Synthesizers

Changeling – “Changeling” (Official Visualizer)

Fretless guitar visionary Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger, known for his work in Obscura’s Akróasis era, his live work with Defeated Sanity, Belphegor and many others – is now spearheading his very own project: CHANGELING.

Together with core-band members Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress), Arran McSporran (Virvum, Vipassi) & Mike Heller (ex-Fear Factory, Malignancy), CHANGELING are at the forefront of a new era of progressive death metal. Following the release of the debut album’s first two singles Abyss & Falling in Circles, today Season of Mist is releasing the almost 7” title track.

The newly released piece serves as the turning point in the album’s psychedelic concept narrative, chronicling the protagonist’s journey to the outer realms of the psychedelic experience. Inspired by Lovecraftian horror, existential philosophy, and the bizarre hallucinations of a consciousness torn apart, the song’s progressive structure mirrors the chaotic beauty of its lyrical themes, pulling the listener into an unsettling yet mesmerizing new dimension, though the use of microtonal synthesizers, ritualistic vocals, oriental percussion and a full choir.

“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”

Morean sings, as the intricate but catchy fusion of progressive death metal, avant-garde jazz, and world music influences creates a surreal and immersive listening experience. The dissonant harmonies distort reality, producing an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.

Geldschläger explains:

“This song came from a few musical themes that I had written on the oud.

From those few humble notes, it turned into quite the monster – a monster where I think everybody in the core-band shines equally. At that point in the album’s story, we’re beginning to take the frame-work of tech/prog death metal into uncharted territory, so it seemed appropriate to give this song a unique, winding structure where a shorter pumping mid-tempo banger is book-ended by intensely psychedelic blast-beat driven parts that are building towards a quasi-black metal frenzy at the end. It also has some of my favorite Morean-lyrics of all time. Not only does he paint a vivid picture of a strange, unfamiliar dimension through his signature wordplay – he also quite literally takes us there in the song’s mid-section breakdown, were we envisioned a strange jungle-ritual evoking some dark cosmic entity, somewhere between Lovecraft and Peter Jackson’s “King Kong”.

And, as usual, the man took it to another level by adding a multitude of eery, slithering voices, which are making the song feel almost like it’s breathing. Oh, and this piece also has some of my favorite RIFFS (in capital letters) that I’ve ever written, as well as some quite extreme guitar shenanigans that I called “layers of cosmic horror” during production. Get out your best headphones for this one!”

Watch the visualizer for the title track Changeling now: https://youtu.be/LUeWqVgwWLk.

Changeling is out April 25th via Season of Mist.

➤ Pre-order & Pre-save here: https://orcd.co/changelingchangeling

Join the Bandcamp Listening Party

To celebrate the release of CHANGELING’s debut album, a Bandcamp Listening Party will take place on April 10th at 7PM CET. Fans are invited to join the band and fellow listeners for a communal first spin of the full album, with the opportunity to share reactions live and connect directly with Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger.

Tune in here: https://changelingofficial.bandcamp.com

Explore the Changeling Transcription Series

In tandem with the album release, Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger is unveiling an ambitious series of Changeling transcription books—available now for pre-order. There will be three editions: Guitar Transcriptions, meticulously transcribed by Tom himself; Bass Transcriptions, crafted by Arran McSporran; and the expansive Complete Transcriptions, an all-encompassing collection featuring every single note performed on the album. This includes guitar, bass, drums (transcribed by Fenix Gayed), all orchestral arrangements, vocals, lyrics, and detailed liner notes written by Tom, offering rare insights into the compositional process.

The Guitar (approx. 500 pages) and Bass (approx. 75 pages) books will launch alongside the album on April 25th, while the Complete Transcriptions—a massive 800–1000 page volume—will follow on May 23rd, coinciding with the release of the Atmos Mix of the album. All editions will be available in physical format as well as digital (PDF and Guitar Pro), and every physical copy of the Complete Transcriptions will be personally signed. Each print version also includes a free download of its corresponding digital edition.

Pre-orders are available now: https://changelingmerch.bigcartel.com/

Tracklist:
1. Introject (1:56)
2. Instant Results (4:33)
3. Falling in Circles (3:47) [WATCH]
4. World? What World? (6:43)
5. Metanoia Interlude (00:57)
6. Changeling (6:57) [WATCH]
7. Abyss (8:06) [WATCH]
8. Cathexis Interlude (1:19)
9. Abdication (9:05)
10. Anathema (16:51)
Full runtime: 1:00:16Country: Germany
Genre: Progressive Death Metal
FFO: Obscura, Steve Vai, Devin Townsend, Morbid Angel

Pictured: ArranMcSporran, Morean, Mike Heller, Tom Fountainhead

Fountainhead, the musical alter-ego of Berlin-based musician Tom Geldschläger, is a celebrated figure across diverse music landscapes. Known for his expansive involvement in the music industry, Tom has contributed to over a hundred releases in capacities ranging from guitarist to orchestrator, producer to mixing/mastering engineer, and occasionally even as an oud-player. He has worked with globally recognized artists such as Obscura, Belphegor, Marco Minnemann, Defeated Sanity, Amogh Symphony, Hannes Grossmann, Voodoogods, Christian Münzner, Nader Sadek and more. Featured in numerous international music magazines, authored several books of non-fiction and musical notation, Tom has also been instrumental in integrating the fretless guitar into extreme metal genres.

Acclaimed as a “modern-day guitar legend,” Tom’s signature playing style and adventurous genre-defying compositions highlight his fearless approach to music. His endorsements include prestigious brands like Aristides Guitars, Elixir Strings, and Bare Knuckle Pickups. Additionally, Tom is a sought-after clinician and speaker, focusing on creativity, music production, and musician’s mental health, as well as being at the forefront of spatial audio and 360-degree audio production.

In a significant development in early 2024, Fountainhead, now branded under the name CHANGELING for his new project and album, signed with the label Season of Mist. This venture marks a new chapter in Tom’s career, amplifying his visionary approach to music. Accompanied by an all-star band featuring members from Fear Factory, Alkaloid, and Virvum, the project CHANGELING showcases a 60-minute concept album that takes all aspects of Tom’s artistry to new heights.

The album, sharing its name with the project, blends progressive metal, death metal, jazz/fusion, and world music, enriched with complex orchestrations by a 50-piece ensemble of guest musicians. It includes the eagerly anticipated “Part 2” to his renowned composition “Weltseele,” an orchestral metal epic from Obscura’s billboard-chart-entering “Akroasis” album, which broadly introduced Fountainhead to the metal community in 2016.

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

➤ Pre-save & Pre-order: https://orcd.co/changelingchangeling

Follow Fountainhead & Changeling:
Website: http://www.thefountainhead.de
Facebook: http://facebook.com/tomfountainheadgeldschlaeger
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/changeling.official
Bandcamp: https://changelingofficial.bandcamp.com/
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/fountainheadtv
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/changeling/294821510
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4MbRUvwQcEBzryOhWMHkvV

Available Formats:
Digital Download
CD Digipak
2×12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – Crystal Clear w/ Red Splatters
2×12″ Coloured Vinyl Gatefold – White w/ Red Splatters