Canadian Celtic/symphonic fantasy metal singer and songwriter LEAH (Leah McHenry) presents the first single off her upcoming album “The Quest”. The single is called “Edge Of You Sword” and you can listen to it below.
“The first single is quite upbeat, with lots of fantasy, quiet moments and then really loud intense moments with high energy. I wanted to experience it all in this song!” comments McHenry.
“The Quest” is LEAH’s third full-length studio album and it was in the work for two years. Compared to the last album “Kings & Queens”, it’s a bit different “with a stronger Celtic & fantasy connection, some prog rock elements, ethereal ambience, combined with traditional symphonic metal elements.”
What’s the new album about? The concept of “The Quest” is simple: “We’re all on a journey, and sometimes we lose our way. There are adventures, wildernesses, treasures, monsters, looters, people out to send us down the wrong path. Through it all, we must grow in wisdom and experience, find our compass once again and find our way back to the true path in order to reach our full potential: our destiny.”
The album features many guest musicians: Troy Donockley (Nightwish) on pipes and flutes, Barend Courbois (Blind Guardian) on bass guitar, Timo Somers (Delain) on rhythm and lead guitars, Sander Zoer (ex-Delain, Tragul) on drums and percussion, Chen Balbus (Orphaned Land) on Middle Eastern saz and oud. “The Quest” was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Epica, Amaranthe) and produced by Oliver Philipps (Delain, Phantasma), who has also worked on arrangements and orchestrations.
When it comes to the visual aspect of the album, LEAH states: “The Quest was inspired by immersing myself in fantasy and fiction during the writing of this album. I also wanted to make the visual imagery more about the music, the culture, and the visual representation of the songs, rather than me – the songwriter and vocalist.”
You can see the cover artwork created by Jan Yrlund and album tracklist below.
1. The Quest
2. Edge of Your Sword
3. Lion Arises
4. Heir
5. Ruins of Illusion
6. Labyrinth
7. Abyss
8. Oblivion (Between Two Worlds)
9. Ghost Upon a Throne
10. The Water Is Wide
“The Quest” is coming out October 5 and the interesting thing is that the album won’t be initially available for purchase via digital stores or on streaming sites. The reason? McHenry explains: “Very simply, the digital music industry has come a long way but it still has a ways to go. In full transparency, it’s difficult to make a living from streaming and digital stores with the way they have it structured. So for a period of time the album — in both digital and physics formats — will be available via my website/shop only.”
At this point, LEAH is not sure how long it will take for the album to be available for online streaming and download in digital stores. “It could be a month or 6 months. I’m not very conventional and don’t do what everyone else does. I also realize not every person will be happy about this. In the end, I have to go with my gut. And it’s also important that fans realize that for independent artists – the BEST way to show support for the art you love is to get it from the source – from the artist.”
LEAH has also recently released an official 30 minutes long documentary, taking you behind the scenes of “The Quest” birth step by step. The video features interviews with musicians around the world who contributed to creating the album.
Metal Goddesses 
You must be logged in to post a comment.