Metal Shock Finland (World Assault )

CHANGELING, the progressive death metal project led by fretless guitar luminary Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger, unveil a stunning animated music video for the track “World? What World?”, a highlight track from the band’s debut album, Changeling, out now on Season of Mist.

Bridging chaotic intensity with theatrical grandeur, “World? What World?” captures a pivotal moment in the album’s psychedelic concept: the protagonist’s confrontation with repressed fears and subconscious horrors. Fueled by a whirlwind drum performance by Mike Heller (Fear Factory), a thunderous Wagnerian brass ensemble, and a gospel choir evoking Dark Side of the Moon, the track ascends from technical extremity into transcendent territory.

The song also features a guest guitar solo from legendary axeman Andy LaRocque (King Diamond, ex-Death), trading leads with Fountainhead in a climactic fusion of virtuosic shred and eerie atmospherics. The visual accompaniment, rendered in animated/stop-motion style, vividly brings the nightmarish visions of the song’s lyrics to life.

Changeling is out now via Season of Mist.

Order & Stream now: https://orcd.co/changelingchangeling

Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger unveiled an ambitious series of Changeling transcription books—available now. There are 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 and Bass books launched alongside the album on April 25th, with the Complete Transcriptions score book to follow in June. All editions will be available in physical format as well as digital (PDF and Guitar Pro), Each print version also includes a free download of its corresponding digital edition.

Order now: https://changelingmerch.bigcartel.com/

Dolby Atmos Version Arriving This Week

Following the success of the album’s initial release, CHANGELING is set to unveil the full Dolby Atmos mix of Changeling the week of May 26th. Mixed with immersive spatial depth and precision, this version offers a fully enveloping listening experience—placing listeners inside the intricate orchestral arrangements, swirling fretless guitars, and psychedelic soundscapes as never before. Engineered by Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger himself and Atmos-mixing veteran Eric Horstmann, the Atmos release brings a new dimensionality to the genre-defying work.

Prepare to rediscover Changeling—not just as an album, but as a fully immersive sonic world.

The Dolby Atmos version is scheduled for release May 30th.

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: 1:00:16

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

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