“The Conqueror”

Finnish power metal band METAL DE FACTO will release their debut album, Imperium Romanum, on November 22 via Rockshots Records.

The first single from the album, “The Conqueror”, is now available via all major digital stores, and the official video clip is can be viewed below.

Bass player Sami Hinkka, also of the band Ensiferum,comments, “‘The Conqueror’ is the opening track of the album and it tells about the founding myth of Rome. But instead of once again just telling the legend of the brothers Romulus and Remus, we played around with the idea of what Romulus thought after he killed his brother. And even though he saw the glory of Rome, could it have been even greater if they both would’ve still been there to rule together? Musically the song is exactly what we had in our minds when MDF was founded: ass-kicking power/heavy metal with fast pace, powerful vocals, catchy chorus, mind-blowing solos.”

Imperium Romanum was recorded, mixed and mastered at Goodman Studios and Tadaa Music Studio by Esa Orjatsalo. The artwork was created by the renowned Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák (Blind Guardian‘sTwilight Orchestra, Stratovarius, Accept, Grave Digger, Powerwolf). The album also features a spoken word by Maurizio Iacono (Kataklysm, Ex-Deo) in the last song, “Germanicus.”

Pre-orders are now open at the record label’s official store, Spotify and iTunes.

METAL DE FACTO was formed in late 2017 by Esa Orjatsalo (ex-Dreamtale) and Sami Hinkka (Ensiferum), who had met and discussed the deeper meanings of power metal on Ensiferum‘s tour bus. The lineup was soon completed with Atte Marttinen (ex-Kivimetsän Druidi), Benji Connelly (Everfrost), Mikko Salovaara (Leverage) and Mikael Salo (Everfrost). The band promises to “Make Power Metal Great Again” with their powerful sound and epic concepts that deal with different historical themes and mythologies.

The idea was that every album would have a theme based on a certain country’s/culture’s history and mythology. The debut album will deal with the Roman Empire and the many tales, true stories and philosophies associated with it. Each song is about a different aspect of this grand topic, and while being enjoyable as escapist storytelling in itself, also delves into the mindset of the different characters and people from whose perspectives the songs are written.

Imperium Romanum tracklisting:
1. The Conqueror
2. Legionnaires’ Oath
3. Naturalis Historia
4. Inferno
5. Bacchanalia
6. Echoes in Eternity
7. Colosseum
8. Ides of March
9. The Ascending of Jupiter
10. Germanicus (feat. Maurizio Iacono)