KERRIGAN RELEASE NEW SINGLE & VIDEO FOR "SURRENDER"
 | Wed, March 4, 2026 at 6:59 AM |
Kerrigan are one of the most promising newcomers from Germany playing traditional heavy metal. The band was formed in Freiburg in 2019 by Bruno Schotten (guitars, bass) and Jonas Weber (vocals, guitars). The duo recorded a demo tape consisting of original compositions "Intruders", "Force And Will" and "Heavy Metal 2020" plus a cover version of "Rest In Peace" by Wolf (UK). Heavy Metal 2020 was later released by Fucking Kill Records on tape and vinyl (re-issued by High Roller).
For their first full-length album "Bloodmoon", Kerrigan inked a deal with High Roller Records. Bloodmoon was recorded with the help of session drummer Jonathan D ring, an old friend of the band, and received very favorable reviews in the metal press when it was released back in 2023. Together with Jakob on bass, Jonathan now is a regular member of Kerrigan.
Following the release of Bloodmoon and due to the good press reactions, Kerrigan got quite a few offers to play live, among them, some really high-profile gigs, e.g. Keep It True Rising IV, Der Detze Rockt and, last but not least, the Deaf Forever birthday bash at Markthalle Hamburg. According to the band, standing on the same stage as some of their all-time heroes was an uplifting feeling.
"We could not have wished for better reactions," beams guitarist Bruno Schotten. "Especially the good feedback from the special interest press has motivated us to go one step further. The success of Bloodmoon lasting that long came as a total surprise to us. If you look at the current streaming numbers, the album is still alive and kicking, and it took less than one year for High Roller to re-press the album. For us, that's a wonderful feeling."
Now, three years after Bloodmoon , it's time for the follow-up album by the name of Wayfarer . "Dreamy, melancholic and pretty versatile," this is how guitarist and singer Jonas Weber describes the second Kerrigan album. For him, "Wayfarer" is more or less a direct continuation of Bloodmoon : "Regarding the songwriting, "Wayfarer" continues where Bloodmoon has left off. The idea for the song 'Blood And Steel', for example, dates back to the mixing phase of Bloodmoon at Iguana Studios, and the demo recordings of 'Surrender' and 'Wayfarer' developed parallel to the work on the first album."
"For me, the record is everything I love about bands from the eighties," adds guitarist Bruno Schotten. "Songs, that are accessible but have so many interesting details that they never get boring. We said to ourselves: maybe it's indeed time for a modern heavy metal classic, and I do hope that with songs like 'The Ice Witch' or 'Blood And Steel' we came one step closer to our aim. Furthermore, I'd say that Wayfarer is a very varied album. Apart from orthodox speed metal, you can find everything on there; even a happy, uplifting song like 'Fighter'."
Although "Wayfarer" is not a concept album by any stretch of the imagination, just like on Bloodmoon , Kerrigan chose interesting topics for their individual songs. Take "Dystopia" for example, of which guitarist and singer Jonas Weber says: "This song looks at current technical developments and their repercussions on society." "Basically, George Orwell foresaw all that," adds fellow guitarist Bruno Schotten. "However, in the age of artificial intelligence the old question of power and suppression must be seen under a new light. To give you a rather simple example, even today metal artists create album covers with the help of artificial intelligence, and you can generate entire songs with AI as well. Dystopia, as sung about in our song of the same name, is already a reality. Due to the sheer mass of digital content, our world is losing substance, emotions and genuine human relationships. The door is wide open for the powerful elites and wealthy tech giants to control humanity."
Apart from "The Ice Witch", the leading single of the album, "Blood And Steel" is another outstanding song on Wayfarer , with its accessible chorus coming across like a mixture of Saxon and classic Manowar. Jonas Weber smiles: "I love early Manowar and looking at the title of the song this association seems obvious. 'Blood And Steel' is a team effort of Bruno and me; it has everything Kerrigan stands for." Bruno Schotten adds: "I am looking forward to the fans joining in on the chorus when we perform 'Blood And Steel' live. The song starts off in quite a simple manner, getting more complex with time and culminating in a grand finale, I really like that."
Another highlight on Wayfarer is "Red Light Tower", maybe the most epic number on the record. Bruno Schotten comments: "It's Jonas' stroke of genius! To close the album, it was our aim to once again show variety. On Bloodmoon it was 'Mesmerizer' and here it is 'Red Light Tower', our way to let the album end ..."
Going back to what Bruno had said earlier, maybe Kerrigan actually achieved to create a modern heavy metal classic with "Wayfarer". Only time will tell.
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MATTHIAS MADER
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