Swedish newcomers FOLLOW THE CIPHER have released the official lyric video for their new single, "The Pioneer". Guitarist Ken Kängström states: "'The Pioneer' is the story of a soldier waking up in a dark desert, bound to a journey seeking the bright light of the sun. The only way for him to redeem his sins is to find the rising star. This is a metaphor for learning from your own mistakes and faults in life, and learning to be a better person — a story that I think every single person can relate to. And for now, we are happy to say that we are writing the next album, and we are more excited than ever before. If you liked our first album, you will love this." FOLLOW THE CIPHER is working on its sophomore album, the follow-up to the band's self-titled debut, as well as preparing for upcoming festival shows at Rockharz Open Air in Germany (July 6) and Masters Of Rock in the Czech Republic (July 13). FOLLOW THE CIPHER's story started in May 2014, when Kängström decided to start a band with the intention to be different from everything else in the music scene. The idea itself had been haunting his mind for years, but the catalyst to finally put his thoughts into action was the result of a longtime collaboration with the internationally acclaimed metal giants SABATON, with whom FOLLOW THE CIPHER maintains a close friendship. Kängström is definitely not a newcomer in the Scandinavian music scene, since he co-wrote and co-produced some well-known SABATON songs with Joakim Brodén, such as the monumental anthem "Carolus Rex". It was this track which got the ball rolling for Ken. "I think the song sparked the first inspiration in me — in particular, it was responsible for me starting to trust my own abilities and judgment," Ken reflects. "When me and Joakim wrote this track, I felt deep inside that it was time to put my plans with FOLLOW THE CIPHER into action." Therefore, the band has also included a version of this important track on their debut album. Something unique was born, growing to become a mixture between NIGHTWISH, IN FLAMES and SABATON, yet creating something completely different and innovative. "I consider our music as both visual and cinematic," says Ken. "The sound is large-scaled and multi-layered — each element plays an important role within the overall concept. You can listen to our music in two different ways; either by focusing on the individual, versatile elements like the keyboard melodies or Linda's powerful voice, or you can indulge in the whole package. Both type of listeners will get what they are looking for in our very own CIPHER metal." The CIPHER crew consists of five talented members, includingLinda Toni Grahn, a fantastic and highly talented singer, equipped not only with a powerful and characteristic voice, but also outstanding charisma. When taking to the stage, all it takes is a few seconds for Linda to capture everyone's attention. "Linda is unique — she stands out from the crowd, not only as a great singer, but also as a charismatic personality. Immediately after meeting her, I knew she would be the right person for us," Ken recalls the first meeting with their female captain of the CIPHER workforce. Other crew members include Karl Löfgren (drums), Viktor Carlsson (guitar) and Jonas Asplind (bass).
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