Timeless Rage discuss The Seed of Fear, exploring spiritual rebellion, cinematic symphonic power metal, lineup evolution, and the bold creative direction shaping their upcoming album My Kingdom Come in 2026.
1. The
Seed of Fear explores spiritual rebellion through a Lucifer–God dialogue. What
inspired you to approach such a provocative theme, and how personal is this
message for the band?
The concept
for "The Seed of Fear" didn't start with a desire to be
"shocking" or provocative for the sake of it. It was born more from a
fascination with the psychology of authority. We wanted to explore the moment
where "faith" transforms into "fear"—something you see
especially when religion is no longer personal, but misused as an instrument of
power. Essentially, it is about liberation from external dogmas and the
"seeds of fear" that some societies or traditions plant within us to
serve a certain agenda. While the band members have various opinions on
religion, we can agree that we do not like the instrumentalization of faith for
the purpose of mass control.
The song is part of the concept album „My Kingdom Come“, which follows a story
involving Lucifer and God; the imagined dialogue between the two is the origin
for everything here. It is themed as the ultimate metaphor for spiritual
rebellion and the quest for self-determination. Lucifer’s perspective
represents the hunger for autonomy and the refusal to bow to a pre-written
destiny.
2. Musically, the song abandons the traditional power metal gallop in favor
of ritualistic, thunderous drums. What pushed you to break that
convention?
We wanted
to explore the moment when a being—celestial or human—chooses their own path
over a pre-ordained destiny. We also needed to reflects this for our journey as
a band: breaking free from strict genre expectations to create something truly
unique and different.
So musically, "The Seed of Fear" demanded a different pulse to really
carry the story.
While we love the traditional power metal gallop, the theme of a
"spiritual rebellion" felt more grounded and ancient. We opted for
ritualistic, thunderous drums to create a sense of weight and ceremony. We
wanted the listener to feel the earth shake, maybe as if they were standing in
the middle of a ritual. We reduced the tempo and allowed the atmosphere to
breathe and the aggression to come from the rhythm and riffing rather than just
the tempo.
3. The track blends Spanish and Oriental melodies with Symphonic Power
Metal. How did you approach integrating these ethnic influences without losing
your core identity?
We’ve always seen Symphonic Power Metal as a cinematic canvas. We have
sprincled such parts in here and there and an older song „Dreams of Desert“
even had plenty. So this integration of Spanish (or should we say
"Moorish" influenced Spanish?) and Oriental melodies – or our
interpretation of it – was quite our natural way to bring in a little
"heat of the desert" and a more „ancient“ feel via the scales. We
then approached this by treating these more „ethnic“ (from a European point of
view, we still only use half tone steps) scales not as "add-ons," but
as the structural foundation of the riffs. By weaving these exotic textures
into our core symphonic arrangements and the vocal style, we hope to have
created a sound that feels global and "borderless". So we are
maintaining our identity while pushing the genre's boundaries a little.
4. The Black Forest imagery plays a strong role in your atmosphere. How does
your environment influence your songwriting and overall aesthetic?
Living in the south-west of Germany, we are surrounded by the mysticism of the
Black Forest. That environment is ingrained in our aesthetic—the towering
pines, the shifting mist, and the ancient folklore naturally lend themselves to
darker and mystical sounds. However, we often use the forest as a starting
point to travel elsewhere; it provides the "roots" of our atmosphere,
while our music seeks to reach far beyond those, often into more
"forbidden" or "exotic" territories.
5. Untold marked a strong comeback with a new lineup. In what ways has the
band chemistry evolved since that release?
Untold was our "new start"—a way to show the world we were back after
a longer pause. Since that release, we got a new singer and a new bass player
and our band chemistry has transformed into a well-oiled machine. We’ve moved
past the "rebuilding" phase and into a period of pure creative
synergy. We understand each other’s musical languages better than ever,
allowing us to take bigger risks, like the genre-bending elements you hear in
"The Seed of Fear."
6. With
Nicolaj Ruhnow now firmly established as your vocalist, how has his voice
shaped the band’s newer material compared to earlier releases?
Since Nicolaj Ruhnow joined us, the band’s vocal horizon has expanded
significantly. His experience (from Irony, Domain, Tokyo Blade, Nick Hellfort)
brings both: a raw, powerful edge and the dramatic changeling that perfectly
complements our symphonic arrangements. His voice allows us to write material
that is both more aggressive and more emotive. In our newer tracks, he isn't
just singing; he is "narrating" his stories, bringing a theatrical
depth that we didn't have in our earlier years. But Nicolaj also plays a big
part in basic songwriting and some of the songs on the new album are mainly
based on his ideas. This gives us even more variation as a band.
7. Daniel
Wengle recently joined on bass. How has his arrival influenced the writing and
dynamics of the upcoming album?
Daniel Wengle has been a fantastic addition on bass. He used to be part of the
band for Nicolaj’s solo project „Nick Hellfort“ so he was not a stranger to all
of us. He joined just in time for the new album's creation, and his "bass
master" energy has added a new layer of heaviness and drive to the rhythm
section. Daniel’s background in darker metal styles fits our direction
perfectly, and his presence has solidified the "darker, rougher" edge
we’ve been aiming for in our latest songwriting. On one album track you can
hear his harsh vocals as a second voice, but we are glad that he can do clean
backings as well. This way we can keep our backround choirs as they are on
stage.
8. Your music balances darkness with moments of hope and melody. How
important is contrast when crafting a Timeless Rage song?
For us, contrast is in everything we do. We aren't just playing songs; we're
building an atmosphere.
To achieve that, we really value the dark and mystical contrasts in our music.
Balancing heavy, aggressive riffs with soaring, hopeful melodies or a big choir
or string section lift here and there allows us to shift the mood of the room
instantly—taking the listener from a place of tension to one of triumph in a
single heartbeat. This range is exactly what keepts it interesting and what
allows us to appeal to a quite broad audience, as there is something for
everyone within that spectrum of light and shadow.
9. Having shared stages with bands like U.D.O, Battle Beast, and Masterplan,
what lessons from the live circuit have most impacted your performance energy
today?
Sharing the stage with titans like these bands has been an incredible
masterclass for us. When you watch legends like Udo Dirkschneider or the sheer
energy of Battle Beast from the wings, you realize that a live show isn't just
about playing the notes correctly—it’s about the exchange of energy with the
crowd. So they taught us that every second on stage counts. Whether it’s a club
gig or a festival, you have to bring a "stadium energy" regardless of
the venue size. We treat every show the same as every listener needs to get
100% delivered directly to the front row. Seeing the legend on stage after 20
years carreers reminds you that if you aren't having the time of your life up
there, the audience won't either. We've taken that to heart—we aim for a performance
that is as raw and powerful as it is symphonic while it is fun for us. With our
current lineup we feel more synchronized than ever what helps for the punch.
10. The
Seed of Fear feels cinematic and defiant. Is this single a clear signpost for
the direction of the next album, or should fans expect more surprises?
It’s great to hear that "The Seed of Fear" is resonating with you in
that way. We definitely aimed for that cinematic, widescreen feel to capture
the weight of the lyrical themes. But it is by no means the only flavor you’ll
find on the upcoming record. If you look back at our debut EP from 2013 we
presented tracks that were intentionally distinct from one another already.
We’ve never been a band that wants to write the same song ten times.
With our full-length, "Untold," we proved that we could push the
boundaries of variation even further. We explored different tempos,
orchestrations, and emotional landscapes without losing the "Timeless
Rage" identity. Compare „Warrior“ and „Piece of Heaven“ for example. It
showed us that our DNA is strong enough to handle experimentation. But these
songs where basically still all written in the old line-up for most parts.
The new album „My Kingdom Come“ takes that philosophy to the next level. You
should definitely expect even more surprises. We added more and new writers to
the table with different musical backgrounds and we are taking even bigger
risks this time around. We believe the strength of Symphonic Power Metal lies
in its ability to be both a thundering storm and a delicate whisper. Some
tracks will lean into a much heavier, more aggressive and a little more modern
side, but one track will be very minimalistic and have no drums at all. We’ve
expanded the symphonic elements to be more detailed than ever, too.
In short: the album itself is a journey through many different territories. We
can't wait for you to hear the full spectrum of „My Kingdom Come“ in late March
2026.
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