French symphonic power metal band Fairyland release their new studio album, The Story Remains, on 13th June, via Frontiers Music Srl.
Following on from ‘A New Dawn’, the band’s latest single ‘To Stars And Beyond’ is out alongside an accompanying lyric video.
“’To Stars And Beyond’ was the first song from the new album we were working on,” said bassist Willdric Lievin. “In this track you have everything you love about Fairyland – Massive, majestic symphonic sound, juicy guitar solo, multilayered, rich orchestrations, catchy chorus and uplifting lyrics sung by our amazing new singer Archie Caine.
“This song is about rebirth and renewal, it reminds you that after every dark time and hardship there’s a light coming, that you can turn your pain and your sorrows into something beautiful. You’re the master of your own life, you create it and as long as there’s a fire inside you, you can reach to stars and beyond,” he added.
Talking about the new record, Lievin stated: “After the passing of the Fairyland‘s founder and mastermind Phil Giordana, we faced the challenge to finish the fifth album. Phil left plenty of material, but it required a lot of further work. It wasn’t easy but in the face of adversity we excelled and managed to complete the album. This, along with a new lineup, starts a new chapter in the history of Fairyland. It continues the symphonic, power metal quality that Fairyland is known for, but we decided to add some new elements to this musical landscape.
“The Story Remains is richer and more versatile than previous albums, and we are exploring new musical and lyrical territory for the band. We are happy and proud of this new album, and we hope that listening to it will give you a lot of delight. Welcome back to Fairyland,” he continued.
Fairyland was formed in 1998 as Fantasia by Philippe Giordana and Willdric Lievin. Both musicians shared the same passion for epic and symphonic heavy metal. Fantasia recruited guitarist Anthony Parker and entered Wizard Studio in February 2002. During the recording, they found Elisa C. Martin, already known for her work with the power metal band Dark Moor.
At this time, the band’s name was changed to Fairyland. They signed a contract with NTS (now Replica Records). Of Wars In Osyrhia was released in April 2003. Shortly after, the band toured with Sonata Arctica and performed at the Swedish Rock Festival.
The second album The Fall Of An Empire, was recorded with P. Giordana, A. Parker, Max Leclerqc , Pierre-Emmanuel ‘Piwee’ Desfray and Thomas ‘Tom’ Cesario, and was released in 2006. A European tour with Kamelot and Leaves’ Eyes followed.
After the tour, the band split up. While working on the new material, Philippe decided to use the services of guest musicians for his next album. Score To A New Beginning was released in 2009, also marking the return of Willdric Lievin. Then, the fourth album Osyrhianta was released in 2020 with a line-up of Giordana, Lievin, Francesco Cavalieri, JB Pol, and Sylvain Cohen.
Philippe Giordana passed away on 21st October, 2022. In March 2023 Archie Caine was announced as the band’s new lead singer. In 2024 the line-up was completed with Gideon Ricardo, Brieuc De Groof and J.B Pol.
The Story Remains perfectly incarnates the band’s trademark sound, tracks featured are: ‘Downfall’, ‘To Stars And Beyond’, ‘Karma’, ‘A New Dawn’, ‘We Shall Hunt The Sun’, ‘Hopeless Still’, ‘Samsara’, ‘Unity’, ‘Council Of The Gods’, ‘The Chosen Ones’, ‘Unbreakable’, ‘Postscript’ and ‘Suffering Ages’ featuring Elisa C. Martin – You can order it here.
