Release date: 27 March, 2026
Label: High Roller Records
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 Döring, 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 is now a regular member of KERRIGAN.
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’.”
Who knows, maybe KERRIGAN have indeed achieved to write a modern heavy metal classic?
Line-Up:
Jonas Weber – Vocals, Guitars
Bruno Schotten – Guitars
Jakob Zeblin – Bass
Jonathan Döring – Drums
Review
Beginning with “Torchbearer”, Kerrigan showcases the tight and cohesive arrangements that are a trademark of the Haunt-style of NWOTHM, vocalist Jonas Weber’s style is similar to Trevor’s though not enough to be derivative. I found the introductory portion of this track to be reminiscent of the more metal side of early 2000s metalcore like Trivium, which was rather unexpected. While I did enjoy the guitar solo in this one, I couldn’t quite get myself into it.
“Asylum” featured a more NWOBHM/early speed metal inspired opening guitar riff, but I found the true standouts of the track to be Döring on the drums as well as Zeblin on bass. The rhythm section killed it here with some sick basslines, and incredible drumrolls. The riffing was a frenetic and never let up even for a moment, and like a flashfire, the track was over just as it was hitting its sweet spot. That said, I also gotta commend Weber’s performance here. The production on the vox isn’t quiet my preference, but he’s got a great set of pipes and he’s belting it out on this one.
“The Ice Witch” opened with a soft, albeit brief, intro that reminded me a bit of video game ambient music. Again, I found the production on Weber’s vocals to be an acquired taste, and one that I’m not sure if I’m coming around to or still indifferent. Despite that, I actually found the instrumentation to be sharper on this one, with a real sizzling bassline. The chorus is a real earworm that burrows itself deep into your mind, and the bridge portion near halfway point helped to take the song up a notch.
“Surrender” is another track that feels structurally solid, but that I found to be let down by the production on the vocals. I’m not sure if the vocal style works for the music behind it, or if it just doesn’t work for me. The overall instruments are solid, if a bit bare at times, but there’s a lack of cohesion between the pieces that brings them together.
“Wayfarer” worked for me much more than the previous track, and I didn’t find the vocal style to be as distractingly off. It did still take until the final stretch for the track to really hit me though. Similarly, I found the instruments to be a bit too familiar, I suppose. Or rather that they played it too safe, if that makes sense. Just something about it didn’t land with me, but it might land for others and that’s okay.
“Blood and Steel” featured a nice headbanging main riff to carry the weight of the track. Once more, the vocals worked for me a bit more here than on the previous track, and much more than on the one before it. The midway portion including the brief guitar solo was a great touch, and the frenzied riff that followed was a monster. I’m not quite sure if the following sequence landed the dismount, as it were, but that initial riff was magic.
I appreciated the somewhat extended moody intro for “Dystopia”, as it brought a great change of pace to the formula presented thus far. Unfortunately, I felt that it rather fell apart once the intro ended and the song properly kicked off. The production just made everything feel a bit cacophonous for me. That said, I did enjoy the lyrics a fair bit and the overall structure of the song itself. The sequence at the end with Weber belting it out was a great coda as well.
“Fighter” was buoyed mightily by a sweet hooky main riff, as well as some simple, but imaginable (meaning it’s easy for me to make a picture in my head) lyrics. However, other than that, there wasn’t much to this one. Again, the general production was seriously preventing me from really getting into the music.
“Red Light Tower” was the longest track on the album, at just a hair over 6 minutes, and it definitely felt like the most complete piece of the album so far. Structured like a proper epic, with great riffs, sizzling basslines, and some good ambiance behind it all, and this one was a sure winner for me. Weber is seriously singing like a man possessed on this one as well. The production remains thin, but the efforts of the band themselves shines through.
Conclusion
Kerrigan’s sophomore release offers a bit of a mixed bag for me. The production was frustrating and made everything feel somewhat weightless or hollow. At times, it really felt like the album was turning a corner, but it always seemed like something was keeping these pieces from really fitting together. While there were of course bright spots, especially the final track, unfortunately the album falls prey to an affliction that many recent trad metal releases have also suffered from: poor production. There’s a good, possibly even great album here for some metalheads, but for me personally, it wasn’t that.
TheNwothm Score: 6.5/10
Links
Bandcamp: https://kerriganheavymetal.bandcamp.com/album/wayfarer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kerriganheavymetal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kerriganheavymetal
Label: https://www.hrrecords.de/KERRIGAN
