Philip Dennis "Sly" Schunke:
                                                 Lead Vocals
Inga Scharf: Lead Vocals
Stefan Schmidt: "Wahwah" Solo Guitar Vocals & Lower "Rakkatakka" Vocals
Ross Thompson: Higher "Rakkatakka" Vocals
Ingo "Ike" Sterzinger: Lowest "Dandan" Voice Chords
Bastian Emig: Drums 

Formed: 2006
Germany
Label: Napalm Records
Genre: Metal A Cappella

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Van Canto's Stefan Schmidt

April 19, 2010

Interviewer: Peter

DISCOGRAPHY:

A Storm to Come (2006)
Hero (2008)
Tribe of Force (2010)

There have been some interesting takes on metal music through the years.  Whether it is through cello (Apocalyptica), full-blown symphonies (Therion on a few albums), or just your average cover band, there is no shortage of interesting happenings within the metal music scene.  Proving to be no exception to this statement is the metal A Capella group Van Canto: five vocalists and a drummer, with two of the vocalists providing actual vocals while the other three vocalists make up the parts where guitars and bass would normally go.  Recently, Metal Psalter had a chance to talk to one of the “Rakkatakka” vocalists Stefan Schmidt about what makes Van Canto tick.

Peter: For those who don’t know about the band, would you mind saying a few things about Van Canto?

Stefan Schmidt: We are Van Canto, we play Metal A Cappella. One drummer, five voices, three of which are imitating real metal instruments like guitars, bass, solos and keyboards.

Peter: The band is unique, in that the band consists of five vocalists with different roles within the band.  What inspired the concept of the band?

Stefan: After the split of my former regular metal band, I wanted to do something vocal-oriented. It wasn’t planned to be that successful, but we like it that way. (laughs)

Peter: In recent months, the band signed to Napalm Records.  How did that come about and how would you characterize the relationship with the record label so far?


Stefan: We got in contact with them years ago, but we signed to another label, which was closed in 2009. So Napalm Records got back on our plan and I must say that it would have been better for the band if we started working with them from the beginning. They do a great job.

Peter: Van Canto released a new album in Tribe of Force.  What can you say about the album from a production standpoint?

Stefan: The biggest difference has been between our first album A Storm to Come and our second one Hero.  On Hero, we worked together with Charlie Bauerfeind for the first time. He had a great impact on our sound and on the way we use our vocals to imitate instruments. So with Tribe of Force, we continued this successful way of producing. Charlie is a great guy and in my opinion, he is the best metal producer alive.

Peter: A video was made for the song “Last Night of the Kings.”  What can you say about the making of the video, as far as where it was shot and how the shoot went?


Stefan: It was a very spontaneous shooting.  After we finished the shoot of “Lost Forever,” we sat around a fire and did the song. It took about one hour. The weekend after that, we did a walk through our romantic winter forests and put the clip together.

Peter: As Van Canto begins its Tribe of Force tour, what are some of the band’s expectations for the tour?


Stefan: As I’m answering these questions, the first part of the tour is over. It has been a great headliner club tour through Germany. We met over five thousand fans in two weeks, had more than five completely sold out venues and had so much fun, which is a great thing. We are now focused on festivals.


Peter: Are there any other shows lined up in addition to the current tour?


Stefan: We now focus on festivals and want to do some shows outside Germany in the second half of the year.


Peter: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Stefan: Thanks for your interest in Van Canto. Visit us on http://www.vancanto.de/ and spread the word of hero metal a cappella. Rakkatakka!

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Check out Deathstalker's review of Tribe of Force here

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