Former BATTLE BEAST Guitarist ANTON KABANEN Completes Work On Debut Album From BEAST IN BLACK

July 8, 2017

BEAST IN BLACK, the Helsinki, Finland-based metal band led by former BATTLE BEAST guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen, has completed work on its debut album. The disc was produced by Kabanen and recorded primarily at his studio, Sound Quest Studio.

BEAST IN BLACK is working on securing a record deal for the release of the album, which is tentatively due before the end of the year.

Kabanen exited BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 due to what was described at the time as "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band.

In a 2016 interview with Hungary's Hard Rock Magazin, Anton stated about his split with BATTLE BEAST: "To be honest, I'd prefer not to go into the truth how I see it, because probably it would only start an ugly and endless war of words. But at least to squeeze it into minimum without going into details, I can tell that hypocrisy, lying, opportunism and blackmailing was the name of the game. The whole thing was just wrong and twisted and there is no more BATTLE BEAST, if you ask me."

Kabanen admitted that it was "hard at first" to move forward after his departure from BATTLE BEAST "but the only solution was just to keep going." He added: "I got support from many dear people; fans, friends, colleagues, family and etc. I'm grateful to everyone who stood by my side. My passion is to create music and I always do it with full heart and uncompromised. So I kept writing new songs and tried to focus in forming a new band/project that would consist of people whose musical professionalism matches — or surpasses — my expectations and of people who would be honest and loyal friends."

Regarding why he chose to keep the word "beast" in the name of his new band, Anton said: "I want to continue my vision which I originally started with BATTLE BEAST. Basically, it means writing my own songs with freedom, and the beast has already become an essential part of my life. It's something like Eddie of IRON MAIDEN."

Asked how he would compare the music and the overall vibe of his new band to that of BATTLE BEAST, Anton said: "The feeling in this group is totally different. And only in a good way. Everyone can be themselves and we enjoy each other's company and I believe people will feel and see it. In BEAST IN BLACK, the level of musicianship is much higher than in BATTLE BEAST. The band rehearsals, the album recordings and the communication is so much smoother. The music itself is not gonna be so different, but it's gonna be more powerful and heavy."

Video footage of BEAST IN BLACK performing a new song called "Go To Hell" at last year's Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland can be seen below.

BATTLE BEAST singer Noora Louhimo told Metal Assault earlier this year that the band parted ways with Anton because he "wanted to do all the songs and make decisions on everything, and we weren't willing to do that. We wanted this band to be involved, and have everyone write songs if they want to."

BEAST IN BLACK is:

Anton Kabanen (BATTLE BEAST) - Guitar, Vocals
Yannis Papadopoulos (WARDRUM) - Lead Vocals
Kasperi Heikkinen (U.D.O.) - Guitar
Máté Molnar (WISDOM) - Bass
Sami Hänninen (BRYMIR) - Drums

Find more on Battle beast
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).