You are invited to join us in our rehearsal room for our very first live streamed performance, brought to you by Gixter Enjoy a raw, personal and up-close experience of our theatrical metal universe, May 1st at 19:00 GMT+1
A personal and different version of our symphonic metal universe. The show is free, and signed copies of our Hollow Mirror debut album on Vinyl and CD will be available, as well as a small raffle in the comments section.
Tune in on our facebook livestream Friday May 1st 2020 at 19:00 GMT+1
One camera. One take. Up close and personal. Enter our rehearsal room. This is our universe. Live concert straight out of our rehearsal room. May 1st 2020 Videography: Mikkelsen-PhotoSupport our musical journey and enchant your wardrobe as well as well as your record collection here: http://etherealkingdoms.com/shop/
Join us in our rehearsal room for our very first full band live playthrough video. For this live session of Beginnings, we invited our good friend, outstanding violinist and singer Amalie Skriver.
Beginnings – Full band live playthrough with Amalie Skriver. Watch now on the official Mighty Music youtube channel.
The theatrical metal experience – behind the curtain
We wanted to share the energy we experience in our rehearsal room and invite you to feel what happens behind the stage curtains of Ethereal Kingdoms. This video has a more low-key feeling compared to the character of our live shows, providing an intimate and personal experience of the dynamics in our little theatrical metal ensemble.
Capturing the spontaneous fun while still creating a visually interesting outcome was easier than it sounded. With some lights, coffee, cookies and a bit of additional sound adjustments, we got right into the feeling as the camera started rolling.
With a little help from our friends
Our good friend Christoffer Valentin Hildebrandt helped out with the mix and production of the audio tracks. He created the majestic soundscape of his band SUNLESS DAWN‘s critically acclaimed debut album “TIMEWEAVER”. If you’re into progressive metal, definitely check it out!
Video was filmed by Alexander Petrovich Birk, who also documented our performance with WINTERSUN in 2019. An absolute joy to work with the guy again.
Camera operator Alexander Petrovich Birk captured the fun and spontaneous energy of this evening in our rehearsal room
With some editing magic, Sofia brought it all together at her little workspace-corner in our rehearsal room.
A special guest
Amalie Skriver is not only featured in this live session. She is a strong presence on our 2019 debut album Hollow Mirror.
She appears with her emotive solo violin and otherworldly backing vocals on most of the tracks. Amalie has also joined us at our special theatrical performances at NORDIC NOISE FESTIVAL, FINNTROLL SUPPORT, and latest at our WINTERSUN support show in 2019.
The story of Beginnings
On Hollow Mirror, every song is a story of its own, with veins and ties reaching across the tracks and combining into a larger overlying narrative. Beginnings is the counterpart for our 2019 single Endings. Together, they tell the story of blind hope and bitter consequences. They are also related to the story of Heartchamber, which acts as a prequel for the events unfolding in the two songs.
If you look closely at the background of our video, you will notice our stage backdrops having the imagery of the characters from the artwork for Beginnings and Endings, but in a ghostly, incorporeal form.
Hear the story of Endings here, with this beautiful lyric video created by Scott Rudd, featuring Anna Holms enchanting artwork:
With BAEST, WAYWARD DAWN, PECTORA, DAWN OF DEMISE, HATESPHERE, WITHERING SURFACE, BLACK SWAMP WATER, PITCHBLACK, LAMENTARI, ALTERFACT, CHRONICLE, ROT AWAY, MURDER AMONG KINGS
NOTE: THE SHOW HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO SEPTEMBER 4th/5TH!
For our first show ever in NÆSTVED, we enter NÆSTVED METALFEST. Arranged by MIGHTY MUSIC, we are in the grand company of legendary BAEST, HATESPHERE, WITHERING SURFACE, DAWN OF DEMISE, WAYWARD DAWN and more! The venue KONGEBRYG will set a raw and intense frame around our stories, which we will unleash in an unbridled and furious format at an open air experience.
Our vocalist SOFIA SCHMIDT spend her teenage years creating music and culture in the city of NÆSTVED, and have spent many after-school hours at co-sponsor NÆSTVED UNGDOMSSKOLE, so it will be an evening with a nostalgic return. She and drummer JON ELMQUIST played their first ever open-air festival show at the ROCK PÅ MUNKEN 2 event and SKULL SMASH FESTIVAL back in the early 2010’s with their now-defunct melodeath project BLAZE OF BARBAROID.
NÆSTVED METALFEST
Press statement in Danish 🇩🇰
I 2019 slog Næstved Metalfest for første gang dørene op til den største og tungeste metalfestival syd for København. Allerede 14 dage før selve festivalen, kunne vi melde alt udsolgt! Til august gør vi det igen, bare endnu større!
I stedet for én dag, tager vi to dage i brug og dermed lukker vi også op for dobbelt så mange gæster som sidste år. D. 28 & 29 august 2020 går det løs, denne gang med endnu flere bands.
JIMMY NIELSEN medarrangør, udtaler: “Jeg kan simpelthen ikke vente med at præsentere den endelige plakat for Næstved Metalfest 2020. Jeg synes selv vi har samlet nogle enormt fede bands til denne festival som favner bredt, rent musikalsk og at vi allerede i år kigger ud over landegrænsen. Både Michael (H. Andersen) og jeg er helt på røven over den enorme opbakning og modtagelse der har været af vores lille hjertebarn. Den havde vi ikke helt set komme, men det viser bare at metaltrætheden har trænge kår, når det kommer til musikgenren og at dansk metalmusik er i voldsom vækst. Nu håber vi bare at det smitter af på scenen i Næstved, så næste generation af bangers kan steppe op og vise kronen & nøglerne”.
Næstved Metalfest 2020 finder sted D. 28 & 29 august 2020 på Kongebryg. Der er lagt i ovnen til en stor oplevelse i det Sydsjællandske med de rustikke faciliteter hos det populære lokale bryggeri og spillested. Der vil således både være brygget specielt øl til lejligheden og være et stort udbud af boder med mad, drikke og merchandise.
Der arrangeres bustur fra København til Næstved Metalfest i samarbejde med Club Dark. Den oplagte mulighed for få en på opleveren uden for Hovedstaden. Bustur t/r fra Zeppelin Rock Bar på Vesterbro Torv til et af Danmarks bedste bryggerier med metalkoncerter oveni hatten, alt sammen i de smukke omgivelserne omkring den gamle Gardehusar kaserne.
2019 marked the release year of Hollow Mirror, our debut album. In addition to beaming reviews, we are honoured to have made it onto the best 2019 metal album highlights of two journalists from danish METALIZED MAGAZINE, the top 2019 list from METAL REVOLUTION and both an album and concert performance top mention from METAL A DAY.
HELLE LOYCHE of METALIZED, who awarded Hollow Mirror a 10/10 review and whom we talked to about the creative process of ETHEREAL KINGDOMS, added us on her personal top 10 alongside bands like AVANTASIA, DEVIN TOWNSEND, BERSÆRK and many others. Thank you so much Helle!
“We gotta have at least one more Danish band on the list. We might not be able to play soccer or tennis, but we damn well know how to make metal!”
METAL REVOLUTION‘s MIA HALL added Hollow Mirror to her top 10 of 2019 releases.
She previously awarded Hollow Mirror 5/5 stars for RAVEN ROCK SITE.
Journalist MADS PRISTED included not only HOLLOW MIRROR but also our WINTERSUN support theatrical performance in his 2019 highlights, citing:
“Beware, abroad! Here comes the next big starts from little Denmark! Hollow Mirror is capable of a lot of things for a debut album. It’s great to see a band unafraid of grandiose ambitions and big dreams!”
★★★★☆ from DEVILUTION in this review of HOLLOW MIRROR! Well-known in the Danish metal scene for their sharp ears and even sharper pens, we are thrilled with the lovely words from journalist Henrik Hjellerup Bro in this review of our debut album.
“SOFIA SCHMIDT‘s voice easily spans several octaves and not only is her clean vocal in peak form, she’s also handling the album’s growls. Truly a woman with an excellent organ”
From our performance at Royal Metal Fest 2019 Portrait by Jakob Dinesen // Devilution
“ETHEREAL KINGDOMS is a symphonic metal band, but it’s a bit more than that. A significant amount of black metal sneaks its way into the songs.”
Especially ‘ENDINGS’ was highlighted as an example of this, with massive blasts and the duality of Sofia’s growls and clean vocals.
Endings – a story of blind of hope and bitter consequence. Mighty Music 2019 – Video by Scott Rudd
“The inspiration from NIGHTWISH is present, but opposed to the swedes, ETHEREAL KINGDOMS is carried by guitar, bass and drums rather than long keyboard sequences”
The comparison to the Finnish symphonic legends was also noticed by METAL A DAY’s Mads Pristed in another review. Devilution’s Henrik Bro continues:
“HOLLOW MIRROR is an excellent full-length debut from ETHEREAL KINGDOMS. This reviewer totally overlooked that in 2019. It could have made its way to the top 5 Danish releases of the year”
Ethereal Kingdoms presents a musical total experience in Udlejre Church The critically acclaimed band experiments in the intersection between classical, metal and theatre concert in an intense, contrasting and emotional show, featuring the church’s beautiful organ.
The stories are brought to live exclusively by The Kingdom Choir, the church’s organ and special guest soloists in concord and contrast with roaring drums, elegant guitar lines and Sofia Schmidt’s characteristic soprano notes and low growls
The concert program consists of works from the critically acclaimed debut album Hollow Mirror (Mighty Music 2019) and two new pieces of music composed specifically for this concert experience.
Surrender. Let yourself be surprised, overwhelmed and full of wonder when Ethereal Kingdoms opens the doors to their beautiful and strange universe.
SETLIST
ACT I
01. Hollow light New composition for organ and vocal ensemble with organist Karsten Kristensen and The Kingdom Choir
08. Quando Corpus Morietur & Amen 12th movement from G. B. Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater Soprano: Sofia Schmidt Contratenor: Darnell Boddie Organist: Karsten & Simone Kristensen as well as the Ethereal Kingdoms metal ensemble for the “Amen” passage
09. Hollow light – reprise with organist Karsten Kristensen
Spanish-based European Metal Channel featured Ethereal Kingdoms very first single and music video “Heartchamber” in their 145th “Best European Metal Bands” compilation.
Focusing on releases from October 2019, this song from Hollow Mirror made it onto their list. We are in good company with bands from all over the EU!
European Metal Channel has a collection of “Best European Metal Bands” for you to explore on their YouTube as well as on their website.
Watch or rediscover the story of Heartchamber – a beautiful bittersweet story of love and loss.
The song features award winning singer-songwriter Amalie Skriver on harmony vocals. The torn lovers in the story is portrayed by our lovely flute soloist Lærke Krarup and our good friend actor and athlete Magni Hansen.
We created the video with the joined forces of videographer Anders Mikkelsen (who also filmed this ‘Endings’ vocal playthrough video) and the brilliant editors at MindSpark Films:
Did you know that Sofia and Christian wrote the song for their participation in the finals of Wacken Metal Battle Denmark back in 2018? The story is linked to the songs “Beginnings” and “Endings”, which you can find on ‘Hollow Mirror’ Those three songs and the characters portrayed herein are therefore the core actors in the ghost stories on our debut album.
Udgårdsfest 2020 – Denmark’s finest viking/pagan metal festival 21st/22nd of August 2020, Pumpehuset, Copenhagen Early bird tickets available now: https://bit.ly/2saPYnw
In celebration, we bring special surprises for this show! You will experience the songs from Hollow Mirror with a uniquely scandinavian and nordic twist as we celebrate our roots at Udgårdsfest 2020.
Tickets are on sale now.
Get in the pagan mood with our cover of Amorphis’ My Kantele:
Ethereal Kingdoms – My Kantele – Amorphis cover Featuring Sigurbodi Gretarson on hurdy gurdy and the sound of Sofia Schmidt’s 10-string KantelePoster by Anna Holm Sørensen
Earlier in November, we asked all of you which Ethereal Kingdoms song you would like to see a full vocal playthrough of. You chose ‘Endings’, 5th song on Hollow Mirror.
Sofia and our video-genius friend Anders Groos Mikkelsen of Mikkelsen Photo, spent an evening creating this full vocal playthrough video:
The video was created in our newly re-decorated rehearsal room, which we share with our good friends and label-mates Vanir. With three video lamps, two colored LED-bars, a dual-camera setup and some creative time in Final Cut Pro X, we created this clip for you.
Behind the scenes of Endings vocal playthrough video Portrait by Mikkelsen-Photo
Sofia used the Shure SM7b vocal microphone for this recording, and all screams and growls for Hollow Mirror was actually recorded with this very setup. Her clean vocals for the album was recorded in Wolf Rider Sound Productions studio. For this playtrhough though, everything is made on the SM7b, one of her absolute favorite pieces of equipment.
The studio version? It sounds like this, featuring The Kingdom Choir and an absolutely brilliant mix by Jakob Gundel of Gainfactory. Watch or re-watch the stunning lyric video with artwork by Anna Holm brought to life by legendary Scott Rudd Films:
Which Ethereal Kingdoms vocal playthrough would you like to see next? Leave a comment or reach out to us on Facebook,Instagram or Youtube!
4,5 of 5 stars from Metal’art in this review of Hollow Mirror. Journalist Morbid Domi dared to look at our debut album and states:
“In their mirror, I saw the beauty and the capacity to lay one day a true masterpiece in this very noble style. Close your eyes and listen …”
“The 9 titles composing the work are totally captivating. Their metal is generous in both the refined orchestrations and guitar riffings of Christian Rasmussen. More than in groups yet known worldwide, we find passages very aggressive thanks to the excellent drumming of Jon Elmquist.“
“Apparition” is already in a level higher than the “Enter” of Within Temptation.”
“The entire album listens without transitions, never tired. “
Other French metal media have taken interest in our 9 ghost stories, such as Metallian, who honored us with our very first foreign print magazine front page feature and a full-page interview.
Enter the world of Hollow Mirror on your streaming service of choice Get your copy of our debut album on vinyl and CD from the official Target webshop!
Enter the theatrical metal experience. Ashes within, the opening song of this Ethereal Kingdoms live performance is now shared with the world. A raw, personal and intense recording from our performance with Wintersun, Seven Thorns and Faanefjell in Roskilde, Denmark, 30th of August.
“I search for beauty. For within me there is none” Unpredictable beauty. Unexpected brutality. Enter the theatrical metal experience with this Ethereal Kingdoms live clip.
Renowed dutch heavy metal journal Aardschok magazine dived into our debut album in their November 2019 issue. Hollow Mirror was awarded 85 of 100 score in this review by journalist Laura Waalboer! Thank you!
What did she experience? What stories did she encounter? Laura in particular took note to of our song Distance:
“Opener “Distance” starts with a melodic orchestration (…), soon you know, this is not going to be an ordinary piece of work”
“No song is just an up-tempo, a ballad or a melodic song. Each track contains clean vocals, growls, narration, mysterious sounds, opera vocals, guitar solos, whipping drums and everything else in the musical range of symphonic metal. (…) in every song all the singing styles, various arrangements and all the instruments are tumbling over each other.”
“What a courage, what a creativity!”
“Hollow Mirror (…) is a 45-minute fairy tale story with a lead role for singer Sofia Schmidt. She is in possession of a warm, dark voice that, during the clean vocals, resembles Helena Michaelsen, who can also sound an opera tesk, and she also takes care of the growls.”
On October 11th we released our debut album Hollow Mirror Now, (30th of august), less than three weeks later, we have already reached almost 9000 streams on Spotify alone. Well past 2000 of you have entered the Hollow Mirror dreamscape on Spotify, and we are grateful for each and every stream. Our stories are heard. Our words reach your heart.
Thank you so much everyone who listen and explore our stories! You make it possible for us to continue to create art and share our music. Follow us on spotify, tell a friend, add a song to a playlist of yours – YOU make the whole difference!
Classic Rock Magazine Germany entered the Hollow Mirror soundscape.
On Hollow Mirror, we bring to life 9 ghost stories, set in our theatrical metal soundscape. We explore contrasts, construct beautiful scenery and tear it apart. Spectral voices of massive choirs, numerous guest musicians and classical soloists – our first album was a massive undertaking for us! How does that all come together?
Journalist Matthias Mineur shared his thoughts in the Prog-metal section of the October issue.
“From sugar sweet to gallbitter, from lascivious to hectic, from symphonic to death metal (…) Hollow Mirror brings together the opposites.(…)”
“(…)contrast between the bell-clear soprano and the heavy bark-varying vocals of their frontwoman Sofia Schmidt (…)”
Other printed rock- and metal magazines have also explored Hollow Mirror. Germany’s Legacy magazine have featured us for both an interview and a review. The same goes for French Metallian, who honored us with a full-page interview feature and a 5 of 6 stars rating for Hollow Mirror.
Scandinavia’s oldest metal magazine Metalized reached out to us for an interview and granted Hollow Mirror a 10 of 10 star review!
What happens when you combine massive choirs, heartfelt screams, shattered violins, nostalgic melodies, classical soloists and thundering blastbeats? What happens when you bring nine ghost stories to life set in a theatrical metal sound-stage?
Journalist Matt Coe entered the Hollow Mirror soundscape and awarded our debut album an 8,5 of 10 rating from Dead Rhetoric!
“(…) in the case of this quartet, they are willing to incorporate gothic and dark/extreme elements against an elegance that keeps the listener pivoting throughout these nine tracks.”
“(…) the music supporting the singing in a seamless fashion, the extra orchestration and woodwind/classical accents providing the extra cherry layer on top of the proceedings.”
“Guitarist Christian Rasmussen can go from crunchier rhythms to clean passages that convince you of the man’s stellar abilities” “(…)the group cover “My Kantele” from Amorphis, adding their dual clean/growl slant and giving the song the credit it deserves for being a set list/band favorite since it’s release in 1996.” “Ethereal Kingdoms (…) do their best to blend their love of gothic, folk, and darker/extreme metal on top of things. Because of this Hollow Mirror will reflect adequately for most who love the diverse approach and attention to catchy melodies/harmonies throughout.”
“You don’t need more than a few seconds of listening to place Ethereal Kingdoms in league with the big bands”
“(…) You get the sense, that you will witness a story and not just 9 separate songs.”
“Vocalist Sofia Schmidt clearly demonstrates, that she’s not to be dismissed as a docile pretty voice, for her guttural roars and ear-shattering screams are truly powerful”
★★★★★★★★★☆Thank you so much! Heaymetal.dk was also present when we unleashed some of the songs from Hollow Mirror for the first time live. This happened at Royal Metal Fest April 6th 2019 at our theatrical special show: “I witnessed something unique” – ★★★★★★★★★☆ – Heavymetal.dk
We also spoke with heavymetal.dk before our show at Copenhagen Metal Fest, where we in this interview talk about our inspirations, dreams and what’s on our guilty pleasure playlists!
Explore Hollow Mirror at your streaming service of choice or at your local record store!
Ethereal Kingdoms – Hollow Mirror – Full album playlist
Other metal journalists from all over the world have entered the Hollow Mirror dreamscape as well.
“With each step I take, you bleed” Sofia Schmidt with a torn our heart at Wintersun 15th Anniversary support. Portrait by Jannie Ravn // blastbeast.dk
Journalist Tim Bolitho-Jones of Über Rock entered Hollow Mirror and found it to be “an impressive piece of work” in this review:
“a darker take on traditional symphonic metal (…) a more horror-inflected vibe and feels grimly oppressive.”
“It’s also notable for the frankly fantastic vocals of singer Sofia Schmidt. Aside from her impressive orchestral range, she also handles the low register death growls and switches between styles in an instant.”
Hollow Mirror is our collection of 9 ghost stories and tales of personal tragedy. Our most massive undertaking to date, our debut album was created with the help of numerous guest artists such as icelandic folk musician Sigurbodi, award winning singer-songwriter Amalie Skriver on violin and guest vocals, numerous classical soloists, voice actor Simon Larsen and many more.
We have worked closely with artist Anna Holm to create the visual backdrop for Hollow Mirror by creating unique illustrations for each of the 9 songs.
Journalist Axel Meuriche of French metal magazine Metallian entered Hollow Mirror. He awarded our debut album a grand 5 of 6 stars in this review! Not only did Metallian feature this review in their September/October issue, they awarded us with a wonderful full page interview feature where we talk about our inspirations, the concepts of Hollow Mirror and how we fuse theatre and metal.
“Hollow Mirror is a surprising record, that any fan of symphonic metal will be able to adopt easily.”
“The dexterity is always at the service of the melody, especially on “Endings” and the little pop side of the style is never too far with “Heartchamber” and “Silent Dance” …
“(…) rich pieces, sublimated by ever indigestible orchestrations that brilliantly accompany the lyrical flights and cries of the beautiful singer, Sofia Schmidt.”
” (…)if you’re a fan of symphonic and melodic metal, and have nothing against a few surprises, then you should at least give this band a try (…)”
“Their music is a little theatrical/cinematic actually, and full of ghost stories. Metal, soprano, growl and harsh vocals are mixed with choirs and a lot of different instruments and different twists and turns. “
“So, this is obviously a very ambitious project, and absolutely not just another symphonic metal band.”
Journalist Lukas Schärer of Legacy magazine reached out to us for an interview in their 122nd issue. We talk about Hollow Mirror, our view on our unique take on symphonic metal, our show preparations for our Wintersun support show, our inspirations as well as our hopes and plans for the future.
Legacy magazine interview with Ethereal Kingdoms. This full-page feature is crowned by our band portrait by talented Mathilde Maria Rønshof
Excerpts from the interview:
“(creating Hollow Mirror, red.) was a very emotional and intense experience. We hope that this energy reaches the listener. We can not wait to share the album with the world.”
“We focus on the contrast between beauty and brutality. If it’s only brutal, you get desensitized, it’s the twist that makes it interesting”
Sofia Schmidt, interview with Legacy Magazine
The theme of contrasts on Hollow Mirror is apparent, when we shift the topic towards our music video for Heartchamber:
“The video shows a love couple being torn apart. Both are recurrent characters on the album. We use quite brutal images, such as when the heart is ripped from the chest. It underscores the balance between the beautiful music and the rather gloomy lyric theme of loss and pain in the soul.”
Sofia Schmidt, interview with Legacy Magazine
Musicvideo for Heartchamber Mighty Music 2019
We elaborate on the connection to our single Endings.
Read the entire feature of this Legacy Magazine interview in their issue no 122. Besides this interview, you can also find a 12 of 15 scored review of Hollow Mirror in the magazine’s review section.
Explore other interviews and reviews in the archives here on our website.
Hollow Mirror is out 11th of October 2019 via Mighty Music on Vinyl, CD and digital. Pre-add and pre-order links can be found in the shop section the official Ethereal Kingdoms website.
Germany’s Legacy magazine explored the theatrical metal experience which is Ethereal Kingdoms. Journalist LS awarded Hollow Mirror a grand 12 of 15 stars ★★★★★★★★★★★★☆☆☆as well as an interview feature!
Front page cover of Legacy Magazine no. 122
Journalist LS entered the Hollow Mirror soundscape and emerged with this experience:
“Hollow Mirror” is supported by the surprisingly variable voice of singer Sofia, who not only sings cleanly for several octaves, but likes to scream and growl in between.
“The band does not shy away from dissonances (…) there’s also a nasty bludgeon with a Deathcore touch on a hymnic elf-like vocals, such as on the middle section, Endings’.”
“Hollow Mirror” is a collection of ghost stories, with a 16-voice choir supporting Sofia in the dramatic rendition, as well as guest appearances with Sigurboði Gretarsson, who otherwise indulges in his one-man Niðafjöll command, and songwriter Amalie Skriver.
“Hollow Mirror” takes time – the typical Crypt Metal crowd is unlikely to enjoy being dragged out of its comfort zone by the unruly arrangements and complex soundscapes – the Danes have the courage.”
Review of Hollow Mirror by LS in Legacy Magazine no 122
Thank you so much Legacy Magazine for featuring Ethereal Kingdoms in your printed magazine! Explore the interview feature and browse other interviews with internation metal media in our interviews section.
82 of 100 points and a top-5 playlist mention for Hollow Mirror in Fireworks Rock & Metal magazine!
Fireworks Rock & Metal issue no 88 October-December 2019
Journalist Bruce EJ Atkinson of renowned Fireworks Rock & Metal Magazine entered the Hollow Mirror soundscape. He awarded us a grand 82/100 points score. Amongst our compositions, he highlighted ‘Distance’, ‘Beginnings’ and our cover of ‘My Kantele’ by our melodeath heroes in Amorphis.
Mr. Atkinson thought the following of Hollow Mirror:
“(…) comprises nine beautifully executed musical journeys (…) the music in each creation is so descriptive and so is the vocal delivery of Schmidt; in case you are wondering …. Yes, those growls are hers – all hers!”
“Each composition is an epic and and each is a kingdoms of its own; they are full of complicated arrangements that are raw and emotional yet finely textured”
“This is a type of performance that seldom works and yet these four musicians make it work all the time.”
“(…) A virtual tempest that showcases the high talents of each member.”
Hollow Mirror review
Hollow Mirror review
We even made it to the top 5 playlist recommendation from Bruce EJ Atkinson!
In celebration of the release of our debut album Hollow Mirror We have created a special night full of strange wonder and beauty We play a one-of-a kind acoustic set with special guests Enjoy the band’s signature ‘Sovereign’ drink Contests, surprises and more! You are invited
Hollow Mirror release concert
11th of October 2019 Doors: 19.30 Showtime: 20.15 DJ’s, special surprises and more!
Venue: Zeppelin Rock Bar, Vesterbrogade 45, Copenhagen
For this show, we will be joined by flute soloist Lærke Leth, viola soloist Hansi Andersen and The Kingdom Choir in a bit of a different configuration. This night, they will consist of Victoria Omberg, Oliver Svensson and Mads ‘Arpeggio’ Sørensen. All of these artists except Victoria took part in creating Hollow Mirror, so this will be a very special moment for us to unleash the strange beauty in an intimate acoustic setting.
Flute soloist Lærke Leth rehearsing with Sofia Schmidt.
Viola soloist Hansi Andersen rehearsing for our release concert.
★★★★★★★★★★ from Metalized! The ‘Hollow Mirror’ album reviews keep coming in and we’re so honored by how well our stories and songs have been received by those who listen. Journalist Hell(e) of Metalized explored the sounds of our debut album and shared her thoughts in the 124th issue of Metalized:
“(…) with a quality nearing that of Nightwish, you’re in for an experience!”
“It’s music that is to be experienced both in your living room and on stage”
“Well worth the money if you enjoy symphonic metal with beautiful, beautiful female vocals”
Thank you so much Metalized!
We are featured in the issue no. 124 (oct/nov 2019), not only with this lovely album review for ‘Hollow Mirror’, but also with an interview by Hell(e).
We talk about our creative process, our record deal with Mighty Music, inspirations, hopes and dreams for the future and how it works when we’re on the road with big names such as Finntroll, Forever Still and Wintersun.
In this magazine, we’re in the great company of Mayhem, Cult of Luna, Baest, Michael Monroe, Soren Andersen, Denner’s Inferno and many many other metal and rock heroes.
Metalized is the longest running rock and metal magazine in Scandinavia, and have published countless interviews with every heavy metal and rock legend imaginable. It goes back to 1987 and is an esteemed and important actor in the metal and rock journalism scene in the nordic countries.
More Hollow Mirror album review:
This is not the only album review we have received from Hollow Mirror. Other metal media have shared their thoughts as well:
★★★★☆ in this Hollow Mirror review from Metal A Day!
Music journalist Mads Pristed entered the Hollow Mirror soundscape. He’s a big fan of acts like Nightwish, Epica, After Forever and Within Temptation, so his expectations were high for our first symphonic metal opus.
“The singles “Heartchamber” and “Distance” give a good feeling of the soundscape of the album, but it’s on “Beginnings” and “Endings“, that they truly shine. The connection and harmony of the two songs are almost near perfection.”
“Ethereal Kingdoms has an international sound, they are authentic and last but not least believeable, so they have the potential to make it really big. That’s why they get four big stars. “
This Hollow Mirror review is not our first feature in this renowned Danish metal webzine.
Metal A Day founder and journalist Anders Lundtang has shared his thoughts on the theatrical metal experience on Copenhagen Metal Fest and Nordic Noise. Mads Pristed, author of this album review was also present at our grandiose show at Wintersun’s first visit to Denmark at their 15th anniversary tour. A night with storytelling, special guests Amalie Skriver, Sigurbodi Gretarsson, The Kingdom Choir and special effects.
Pre-add Hollow Mirror to your streaming service of choice and be among the first to hear the stories or pre-order CD or vinyl through the official shop!
Metalized – the oldest scandinavian printed metal magazine – reached out to us for an interview and an album review feature for the October/November issue!
How do you create a symphonic metal album from scratch? What is life on the road like for Ethereal Kingdoms? And what is it like to sign with Mighty Music less than a year after your debut EP? We spoke to journalist Hell(e) in this Metalized magazine interview, the oldest metal and rock magazine in all of Scandinavia
Excerpts from the interview:
“We try to create the music we feel is missing out there. We draw our inspiration from a lot of different places, and always strive to create something extraordinary”
“For me (Sofia, red.) the growl is the 6th gear of my voice, it’s for when what I want to say can’t be said with intense high notes. I need to scream and roar it out, it’s a raw masculine energy that I like to work with in my voice”
“(Signing with Mighty Music, red.) has opened up a lot of opportunities to get our music out to those, who want to hear it”
“Especially live, we sometimes take big chances and experiment in the intersection between show and concert”
In this issue no 124, you will find a review of Hollow Mirror as well (10 of 10 stars, thank you so much!) as well as articles with Baest, Mayhem, Soren Andersen and many many more!
We have also spoken with Metallian, the largest French metal magazine in print (and even made it to the frontpage of their September/October issue! Thank you so much!
Reviewer Jacob Jørgensen from Calles Rock Corner gave our upcoming debut album a listen and awarded a grand 6 out of 6 stars in this ‘Hollow Mirror’ review! ★★★★★★
Ethereal Kingdoms ‘Hollow Mirror’ The wonderful and strange album cover art was created by talented Anna Holm Sørensen
“It’s a very dreamy and strong release, that brings you into different moods. It’s an exciting journey listening to this album”
Ethereal Kingdoms – Distance A story of breaking the unbreakable. Beautiful cover artwork by illustrator Anna Holm Mighty Music 2019
‘Hollow Mirror’ is out 11th of October 2019 via Mighty Music. You can pre-order it already now and be among the first to explore the 9 new stories on our critically acclaimed album.
Metallian – the largest French language metal mag – have honored us with our very first foreign print magazine feature! And our name even made it to the front page!
The editors reached out to us for an exciting interview about Hollow Mirror, our music and our creative process. Christian and Sofia goes into detail about the theatrical aspect of our music and the concept behind the stories on our very first album. We also talk about our inspirations and dreams.
Read it in in this September/October issue.
Metallian Magazine honored us with this full page magazine spread for this interview!
We are featured alongside our heroes of Jinjer, Lacuna Coil, Killswitch Engage and our Mighty Music label mates Tygers of Pan Tang and Blood Red Throne.
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Besides this interview, Metallian also awarded Hollow Mirror a grand 5/6 stars in their review of our debut album!
Have you entered the theatrical metal experience yet? Have you dared to step into Hollow Mirror? Get a glimpse into our soundscape with our three first singles: Heartchamber – Endings – Distance Three stories of torn fates, bitter hopes, loss, love and unbreakable bonds.
Follow us on Spotify and be among the first to hear our new album
Ethereal Kingdoms live at Wintersun’s 15th anniversary show Portrait by Skoett Photography
Sjak Roks of Dutch magazine Arrowlords of Metal entered the soundscapes on our debut album Hollow Mirror. He has shared his thoughts in this review here:
“(…) considering that the band has only been around for two years and considering that this is only their first album, we can certainly speak of a very deserving debut.”
“(…) the song material of Ethereal Kingdoms sounds quite bombastic over time, but luckily they regularly alternate with both subdued passages and very aggressive pieces. “
“The soprano vocals, the growls as well as the whisper vocals during the quieter passages are all provided by Sofia and that can be called quite impressive.”
“(…) The songs are definitely worth listening to and especially ‘Ashes Within’ (with its blast beats, heavily set orchestral parts, a very dark atmosphere and a lot of variation in the vocals for me the showpiece of this album) and ‘Endings’ appeal to the imagination(…)”
We were invited for the very first installment of Copenhagen Metal Fest. A festival celebrating danish metal culture and Heavymetal.dk‘s 20th anniversary on three renowned stages: Amager Bio, Beta2300 and Teater ZeBu.
We’ve played both of the first stages at Nordic Noise and Dirty Days of Summer Festival, but we had yet to unleash our theatrical metal universe at at true, real theatre stage. We got this opportunity when we were offered a slot at 21st of September 2019 at Teater ZeBu stage.
The reporter Anders Lundtang witnessed our performance, which included our new single ‘Distance‘:
“(…) you feel like you’re witnessing a show of the grandiose kind!” “Not two of their shows are alike (…)” “(…) you cannot be anything but impressed (…)”
-Anders Lundtang, Metal A Day
THANK YOU SO MUCH! Explore other live reviews of Ethereal Kingdoms in our reviews section, where you can also find album reviews and more.
Luc from musica.be immersed himself into our theatrical metal universe in this review for the site musica.be His 82/100 score and thoughts of the album is summarized here:
“Maybe next year we will have to say that we found “Hollow Mirror” to be one of the better albums of the year”
“(…) this sounds a lot darker and more threatening than most in this genre (…) mainly reflected in the vocals and the threat that comes from a whole bunch of fragments.”
“Sofia has a complete range of voices ranging from powerful clean vocals (…) to extremely deep and heavy growls that a bunch of male colleagues cannot imitate!”
Hollow Mirror is out October 11th 2019 on digital, CD and vinyl.
We celebrate with a wonderful acoustic concert release party at Zeppelin Rock bar with special guests and surprises. Join us 11th of October at 19.30 You are invited _________
Portrait by Skoett Photography 30th of August 2019, Gimle From our special theatrical show at Wintersun’s 15th Anniversary show
Paul Romero took the dive into the Hollow Mirror. He has awarded our debut album ★★★★★★★★☆☆, landing it in the”Excellent”-category in a review from Metal Temple! 🇬🇧
“A perfect balance of darkness and brightness”
“This band has a good chance of becoming a new force in the genre (…) definitely on my ‘bands to watch out for’ list.”
“This is the first time I felt this certain tickle in my chest”
Follow Metal Temple on facebook and check out their blog for more reviews of both shows and releases from metal bands from all over the world
Creating Hollow Mirror was an intense and very rewarding process for all of us in the band. When we got our record deal in late September 2018, we immediately started the process of creating new songs and stories for the album. The direction and universe was already set so the stories and soundscape seemed to create themselves at times. We started the first recordings already in November 2018 and finished the last recording in late January 2019. We were overwhelmed by the interest and support of our numerous guest artists. It was truly something magical to hear the lines you’ve written played by real people with their own interpretation. All this intensity, excitement, big emotions and sleepless nights went into Hollow Mirror. This being our first album, it is really close to our hearts and we hope that you will enjoy exploring the soundscape we have made for you!
September 20th and 21st 2019 something new happened in the Danish metal scene. We were among the lineup for the very first installment of Copenhagen Metal Fest – a new festival focusing only on Danish metal bands.
Heavymetal.dk reached out to us for an interview before the show, where we talk about our inspirations, the state of the Danish music scene and how it feels to be part of starting up something entirely new.
“We’re not afraid of taking chances and creating shows, that extend beyond just being a concert”
“Expect something intimate, something intense – with surprises! (…) We’re playing on a theatre stage, (…) so there’s space for getting up close and personal when the intensity and emotions are peaking. “
“Our format is flexible. Theatrical metal can be a lot of things. We’re gonna have a blast regardless”
Our Nordic Noise 2019 special show gets ★★★★★★★★☆☆ from powerofmetal.dk! We had the honor of playing at the big stage of Amager Bio for the 2019 installment of Nordic Noise Festival. We were in the grand company of Candlemass, Tygers of Pan Tang and other great acts during the two lovely spring days in May.
Nordic Noise 2019 lineup poster.
For this show, we celebrated the release of our first single Heartchamber. We wanted to make something magical, so we brought special guest violinist Amalie Skriver and The Kingdom Choir along to our show, as well as some special effects.
A shattered violin on the stage of Amager Bio Portrait by Mark Stoumann for Metal A Day
Journalist Mia Hall of Danish webzine powerofmetal.dk witnessed this performance. These are excerpts of her thoughts:
“The way this singer sings is rarely heard. Her opera voice, screams and growling shows some real technicality to her singing, and it is almost as if she has different masks she puts on. Very impressive!”
“I can tell that this band has a story to tell, as the singer is very active on stage, both dancng around like a fairy and then jumping around, growling and breaking things on stage. The choir and fiddle also helps to get the atmosphere in that right kind of mood, as symphonic power metal can give. And the harmonies sound GREAT!”
“No matter what they do, it can not be less intense than what they performed this evening.”
Thank you so much powerofmetal.dk! GAFFA and Metal A Day was also present at this performance. Want to hear more impressions of our shows? Check out the reviews section for album and live reviews!
GAFFA awarded ★★★★☆☆ stars for Ethereal Kingdoms special guest show at Nordic Noise Festival 2019 in Amager Bio.
Sofia Schmidt in an intense moment at Nordic Noise festival 2019 in Amager Bio. Portrait by Stoumann for Metal A Day
Nordic Noise Festival – the rock and metal herald of the Copenhagen spring since 2013. This year, for the first time in Amager Bio, Ethereal Kingdoms were invited to join this historic stage. We were in the grand company of legendary Candlemass, The Night Flight Orchestra and more on the 11th of May 2019. In celebration of our new single Heartchamber, we created a special event with guest violinist Amalie Skriver and The Kingdom Choir – three singers of Roskilde Cathedral.
Amalie Skriver and Christian Rasmussen in a duet of strings. Portrait by Mark Stoumann for Metal A Day
Journalist Keld Broksø of GAFFA was present at our performance and shared the following thoughts:
“People (…) have heard something akin to this with Nightwish and Within Temptation and Ethereal Kingdoms is well on their way to their league”
“Ambitions are sky high with an efficient and talented metal band behind the vocalist”
“(…) I felt that something big is on its way with a new album this year.”
The Kingdom Choir – three otherworldly voices of Roskilde Cathedral. Left to right: Darnell Boddie (Coutnertenor), Christoffer Müller (Bass), Frederik Gade (Tenor) Portrait by Mark Stoumann for Metal A Day
Thank you so much Gaffa!
The full lineup of the night – with special guests Amalie Skriver (violin, vocals) and The Kingdom Choir – three otherworldly voices of Roskilde Cathedral. Portrait by Jakob Muxoll.
★★★★☆ from Metaltone.dk for Ethereal Kingdoms’ special theatrical show at Royal Metal Fest 2019. Backed with a special production grant, we brough stories from Hollow Mirror to life for the first time. We created a theatrical show featuring The Kingdom Choir, dancers, special effects and special light show.
Sofia Schmidt in the stage light setting created by Martin Rasmussen. Royal Metal Fest 2019 Portrait by Johnny Fravn of Metaltone.dk
“There were different highlights at Royal Metal fest this year. One of them definitely was Ethereal Kingdoms” “I could almost have wanted a bigger stage for this show”
“The songs were executed beautifully with (…) Sofia fronting. (…) She’s educated in opera (…) but sometimes shifts to high pitch screams and even very masculine deep growls. (…). I was deeply impressed (…).”
“(…) performing the songs in text, dancing and acting backed by skilled and competent musicians (…)” “An incredibly ambitious show”
“We experienced death, joy, sorrow, love and ghosts this night (…) one of the interesting performances this year”
Thank you so much metaltone.dk! Before the show, we spoke with Royal Metal Fest about our thoughts and ambitions for this one of a kind performance in this interview. We were honored to be backed with financial grant from DMF, DAF and Metal Royale foundation.
Sofia Schmidt shattering a violin on stage. Royal Metal Fest 2019. Portrait by Jakob Dinesen of devilution.dk
Others who have witnessed this performance say the following:
April 6th 2019 at 17.00 at Radar in Århus marked a milestone for Ethereal Kingdoms. We unleashed our very first theatrical special performance at Royal Metal Fest . We received their grant for creating an extraordinary concert. We assembled The Kingdom Choir, premiered new songs from Hollow Mirror, unleashed corporeal ghosts, shattered violins, blood and a torrent of emotion from the intimate stage setting.
Journalist Jeanett Meibom shared her thoughts about our show:
“I was absorbed by what was happening on stage (…) I left with an experience of having witnessed something unique.”
“Lead vocalist Sofia Schmidt’s voice is incomparable to anything else in the Danish metalscene”
“(….) entered Radar with a show in two acts: Act I and Act II. The first round featured just the band on stage but as the show moved along, more joined in: smoke-spitting ghosts and three young male choir singers (…)”
“The theatrical aspect of Ethereal Kingdoms is something nobody else in Denmark can do”
4,5 out of 5 stars for Ethereal Kingdoms special theatrical show at Royal Metal Fest 2019
Sofia Schmidt unleashing fury with a torn out heart at Royal Metal Fest 2019. Portrait by Jacob Dinesen of Devilution
Royal Metal Fest 2019 was a very special show for Ethereal Kingdoms. Supported by a special grant from Metal Royale foundation, DMF and DAF, we created our very first installment of out theatrical special show format. Employing two dancers and premiering The Kingdom Choir, we told many of the stories of Hollow Mirror for the very first time at the Radar stage, 6th of April 2019. With the use of video backdrops, special light show by Martin Rasmussen (MØL, Hatesphere, Copenhell and more) and lots of special effects, we brought our stories and songs to life in a new format.
“There’s more attention to detail than what is found within several bigger acts in symphonic metal.”
“The narrative is a chapter of its own. For the band’s theatrical, epic foundation does not only cover the form, but also the content” “They are a refreshingly ambitious project”
“I would watch them live again, not only because I feel truly entertained but uplifted, inspired and hopeful on behalf on the group”
Royal Metal Fest also reached out to us for an interview. We spoke to them before the show when we were in the heat of planing the performance and rehearsing it to perfection. You can find this interview and more in the interviews section here on our website.
Other metal media left this night with the following impressions:
Ethereal Kingdoms have been granted a very special time slot at Royal Metal Fest 2019. A unique opportunity to bring our theatrical metal visions to life. A space to experiment in the intersection between show and concert.
Each year, the Metal Royale Foundation, Dansk Musikerforbund and Dansk Artistforbund offer a grant for a band, that wants to do something extraordinary with their performance.
For 2019, we had the honor of being chosen – Showtime is 6th of April at 17.00 at the Radar venue at Royal Metal Fest.
Journalist Pernille Randrup reached out us to learn more. We spoke about what’s happening behind the scenes, our ideas and concepts for the show and how to make ghosts come to live on stage.
“It’s not a concert, it’s not a musical, it’s not theatre. It’s something different where we think stage-oriented. A show”
“Ethereal Kingdoms is about experimenting in the intersection between show and concert. The balance between the grotesque and the beautiful. Contrasts, quick shifts, sudden flows.”
“We bring dancers to coporealize ghosts and (…) bring a choir to be a living part of the stage, to make everything more vivid – and it’s just nicer with live voices!”
“We’re experimenting with video backdrops and to assist in the lights we have Martin Lundholm, the light tech of MØL”
Finntroll. Sylvatica. Vanir. A sold out venue. Special guests. A broken violin.
That was the ingredients of Ethereal Kingdoms’ night supporting Finntroll at Gimle 21st of September 2018.
Fresh off stage with the adrenaline still rushing, Sofia spoke with journalist Davide Bonavida of Heavymetal.it In this very first italian magazine feature, they talk about musical influences for Ethereal Kingdoms, the creative process and performance.
A few excerpts from the original interview in Italian 🇮🇹
“We wanted to create something unique that differentiates us, not just copy other bands. We don’t just make music, we create stories”
“I study as a classical singer (…) whereas Christian comes directly from death metal. The funny thing is that in our compositions it’s me who brings the chaotic part and the growling while he brings the nostalgic melodies.”
“(…) those who spend time listening to us cannot get that time back. So I want to make sure they have a good experience.”
“(…) you can’t wait for something to happen by itself, you have to do it yourself. We took initiative to organize this show. I contacted the club while Christian called the bands he already knew personally. (…) we needed a prominent name (…) so we contacted Finntroll, explaining our project and … they said yes. I could not believe it!”
Review of Finntroll, Vanir, Sylvatica, Ethereal Kingdoms at Gimle, 21st of September 2018 .
We could barely believe this show was happening until we saw the poster! An unforgettable night with Finntroll, Vanir and Sylvatica at Gimle. 21st of September 2018 Artwork by Anna Holm
2018 was an intense first year for Ethereal Kingdoms: Two showcase concerts with Blastbeast, SPOT festival, Wacken Metal Battle Denmark finals and last but not least: supporting legendary folk metallers Finntroll at their show in Gimle, Denmark.
For this show we brought special guests in the form of violinist and signer Amalie Skriver as well as some shattering special effects.
Sofia Schmidt shattering a violin on the stage floor of Gimle. Finntroll support, september 21st 2018 Portrait by Vildmark Studio
Italian webzine Heavymetal.it was present at this concert and shared their thoughts in this review:
“Those who think that the symphonic metal has nothing more to say will soon have to change its mind. This band, young and well organized, has all the qualities to write new pages in the history of this genre”
“The charming singer Sofia Schmidt (…) has a truly phenomenal voice capable of alternating lyrical singer virtuosities, evolving unexpectedly into a true growling beast.”
Sofia Schmidt on the stage of Gimle at Finntroll support show 2018
Portrait by Gaia Micatovich // Heavymetal.it
Aside from this review, vocalist Sofia also spoke with Davide Bonavida of Heavymetal.it for an interview about Ethereal Kingdoms’ inspirations, ambitions and their unique stage presence.
A special night for us all, as we prepared a few surprises by bringing violinist and singer Amalie Skriver along as special guest as well as premiering striking animated video backdrops by illustrator Anna Hom Sørensen.
Journalist Anders Lundtang of Metal A Day shared his impressions of our performance at the sold-out Roskilde venue:
“During their show this nighty, you could risk getting hit by flying pieces of a broken violin, which was smashed on stage. This only serves to underline the richness of detail in this orchestra”
“The vocal register of lead singer Sofia Schmidt is sure to impress. anyone who aspires to perform on stage”
“The symbiosis between band and audience was striking (…)”
