Freiburg, Germany, has quietly produced one of traditional heavy metal's most compelling young acts, and with Wayfarer, their second full-length, Kerrigan is making a case that can no longer be ignored. Formed in 2019 by guitarist Bruno Schotten and vocalist/guitarist Jonas Weber, the duo has since grown into a proper four-piece, rounded out by bassist Jakob Zeblin and drummer Jonathan Döring, and the added weight of a full band is felt across every inch of this record. Where debut album Bloodmoon introduced the world to their sound and earned them high-profile festival slots alongside some of their all-time heroes, Wayfarer arrives with something more to prove and absolutely delivers on that promise. "Dreamy, melancholic, and pretty versatile" is how Jonas Weber describes it, and that's as accurate a three-word summary as you're likely to find.
The record opens with "Torchbearer," a statement of intent that wastes no time establishing a purposeful, melodic, and built on the kind of riffwork that feels simultaneously familiar and entirely alive. From there, "Asylum" pushes deeper into the band's love of detail-rich songwriting, the kind where repeated listens keep revealing new corners to explore, and Kerrigan has already made their intentions clear: this is a band chasing something timeless, not trendy. "The Ice Witch" is everything a heavy metal single should be: immediate enough to grab you on first listen, layered enough to keep you coming back. It's one of the strongest moments on an album full of them.
Kerrigan's greatest gift as songwriters is their ability to write songs that are, in Bruno Schotten's own words, "accessible but have so many interesting details that they never get boring." That philosophy is on full display throughout Wayfarer. "Blood and Steel" is perhaps the clearest expression of it, an anthem-in-waiting with a chorus that lands somewhere between Saxon at their most triumphant and early Manowar at their most earnest. It's a team effort between Schotten and Weber, and it shows; the song starts simply, grows more complex with every passing section, and culminates in a grand finale that feels genuinely earned. Schotten has said he's already looking forward to crowds singing it back at them live, and it's easy to understand why. "Surrender," and the title track carry a more melancholic weight, slowing the pace just enough to give the record emotional depth without ever losing momentum.
Not content to stay in one lane, Wayfarer also takes on something weightier with "Dystopia," a track that examines the creeping consequences of unchecked technological power and the erosion of genuine human connection in an age of artificial intelligence. It's a bold lyrical detour that pays off, grounding the album in something real and urgent without abandoning the spirit of classic heavy metal storytelling. "Fighter," meanwhile, offers a counterpoint described by the band as happy and uplifting; it provides a necessary breath of light amid the heavier thematic material and proves that Kerrigan's range is wider than any single mood could contain. The record closes with "Red Light Tower," the album's most epic number and its crowning achievement. Just as "Mesmerizer" closed out Bloodmoon with a sense of grand finality, "Red Light Tower" serves the same purpose here, Jonas Weber's stroke of genius, according to Schotten, a sweeping, unhurried closer that lets the album exhale and linger in the mind long after the last note fades. It's the kind of song that makes you sit quietly for a moment before reaching for the play button again.
If you're new to Kerrigan and don't know where to begin, start with "Blood and Steel." It is everything this band does best distilled into one place: the hooks, the heart, the craftsmanship, and it will have you working your way through the rest of Wayfarer before it's even finished. Three years on from Bloodmoon, Kerrigan hasn't just made a worthy follow-up. They may have made something that outlasts the moment entirely. Only time will tell, but the stars are already aligned.
Go check out their track, The Ice Witch:
Go give them a follow on Instagram: KERRIGAN
Check out my interview with Kerrigan here: Kerrigan - interview
Comments
Post a Comment