Swedish dark gothic rock act Scheitan returns after 24 years and premieres new lyric video ‘Fire at Dawn’ on Side-Line
The Swedish band Scheitan, originally rooted in black metal but now embracing gothic rock, has released a fresh single and accompanying video titled “Fire at Dawn” which today exclusively premieres on Side-Line. This track serves as the second single from their forthcoming album, “Songs for the Gothic People,” slated for release in Spring 2024 by the Greek indie label, The Circle Music.
Scheitan went on a 24-year hiatus but was brought back to life in 2023 with the single Lost In Time, a gothic rock masterpiece in the veins of Sisters of Mercy, Fields of The Nephilim and The 69 Eyes. A few weeks prior to the release of the single “Lost in Time” Scheitan signed to Greek label The Circle Music and is set to release a full-length album in 2024.
“Fire at Dawn” is also now available on all digital platforms. Below is the lyric video.
Songwriter, guitarist & vocalist Pierre Törnkvist comments on the new song: “I feel that this became a nice follow up to the last single, “Lost in Time”, almost like two siblings of songs that each have their own identity but have a connection somehow. Not all songs on the album will have this traditional mid-tempo gothic rock style but these two turned out that way. I have never liked to speak about lyrical themes but it has almost become a necessary evil these days. The song speaks to the heart of those of us who do not feel like a part of contemporary society, those of us who feel the fire from within, the instinct to defy all that is wrong in this world. If you have the fire inside, you already know, for sure. I will now keep working on the rest of the tracks for the album, a lot of ideas are already in progress and I am basically spending time in the studio 4-5 days a week, a bit here and there. We hope to have another single released after the birth of the new year and then we will celebrate the new album in the spring of 2024. I think it will be one of the best post-rock efforts in a long time, I am quite sure of that.”
Founded in 1996 by Pierre Törnkvist (guitar/bass/vocals) and Oscar Karlsson (drums), Scheitan initially pursued a black metal style. Both members had prior experience in death and black metal bands like The Moaning, Defleshed, The Everdawn, and Gates of Ishtar.
The band’s debut album, “Travelling in Ancient Times,” released in 1996 under Invasion Records, comprised eight tracks of intense black metal, though its final track hinted at Scheitan’s future musical direction. Their sophomore album, “Berzerk 2000,” also under Invasion Records, showcased a split personality, with the first half leaning towards gothic/ambient and the latter part serving as a farewell to their black metal origins. Some tracks from “Berzerk 2000” were digitally reissued in 2021 as the “Deathgoth” EP.
In 1999, after parting ways with Invasion Records, Scheitan joined forces with Century Media and released “Nemesis,” an album that fully committed to the gothic/ambient/dark genre, albeit retaining Pierre Törnkvist’s signature harsh vocals from earlier records. Following “Nemesis,” both Pierre and Oscar felt their new material didn’t align with Scheitan, which led them to initiate a separate project called Helltrain—a tale for another time.
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