Often we search for answers in the darkness. In the shadows, where no one recognizes our face. We feel secure in the impenetrable blackness of the night, to which we entrust our darkest thoughts. And sometimes the darkness responds... Since 2007, Vinegar Hill has been considered Austria's best-kept secret in the realm of Melodic Death Metal. After the quintet from the idyllic Styria has earned the status of one of the most discoverable must-watch formations in the country over the past years, the Austrians are now taking the next step to deliver their most mature and uncompromising album yet with “Darkness Echoes”!
Already with their self-released debut EP “From Deathbeds We`ll Rise” in 2009, Vinegar Hill made a name for themselves with a consistent in-your-face mix of brutal heaviness and atmospheric melodies. A pulverizing signature sound that the five-member band has expanded and refined over the years on the albums “The Road To Grace” (2012), “Monophobia” (2015), “Ghost Flowers” (2017), and “Earthbound” (2022), as well as various singles. Through over 140 live shows across Austria, Germany, and Eastern Europe, Vinegar Hill has built a small but fine fanbase, toured twice as a support act for Dark Tranquility, and shared countless stages, including that of the prestigious Nova Rock Festival, with international giants like Hammerfall, Grave Digger, Dragonforce, Destruction, Unleashed, Sodom, and many others.
After four studio albums, Vinegar Hill now returns with a brand new long player in a completely new lineup. A quasi-fresh start for the only remaining founding member Michael Dreschnig (guitar, vocals, songwriting), who has assembled a skilled expert team with Thomas Kaluza (vocals), Oliver Seebacher (guitar), Hannes Aigner (bass), and Christoph Schoberl (drums) to herald the next creative phase of the formation. Vinegar Hill enjoys playing with contrasts, where metallic hardness alternates with catchy hook lines, guttural growls meet clean vocal parts, and pounding blast beats blend with technically demanding riffing and epic strings into a bombastically produced widescreen sound. A balancing act between light and darkness that runs through all the songs of “Darkness Echoes,” allowing Vinegar Hill to effortlessly position themselves alongside relevant bands like Soilwork, In Flames, or At The Gates in the record shelf with their atmospheric Melodic Death Metal.
“I think we are making a huge step forward with the new lineup,” says VH mastermind Michael Dreschnig enthusiastically. “With Thomas, we have found a singer as our new vocal figurehead who perfectly complements my clean singing with his distinctive growls. The band has developed enormously on all levels. Compared to the last album, the tracks are more compact, impactful, and get to the point faster.” Just like the first single, the title track and album opener “Darkness Echoes,” with which Vinegar Hill paints a dark-dystopian picture right at the beginning of the album - while the formation feels noticeably at home in the darkness. “This piece is a kind of karma song,” Michael continues. “The world is currently on the brink. Whether it’s about wars, the consequences of global warming, societal division, or other crises. `Darkness Echoes` tells that you are treated the way you treat your fellow human beings. Those who constantly sow hate, fear, and aggression will only reap hate, fear, and aggression. The darkness only gives back what you feed it.” On March 28, 2025, this song was released as the first track from the album.
The video for the song can be seen here: https://youtu.be/_Co1KWhuvGo
Despite all the dark apocalyptic fantasies, Vinegar Hill also conveys hope and positive energy on “Darkness Echoes,” as the band demonstrates with the powerful “On Fire”: a gripping anthem of survival that co-frontman Michael Dreschnig dedicates to all those who pursue their dreams and let nothing deter them from their path. “`On Fire` was created as the very first song after the old lineup dissolved,” Michael recalls. “I sat alone in the studio and thought about what I love about this band. And that I still burn for the music. That will never change. With this album, Vinegar Hill is now returning with new strength, and I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together!”
“Darkness Echoes” was released on March 28, 2025, as a standard CD, a limited vinyl edition, and as a digital download on all major platforms.
Vinegar Hill Live:
April 5, 2025 AT-Trofaiach, Mad Mountain Meeting
May 1, 2025 AT- Graz, Music House
May 2, 2025 AT- Salzburg, Mark Salzburg
May 3, 2025 AT- Vienna, Cafe Aera
June 7, 2025 AT-Imst, Stadtbühne
July 31, 2025 AT-Upper Austria, Brain Bridge Festival
August 21, 2025 AT-Spital am Semmering, Kaltenbach Open Air
