In Extremo released their acoustic album "Tranquilo II" on October 23, 2026. The album features a total of 17 songs, including newly recorded acoustic versions of classics from over three decades of the band's history, as well as rarely played fan favorites. High-profile guests such as metal legend Doro Pesch, Monchi and Max Bobzin from Feine Sahne Fischfilet, and Laura Fella from Faun complete this auditory delight.
Additionally, the album includes a completely new song titled "Heute wird der Himmel brennen". The video for it can be seen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s85jmvqQIrk
For over three decades, In Extremo have steadfastly followed their own path. With their distinctive signature sound combining modern rock, centuries-old melodies, and historical instruments, they have not only significantly shaped their own genre but also brought medieval rock from a niche to the big stages. What began with performances at medieval markets has led the minstrels on sold-out tours and festivals around the globe, making In Extremo perhaps the most well-known and successful medieval rock band in the world.
However, a band whose history is marked by change, experimentation, and crossing musical boundaries does not like to look back without simultaneously trying something new. And sometimes it is their own fans who provide the crucial impetus for this.
Sixteen years ago, In Extremo presented their songs for the first time in a completely different setting under the title "Tranquilo": quieter, acoustic, and stripped down to the essentials. The extraordinary concert concept showcased a previously unknown side of the band and generated great enthusiasm among fans. The desire for a sequel has accompanied In Extremo ever since. In 2026, several albums and countless concerts later, the minstrels have finally listened to their followers.
From the idea of finally bringing "Tranquilo" back to the stage, more quickly developed. Since the first chapter, the repertoire has grown immensely. New classics and live anthems have emerged, other pieces have not been played for a long time, and some songs seemed to be just waiting to be completely deconstructed and reassembled in a new musical guise. Thus, "Tranquilo II" was born not only as a special concert program but ultimately also as a new album.
With a total of 17 songs, In Extremo spans more than three decades of their history, connecting the original essence of minstrel art with all the musical experiences they have gathered along their long journey. It is explicitly not about simply playing well-known pieces more quietly. The songs have been newly arranged, partially fundamentally restructured, and open themselves to styles that one might not necessarily expect in connection with In Extremo. Swing, rockabilly, ska, and reggae meet Eastern European influences, centuries-old soundscapes, and the band's own musical DNA.
All tracks were recorded in a small studio in Dornbirn, Austria, in an authentic live atmosphere. Without extensive production equipment, but with plenty of room for spontaneity, collaborative music-making, and new ideas. This working method brings In Extremo back to their roots while simultaneously showing how far their musical horizon has expanded over more than three decades.
Crucial to this special sound are also three high-profile musicians who not only support In Extremo on the album but will also tour with the band in November and December: Oliver "SaTyr" Pade and Niel Mitra from Faun, as well as violinist Justin Ciuche. With additional instruments, arrangements, and sound colors, they expand the musical spectrum of "Tranquilo II" and will also be a fixed part of this special ensemble live.
Additionally, there are some surprising guests whose musical backgrounds could hardly be more different. For the classic "Störtebeker", In Extremo have brought Jan "Monchi" Gorkow from Feine Sahne Fischfilet on board as a duet partner for Micha Rhein. The two are supported by Feine Sahne's trumpeter Max Bobzin. A meeting of two bands and musical worlds that may seem unusual on paper but works excellently for that very reason.
With Doro Pesch, a true metal legend and long-time good friend of the band, is also a guest. Together with Micha Rhein, she lends "Feine Seele" a new, particularly touching intensity as a duet. And Faun singer Laura Fella enriches the In-Extremo classic "Liam", which also serves as the first single to kick off "Tranquilo II".
These encounters exemplify what has characterized In Extremo since their beginnings: Musical boundaries have never been walls for this band, but at most invitations to overcome them. Early on, the minstrels combined instruments, melodies, and lyrics from long-gone centuries with the power of contemporary rock music, developing a sound for which there was initially hardly a category. In Extremo have not only found their place within a genre; they have significantly contributed to shaping this genre and making it accessible to a wide audience.
With their last studio album "Wolkenschieber", In Extremo made it into the top 3 of the German album charts for the ninth consecutive time in 2024. Seven of their albums have been awarded gold or platinum, and four reached number one on the German charts. From an unusual and daring musical idea, one of the most distinctive and successful German rock bands has emerged over the decades. And yet, In Extremo have never lost the desire to defy expectations.
"In Extremo have always been an unpredictable bunch that surprises their fans every time and never does what people actually expect," Micha Rhein chuckles. "After our 30th anniversary, simply sending out another rock album would have been too predictable for us. Instead, we show ourselves on "Tranquilo II" from a side that probably no one would have expected from us. This record is a great opportunity for us to venture into foreign music genres, only to sail on with full steam afterward!"
Thus, "Tranquilo II" becomes a journey through their own history without looking back nostalgically. Starting with early classics like the first hit "Spielmannsfluch", through live anthems like "Frei zu sein" and "Störtebeker", to newer pieces like "Weckt die Toten" and "Feine Seele", familiar songs suddenly appear in a completely different light. Sometimes reduced and intimate, sometimes exuberant and playful, sometimes surprisingly far from their original form.
And In Extremo would not be In Extremo if they were to focus solely on their own past in all this reflection. Therefore, "Tranquilo II" also includes a completely new song, "Heute wird der Himmel brennen", which fits seamlessly into the acoustic cosmos of the album while simultaneously looking forward.
A very special bonus awaits in the deluxe CD version of "Tranquilo II" as well as in the strictly limited vinyl bundle: the exclusive bonus EP "Sternhagelvoller". While it accompanies the deluxe version as an additional CD, it is available in the exclusive vinyl bundle as a strictly limited 10" vinyl EP. Three songs that can only be found in this compilation.
The namesake and centerpiece is "Sternhagelvoller", the XXL version of one of the band's most well-known and beloved pieces. "Sternhagelvoll" is the party and feel-good smasher in In Extremo's repertoire, a must-have at every concert, and one of the highlights of the set night after night. For "Sternhagelvoller", the band has now elevated this classic to a completely new level: The call went out to a whole group of friendly minstrels and companions who, like In Extremo, have been connecting the medieval and the present for many years. Following them are Ben from Feuerschwanz / d'Artagnan, Laura & Oli from Faun, Teufel from Tanzwut, Eric from Subway to Sally, Malte from Versengold, Pat & Albi from Fiddler's Green, Castus from Corvus Corax, David from Haggefugg, Fabi from Stormseeker, and the warriors from Fabula. Together with In Extremo, they transform "Sternhagelvoll" into "Sternhagelvoller", creating an almost six-minute anthem across the ages, where an impressive part of the medieval rock family comes together.
With "Amontillado", the bonus EP also includes another completely new and previously unreleased In-Extremo song that can only be found on "Sternhagelvoller". The conclusion is "Ave Maria", which In Extremo recorded together with their friends from Metaklapa. The Croatian vocal formation meets Micha Rhein here, giving the piece a completely new shape in this special vocal version.
In November and December, In Extremo will subsequently bring the album to the stage in an equally extraordinary setting. Deliberately selected venues such as the Admiralspalast in Berlin, the Laeiszhalle in Hamburg, the Alte Oper in Frankfurt, or the Circus Krone in Munich provide the backdrop for concerts where atmosphere, closeness, and musical nuances take center stage instead of large rock production.
After more than three decades and a journey from medieval markets to the big stages of the world, In Extremo thus completes a circle: back to making music together, back to the immediate encounter with their audience, and once again setting sail for new musical shores.
"Tranquilo II" will be released via Universal Music.
IN EXTREMO – "TRANQUILO II"
The Acoustic Tour
Presented by Metal Hammer, Sonic Seducer, Rock Antenne, and www.metal.de
06.11.2026 A – Vienna - Globe Wien (in the Marx Halle)
07.11.2026 Munich - Circus Krone Bau
12.11.2026 Nuremberg - Meistersingerhalle
13.11.2026 Stuttgart - Hegel-Saal (in the Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Liederhalle)
14.11.2026 Berlin - Admiralspalast
17.11.2026 Wuppertal - Historische Stadthalle
19.11.2026 Osnabrück – OsnabrückHalle
20.11.2026 Neubrandenburg - Konzertkirche
21.11.2026 Halle (Saale) - Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Halle
24.11.2026 Hamburg - Laiszhalle
02.12.2026 Friedrichshafen - Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Graf-Zeppelin-Haus
03.12.2026 CH – Zurich – Volkshaus
04.12.2026 Frankfurt - Alte Oper
05.12.2026 Dillingen - Lokschuppen
10.12.2026 Hanover - Theater am Aegi
11.12.2026 Erfurt - Alte Oper
12.12.2026 Bremen - Metropol Theater
