With 'Het Langste Jaar', Het Zesde Metaal is on its sixth album. You can now pre-order the new album, due on January 19th.
The news of the incurable illness of guitarist and keyboardist Tom Pintens inspired the band to make an album in the intimacy of their own circle. Tom led the group into the studio as a producer in June 2023. Given his physical condition, it is a miracle that he was still able to attend the recordings, but his mind remained razor-sharp during the intense sessions. When it started to dawn on him that he would no longer be able to complete the mix himself, Pintens called in the help of the trusted producer duo Jo Francken and Pieterjan Maertens (Nie voe kinders, Calais, Skepsels), who completed the work flawlessly within the set lines.
Although frontman Wannes Cappelle had to deal with the untimely death of a beloved family member and the loss of his first lieutenant, it was not a gloomy album. Cappelle opens with a catchy ode to lasting love, wonders what to do with the time we have left and tries to understand how a message of a few seconds can have a lifelong impact. But Cappelle wouldn't be Cappelle if he didn't look outwards. In this album he also holds up a mirror that doesn't show us our best side. 'Het Langste Jaar' is the musical reflection of the heaviest period in the band's history. Still, at the same time, it is perhaps the most melodic record in the 'Het Zesde Metaal' collection, with more room than ever for subtle but extremely efficient arrangements. We can already hear you humming along, and we've only just started!