ADAMANTRA

composed by Jukka Hoffrén & Panu Kiskola
lyrics by Jukka Hoffrén

Adamantra, who released their third album in the fall 2025, have found another previously unreleased song in their treasure chest.
The pompous ‘The Spirit of Freedom‘ was recorded during the band’s second album ‘Act II – Silent Narratives‘ sessions between 2010 and 2013.
However, the bonus track intended for the Japanese market never made it to any release.
The song is accompanied by a lyric video featuring the Adamantra boys on tour and in the studio between 2010 and 2015.
Bass player Jukka Hoffrén gives background on the song’s history and journey:
“’The Spirit of Freedom’ is one of the first songs I composed for Adamantra. I remember when we were still young high school kids with Panu (guitarist) just playing riffs and building the song together. However, after the first Adamantra band practices, it was clear that the song would not necessarily fit on the debut album and so the song was left to moulder and wait for a new resurrection. We had big plans for the release of our second album ‘Act II – Silent Narratives’ and we needed, or thought we needed, extra material again, so we decided to record this one as a bonus track just in case. As usual in the music business, things didn’t go as planned and the song never saw the light of day. This song was fun to record with no pressure. This is quite over the top in terms of choirs, multiple bass solos and fantasy-themed storytelling. In addition, Petri Mäkilä (ex-Simulacrum) featuring on a great guitar solo. I guess no other band has put this much effort into their extra material and bonus song, which doesn’t even end up on the actual album.”
The song is a follow-up to the opening song ‘Shining Time‘ released in spring, 2025, and the second part of a trilogy based on the adventures of King Arthur.
The third and final part will be released with the next, fourth album.

composed & lyrics by Jukka Hoffrén

Adamantra, who released their third album in the fall, has found some previously unreleased material from the band’s early days in their vaults.
The lively power metal song ‘Shining Time‘ was recorded during the band’s debut album ‘Revival‘ sessions in 2007–2008.
However, the bonus track intended for the Japanese market or as a B-side to a single never made it to any release.
The band decided to finally release the song with a lyric video based on gig and other footage from the band’s early years.
Bass player Jukka Hoffrén recalls the song’s history and journey:
“‘Shining Time’ is the first song I wrote for Adamantra sometime in the late 90’s and with this song I started to form the idea of a new band of my own. The song was performed at a few gigs and was intended to be used as a Japanese bonus track or as a B-side of a single, but neither of those things came to fruition, so it remained dormant for years somewhere in the depths of my hard drives. It’s great that the song is finally being released. This is where it all started.”
The song begins a trilogy about the adventures of King Arthur, and the second part will be released later this spring.

track-list:
TREACHEROUS VALOUR
CHARADE OF CRUELTY
HYPOCRITES
OF BEASTS AND ANGELS
MORPHEME
AN UNFINISHED TALE
FALSE ILLUSIONS
PARADISE EPILOGUE

music by Jukka Hoffrén, Tuomas Nieminen, Panu Kiskola & Tommi Ahtila
lyrics by Tuomas Nieminen & Jukka Hoffrén
produced by Jukka Hoffrén
orchestral arrangements by Jukka Hoffrén, Christian Pulkkinen & Perttu Vänskä
strings and choir conducted and arranged by Jukka Hoffrén
recorded at D-Studio and Pathos Music between September 2015 – October 2021 by Jukka Hoffrén and Mikko P. Mustonen
keyboards recorded and produced at Dark Noise Studios by Chrism
mixed at Pathos Music in by Mikko P. Mustonen
mastered at Nestruction Studios 27th August 2023 by Emil Pohjalainen
cover art and visual design by Jan ‘Örkki’ Yrlund/darkgrove.net
band logo by H.J.Villberg

GUEST STARS AND MUSICIANS:
String quartet on Hypocrites, Of Beasts And Angels and Paradise Epilogue:
Mervi Myllyoja: Violin
Manna Lahti: Violin
Maarit Holkko: Viola
Iida Sinivalo: Cello
Choir group on Of Beasts And Angels:
Maija Rautasuo, Anna Ginström, Vilma Keisala, Janne Rantanen, Tatu Erkkilä, Niilo Erkkilä, Joonas Tuominen and Martin Iivarinen
Choral Quartet on Paradise Epilogue:
Maija Rautasuo, Anna Ginström, Vilma Keisala and Joonas Tuominen
Grand piano on Paradise Epilogue by Anu Lampela
Backing vocals on Treacherous Valour by Erik Kraemer and Mikael Salo
Voice acting and dialogue on Paradise Epilogue: Kimyarda Jones, Laura Cornelius, Dorsey Jackson, Chris West, Christina Lowe and Tuomas Nieminen

Adamantra delivers you the toughest prog metal album of the year…
The newborn ‘Act III: Pareidolia of Depravity‘ carries on from where the former one ended, both musically and thematically.
The album is a versatile package, in which eight different pieces come all together making the listener crave for his daily dose of Adamantra.
Adamantra respects its forerunners such as Symphony X, Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery and Blind Guardian, and recommends the album for all fans of high-quality power and prog metal.
The album has Adamantra-style written all over it, ranging from traditional elements all the way up to magnificent choirs, but new winds appear with a string quartet featured on three different songs.
All eight songs of the new album tell grim stories of the evil of different eras that exist around us, but it is open to interpretation and perspectives.
Combined with versatile compositions and virtuoso instrumental parts, these form an inexhaustible vein of gold for the fans of progressive and power metal.
The thought of Adamantra was borne two decades ago, when bass player Jukka Hoffrén started to record his own compositions and ideas on his friend’s computer.
New songs began to form, and it became apparent that a band must be brought into existence.
Fellow members Tuomas Nieminen, Mikko Sepponen and Panu Kiskola were already familiar to Hoffrén.
After multiple session keyboard players Christian ‘Chrism’ Pulkkinen stepped to the ranks.
The members of Adamantra are known from such bands as James LaBrie, Eden’s Curse, Amberian Dawn, Coventhrall and Simulacrum.
Adamantra has released two full length album and one EP so far.
Now the brand-new third album ‘Act III: Pareidolia of Depravity’ finally sees the daylight…

Ever since the early 2000’s has Adamantra forged its versatile prog-metal and is, after a long hiatus, releasing its third album ‘Act III – Pareidolia of Depravity’ on October 25th through Inverse Records.
Both musically and thematically the album carries on from where the previous album ‘Act II: Silent Narratives’ ended, but for the first time a string quartet can be heard on three songs, which of course adds a tasteful flavor to the mix.
All eight songs tell grim tales of different eras, the evil things surrounding us, its openness to interpretation and differing points of view.
The fourth single ‘False Illusions’, with its accompanied lyric video, touches the subject of the problems of a totalitarian society, of which the bass player Jukka Hoffrén speaks as follows:
”The lyrics are about a surveillance society and totalitarian dictatorship. The loss of one’s privacy, freedom of thought and expression means the total of loss of freedom, though it might, at the same time, be an illusion of harmony and peace. Surveillance society is really a dictatorship. Can happiness be guaranteed to an individual in the name of mutual success and conformity?”