WUCAN

track-list:
Spectres Of Fear
Irons in the Fire
Wicked, Sick and Twisted
KTNSAX
Holz auf Holz
Pipe Dreams
Axioms
Fountain Of Youth

WUCAN are:
Francis Tobolsky – vocals, guitar, flute, theremin
Tim George – guitar, keyboards
Philip Knöfel – drums
Alexander Karlisch – bass

WUCAN live 2025:
sep4th Summer Dying Loud Lodz/PL
sep6th Stonebreak Festival Puch bei Weiz/AT
sep20th Nacht der Kirchen Hamburg/DE
oct3rd Klubhaus der Jugend Saalfeld/Saale/DE
oct4th Bora Duisburg/DE
oct5th 7er-Club Mannheim/DE
oct6th Béi Chéz Heinz Hannover/DE
oct7th Stengade Copenhagen/DK
oct9th Kulturwerk Herford/DE
oct10th Lido Berlin/DE
oct11th MTS Records Oldenburg/DE
oct12th Goldgrube Kassel/DE
oct14th Alte Hackerei Karlsruhe/DE
oct16th Zauberberg Passau/DE
oct17th Salute Musikclub Weiden/DE
oct18th Gladhouse Cottbus/DE

discography:

As it is well known, true art is characterized above all by its constant renewal – a combination of the tried and tested with the innovative.
Like nearly all influential acts in music history who have followed this golden rule, Dresden-based Wucan demonstrate their capacity for artistic evolution with their latest album, ‘Axioms‘.
On ‘Axioms‘, the four-piece heavy rock outfit led by frontwoman Francis Tobolsky blends the distinctive elements of their previous studio records – ‘Sow The Wind‘ (2015), ‘Reap The Storm‘ (2017), and ‘Heretic Tongues‘ (2022) – with fresh ideas, resulting in a broader stylistic range and a more clearly defined conceptual approach.
In other words:
while the band continues to reference hard rock, krautrock, East German rock, and metal, the eight new tracks are also infused with touches of progressive rock, isolated electronic elements, and a playful jazz attitude.
Or as Francis aptly puts it:
“The foundation of our music is international 70s hard rock enriched by contemporary influences – this time with even more bombast, brutality, and complexity.”
And Francis continues to talk about the album:
“The title Axioms stands for the fundamental convictions our band is built upon convictions we no longer question. After ten years of making music together – seven of them in this lineup – there were moments when everything could have fallen apart. This album was created during a time when each of our lives was changing significantly, and it bears the imprint of those personal experiences. The fact that we’re still making music together is neither a coincidence nor a matter of convenience – it’s our axiom.”
Francis about the album-cover:
“This cover forms a seamless continuation of ‘Heretic Tongues’, which also explored the tension between the inner and outer aspects of the human experience. Callum Rooney worked closely with us to visually capture the essence of ‘Axioms’. It was important to us to highlight that every form of affectation and masquerade – no matter the style – will eventually melt away. ‘Axioms’ make the man.”
‘Spectres Of Fear ‘:
“Sometimes, all it takes is a quiet evening at home to spark something. The main riff of ‘Spectres Of Fear’ came to Fran while jamming alone – an idea that immediately set the direction for the entire track. A vocal melody for the verse followed soon after, and at the next rehearsal, Alex brought it to life with a driving bassline. Philip plays with a lot of movement and attention to detail here – a backbone for the song. If you listen closely, you might hear echoes of Led Zeppelin or Rainbow. Tim adds a distinct flavor with unusual chord extensions and breaks out of the hard rock mold halfway through with a funky solo. Lyrically, the song could be read as a revenge piece – a sentiment that fits well with this Prince quote: ‘Anyone who plays me, plays themselves’. Fran’s vocals cut through all the harmonies and backing layers with rawness and anger – perhaps more than ever.”
‘Irons In The Fire’:
“How does the saying go? ‘Diamonds are made under pressure’? It sometimes feels like that when you pursue a goal and have to overcome obstacles and hurdles to fulfill your dream. Every setback shapes us, every defeat carries a chance within it, and it takes iron will and a good dose of passion to withstand this pressure. I wrote ‘Irons in the Fire’ as a little toast to all those who refuse to be beaten down by the adversities of the world and keep pushing forward. The song addresses consistency and perseverance in the passion or calling that each person sees individually for themselves. The message that emerges: Don’t give up and stay true to yourself. ‘Irons in the Fire’ was the first song we wrote for our upcoming album. After ‘Heretic Tongues,’ we floated through jams for a while and were still unsure where the journey with the new album should go. When Tim brought this riff to a rehearsal, we let ourselves be carried away by it. At a certain point, one part flowed organically into the next. It felt really good when the song was finished and already hinted at the direction the new album would take. We never come into the rehearsal room and say, ‘We’re going to write a metal song’, and then it just happens. It’s also a journey of discovery for us, where a riff, a part, a vocal line, or a beat can lead us. ‘Irons in the Fire’ is already a classic metal/hard rock song, but the devil is in the details. Harmony changes, the theremin solo, and little breaks make it a classic Wucan song. We recorded it in February 2024 with our homeboy Max Power in a studio in Berlin as a standalone song.”
‘Wicked, Sick And Twisted’:
“Wicked originally started out as a 70s-style glam rock track – somewhere between Slade and the Runaways. The idea came to Fran during a pretty mundane moment – hanging up laundry – and stuck in her head until she finally recorded it as a voice memo. The first attempts at the riff were painfully sluggish, and for a while, we were close to scrapping the whole thing. Despite the song’s seemingly intuitive feel in the final version, the process couldn’t have been more different. We tried several approaches and went through multiple versions before finally deciding to let go of the original vision and take a new route. What emerged was a rather unusual disco jam, heavily influenced by Abba-style basslines – our attempt at giving Wucan’s disco and funk a psychedelic twist. Thematically, Wicked explores a connection that should probably be left behind – but isn’t. Or can’t be. Or won’t be. It’s about the push and pull between intoxication and clarity. The starry vocal layers, the guitar solo, and the psychedelic outro all play directly into that dynamic.”
‘KTNSAX’:
“‘Farm some time, watch it grow’, that line came to me on a Monday morning in September 2024, after two weeks bedridden – and harvesting a solid twelve hours of daily screen time on my phone. Twelve hours a day in which I believed I was fully up to date: the latest news, trending memes, my friends’ daily lunches – and yet completely disconnected from the world around me. The political climate, social media manipulation, filter bubbles, AI – these were things I needed to process. At first glance, it all seems so convenient: the library of the world in our hands, the ability to join any conversation, to be the discourse. And yet we hide behind carefully curated images, profiles on platforms, pretending to be someone we’re not… and perhaps even falling for the façades and profit-driven illusions of others. In the end, what remains is the paradoxical truth: Blessed are the ignorant.”
‘Holz auf Holz’:
“I wrote ‘Holz auf Holz’ on a cold March evening in 2024, during one of my little candle rituals at home. Suddenly, my incense caught fire without even touching the flame – and right in that moment, the melody came to me out of nowhere. It was immediately clear that this had to become a song. We call it ‘Holz’ for short, and it came together quite quickly, since the guys immediately understood what kind of track it was meant to be. To me, this song strongly reflects our East German rock and krautrock influences. And in true Wucan fashion, this German-language song serves as a commentary on the current political and social situation in Germany.”
‘Pipe Dream’:
“‘Pipe Dreams’ started as a jam session in the rehearsal room – based on a drum groove that Phil just threw on the table, instantly pulling all of us in. It was the second song we wrote for the album, and it feels like a snapshot of where we were at that time. A driving beat, heavy guitars and floating vocal harmonies explore the tension between disillusionment and hope. To me, this song also carries a warning: shared dreams require the support of the whole community.”
‘Axioms’:
“This one also began with a flute riff from a late-night jam at Fran’s place. The idea sat in a drawer for a while until it started to grow into something entirely its own. What came out is a bit of an oddball in the Wucan universe – a track that avoids the standard 4/4 in favor of a flowing 6/8 groove. The original mood was heavily inspired by early Camel, which still lingers in the flute line. The jazzy elements, especially at the beginning, reflect how wide we open the stylistic window here – it’s not just hard rock; jazz and prog influences are welcome, too. The guitar doesn’t take center stage in Axioms – instead, it creates space with open voicings and textures. The main riff had been in the works for a while, but it didn’t fully come together until Fran’s flute part locked in. It’s been a favorite from the start. Even though the arrangement might seem complex, we wanted the words to stay simple. Sometimes you just have to face the truth – for your own sake. Even if that means moving forward without what you thought you couldn’t do without.”
‘Fountain Of Youth’:
“If Fran had a favorite hobby, it would probably be building demos. For ‘Fountain of Youth’, she brought in two fully fleshed-out parts, which ended up going into the final version almost untouched. Initially, the song was planned as a classic ‘long track’ – the kind you’ll find on every Wucan album. But once the two sections came together naturally and the structure felt complete, we decided not to add anything more. Everything that needed to be said was already there. Tim stepped out of his comfort zone with the guitars and went for DADGAD tuning – a decision that turned out to be exactly what the arrangement needed. Lyrically, Fountain of Youth pushes into more introspective territory: A reflection on the limits of being human. Aren’t we all, in some way, flawed? Don’t we all try to make the most of the limited time we have? Why is it so hard to recognize how much we have in common, instead of what sets us apart? Musically, we wanted the track to feel like a journey: From the melancholic intro to the upbeat main part, all the way to the psychedelic ending and back again. The goal was to tell a story. That it ended up taking ten vocal layers, three harmonies, and six different percussion instruments? No one could’ve predicted that…”