VELJANOV reveals first video single & details of new album
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VELJANOV unveils the stunning noir music video 'Nomos Shanderilan'. This track is the first advance single taken from the dark wave and rock legend's forthcoming album "Shanderilan". Following an extended hiatus, the iconic singer's fourth full-length has been scheduled for release on January 15, 2027.
VELJANOV comments: "'Nomos Shanderilan' is the first advance single taken from my new album 'Shanderilan'", the vocalist writes. "The song is composed as a musical ride through various genres that are becoming united by the wholly distinctive sound of the 'Veljanov cosmos'. The title is meant as a call to resist attempts to shred our free, democratic values and principles, and to defy the power-hungry enemies of democracy!"
Tracklist
1. Nomos Shanderilan
2. Take a Knee
3. Perfect World
4. Nightbird
5. Alphabet (1)
6. Our Mother the Mountain
7. Juno & Adora
8. Annabel 2026
9. Alphabet (2)
Few artists ever achieve legendary status early in their lives and while still releasing new material on a regular basis. Alexander Veljanov aka VELJANOV, one of the most distinctive voices of the German alternative scene and beyond, is widely considered one of them.
With his fourth album, "Shanderilan", VELJANOV returns as a solo artist following an extended hiatus that was due to a jam-packed working schedule with other commitments. The full-length marks another significant chapter in Alexander Veljanov's most remarkable body of work and also portrays the iconic singer as a well-matured artist drawing ever closer to perfection in his craft.
"Shanderilan" impresses with multi-layered arrangements, outstanding songwriting, and of course that dark, seductive voice. Moments of refined beauty organically morph into barely concealed anger and descend into mesmerising darkness or progress into an epic hymn.
The excellent production of "Shanderilan" is the result of an intensive collaboration between Alexander Veljanov and Goran Trajkoski. The renowned Macedonian composer has written more than 100 film and theatre scores. These include music for the Oscar-nominated film "Before the Rain" by Macedonian director Milčo Mančevski. The film won the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Trajkoski is also the official guitarist of the band VELJANOV.
The title, "Shanderilan", is a made-up name that stands for a dystopian land where freedom and rights are taken away. This theme and the harsh realisation that humanist values can never be taken for granted and always have to be fought for run through the entire album.
The German vocalist with roots in what is North Macedonia today rose to prominence with the duo DEINE LAKAIEN, which he co-founded with composer and classically trained theatre pianist Ernst Horn in 1985. While Horn was very much interested in the contemporary musical avant-garde, Alexander Veljanov, a student of theatre and film sciences, came with a background in the dark wave and gothic scenes.
That DEINE LAKAIEN with their unique blend of avant-garde, electronic music, dark wave, and other stylistic elements quickly gained iconic status in the dark music scene, particularly in the German language area, is due in part to their visionary sound experiments and in part to Veljanov's singularly enchanting vocals.
VELJANOV's magical baritone voice has been described as particularly deep, resonant, and warm, with a velvety tone. He also moves seemingly without effort into higher registers while maintaining his characteristic timbre, which is often termed 'Slavonic'.
The singer contributed his unique voice to several projects before embarking on a solo path under his own name. The first VELJANOV album appeared under the title "Secrets of the Silver Tongue" to high praise from critics and fans alike in 1998. This was followed by a string of equally successful album and MCD releases over the next decade, culminating in "Porta Macedonia" (2008) and the subsequent tour in 2009, after which a long hiatus began.
Although the enigmatic artist continued to perform with DEINE LAKAIEN and also released new albums with "Dual" (2021) as their latest masterpiece, his solo career has remained dormant until now, and many prematurely assumed it had ended for good.
To the utter delight of his loyal following, VELJANOV announced his surprising return to the limelight with both a new album "Shanderilan" and a tour in 2026. Sometimes, wonderful miracles happen. Welcome back!
