VUUR "In This Moment We Are Free - Cities"

In This Moment We Are Free - Cities is the debut studio album by progressive metal band VUUR. It was released on 20 October 2017, via Inside Out Music. Apart from the regular edition, the album was released on special editions including a CD digipak and a gatefold 2LP + CD (including etching on side D).

Band leader and vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen viewed past collaborator Devin Townsend as an influence on the album. Marcela Bovio was initially going to do backing vocals for the album, but she left the band mid-production due to divergences about the direction the vocals should take.

All songs on the album are inspired by cities visited by van Giersbergen during her years of touring. The cities involved are: Berlin, Rotterdam, Beirut, San Francisco, Rio, London, Santiago, Mexico City, Helsinki, Istanbul and Paris. According to van Giersbergen:

“ The lyrical themes of this album revolve around cities and freedom. Exposure to big cities can be overwhelming and you can feel engulfed by everything around you. At the same time it's easy to be a stranger in a big city and for me that brings out a feeling of freedom as well. This past year I've thought a lot about the virtues of rural versus urban life, since me and my family are moving back to the city. It's very exciting, but at the same time I know that sense of urban solitude from past experiences. The cover artwork represents this duality. ”

On 8 September 2017, a video for the opening track "My Champion – Berlin" was released. Commenting on this particular track, van Giersbergen said that it "serves as a kind of master of ceremonies. It's both heavy and melodic, it showcases the technical abilities of the band, but you can still sing along to it. [...] This song is about Berlin after World War II. The goddess on the Berlin Victory Column was raised to commemorate military victories, but in the song the city speaks to her and is asking her for help to overcome troubled times". The song was composed by guitarist Jord Otto.

"The Fire – San Francisco" talks about people's lives before, during and after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The track "Days Go By – London" talks about the Great Fire of London from the perspective of the fire itself, although it is also a song about hope. It was the first song to be written for the album.

Comes in a threefold digipak.

A music video was made for My Champion - Berlin.

Recording information:


Recorded at Sandlane Recording Facilities.