Berlin‑based instrumental Progressive outfit Tonnen von Hall re‑imagines their latest album with a fresh, Modern‑Metal edge in the six‑track EP “Donnermesser” set for release on June 12, 2026via Unsung Records.
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Tonnen von Hall — the Berlin-based instrumental trio of Touch Guitar virtuosos Markus Reuter, Alexander Paul Dowerk, and world-class percussionist Asaf Sirkis — announce “Donnermesser,” a new EP due for release on June 12th. The record takes a selection of compositions from their critically acclaimed 2025 debut album “Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen” and rebuilds them from the ground up: new guitar tracks, new arrangements, and a deliberate push toward greater weight, directness and raw impact. “Donnermesser“is not a remix project and not a deluxe edition. It is an alternate vision, reconstructed as something heavier, more confrontational, and more exposed.
“We wanted to take the core structures of our songs and push them into a modern, more intense, progressive‑metal space,” says guitarist Alexander Paul Dowerk.“The compositions are so rich and complex that we felt it’s worth to approach them with a new angle.“
“Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen” was praised across international press for its mathematical precision and emotional depth, “Donnermesser” takes that foundation and presses harder. Alexander Paul Dowerk added new guitar tracks on his Kiesel Kyber and Hapas Ashen and the arrangements were reimagined around greater impact and directness. The result sits somewhere between a companion piece and a counterargument: the same DNA, an entirely different body.
Three guest artists were invited to leave their mark on selected tracks, each bringing a distinct and formidable voice from the outer edges of jazz-metal fusion. Jan Zehrfeld — guitarist, composer and founder of Munich’s Panzerballett, one of Europe’s most technically formidable jazz-metal ensembles — contributes 2 guitar solos on the title track. Sally Gates — New Zealand-born, New York-based composer and leader of Titan to Tachyons, whose work appears on John Zorn’s Tzadik Records — plays the guitar solo on Kanister. Jørgen Munkeby — saxophonist, composer and founder of Norwegian Blackjazz pioneers Shining, widely regarded as the most in-demand saxophonist in Heavy Music and a long-standing collaborator of Ihsahn and Emperor — recorded raving saxophones to drive “Rauschmitte” even further.
“Donnermesser” was produced by Alexander Paul Dowerk. Drums were recorded by Arne Neurand at Horus Sound Studio in Hannover. Guitars and Touch Guitars were recorded at home studios in Berlin and Schneckenhausen. The record was mixed by Fabio Trentini at FabLab and mastered by Erik Emil Eskildsen. Artwork by Alexander Paul Dowerk. Tonnen von Hall continue to operate as a fully independent, self-directed entity — writing, producing, designing and releasing on their own terms via Unsung Records.
“Donnermesser “will be available digitally on all major platforms and as a strictly limited physical CD edition. For Tonnen von Hall, the EP represents both a deepening of their artistic practice and an opening — proof that the world of Ein Abdruck vom Messer im Herzen has more rooms than the original album revealed.
Lineup:
Alexander Paul Dowerk / Touch Guitars U8 Deluxe and S8, Kiesel Kyber, Hapas Ashen
Markus Reuter / Touch Guitars S8 and AU8, Loops and Soundscapes
Asaf Sirkis / Drums and Percussion
With:
Jan Zehrfeld / Guitar Solos (Track 1)
Sally Gates / Guitar Solo (Track 3)
Jørgen Munkeby / Sax (Track 6), Recorded at Shining Studios