Mental Cruelty Unleash 'Ride of the Valkyries' Video

10-08-2026

(Freeman) With 'Echoes of a Forlorn Land' drawing closer, Mental Cruelty unleashes its grand finale with "Ride of the Valkyries," accompanied by the cinematic intro "Dammerbruch."

Serving as the closing chapter of the upcoming record, the two tracks bring its world to a monumental conclusion. Sweeping orchestration and triumphant melodies collide with MENTAL CRUELTY's extreme metal force, channeling the mythology of the Valkyries and the journey of fallen warriors to Valhalla.

The scale reaches another level with the accompanying video. Created together with renowned production company Grupa13 (Behemoth, Amon Amarth), MENTAL CRUELTY's most ambitious visual production to date plays more like a short Viking film than a traditional music video, bringing both "Dammerbruch" and "Ride of the Valkyries" to life on a truly cinematic scale.

Vocalist Lukas Nicolai comments: "'Ride of the Valkyries' is the grand finale ahead of the release of our new LP 'Echoes of a Forlorn Land.' It closes the album (alongside intro 'Dämmerbruch') with heroic atmosphere, bombastic orchestration and uplifting melodies to tell the tale of Norse mythology's angelic deliverers of the dead.

"Symphonic death metal's epic riffing serves as the perfect soundtrack to fallen warriors' journey to Valhalla, as well as the battlefield below, where the likes of Children of Bodom, Wintersun and Ensiferum clash with each other and influences like black metal and deathcore.

"We matched that with the biggest, most expensive and over-the-top production we've ever done, both musically and visually. We teamed up with production company Grupa13 (Behemoth, Amon Amarth) to create our own blockbuster, complete with a captivating intro and epic emotional ending. Throughout are stunning shots centered around a historically-accurate Norse village and re-enactors who focus on the time period to keep it true. This is basically our own little Viking movie!"