Dan Zimmermann, drummer for Gamma Ray, took advantage of a hiatus from his original band to form Freedom Call with singer Chris Bay in 1998. After their debut album in 1999, Stairway to Fairyland, Freedom Call released the EP Taragon, featuring Saxon vocalist Biff Byford, also in 1999. Crystal Empire, the band’s true second album, was released in 2001. Eternity followed in 2002, before Freedom Call released The Circle of Life in 2005, their most accomplished album to date. Navigating between classic metal and a clear penchant for symphonic metal, Freedom Call returned in 2007 with Dimensions. Legend of the Shadowking was released three years later in February 2010. Success came with its follow-up, Land of Crimson Dawn, which reached No. 59 on the German charts. Beyond, released in 2014, improved on that performance by reaching No. 41. The band solidified its influence in 2016 with Master of Light (No. 64) and, most notably, in 2019 with M.E.T.A.L. , its best performance to date on the German charts (No. 24). Freedom Call returned five years later with the album Silver Romance, which peaked at No. 53 in Germany and No. 17 in Austria.
