Ritchie Blackmore brings Christmas cheer with festive new EP

(Image credit: Minstrel Hall Music)

Okay, we still have to negotiate a socially-distanced Halloween first, but there are only 63 days to Christmas! Woo-hoo! Given the absolute f**king state of 2020, who among us isn’t ready for a little festive cheer?

Cometh the hour, cometh The Man In Black. While some of you might be most familiar with Ritchie Blackmore as the guitar god responsible for the iconic riffs to Smoke On The Water, Black Night, Since You Been Gone, Man On The Silver Mountain, etc, those who’ve carefully followed Blackmore’s post Deep Purple/Rainbow career will be fully aware that the guitarist now shares his love of Medieval music and folk rock with the world via Blackmore’s Night. The group, which Blackmore co-pilots with his wife Candice Night, have signed a new record deal with earMUSIC and will release their eleventh studio album, Nature’s Light, next spring, but while we gnaw our knuckles in anticipation, the duo have helpfully offered up a new EP to tie us over until 2021.

Here We Come A-Caroling includes four festive tracks and will be released on December 4 on limited edition 10” translucent green vinyl, as well as a limited edition CD digipak and digital.

“On June 2, 1997, we released our first Renaissance Folk-Rock debut album: Shadow of the Moon,” say Blackmore and Night. “With devotion and professionalism, our new record label, Edel, brought Shadow of the Moon to the top of the charts [in Germany, we assume…], where it remained for 17 weeks, earning us our first Gold Record as Blackmore's Night, a project close to our hearts and as untouched territory, a new genre for us to bring to the world.”

“Our music is an escape from the stress and pressure of modern times. Journey back through time with us, to a simpler, magical time where music enters your heart and soul. We are honored to be Back Home Again, with our friends and colleagues of Edel. Blackmore's Night has returned with our new CD, fans have been waiting for 5 years, and we are excited to be able to pair up again with Edel to bring it to them.”

Ritchie Blackmore — (Image credit: earMUSIC)

Here We Come A-Caroling tracklist

1. Here We Come A-Caroling (Vinyl Side A)
2. It Came Upon A Midnight Clear (Vinyl Side A)
3. O Little Town Of Bethlehem (Vinyl Side B)
4. Silent Night (Vinyl Side B)

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.