Escape Music has the pleasure to announce the release date for Lord Francis Soto titled of the album "Battle Royale".
- Rock Metal Machine
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Francis Soto is a German rock and metal vocalist and songwriter whose musical career began in the early 1990s and has continued for more than three decades. His artistic path is defined by multiple band projects, extensive stage and studio experience and a steady evolution as a powerful and authentic frontman.
His musical roots trace back to Sanvoisen, where he was part of the original lineup from 1990 to 1992. During this formative period, Soto gained his first in-depth experience in songwriting, band dynamics, and live performance—laying the foundation for his raw, direct, and emotionally driven vocal style.
One of the most important and defining chapters of his career followed in the mid-1990s with the band SUBWAY. This marked a crucial phase in Soto’s artistic development and remains one of the most influential periods of his musical journey. Here, he refined his distinctive vocal identity, strengthened his stage presence, and fully established himself as a commanding frontman. The band’s sound—rooted in powerful Hard Rock with Melodic Metal elements—gave Soto the perfect framework to expand his vocal range, emotional depth, and dynamic expression. This era is widely regarded as one of the most formative and stylistically defining moments of his career.
In the years that followed, Francis Soto became involved in several other bands, including Wicked Sensation, Infinity's Call, Division of Madness, Crime, Stonemiller and, Ivory Tower, further broadening his musical scope. These projects allowed him to explore different stylistic approaches while solidifying his reputation as a versatile and experienced vocalist within the Rock and Metal scene.
Now is the time for Francis Soto to put all these years of musical experience to use and finally create his debut solo album, ‘Battle Royale’. For anyone that has seen the Japanese movie of the same name, you know what to expect: uncompromising, hard-hitting and taking no prisoners! At the end, there can only be one standing – and this time, it’s Francis Soto!!
TRACK LIST
1 TAKE ME INTO THE FLAMES 4:14
2 WHILE THE NIGHT STILL KNOWS MY NAME 5:00
3 MY SOUL IS BLACK 3:19
4 ONE NIGHT IN TOKYO 4:40
5 FAR AND AWAY 4:41
6 THE DEVIL IS A BANGER 3:06
7 THUNDERROAD 4:51
8 LIFE IS A BITCH 3:41
9 HEART OF THE STORM 3:19
10 PAIN OF MISSING 4:30
11 SOULBREAKER 3:41
12 BATTLE ROYALE 3:48
All lyrics by Francis Soto
Produced by Francis Soto
Mixed and Mastered by Reid/Soto BR-Studios
Lord Francis Soto - Battle Royale
Release Date: 20th March 2026
CD Catalogue No: ESM410
Band are:
Francis Soto - Vocals and Guitar
Timothy Reid - Guitars and Bass
Axel Thorn - Drums
Nico Raines - Keyboards
Martin Gauker (Background and Additional Vocals)
Pre-order our forthcoming edition
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