Valhalla is calling, Jenny!

There’s one online article that says that spring is “the season during which the natural world revives and reinvigorates after the colder winter months,” and after reading that I thought the whimsical sound of the harp would be ideal to represent the beauty of the spring bloom and the warmth of the sun. Having said that, our metal lady of the month of April obviously had to master the art of harp playing, but beware of her incendiary moves, as she’s also a very talented dancer who loves to play with fire. Hailing from the stunning Bavaria (or Bayern if you prefer), in Germany, she’s the harpist for The Dark Side Of The Moon, a performer and dancer with Feuerschwanz, an art director and filmmaker with Dream Film Factory, and a photo designer with Aurora Photography. I’m talking about the multi-talented Jenny Diehl, a woman who will hypnotize you with the soothing sound of her harp before burning you in flames with her moves and charisma.

Having just released their debut album called Metamorphosis in 2023, The Dark Side Of The Moon is a fantastic metal quartet formed back in 2021 by members of Feuerschwanz, Amaranthe and Ad Infinitum (as a matter of fact, the band was formed after a bet between two of the band’s members), who together love to explore unseen lands and dive into the adventures of worldwide heroic characters. Currently comprised of Hans Platz (of Feuerschwanz), Morten Løwe Sørensen (of Amaranthe), our metal lady Jenny Diehl (also of Feuerschwanz), and one of our previous metal ladies Melissa Bonny (of Ad Infinitum), the quartet aims at revisiting and transforming the greatest themes of cinematography, TV shows and video games in addition to a few songs of their own, taking the listener on a musical quest, from the depths of Moria up to the Iron Throne.

Blending the powerful and gripping sound of Symphonic Metal with classical and orchestral elements, the band offers to fans of the genre a mix of original and cover songs, always dedicated to their favorite warriors, books and movies including the likes of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Here is where things get really interesting for Jenny, as the unique sound of her harp adds a fragile layer to the heaviness of the overall sound of the band, something really hard to find in the heavy music scene worldwide. All songs from Metamorphosis will darkly embrace you thanks to the charming sound of Jenny’s harp, as well as the sounds crafted by the other band members, of course, plus guest musicians Charlotte Wessels (Delain), Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade), Rusanda Panfili (Hanz Zimmer Live) and Tom S. Englund (Evergrey).

Furthermore, you can enjoy all of the band’s beautiful official videos on YouTube, including the songs The Gates Of Time, Legends Never Die, New Horizons, First Light, Double Trouble/Lumos!, and their cover version for the Game of Thrones song Jenny Of Oldstones (as well as a very cool making of for it), among others. Perhaps the best song to depict the talent by our beloved Jenny armed with her harp is Legends Never Die, where her harp intro sets the tone for the rest of the song, embellishing the airwaves in a majestic way and, therefore, making the song stand out as one of the most amazing ones of the past few years in the Symphonic Metal universe.

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However, as aforementioned, if you think Jenny is just a delicate flower in a sea of heaviness, you must see what she has been doing since 2012 alongside Erlangen, Bavaria, Germany-based Medieval Folk Metal/Rock project Feuerschwanz. Of course, there are a few of their albums which include contributions from Jenny as a harpist, those being their 2016 album Sex is Muss on the songs Ein Schelm, wer Böses dabei denkt, Taugenix, and Nachtlied; their 2018 album Methämmer; and their 2020 album Das elfte Gebot, all of them absolutely worth a full and detailed listen, by the way, but Jenny offers even more as a member of such distinct Teutonic group. Jenny also performs as a dancer during Feuerschwanz’s live performances under the alias Myu Mieze, with countless online videos offering you a chance to witness her contribution to the band’s live shows, including their performance at Wacken Open Air 2022. Furthermore, you can also enjoy this very relaxed and fun video of Jenny taking us all on a journey through the homes of all members of Feuerschwanz, showing what the band is doing while they’re not on tour or in the studio, as well as a little bit of backstory about the band.

Jenny also holds a Bachelor of Arts, which led her to found Dream Film Factory alongside Russian cameraman and photographer Artem Selennov, and Alexander Dannhauser a few years ago. The trio offers a full-scale production service, from concept to finished film, creating an original film with its own distinctive look from any idea using modern, unique and tried-and-tested film techniques. They also offer individual services which include camera and image design, set design and prop construction, editing and color grading, conception and marketing, and stop-motion puppet construction, and you can check more of their work by visiting their website, Facebook, Instagram, and Linktree; for instance, simply visit their project page on their official website and you’ll see their work with several bands the likes of Burning Witches, Subway to Sally, J.O.E., Feuerschwanz, The Dark Side Of The Moon, Destruction, Goath, Nothgard, and more, with all videos being stunning, detailed and truly unique, like Was Ihr Wollt, by German Folk Metal band Subway to Sally, and Dissolving Flesh Redemption, by German Black/Death Metal horde Goath.

Lastly, Jenny also started to work as a freelance photographer under the name/brand Aurora Photography back in 2018, but as the project’s official Facebook page hasn’t been updated since mid-May 2021 I wonder if she has gotten way too busy with her bands and her film company to the point she can’t find enough time to focus on photography. Anyway, all photos available on Facebook are beautiful and deserve our attention, and maybe one day she’ll reignite her work as a photographer and keep delivering more awesomeness to our eyes. For now, I think there’s enough Jenny for us to enjoy with The Dark Side Of The Moon and with Feuerschwanz, with the sound of her harp and her fiery dance moves making the world of heavy music a much better place for all of us metalheads who love a good combination of music and images with a great storyline.

Jenny Diehl’s Official Facebook page
Jenny Diehl’s Official Instagram
Jenny Diehl’s Official TikTok
Jenny Diehl’s Official Linktree
The Dark Side Of The Moon’s Official Facebook page
The Dark Side Of The Moon’s Official Instagram
The Dark Side Of The Moon’s Official YouTube channel
Feuerschwanz’s Official Facebook page
Feuerschwanz’s Official Instagram
Feuerschwanz’s Official YouTube channel
Feuerschwanz’s Official Twitter