“I’m very happy,” beams Mob Rules keyboardist Jan Christian Halfbrodt. “It may seem like a leftover from our last album, but it isn’t. We wrote it after the normal session and wanted to tell our story from a different angle. Our first albums were connected with the story, and now, with our last album, we adapted the story, and stories from the world are a compilation. We really wanted to give this material a chance.”

German power metal titans Mob Rules’ new EP, Stories From the Verdant Vale, was released last month via ROAR and follows the narrative world introduced in 2025’s Rise of the Ruler. While it is a continuation of that story, it’s actually an alternate take. Handling the emotions of revisiting older work and adapting it for today, it all boils down to one word for Halfbrodt: nostalgia.

“It’s the perfect word for it,” he notes. “This was a very emotional journey to dig into these old songs, into this time where I wasn’t in the band, but to understand what was behind the idea, what the story was, and to bring it onto a modern level. We’ve tried a lot of things over the years, and it was a good journey, but coming back and going full circle to the old material and reconnecting to it just felt right.”

Sometimes visiting previous releases and bringing them back to life can be a big challenge, but the group realized it wasn’t all that hard, because they found their style still connected with the old stuff. This is what ultimately led to the idea being born. Halfbrodt says the songwriting got more straight-to-the-point, and he decided to place the story 30 years after the events of the first album.

“It’s very important to keep the old stuff alive, but also bring a new place into the story. Last time, it was called Rise of the Ruler; this is a crucial figure, this ruler was a very ambivalent guy. It was the one who led the people from a dystopian world to a new home. He has good intentions; he has the people, but he also has a bad side because he does it to be the ruler, to be the king. My main idea was: what happens if this balanced person flips out to one side?”

With that idea in mind, the story took full shape. Stories From the Verdant Vale tells the story of the people who were left behind, who stay in the old place. At the same time, there’s a metaphorical layer behind it, showcasing how the strong can stand for themselves. Halfbrodt loves being able to go back to the old days and continue the story, and hopes the next move is doing just that and staying in this pictorial world. But for now, he emphasizes how special the metal scene is.

“There are still people who make small concerts, small clubs, small festivals. There’s still people who have a heart for this music and keep it alive. We’ve existed for 30 years, and there were bands before us and there will be bands 30 years after us. The best thing you can do is buy a shirt from your band, wear it proudly, and support everybody who loves metal.”

Stories From the Verdant Vale is out now via ROAR. Get it here.

Photos by Karsten Koch