Blackbriar has released their brand new single ‘Forever and a Day’. The new album “A Dark Euphony” will be released on September 29th via Nuclear Blast Records. The album features 11 brand-new tracks.
“Some say that there is beauty in darkness – terrifying visitors, worlds far gone, gothic romances, bone-chilling legends, sin-eaters, burning hearts frozen in time, songs with a misleading voice, and a truthful whisper. This and so much more for you to discover on A Dark Euphony.” Such are the words of vocalist Zora Cock about the band’s upcoming sophomore album. A telling sign coming from a band who has reveled in gothic beauty and metallic darkness since their onset, spanning three EPs and a full-length album, along with long-time collaborator Joost van den Broek.
Zora comments about their newest single: “Forever and a Day is a tragically romantic song, inspired by 19th-century mourning traditions. While listening, I imagine a Victorian lady, dressed in a heavy black mourning gown. She lost her love a long time ago, and can’t move on. One day, she replaces her black gown into a day dress to spend the day with someone, to see if there could be another future for her, only to realize she can’t give her heart to another. It’s the final single of our forthcoming full-length album.”
Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, they crafted their first single in 2014 with ‘Ready to Kill,’ but it was 2015’s second single ‘Until Eternity’ that truly propelled them into the scene. A sweeping track with an equally compelling and beautiful video, it continues to draw many to the act with over 20 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding the band, they independently recorded and released their first EP, “Fractured Fairytales”, as well as acquiring a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP layed down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal and breathtaking sound and brought about new opportunities for the act, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where the band played alongside Epica, Halestorm, In This Moment, Delain and MaYan.
To keep moving ahead with full control of their creative ideals, the band successfully crowdfunded their follow-up EP, “We’d Rather Burn”, and brought it to life in October 2018. This EP would be the first time the band worked alongside esteemed producer Joost van den Broek to arrange and produce the effort, and this fruitful collaboration allowed Blackbriar’s whimsical and enigmatic sound to reach new sonic heights. Released the same day as their self-made video for ‘I’d Rather Burn,’ this EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. In the time following, keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) took a larger role within the band and began playing shows, after being involved in the songwriting process since “Fractured Fairytales”.
A busy 2019 followed, the band released a haunting single in May entitled ‘Snow White and Rose Red.’ A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairytale featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairytale realms, Blackbriar closed the year with their third EP, “Our Mortal Remains”. Ever-sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breathtaking musicianship, the EP brought about new live exposures for the act as well, that had to be put on hold due to COVID-19.
Championing their continued independence, which included everything from songwriting, maintaining their web presence, overseeing merch, as well as shooting and producing their own videos and photos, Blackbriar reached out to their ever-growing and loyal fan-base for assistance to make their full-length album a reality in 2020. Fans fervently heeded the call achieving all five stretch goals that were set.
Entering 2021, the band relinquished a bit of control in signing exclusively with Doomstar Bookings to help properly support their highly anticipated first full-length album, “The Cause of Shipwreck”, which was released in April. Once again recorded with renowned producer Joost van den Broek (Epica, Ayreon, Powerwolf) at Sandlane Recording Facilities, this release showcased the band’s continued evolution into masterfully dark gothic storytelling and theatrical aesthetics that entice you into a deadly yet spellbinding musical paradise.
Despite a very successful 2021, the band still hungered for more, unleashing their latest single, ‘Fairy of the Bog’ in December. A song about ‘het meisje van Yde’ (Yde girl), it’s a mixture of folklore, myth, and ancient local history wrapped into a more mystical and magical package that showcases what Blackbriar does best. Due to winning ‘Drents Talent Award Culture 2021’ from ‘Stichting Kunst & Cultuur,’ Blackbriar performed ‘I’d Rather Burn’ live on television together with the Dutch ‘Noordpool Orchestra in early 2022. In April, the band parted ways with founding member and bassist Frank Akkerman. Not a band to slow down, they welcomed Siebe Sol Sijpkens from The Netherlands as their new bassist. A happy and energetic performer with a lifetime of global performances, he is a welcome addition to the act as they continue to strive forward.
With their vision looking firmly into the future, with a major label behind them, they set their sights on 2023 to conjure their most deadly siren song yet. The band previously released the song ‘Crimson Faces’ to celebrate their partnership with Nuclear Blast Records, and now the world eagerly awaits the release of “A Dark Euphony” this fall. Set to contain 10 new original songs as well as a bonus track, they recently released their first single from it with ‘My Soul’s Demise.’ According to Zora, “We’ve had the pleasure of working with producer and musical genius Joost van den Broek, and we gave it our all to write this record and feel that this is our most complete, personal, and mature album to date.”
“A Dark Euphony” is available to pre-order HERE.
“A Dark Euphony” Track-listing:
- An Unwelcome Guest
- Far Distant Land
- Spirit of Forgetfulness
- Bloody Footprints in the Snow
- The Evergreen and The Weeping Tree
- Cicada
- My Soul´s Demise
- We Make Mist
- Thumbelina
- Forever and a Day
- Crimson Faces
Line-Up:
- Zora Cock / Vocals
- René Boxem / Drums
- Bart Winters / Guitars
- Robin Koezen / Guitars
- Siebe Sol Sijpkens / Bass
- Ruben Wijga / Keys
