Category: Releases

Horror Sacri (2025)

21.08.2025

The fourth Darkwave album marks a clear departure from its predecessors — and not just musically. For the first time in the project’s history, vocals appear alongside the instrumental compositions. This new element adds an essential dimension of expression, allowing the music’s message to be communicated more directly and fully. No longer confined to titles, cover art, and sonic atmosphere alone, the narrative now unfolds through the human voice as well — direct, unfiltered, and unmistakably personal.

The title, Horror Sacri, is a Latin phrase meaning “sacred dread” or “fear of the sacred” — a complex emotional state blending awe, reverence, and fear in the face of the divine or transcendent. Rather than taking a theological or dogmatic stance, the album approaches this theme from a deeply personal and introspective perspective. While honoring the mystery of the sacred, it also acknowledges the fear, struggle, and rebellion that often accompany the human experience of transcendence — culminating in death, which brings this internal conflict to an end. In this sense, Horror Sacri serves as a natural continuation of Darkwave’s previous instrumental works: Hexapla, Missa Innominata, and Thanatology.

The album also represents a milestone in the Darkwave catalogue by featuring guest artists for the first time. Fredrik Keith Croona, the intense and versatile vocalist of the blackened death metal band Against I, and Fati Urbán, whose ethereal voice adds an otherworldly dimension, both contribute to the record’s emotional and sonic depth.

Blending the familiar with the unfamiliar, the instrumental with the vocal, Horror Sacri opens a new chapter in the evolution of Darkwave — one that invites the listener to confront the unknown with open ears and a receptive mind.

Track listing

Total playing time: 43:36

Thanatology (2023)

03.08.2023

The third full-length Darkwave release, Thanatology, is an intensely emotional journey into the depths of formative memories, emotions, and experiences – those silent forces that shape the spiritual essence of a person. Harnessing the expressive power of instrumental progressive metal, the album paints vivid inner landscapes, translating these emotional currents into six distinct movements, each carrying a title that serves as a guidepost along the way.

“Memento mori.” The phrase echoed throughout medieval Christianity as a stark reminder of life’s impermanence: “Remember that you must die.” Humanity has always grappled with the weight of its own finiteness, responding in countless ways to the unsettling reality of mortality. Thanatology offers its own contemplation on this eternal theme, resonating with Jack Kerouac’s poignant words: “I’m writing this book because we’re all going to die.” (Visions of Cody).

In essence, the six tracks of Thanatology – released on August 3, 2023, precisely on the second anniversary of Hexapla – form an intimate soundtrack to a spiritual pilgrimage. A passage through time, memory, and the inevitable recognition of life’s transience. As an instrumental work, Thanatology does not seek to provide definitive answers to the existential questions that haunt us. Instead, it aims to evoke emotions – subtle, profound, and deeply personal – that might serve as a guide through this introspective and transformative journey.

With this in mind, Thanatology stands as both a continuation and culmination of Hexapla and Missa Innominata, weaving the first three Darkwave albums into a deeply interconnected narrative.

Track listing

  1. The Last Wasted Dawn (6:38)
  2. Stepping Through The Shadow Line (8:01)
  3. Necronym (5:07)
  4. Legacy Of The Worthless (4:58)
  5. All Shall Perish (6:34)
  6. Farewell Before Sunset (6:20)

Total playing time: 52:31

Missa Innominata (2022)

01.06.2022

Released on June 1, 2022, Missa Innominata, Darkwave’s second full-length album, explores a concept rarely touched upon in the metal scene. Its title – Latin for “Unnamed Mass” – suggests both a connection to tradition and a deliberate departure from it. Rather than merely resurrecting an old idea, the album seeks to infuse it with fresh, personal nuances, adding new layers to something often perceived as rigid and monolithic.

This sense of ambiguity is no accident. The open-ended nature of the title stands in stark contrast to the album’s structured foundation, which follows the well-defined order of the traditional Roman Catholic mass. Yet, Missa Innominata is not a conventional liturgical work; it is a deeply personal interpretation of something ancient and enigmatic, yet undeniably spiritual and richly multi-layered.

As an instrumental album, Missa Innominata conveys the emotional and spiritual weight of the liturgical elements – be it the solemn reverence of Kyrie and Agnus Dei or the ecstatic energy of Gloria and Sanctus – entirely through the language of metal. A genre often seen as profane, even unholy, here becomes the medium for something profound and sacred.

The cover art, once again created by the talented Dávid Ujhelyi, reinforces this concept, emphasizing the eternal dance between darkness and light. Gazing towards the sun – a universal symbol of hope in Western civilization – it captures the essence of Missa Innominata: the search for meaning within contrast, the collision of the ancient and the modern, the sacred and the unconventional.

Track listing

  1. Introitus (8:29)
  2. Kyrie (9:28)
  3. Gloria (9:15)
  4. Sanctus (7:15)
  5. Agnus Dei (10:43)
  6. Postcommunio (7:21)

Total playing time: 52:34

Hexapla (2021)

03.08.2021

Released on August 3, 2021, Hexapla marked the beginning of Darkwave – a debut that set out to fuse the raw energy of thrash metal with emotional depth and intricate composition. The album’s six tracks, named after Origen of Alexandria’s monumental six-fold opus from around 200 A.D., each explore different yet interconnected facets of the same musical vision: speed, complexity, and deep emotional resonance.

But Hexapla was never meant to remain static. Nearly eight months after its initial release, a remixed and remastered version – Hexapla: The Remasters – saw the light of day on March 31, 2022. The once raw and dense sound was refined, gaining a more layered and polished character. Programmed synth bass lines were replaced with digitally modified guitar tracks, designed to mimic bass, adding greater clarity and a more organic feel. This iteration of Hexapla even earned a feature in Bandcamp’s New and Notable section on April 4, 2022 – yet, in the end, it still didn’t feel like the definitive version.

Determined to push the album to its full potential, the entire work was rebuilt from the ground up in 2024. Every detail was reimagined: the guitars were re-amped, the programmed MIDI drums were reinforced with real drum samples, and the pitch-corrected guitar track was finally replaced by an actual bass guitar. The result? A more mature, richer, and even more powerful sonic experience – one that fully realizes Hexapla’s original vision.

Track listing

  1. Hebrew (6:10)
  2. Secunda (6:29)
  3. Aquila (7:20)
  4. Symmachus (7:38)
  5. Septuagint (8:52)
  6. Theodotion (5:04)

Total playing time: 41:25