Swedish gothic metal/rock act Ashen Sun has unveiled details of its upcoming EP Velarium, set for release on 27 March through Desert Plain Records. The six‑track offering delivers a brooding blend of gothic rock and gothic metal, with the first single “Black Thoughts” arriving on 27 February, followed by a second single on 13 March.
Ashen Sun is the latest creative incarnation of Johnny Hagel, stepping once more into the shadows after his years as bassist and co‑writer in Tiamat and Sundown. Conceived in solitude throughout 2024, the project bears the unmistakable weight of isolation: dimming worlds, internal erosion, and the suffocating quiet of a room where the walls seem to close in. Musically, Ashen Sun inhabits a cold, gothic rock landscape threaded with electronic undertones — 90s melancholy, cold‑wave synths and cinematic textures woven together without chasing modernity for its own sake. Hagel describes the project as “a requiem for fading empires and dying stars” — a fitting mission statement for the sound he’s sculpting.
Following the release of the debut single "Whisper To The Skull" in October 2025 and “Faith’s Funeral” in December 2025 — which quickly gained playlist traction and strong early reception — Ashen Sun now prepares to unveil the full EP. Velarium expands the project’s thematic palette into six bleak and atmospheric chapters: cynicism tightening its grip, devotion curdling into something corrosive, cities dissolving into smoke, the relentless turning of an unseen wheel, the apocalyptic backdrop of the title track, and a final fog‑shrouded descent where sleep drags the dead back into the room.
Below you can revisit last year’s debut single “Faith’s Funeral”, along with the cover artwork and full tracklist for Velarium. Fans of Tiamat, The Sisters Of Mercy, Fields Of The Nephilim, and Type O Negative should definitely check it out. Link
Velarium tracklist:
01. Black Thoughts
02. Desperate Vows
03. Ashes Of The World
04. An Ever Turning Wheel
05. Velarium
06. Dreaming Of The Dead
Bologna (Italy)‑based post‑punk/darkwave act DegHerl return with a striking new single and video, “Nicht Nur”, the first preview of their upcoming album due in early October. A long...
Following the global success of the Meine Welt tour and the first edition of Till Fest in Leipzig, Till Lindemann — the singular artist and frontman of industrial‑metal giants Rammstein...
Electro‑industrial formation Damage Control continues its streak of high‑profile collaborations with the release of “Manifesto”, a new single created together with Canadian duo OHMelectronic.
Having performed at the annual German alternative‑music festival M'era Luna in early August, Canadian electronic rock/dark pop act The Birthday Massacre will return to Europe in late...
"For my sake, I could just stop playing the old stuff, but on the other hand, I know that our fans want it." - Anders Kobro
"It would be an exciting thing to be a part of the fourth The Sisters Of Mercy album. I think my role has changed in the last few years." - Ben Christo
"I don't tend to judge people, but I do judge them if they're too lazy to engage in independent thought or if they're simply careless and don't consider the consequences..." - Sven Friedrich
"We go searching for sounds and ideas within ourselves and there in our dreams, in the moments when 'we are not here'." - Elena Alice Fossi
