Having refined their broody, mesmerizing vision of gothic/symphonic metal to cinematic levels, with three EPs and a full-length album behind them, BLACKBRIAR continue to set their sails towards the future. The Netherlands based band are currently working towards their second full-length album, accompanied by long-time collaborator, Joost van den Broek. Today, the band have released a brand-new song titled 'My Soul´s Demise'.
Stream 'My Soul´s Demise' here:
https://blackbriar.bfan.link/my-soul-s-demise
Watch the new video for 'My Souls Demise' below:
Singer, Zora Cock about the new song:
"My Soul's Demise is a song about love and pain, where you're willing to do anything for the one you love, no matter what, even if that means that it will destroy you in the meantime. Yet sometimes you wonder, would that person do the same for you? It's inspired by the medieval practice of sin-eating, a ritual where mourning families hired a sin eater to consume their loved ones' sins. The sin eater would eat food left on the dead person's chest. The food was believed to have absorbed the deceased's lingering sins. Sin eaters were paid next to nothing for their service, they were reviled, and seen as filthy people, full of sins. Villagers even avoided looking them in the eye. I learned about the sin-eater when watching an episode of Outlander, where a sin-eating ritual got introduced.
"Now it gets a bit more personal. While reading about the sin-eating ritual, and writing the lyrics, it reminded me of a story my dad once told me. A long time ago, my dad suffered from psychosis and was admitted to a psychiatric clinic. He told me a lot about his experiences, what it was like, and how his mind worked at that moment. He thought he was the devil incarnate, possessed by something dark, and he felt like everyone felt his evil presence as he walked by, everyone would flinch away from him. This made me write the bridge of the song “No one can even look me in the eye, everybody is flinching away from me as I pass by”. Somehow the story of a medieval sin-eater reminded me exactly of the way my dad explained how he felt, as if he had consumed the world’s sins and darkness.
"I read about the last known sin eater of England as well, which was a very heartfelt story. His name was Richard Munslow, and he died in 1906. It is believed that the tragic loss of four of his children at very early ages that died within one week may be the reason he resurrected the macabre ritual. This made me write the song from the perspective of willing to do anything for the ones you love.
"The songwriting process of My Soul’s Demise went pretty fast. After writing the lyrics, I recorded some of my vocal ideas a cappella. This is how we mostly start writing a new song. I then sent it to René, with a note saying that it sucks and that he could probably throw it in the bin right away. Haha! Luckily he didn’t throw it away, and he actually liked what he heard, and made the basics for the song that same night. We brought the draft version of the song to our producer Joost van den Broek, and worked on it some more. Another instrumental part was added, so I needed to come up with some more vocals for that extra part. This was the more ‘quiet’ bridge part where I am doing some weird stuff. I wanted to do something with my voice as if I just consumed so many sins that I couldn’t handle it anymore, as if it had taken over my body, sort of possessed, and got inspired by Anna von Hausswolff.
"We shot the music video at a medieval 12th-century church in the north of the Netherlands, and it took us two days to shoot it all. I always get fascinated by the atmosphere of standing in such an old building, shooting this video there felt perfect and so fitting. We were very lucky to be able to get all the freedom and time to be creative.
"Another thing that was perfect, is that the whole band portrayed a role in this story, even our ex-bass player Frank. Frank played the corpse, and it felt like we held a funeral for his bass-playing years for Blackbriar, celebrating the awesome time we spent together. A symbolic farewell. For this video, we needed some extra actors to witness the ritual. We opened up a casting call to my Patrons, so the people you see sitting in the benches are all Patrons. But not only Patrons, you can also see my parents! For me, the video story itself was more challenging than other videos we did so far. I can say that I gave it my all, and I hope that you feel something when watching it. It’s one of the more personal songs of the album."
About BLACKBRIAR:
Formed in 2012 by Zora Cock, René Boxem, Bart Winters, and Frank Akkerman, Blackbriar 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 band with over 18.1 million views since its debut. Taking advantage of the growing buzz surrounding them, they independently recorded and released their first EP, Fractured Fairytales, as well as acquiring a second guitarist in Robin Koezen. This EP laid down an impressive foundation for the band’s ethereal, breath-taking sound, and brought about new opportunities, including tour dates in The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, and more, where they 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, 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,' the EP showcased a stronger sense of dreamy atmosphere and brought listeners beautifully grim tales of witches, banshees, and sea sirens. Keyboardist Ruben Wijga (ex-Re-Vamp) began to take on a larger role and began playing shows, having been involved in the songwriting process since Fractured Fairytales.
A busy 2019 followed, the band released the haunting single 'Snow White and Rose Red' in May. A duet with Ulli Perhonen, their take on the Grimm’s fairy tales featured striking cinematic visuals to accompany the spellbinding track. Continuing to dig deeper into fairy tale realms, BLACKBRIAR closed the year with their third EP, Our Mortal Remains. Ever sharpening their intoxicating blend of storytelling and breath-taking musicianship, the EP brought about new live opportunities as well. Small, sold-out tours with EPICA in 2019 and 2020, as well as a sold-out opening performance for Delain’s Apocalypse & Chill release show in Utrecht followed, with future plans then 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 fanbase for assistance to make their full-length debut album a reality in 2020.
Fans fervently heeded the call, reaching the € 25,000 goal in under 24 hours, ending with a total of € 70,000. It was an impressive accomplishment for an independent act, which shows their strong internet presence, with over 214,000 YouTube subscribers and 46.1 million channel views, as well as 27.6 million Spotify streams and 150,000 monthly listeners. Entering 2021, the band relinquished a bit of control in signing with Doomstar Bookings to help properly support their first full-length album, The Cause of Shipwreck, which was released in April. It was recorded with renowned producer Joost van den Broek (Epica, Ayreon, Powerwolf) at Sandlane Recording Facilities, and this release showcased the band’s continued evolution into masterfully dark gothic storytelling and theatrical aesthetics. On the live front, the band launched into success with six sold-out Dutch club shows, later extending into more European territories such as Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and the Czech Republic.
Despite a very successful 2021, the band still hungered for more, unleashing their latest single, 'Fairy of the Bog' in December. The track is a mixture of folklore, myth, and ancient local history in a more mystical and magical package, showcasing what BLACKBRIAR does best. In April, the band parted ways with founding member and bassist Frank Akkerman, welcoming 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’ve set their sights on 2023 to conjure their most deadly siren song yet. With accolades behind them, such as being nominated three times for ‘Best Artist’ in EuroSonic/Noorderslag‘s Popgala Noord Awards (2018, 2020, 2022), and continued fan support with current monthly streaming totals on YouTube and Spotify nearing 1 million streams, the world is primed and ready for a spectacular journey ahead. BLACKBRIAR continues to soar, ready to lure you into the sea to be swept away by addictive hooks, cinematic soundscapes, and darkly whimsical storytelling.
BLACKBRIAR is:
Zora Cock - VOCALS
René Boxem - DRUMS
Bart Winters - GUITARS
Robin Koezen - GUITARS
Siebe Sol Sijpkens - BASS
Ruben Wijga - KEYS