After drawing closer and closer to the edge with each album over the past decade, Unverkalt are receiving high praise for the post-metal band’s heavy and heartfelt new offering.
As they bring Héréditaire to the world stage, today, Unverkalt are releasing a video for the album’s most gut-wrenching song. Dedicated in memory to the victims of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, “Ænæ Lithi” turns a historical tragedy into an aching monument for grief.
“It is a great honor for me to create and share this video”, Unverkalt guitarist Themis Ioannou says. “The story behind our song ‘Ænæ Lithi’ is deeply personal to me, as it is part of my own family’s history. I dedicate it to my beloved grandmother and my father, who are no longer with us. This video is for them, and for the millions of people who lost their lives or were forced to abandon their ancestral homes during and after the Asia Minor Catastrophe of 1922”.
Watch the video for “Ænæ Lithi” below.
Héréditaire is out now on Season of Mist.
Order & Stream
Before they emerged as blackened beacons for post-metal, Unverkalt rose through the Greek underground. In lifting the veil from our cursed existence, Héréditaire bares the weight of a traumatic moment in their home country’s history. “Ænæ Lithi”, which in English roughly translates to “Eternal Oblivion”, mourns the years between 1914 and 1923, when Greek communities across Pontus, Ionia and Eastern Thrace were subjected to persecution, forced deportations, death marches and mass killings during the final years of the Ottoman Empire.
“The memory of those who suffered from the Asia Minor Catastrophe continue to be honored by their descendants and communities around the world”, Ioannou says. “The music video for ‘Ænæ Lithi’, which uses historical photographs from this tragic event, is dedicated to preserving their memory and to the generations forever marked in its aftermath”.
Amidst its smoky and simmering modern-day atmosphere, “Ænæ Lithi” stirs with sounds from a past that refuses to stay buried. Creeping dissonance and a slow pounding of toms intertwine with clarinet and qanun, hand drums, strings and lyrics in Greek. “We are the source”, Unverkalt vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou chants with her mesmerizing cleans. As the band rise with overwhelming force, “Ænæ Lithi” comes crashing down with the weight of what was lost and all the pain that remains.
Catch Unverkalt live throughout 2026.
Unverkalt 2026 Show Dates
October 24 - Berlin, Germany @ Neue Zukunft
November 11 - Schwedt, Germany @ Exit
December 11 - Leipzig, Germany @ Heavy Crisis Festival
The video for “Ænæ Lithi” was directed and edited by Themis Ioannou at RAWBITE Studio
Additional video credits
Produced by Unverkalt
Cinematography - Themis Ioannou
2nd Assistant Camera - Eli Mavrychev
Lighting - Die Klinke
Location - Noir Surge Studios
Costume Design / Styling - Pieces by Sister Jane
Jewellery Design - Pieces by Eumorphia
On Héréditaire, Unverkalt lift the veil on our cursed existence with their heaviest and most heartfelt offering.
Recording Lineup:
Dimitra Kalavrezou — Vocals
Themis Ioannou — Guitars, Keys
Eli Mavrychev — Guitars, Vocals
Joscha Hoyer — Bass
Christian Eggers — Drums
Guest Musicians:
Sakis Tolis — Vocals on "I, The Deceit"
Songwriting Credits:
Comped by Themis Ioannou.
Lyrics by Dimitra Kalavrezou & Eli Mavrychev.
Lyrics for "I, The Deceit" by Dimitra Kalavrezou & Joscha Hoyer.
Recording Credits:
Recorded & Engineered by Unverkalt.
Drums Recorded & Engineered by Christian Eggers at Noir Surge Sound, Berlin, Germany.
Production Credits:
Produced by Themis Ioannou.
Vocals produced by Dimitra Kalavrezou & Eli Mavrychev.
Mixed by Joshua Barber.
Mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studios, Lübeck, Germany.
Cover Art:
Themis Ioannou
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/unverkalthereditaire
Available Formats:
CD Digipak
2x12" Vinyl Gatefold — Black
2x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold — Black & Gold 'Sunburst'
Follower Unverkalt:
Bandcamp: https://unverkalt.bandcamp.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unverkalt/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unverkalt/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Unverkalt/
Twitter: https://x.com/unverkalt/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@unverkaltofficial/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/55vU7DZVwI4ks0NpfKDAvK/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/unverkalt/1524174404/
Last FM: https://www.last.fm/music/Unverkalt/