ANKOR To Release New Album "I See Red" on 11/20

Opening up an inimitable world for heavy music, multi-cultural alternative metal quintet ANKOR — vocalist Jessie Williams (Bristol, UK), drummer Eleni Nota (Athens, Greece), guitarists David Romeu and Fito Martinez, and bassist Julio López (Catalonia, Spain) — proudly present their new album, I SEE RED, out November 20 via UNFD. Pre-order the album here.

To herald its release, they just unleashed a brand new single and music video entitled "ITACHI · blood moon."

Watch the video below. 

"ITACHI · blood moon" hints at the scope of ANKOR's immersive vision. Ominous guitar brings dimension to a hypnotic rhythm. Meannwhile, haunting vocal transmissions echo over a pounding beat, giving way to a corrosively catchy chorus, "Drown me in poison, I'll stay where it hurts." It concludes with a chilling invitation, "Make me your nightmare, let me haunt your sleep." The accompanying visual projects this image on screen through striking vignettes and arresting storytelling.

Fall into ANKOR's dark embrace and see RED with them...

About their forthcoming album, Jessie Williams said, "I See Red is a journey through pain, power, sacrifice, betrayal, loss and obsession. Each song tells the story of someone who was shaped by the world around them and by the choices they made when everything they believed in began to fall apart. Some sought peace. Some sought power. Some sacrificed everything for the people they loved. Others let hatred consume what was left of them. But none of them were born monsters. The world made them. And sometimes, when pain becomes the only thing you know, becoming the monster is easier than becoming the victim. Six names. Six paths. One color. I See Red."

Adding another layer to the project, each song on I SEE RED evokes the lore of prominent villains in the Naruto manga and anime series.

The album will also include their 2026 single, "DANZO · lying ghost" featuring MAH of Japanese rock powerhouse SiM. Since releasing in March, the track continues to gain traction with over 498.4k Spotify streams while the music video has tallied 255.7k views. It also received plugs from Distorted Sound Magazine, That Eric Alper, and Louder who named it among "The 12 Best New Metal Songs You Need To Hear This Week," going on to rave "it's a vibrant showcase of how unique the band are." The latter praised, "Heavy guitars and modern metalcore production collide with the band’s fascination with Asian pop culture, while the song’s central character gives its aggression a clear narrative target."

In other news, ANKOR will be supporting Amaranthe on their forthcoming Nordic tour. Rolling through cities across Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Latvia, the trek kicks off on October 15 before ending on November 7. Shortly after, ANKOR will venture to Europe for a co-headline tour alongside Self Deception and Lauren Babic. The run begins on November 27 in Cologne, Germany followed by performances across France, the UK, Austria, Denmark, and more. The tour concludes on December 19 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Check out the full list of tour dates below.

Stay tuned for more music and news from ANKOR coming soon.

Welcome to their world.

NORDIC TOUR – SUPPORTING AMARANTHE:
10/15 — Huskvarna, SE
10/16 — Lund, SE
10/17 — Göteborg, SE
10/18 — Örebro, SE
10/20 — Karlstad, SE
10/22 — Stavanger, NO
10/23 — Bergen, NO
10/24 — Trondheim, NO
10/25 — Oslo, NO
10/27 — Falun, SE
10/28 — Umeå, SE
10/30 — Seinäjoki, FI
10/31 — Tampere, FI
11/1 — Jyväskylä, FI
11/3 — Rīga, LV
11/4 — Vilnius, LT
11/6 — Turku, FI
11/7 — Lahti, FI

EU/UK CO-HEADLINE TOUR WITH SELF DECEPTION & LAUREN BABIC:
11/27 — Cologne, DE
11/28 — Hamburg, DE
11/29 — Utrecht, NL
12/1 — Kortrijk, BE
12/2 — Paris, FR
12/4 — Manchester, UK
12/5 — London, UK
12/6 — Birmingham, UK
12/8 — Aschaffenburg, DE
12/9 — Aarau, CH
12/11 — Karlsruhe, DE
12/12 — Vienna, AT
12/13 — Munich, DE
12/15 — Hannover, DE
12/16 — Berlin, DE
12/17 — Aarhus, DK
12/18 — Copenhagen, DK
12/19 — Stockholm, SE

ANKOR Share "NAGATO • purple eyes" Video — WATCH // Band Touring With Bloodywood This Spring

Multi-cultural quintet ANKOR — vocalist Jessie Williams (Bristol, UK), drummer Eleni Nota (Athens, Greece), guitarists David Romeu and Fito Martinez, and bassist Julio López (Catalonia, Spain), are an alternative metal band based in Spain. The band is swiftly becoming one of the rising stars in the European contemporary metal scene.


Today, they have shared the video for new single "NAGATO • purple eyes."

Watch it below.

The song starts off in eerily beautiful fashion before erupting into a full force rock anthem.

This explosive track marks the second song the band has released based on a villain from Japanese anime/Manga Naruto.

"Those who do not understand true pain can never understand true peace," the band explains. "Nagato is determined to find this peace, but carries the weight of his suffering. A song about pain made with love."

The song and video arrive ahead of the band's spring tour with Bloodywood, which kicks off April 10 and runs through May 16. All dates are below.

ANKOR will also appear at many festivals this summer, which are also posted below.

ANKOR ON TOUR:
WITH BLOODYWOOD:

4/10 — Des Moines, IA — Wooly's
4/11 — Minneapolis, MN — Varsity Theater
4/13 — Denver, CO — The Oriental Theater
4/14 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Depot
4/16 — Portland, OR — McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
4/17 — Seattle, WA — Neptune Theatre
4/18 — Garden City, ID — Revolution Concert House & Event Center
4/20 — San Francisco, CA — August Hall
4/21 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory North Park
4/22 — Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco
4/24 — Mesa, AZ — The Nile Theater
4/28 — Dallas, TX — The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
4/29 — Austin, TX — Empire Garage
5/2 — Madison, WI — Majestic Theatre
5/3 — Chicago, IL — House of Blues Chicago
5/4 — Boston, MA — Paradise Rock Club Presented by Citizens
5/5 — Philadelphia, PA — Theatre of Living Arts
5/6 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza Powered by Verizon 5G
5/8 — North Myrtle Beach, SC — House of Blues Myrtle Beach
5/11 — Atlanta, GA — Buckhead Theatre
5/12 — Chattanooga, TN — The Signal
5/13 — Louisville, KY — Mercury Ballroom
5/15 — Toronto, ON — The Danforth Music Hall
5/16 — Detroit, MI — Saint Andrew's Hall

FESTIVAL DATES:
4/4-5 — Dead Pop Festival — Kawasaki, Japan
6/5-7 — Rock Am Ring/Rock im Park — Nürburg, Germany 
6/11-14 — Nova Rock — Nickelsdorf, Austria 
6/12 — Download Festival — Derby, UK 
6/18-21 — Graspop Metal Meeting — Dessel Belgium 
6/10-14 — Rock For People — Hradec Králové, Czech Republic 

The multicultural quintet has grown steadily since their origins in Els Pallaresos, a village near Barcelona, back in 2003. From these humble beginnings, Ankor have built a worldwide fanbase and a reputation for being an absolute powerhouse live, through headlining tours of mainland Europe and Asia. But it was with the December 2022 release of breakthrough single "Prisoner" that a new era begun.

With over three million streams and counting, "Prisoner" has triggered a sonic and aesthetic (r)evolution for Ankor, their musical and visual worlds ascending to new creative heights ever since; The conceptually bound singles "Oblivion," "Darkbeat," "Stereo," and "Venom" that have followed have seen lyrical narratives, sonic aesthetics, and self-directed and edited music videos flow together to reshape Ankor in a playful, energetic, and refreshing new form: a fusion of Asian pop-culture, contemporary metalcore, and a dash of Spanish heritage.

ANKOR Share "Madara" Video

ANKOR are an alternative metal band based in Catalonia, Spain, fast becoming one of the rising stars in the European contemporary metal scene.

Today, they have shared the video for new single "MADARA." Watch it below. 

"Imagine living in your perfect world for eternity…but knowing the real world outside is dying," the band offers about the deeper meaning of the song. "An endless dream, no war, no pain, but no freedom or voice. Would you be a part of Madara's dream?"

What choice would YOU make?

The multicultural quintet, consisting of vocalist Jessie Williams (Bristol, UK), drummer Eleni Nota (Athens, Greece), guitarists David Romeu, Fito Martinez, and bassist Julio López (Catalonia, Spain), have grown steadily since their origins in Els Pallaresos, a village near Barcelona, back in 2003.

From these humble beginnings, Ankor have built a worldwide fanbase and a reputation for being an absolute powerhouse live, through headlining tours of mainland Europe and Asia. But it was with the December 2022 release of breakthrough single "Prisoner" that a new era begun.

With over three million streams and counting, "Prisoner" has triggered a sonic and aesthetic (r)evolution for Ankor, their musical and visual worlds ascending to new creative heights ever since; The conceptually bound singles "Oblivion," "Darkbeat," "Stereo," and "Venom" that have followed have seen lyrical narratives, sonic aesthetics, and self-directed and edited music videos flow together to reshape Ankor in a playful, energetic, and refreshing new form: a fusion of Asian pop-culture, contemporary metalcore, and a dash of Spanish heritage.

The band previously shared the single (and first for UNFD) "Embers."

New Signing 🚨 UNFD WELCOMES ANKOR

ANKOR Sign to UNFD + Share Video For New Single "Embers"

ANKOR are an Alternative Metal band based in Catalonia, Spain, fast becoming one of the rising stars in the European contemporary metal scene.

The multicultural quintet, consisting of vocalist Jessie Williams (Bristol, UK), drummer Eleni Nota (Athens, Greece), guitarists David Romeu, Fito Martinez, and bassist Julio López (Catalonia, Spain), have grown steadily since their origins in Els Pallaresos, a village near Barcelona, back in 2003.

From these humble beginnings, Ankor have built a worldwide fanbase and a reputation for being an absolute powerhouse live, through headlining tours of mainland Europe and Asia. But it was with the December 2022 release of breakthrough single "Prisoner" that a new era begun.

With over three million streams and counting, "Prisoner" has triggered a sonic and aesthetic (r)evolution for Ankor, their musical and visual worlds ascending to new creative heights ever since; The conceptually bound singles "Oblivion," "Darkbeat," "Stereo," and "Venom" that have followed have seen lyrical narratives, sonic aesthetics, and self-directed and edited music videos flow together to reshape Ankor in a playful, energetic, and refreshing new form: a fusion of Asian pop-culture, contemporary metalcore, and a dash of Spanish heritage.

Today, the band announces its signing to premier metal and alternative label, UNFD, with the release of their first single under contract, "Embers." Watch the video Below.

Jessie says, "'Embers' is the sixth chapter of our latest singles and story. A song that mixes EDM with classical Ankor melodies. A song about dealing with loss and grief. We recorded the music video in a beautiful church in London, and we believe it sends the exact message of the track."

She also goes on to explain the narrative behind the accompanying video, directed by bandmate David. "'Embers' is a journey through the mind of someone living an alternate reality. Dreaming of what could have been…but the truth is much darker, that's why we represented it with both dresses. It's a ceremony of what could have been a wedding and ends up being a funeral, in which she dances alone, knowing none of it will ever happen. It can hit as a negative song, but in her sadness there is hope, as she’ll always be connected to her loss," she states.