With their bluesy riffs, swampy rhythms and haunting vocals, Wailin Storms are one of the hottest bands in Southern gothic rock. The Durham, North Carolinians have received high praise from NPR, The Needle Drop, Brooklyn Vegan, Decibel and Metal Hammer. Thunderous applause has greeted them on both sides of The Atlantic during shows and tour dates with everyone from City of Caterpillar and This Will Destroy You to Acid Bath and Eyehategod. Now, with their upcoming fifth album,The Arsonist, the band are fanning their flames with reckless abandon.
Today, Wailin Storms are announcing The Arsonist with a music video for the album’s simmering title track. While slowly engulfed in flames, amidst their new single’s fiery throes of passion, the band howl like the hounds of hell.
“The Arsonist was forged in the fires of our hearts”, Wailin Storms vocalist and guitarist Justin Storms says. “The title track was the initial spark for the album. It’s about the fear of losing the person you love most in life, a love that is so consuming that it takes on many forms: a car crash, a tumultuous sea, vines wrapping around a tree, a house fire”.
Watch the music video for “The Arsonist” Below:
The Arsonist comes out July 10, 2026 on Season of Mist
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Wailin Storms are igniting the stage this summer with a headline U.S. tour. The band will perform songs off The Arsonist for the first time, along with crowd favorites from across their critically-acclaimed discography.
Wailin Storms 2026 The Arsonist U.S. Tour
July 17 - Durham, NC @ Stanczyk’s [Album Release Show]
July 29 - Johnson City, TN @ The Hideaway
July 30 - Atlanta, GA @ Star Bar
July 31 - Knoxville, TN @ The Pilot Light
August 1 - Cincinnati, OH @ Motr
August 2 - Youngstown, OH @ Westside Bowl
August 3 - Columbus, OH @ Dirty Dungarees
August 4 - Pittsburgh, PA @ The Government Center
August 5 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
August 6 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Gutter
August 7 - New Hope, PA @ John and Peter’s
Amidst the wreckage of The Arsonist, Wailin Storms do find a semblance of peace. “It’s All Dark Now Where Your Eyes Used to Be” ends the album with a ghostly flicker of gothic romance. “I know a place where we can sit and grow old”, Storms offers with grim assurance. A piano tolls like death’s bell as he glimpses up at a church that resembles a skull. “There’s a sliver of hope in coming to terms with death”, he concludes. “Life is temporary and that's where its beauty lies”.
On The Arsonist, Wailin Storms deliver a fiery baptism of Southern gothic rock.
Lineup
Justin Storms - Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Ben Melton - Lead guitar, backup vocals, Rhodes organ, piano
Steve Stanczyk - Bass
Mark Oates - Drums
Recording credits
Recorded at Earth Analog in May 2025
Production Credits
Produced and engineered by Matt Talbott
Mixed by Mike Lust at Phantom Manor ("Dead End", "Heart of Mine", "You Never Answered", "The Arsonist", "Never Rest", "The Wind", It's All Dark Now Where Your Eyes Used to Be"
Mixed by Dave Downham at Gradwell House ("Saved", "Patient Night")
Mastered by Dave Downham at Gradwell House
All lyrics written by Justin Storms
Cover art
Justin Storms
Layout and design
Steve Stanczyk
Pre-order & Pre-save
https://orcd.co/wailinstormsthearsonist
Available Formats
Digital Download
CD Digipack
12” Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12” Vinyl Gatefold (Color)
Follow Wailin Storms
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2e1J5JQpROgSuT7RcsUbZ2
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/wailin-storms/451185826
Bandcamp: https://wailinstorms.bandcamp.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wailinstorms7
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wailinstorms/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wailinstorms/?hl=en
