SVALBARD - Releases Final Song 'If We Could Still Be Saved'

Today, Svalbard have released their final song, 'If We Could Still Be Saved'.

Revealed two days before the start of their final UK headline tour, Svalbard open up for the final time. On the track, members Serena Cherry, Liam Phelan, Mark Lilley and Matt Francis tear through 5 minutes of heart-wrenching shoegaze and pumelling post-metal, delivering sharp bitter bile and shimmering lush melodies in equal measure. They bow out with the raw, crushing honesty and ingenious musicianship that they're cherished for.

Serena Cherry stated:

"We spend most of our lives unaware of finality. Blissfully oblivious to when those musical notes played will be our last. 

So, when we can see an end in sight for something, it distorts the view. Like a funeral marked in your calendar a year in advance. Appreciation shows it's sheepish face and whispers: 'sorry I took so long.'

This is the last time we will release a song as Svalbard. Its a song not just heavy with riffs but heavy with sentiment, reflecting on our 15 years as a band. It's also a parting gift to all of the people who have supported us. 

Think of it as the metal version of "Goodbye" by the Spice Girls!"

Stream 'If We Could Still Be Saved' here: https://Svalbard.bfan.link/if-we-could-still-be-saved
Watch the video for 'If We Could Still Be Saved' below:

Svalbard's latest and final record, The Weight Of The Mask, is their most devastatingly raw and beautiful work to-date, overflowing with mesmerising performances from Serena Cherry, Liam Phelan, Mark Lilley and Matt Francis, transcending boundaries across shoegaze, post-hardcore, black metal and more. Uncompromising and highly charged, the record spans themes intrinsic to humanity, such as emotional strength and depression, to unrequited love and vulnerability.

Order The Weight Of The Mask HERE
Listen to The Weight Of The Mask in full on YouTube HERE

Across a fifteen-year career, Svalbard have released four studio albums, three EPs and several split releases. Whilst continually refining their distinctive blend of euphoric black metal, post-rock and d-beat, they incorporated a few more surprising influences along the way. From soft, mournful singing to progressive guitar leads, which showcased a sensitive dynamic, lending impact to their most crushing moments - of which there are undoubtedly many. There’s been no poetry, no ambiguity - just direct, raw honesty as the quartet have tackled some very uncomfortable subjects head on. Svalbard are heavy in the most evocative sense of the word, with blunt lyrics equally as important as the music.

Svalbard previously shared this message to their fans:

"After much reflection, we have decided that 2026 will be the final year of Svalbard.

Our final UK tour will be in November 2025. Following that, we plan to do a final EU tour, a final Japanese tour and a few more select farewell shows in 2026. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported us during our 15 years as a band. Your support has meant the world to us.

We've shared so many unforgettable moments with you all throughout our career, and we look forward to commemorating our final year as a band with you in 2026."

Serena Cherry also shared:

"From the moment we formed Svalbard in 2011, all we wanted was to play loud and play shows. Every single moment was exciting to us, from playing DIY squat shows to major metal festivals all over Europe. I think we will always feel a slight state of disbelief over what our noisy little band from Bristol managed to achieve. 

We never wanted to create music that was easy to pigeonhole, and I feel proud that we always stayed true to ourselves musically and never restricted our creativity within the genre rule book. 

The support we received over the years as a band is something that I will carry in my heart forever. It's a testament to the openmindedness of the metal community that our sound and our outspokenness was embraced with open arms. 

I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported Svalbard, it's been an incredible journey and we could not have done it without you."

Svalbard are:
Vocals/Guitar - Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar - Liam Phelan
Drums - Mark Lilley
Bass - Matt Francis

SVALBARD - release video for 'To Wilt Beneath The Weight' + touring the UK/Europe in March

Svalbard are proud to release a video for their track 'To Wilt Beneath The Weight', taken from their breathtaking latest studio album The Weight Of The Mask. The track is a combative clincher to the record, acknowledging the dark reality of personal demons and the fight against them. The video beautifully captures Svalbard's highly-charged performance of the track at Cult Of Luna's Beyond The Redshift festival in London last year.

To celebrate the release of The Weight Of The Mask, Svalbard recently announced a UK and European tour for March, with Norwegian psychedelic proggers Enslaved and American metal band Wayfarer. 

Svalbard's Serena Cherry commented,

"We filmed this live video at The O2 Forum in London, which is the very same place that I saw one of my first ever metal shows! (It was Mudvayne!) The feeling of walking out onto that stage where I have seen so many inspiring metal musicians play was surreal. Truly one of those 'pinch me' moments. To have this wonderful memory of performing at Beyond the Redshift is very special to me, it was one of those awesome festivals where you get to watch and meet so many fantastic artists. 
 
To Wilt Beneath The Weight is about the pressures and sacrifices you make as a touring musician. The lyrics explore the strain it can put on relationships and the challenging times that come with being away so often. This song features my favorite Svalbard lyric, which is "grit your teeth when they've just been broken." Which represents the determination against all odds to keep persevering with your passions.
 
It also features the lyric I find the most painful, which is: "completely at the mercy of every form of insincerity." Every time I scream that line on stage I choke up because it feels so raw and real."

Watch the 'To Wilt Beneath The Weight' video below.

Order The Weight Of The Mask HERE
Listen to The Weight Of The Mask in full on YouTube HERE

The Weight Of The Mask is Svalbard’s most devastatingly raw and beautiful work to-date, overflowing with mesmerising performances from Serena Cherry, Liam Phelan,Mark Lilley and Matt Francis, transcending boundaries across shoegaze, post-hardcore, black metal and more. Uncompromising and highly charged, the record spans themes intrinsic to humanity, such as emotional strength and depression, to unrequited love and vulnerability.

Watch the 'How To Swim Down' video HERE
Watch the 'Faking It' video HERE
Watch the 'Eternal Spirits' video HERE 

The Weight Of The Mask was recorded at The Ranch Production House, UK. The record was produced and mixed by Lewis Johns, with mastering by Grant Berry. Engineering was handled by Lewis Johns, assisted by Matt Janke, with additional editing by Kel Pinchin and Sebastien Sendon.

Svalbard's intention with their music is to make people feel less alone, and to be there for people in their darkest times. The Weight Of The Mask bravely lays out experiences of mental illness and depression, hoping to help destigmatise these topics. 

The Weight Of The Mask - tracklist:
01. Faking It
02. Eternal Spirits
03. Defiance
04. November
05. Lights Out
06. How To Swim Down
07. Be My Tomb
08. Pillar In The Sand
09. To Wilt Beneath The Weight

Formed in Bristol UK, Svalbard have released four studio albums, three EPs and several split releases. Whilst refining their distinctive blend of euphoric black metal, post-rock and d-beat, Svalbard have incorporated a few more surprising influences along the way. From soft, mournful singing to progressive guitar leads, it showcases a sensitive dynamic that lends impact to their most crushing moments - of which there are undoubtedly many. There’s no poetry, no ambiguity - just direct, raw honesty as the quartet tackle some very uncomfortable subjects head on. This is heavy in the most evocative sense of the word. The blunt lyrics are equally as important as the music.

Svalbard are:
Vocals/Guitar - Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar - Liam Phelan
Drums - Mark Lilley
Bass - Matt Francis

SVALBARD - new album 'The Weight Of The Mask' is out now

Today, Svalbard are proud to release their breathtaking new studio album, The Weight Of The Mask. Uncompromising and highly charged, the record spans themes intrinsic to humanity, such as emotional strength and depression, to unrequited love and vulnerability.

The Weight Of The Mask is Svalbard’s most devastatingly raw and beautiful work to date, overflowing with mesmerizing performances from Serena Cherry, Liam Phelan, Mark Lilley, and Matt Francis, transcending boundaries across shoegaze, post-hardcore, black metal, and more.
 
Serena Cherry stated:
"It feels pretty surreal to be releasing our fourth album today, after spending 2 years writing and recording it. It's so exciting for these songs to be out in the wild, we can't wait to see everyone's reactions to this album!"

Order The Weight Of The Mask HERE
Listen to The Weight Of The Mask in full on YouTube below.

Watch the 'How To Swim Down' video HERE
Watch the 'Faking It' video HERE
Watch the 'Eternal Spirits' video HERE 

The Weight Of The Mask was recorded at The Ranch Production House, UK. The record was produced and mixed by Lewis Johns, with mastering by Grant Berry. Engineering was handled by Lewis Johns, assisted by Matt Janke, with additional editing by Kel Pinchin and Sebastien Sendon.

Svalbard's intention with their music is to make people feel less alone and to be there for people in their darkest times. The Weight Of The Mask bravely lays out experiences of mental illness and depression, hoping to help destigmatize these topics. 

SVALBARD will be returning to the EU mainland for six headline show dates this month, which will be followed by a performance at the Cult Of Luna curated Beyond The Redshift event in London and a headline date at The Key Club in Leeds.

Formed in Bristol UK, Svalbard have previously released three studio albums, three EPs and several split releases. Their exceptional last studio album, 2020's When I Die, Will I Get Better? was dubbed by Metal Hammer UK as "the most important British metal record of 2020", with both Metal Hammer and Kerrang! lauding the record as a top 10 album of the year. A career milestone, it cemented Svalbard as a powerful and vital component of our global music scene.

Whilst refining their distinctive blend of euphoric black metal, post-rock, and d-beat, Svalbard have incorporated a few more surprising influences along the way. From soft, mournful singing to progressive guitar leads, it showcases a sensitive dynamic that lends impact to their most crushing moments - of which there are undoubtedly many. There’s no poetry, no ambiguity - just direct, raw honesty as the quartet tackles some very uncomfortable subjects head-on. This is heavy in the most evocative sense of the word. The blunt lyrics are equally as important as the music.

Svalbard are:
Vocals/Guitar - Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar - Liam Phelan
Drums - Mark Lilley
Bass - Matt Francis

SVALBARD - release melancholic composition 'How To Swim Down' alongside heart-breaking animated video

DON'T BREAK THE SPELL
I'LL NEVER TELL
WHY WE WON'T DROWN
IF WE SWIM DOWN...

Svalbard have released the third single from their forthcoming new studio album, The Weight Of The Mask, due out on October 6th. The track titled 'How To Swim Down' is Svalbard's most unique and moving work to date, featuring heart-rending, ethereal violin parts from Liam Phelan, and a profound vocal performance from Serena Cherry.

The track is accompanied by a beautiful animated video, created by Boy Tillkens. The heart-breaking animation is a delicate portrayal of humanity, detailing the tenderness and strength found in existence.  

Svalbard's Serena Cherry commented,

"This song is about the exquisite pain and sorrowful beauty of unrequited love. I think it's the saddest, most heart-breaking song we've ever written. Lyrically, the starting point of the verse is about the concealment of adoration, before the chorus gives way to realizing and accepting the fate of loving someone quietly from afar. 
 
I cannot watch the music video for How To Swim Down without crying. Boy has captured the bittersweet emotion of the song so delicately, it's an incredibly moving piece of animation to watch. 
 
Musically, How To Swim Down saw us dive into unchartered waters with Liam adding many layers of mournful violin parts onto the track. Finally, violins - for the first time in Svalbard history! It feels so exciting to have new instruments on a song. Another first is that How To Swim Down features only clean vocals, no screams. I wanted the vocal delivery of these lyrics to feel as though I'm whispering a secret to someone whilst they're sleeping. My vocals here represent that lonely type of communication, singing to yourself in an empty house. It's a private, selfless love song, where only the listener knows of my heartache."

Pre-order The Weight Of The Mask + stream 'How To Swim Down' HERE
Watch the 'How To Swim Down' video below.

Stream previous singles 'Faking It' HERE and 'Eternal Spirits' HERE
Watch the 'Faking It' video HERE
Watch the 'Eternal Spirits' video HERE 

The Weight Of The Mask was recorded at The Ranch Production House, UK. The record was produced and mixed by Lewis Johns, with mastering by Grant Berry. Engineering was handled by Lewis Johns, assisted by Matt Janke, with additional editing by Kel Pinchin and Sebastien Sendon.

Svalbard's intention with their music is to make people feel less alone and to be there for people in their darkest times. The Weight Of The Mask bravely lays out experiences of mental illness and depression, hoping to help destigmatize these topics. 

Svalbard finished an extensive tour across the continent supporting post-metal monoliths Cult Of Luna and Russian Circles earlier this year, and the band are currently in the midst of a string of European summer festival performances. They've recently played the likes of Inferno (Norway), Hellfest (France), and With Full Force (Germany), plus2000Trees and Portals in the UK. Their remaining festival dates are listed below.

SVALBARD will be returning to the EU mainland for six headline show dates in October, which will be followed by a performance at the Cult Of Luna curated Beyond The Redshift event in London and a headline date at The Key Club in Leeds.

Summer Festivals
11-13 Aug - BE, Kortrijk, Alcatraz Festival
16-19 Aug - UK, Compton Martin, ArcTanGent
October Dates
14 Oct - NL Nijmegen, Soulcrusher
15 Oct - DE Cologne, Helios 37
16 Oct - DE Berlin, Urban Spree
17 Oct - DE Dresden, Chemiefabrik
18 Oct - DE Neunkirchen, Stummsche Reithalle
19 Oct - FR Paris, Backstage By The Mill
20 Oct - UK London, Beyond The Redshift - curated by Cult Of Luna
21 Oct - UK Leeds, The Key Club

Formed in Bristol UK, Svalbard have released three studio albums, three EPs and several split releases. Their exceptional last studio album, 2020's When I Die, Will I Get Better? was dubbed by Metal Hammer UK as "the most important British metal record of 2020", with both Metal Hammer and Kerrang! lauding the record as a top 10 album of the year. A career milestone, it cemented Svalbard as a powerful and vital component of our global music scene.

Whilst refining their distinctive blend of euphoric black metal, post-rock, and d-beat, Svalbard have incorporated a few more surprising influences along the way. From soft, mournful singing to progressive guitar leads, it showcases a sensitive dynamic that lends impact to their most crushing moments - of which there are undoubtedly many. There’s no poetry, no ambiguity - just direct, raw honesty as the quartet tackles some very uncomfortable subjects head-on. This is heavy in the most evocative sense of the word. The blunt lyrics are equally as important as the music.

Svalbard are:
Vocals/Guitar - Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar - Liam Phelan
Drums - Mark Lilley
Bass - Matt Francis

SVALBARD - announce new album 'The Weight Of The Mask' + single/video 'Faking It'

Svalbard are proud to announce their ardently anticipated new studio album, The Weight Of The Mask, due out on October 6th via Nuclear Blast Records. 

White-hot new single 'Faking It' has also been revealed, accompanied by a video. The track lays bare a poignant, candid account of dealing with depression and coming to the realization that you are "faking it" to just get by. 

Svalbard's intention with their music is to make people feel less alone, and to be there for people in their darkest times. The Weight Of The Mask bravely lays out experiences of mental illness and depression, hoping to help destigmatize these topics. 

Svalbard's Serena Cherry stated,

"If the previous record was about facing your demons, then The Weight of The Mask is about fighting them with everything you've got. You can literally hear the depression transform into aggression in these songs. The Weight of The Mask was admittedly a challenging album to make because we cut so deep this time around, it was a painful but ultimately cathartic process. This album is the sound of two years worth of internal darkness boiling away inside and then finally being unleashed.

"Faking It is a song about feeling deprived of meaningful human connection due to depression acting like a wall that shuts you off from others. It addresses the ways in which those who suffer with depression can feel guilted into putting on a happy mask. The lyrics are a reflection on happiness as a social obligation and how scarily good you can become at deceiving everyone around you into thinking that you're fine when you're not. With 'Faking It', we are both acknowledging the pressure for forced positivity, the fear that people won't like you if you're sad, and also questioning where the root of this intolerance towards depression lies." 

Pre-order The Weight Of The Mask + stream 'Faking It' HERE 
Watch the 'Faking It' video below.

Serena added about the 'Faking It' video,

"This video leans on deliberately obvious binary oppositions to hammer home the message of the song. We have the glossy smiling shots, filmed in the fakest place we could find: The Selfie Factory; mixed with dark, expressive performance footage that represents the internal struggle within." 

Stream the previous single 'Eternal Spirits' here: https://Svalbard.bfan.link/eternal-spirits.ema
Watch the 'Eternal Spirits' video here: https://youtu.be/1Oh30tCl1DQ

The Weight Of The Mask was recorded at The Ranch Production House, UK. The record was produced and mixed by Lewis Johns, with mastering by Grant Berry. Engineering was handled by Lewis Johns, assisted by Matt Janke, with additional editing by Kel Pinchin and Sebastien Sendon.

The beautiful album artwork was created by artist and illustrator Hestor Aspland, with layout by Lee O'Connor.

Serena Cherry stated about the album artwork,

"We have been huge fans of Hester Aspland's Illustration since we saw her stunning artwork carved into a wooden table at our favorite metal bar, The Gryphon. The intricate, floral aspect of her artwork for The Weight of The Mask reflects the sonic beauty within our melodies. Then the bleaker animal skull mask symbolizes the lyrical content. Working with Hester was an absolute dream and we love the art she has created for us."

The Weight Of The Mask  will be available in the following formats

• CD Jewel Case

• LP

  • 1LP Crystal Clear w/Black Marble

  • 1LP Purple w/Black Splatter (band exclusive)

• Digital Album

• Formed in Bristol UK, Svalbard have released three studio albums, three EPs, and several split releases. Their exceptional last studio album, 2020's When I Die, Will I Get Better? was dubbed by Metal Hammer UK as "the most important British metal record of 2020", with both Metal Hammer and Kerrang! lauding the record as a top 10 album of the year. A career milestone, it cemented Svalbard as a powerful and vital component of our global music scene.
  
  Whilst refining their distinctive blend of euphoric black metal, post-rock, and d-beat, Svalbard have incorporated a few more surprising influences along the way. From soft, mournful singing to progressive guitar leads, it showcases a sensitive dynamic that lends impact to their most crushing moments - of which there are undoubtedly many. There’s no poetry, no ambiguity - just direct, raw honesty as the quartet tackles some very uncomfortable subjects head-on. This is heavy in the most evocative sense of the word. The blunt lyrics are equally as important as the music.
  
  Svalbard are:
  Vocals/Guitar - Serena Cherry
  Vocals/Guitar - Liam Phelan
  Drums - Mark Lilley
  Bass - Matt Francis