SMOULDER Announces New Album ‘Witch Wife In An Alien World,’ Premieres “Water Wars” Video
Canadian-American epic heavy metal/doom outfit Smoulder has announced its long-awaited third studio album, Witch Wife In An Alien World , due later this year via Cruz Del Sur Music. The band has also teamed up with Decibel to premiere the official video for the album’s first single, “Water Wars.”
The new album is scheduled for release on October 9 in Europe and November 6 in North America .
While Smoulder’s music has always drawn heavily from classic heavy metal, epic doom and traditional metal, Witch Wife In An Alien World finds the band pushing further into darker and more extreme territory. Greek black metal is among the newer influences incorporated into the band’s sound, adding another layer to a style that has never been particularly interested in staying inside one box.
The eight-track album was recorded at Soundwell Studio in Espoo, Finland with Valtteri Kallio and Swift Road Studios in Chicago, Illinois with Vincent Ippolito. Roland Rodas handled mixing and mastering.
The current Smoulder lineup features vocalist Sarah Ann , guitarists Collin Wolf and Shon Vincent , bassist Adam Blake and drummer Kevin Hester .
“Water Wars” opens the new album with a blast of riff-heavy, speed metal-inspired aggression. According to Sarah Ann, the song was deliberately chosen to kick off the record with an immediate jolt.
“You know how Judas Priest kicked off their masterpiece Stained Class with ‘Exciter,’ then jolted into a bunch of ’70s rock bangers?” Sarah Ann explained. “That’s kind of how we felt with starting the album on ‘Water Wars.'”
She continued: “‘Water Wars’ is our most Judas Priestian, riff-laden, speed metal banger yet — with a dark, and frankly increasingly prescient, lyrical theme.”
Sarah Ann also emphasized that the song should not necessarily be viewed as a complete representation of what listeners will find across Witch Wife In An Alien World .
“It opens Witch Wife In An Alien World with a jolt, and isn’t necessarily representative of the album … although no song truly is. It’s a weird record,” she said.
And weird, by Smoulder’s standards, sounds like a pretty good thing.
The lyrics to “Water Wars” tackle the increasingly contentious issue of access to clean water and the role water resources play in global conflicts and environmental crises. Sarah Ann points to attacks on water infrastructure, disputes over water access and the growing demands of technology and industry as inspiration for the song.
“It felt appropriate to address this growing crisis,” she said.
Elsewhere on Witch Wife In An Alien World , Smoulder ventures even further from its traditional epic metal foundations.
One of the album’s most distinctive tracks is “Noitien Loitsu,” the band’s first song to feature both English and Finnish vocals. The track draws directly from Sarah Ann’s Finnish heritage and her current life in Helsinki.
The song celebrates the forest near the home Sarah Ann and guitarist Shon Vincent share in Finland, switching between English and Finnish throughout the verses and even combining both languages in the chorus. The track also features a guest guitar solo from Bootleg Henkka , Smoulder’s live guitarist and a member of Finnish epic black metal band Havukruunu.
The album’s title itself was inspired by Sarah Ann’s experiences living in Finland and the dramatic contrast between the country’s quality of life and the increasingly hostile political and social realities she sees elsewhere in the world.
Smoulder says the record addresses real-world issues while exploring a growing sense of alienation in an era where technology has made global communication easier than ever.
The band’s willingness to explore new territory should come as little surprise. Smoulder has consistently treated epic power doom metal as a starting point rather than a limitation. The band’s musical evolution has also included increasingly prominent black and death metal influences, something that is expected to become even more apparent once the group takes the new material to the stage.
The cover artwork for Witch Wife In An Alien World was created by British fantasy and horror illustrator Ian Miller , whose extensive résumé includes work associated with Warhammer , Magic: The Gathering , Wizards and numerous fantasy and horror publications. Miller has also created artwork for metal acts including Stormkeep and Ulthar.
Unlike Smoulder’s previous two albums, 2018’s Times Of Obscene Evil And Wild Daring and 2023’s Violent Creed Of Vengeance , which featured artwork by legendary illustrator Michael Whelan, the new cover is intended to reflect the darker and more uncomfortable themes explored throughout the album.
With the album completed, Smoulder’s attention is turning toward the live arena.
The band’s current live lineup includes musicians with backgrounds in death and black metal, including guitarist Nigge of Finnish black-thrash outfit Terror Cross. According to Sarah Ann, the goal is to make Smoulder’s live performance heavier, darker and more crushing than ever.
“Having a crushing live show has become priority number one for us,” she said.
She added: “You have choices as a band: you can go the costumes route, go the lightning and props route, or go the lurid and atmospheric and dark. All choices are valid, but for us, the final option resonated.”
Witch Wife In An Alien World will be released through Cruz Del Sur Music in multiple formats, including CD, vinyl LP and digital editions. The vinyl edition will feature a foiled cover, 12-page booklet, poster and download code.
Pre order: https://smoulder.bandcamp.com/album/witch-wife-in-an-alien-world
Witch Wife In An Alien World Track Listing:
“Water Wars”
“Shadow Of The Vulture”
“Noitien Loitsu”
“Crush The Neophytes”
“Empathy’s Wrath”
“Their Name Lives On”
“Cathedral Of The Trees”
“Smouldering Remains”
With Witch Wife In An Alien World , Smoulder appears ready to once again prove that “epic doom metal” doesn’t have to mean standing still. The band is taking its traditional heavy metal roots, throwing black metal, doom, speed metal and increasingly confrontational lyrical themes into the cauldron, and seeing what crawls out.
And judging from “Water Wars,” whatever it is, it’s going to be loud.
Watch the “Water Wars” video premiere via Decibel and pre-order Witch Wife In An Alien World through Cruz Del Sur Music. https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2026/08/21/track-premiere-smoulder-water-wars/