Meet How Strange It Is, a Portland band making fuzzed-out indie rock and announcing their new album called There Is No Evil today. The lead single “Slime” is a dreamy, infectious banger in the vein of Wishy or TAGABOW.
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Mortal Kombat vibes.
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From the moment they joined forces, Temic appeared as a dream come true for prog fans everywhere. The international supergroup features current and former members of Devin Townsend, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress, Neal Morse Band, Haken, Shining, Maraton, and Big City. The group’s chart-topping debut lived up to the hype, but on their upcoming new album, Ceiba, they’ve grown by leaps and bounds.
Today, Temic is officially announcing the mighty and magical Ceiba with a soul-stirring video for the album’s lead single. While rattled by the encroaching shadow of death, “Ceased To Be” positively ascends by crossing the threshold between progressive metal, pop, and hard rock.
“Ceiba is a concept album about loss in all its various forms”, Temic says. “While more progressive than our first album, the songs are driven by honesty and emotions. They deal with pain, anger, fear, blame, and silence, which are all difficult in their own way but a part of the process of renewing our inner strength “Ceased To Be” is told from the perspective of someone who’s dying, while surrounded by their loved ones. Death is not feared nor resisted. Rather, it is observed as a sacred rite of passage”.
Ceiba comes out on October 2, 2026 on Season of Mist in the following formats, and it can be pre-order here.
Much like Temic‘s first full-length statement, Ceiba can be traced back to theories around mortality. In Mayan culture, the titular tree is considered an axis mundi and held sacred for how it connects the earth with heaven and the underworld. As with the album’s striking cover art, “Ceased To Be” is cracked open by guitarist Eric Gillette’s booming riffs and an electronic soundscape that rumbles like ominous clouds on the horizon.
“I have experienced lots of personal losses, along with everyone else”, keyboardist Diego Tejeida says. “Though we don’t often talk about them with each other, loss is so universal that it will always be a natural part of our lives, like a tree”.
Indeed, Ceiba treats loss not as an end but as one more step along life’s path. “The blood will testify: Your soul will never die”, vocalist Fredrik Klemp sings with conviction amidst the endlessly rewarding chorus of “Ceased To Be”. No matter how deep the album digs into philosophical terrain, Temic continues to branch out in all directions – both literally and figuratively. Newest member and fleet-fingered bassist Miguel Pereira locks in with drummer Simen Sandnes despite a multitude of tricky tempo shifts, leading into the song’s dramatic finale, which is graced by triumphant keys and a transcendent guitar solo.
“We wrote this album together with contributions from all five members”, Temic says: “We allowed ourselves to explore the songs and really extend ourselves while always keeping the emotions at the front of our minds”.
The video for “Ceased To Be” was directed by Cesar Mendiburu. It was filmed in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, beneath a Ceiba tree and inside a cenote, where Ah Puch, the Mayan god of death, welcomes a woman to the afterlife.
“Since the moment I received the invitation to be a part of ‘Cease To Be’, I felt an immediate calling to say yes”, actress Anna Kirse says. “Representing all the joy and pain of life, its transformation after death, and the relief of letting go in absolute surrender resonated with me immediately. It was a beautiful artistic challenge”.
“Filming the underwater scenes was a profound experience for me as well. It required me to face my own fear of disappearing beneath the water. Surrendering to the unknown and trusting that I was safe became a significant moment of growth for me. Every day of filming was filled with magic, creativity, genuine collaboration and incredible team spirit. I am deeply grateful, truly happy and very proud to be part of this video”.
Additional video credits:
Producer: Mountain Head Media
Actresses: Anna Kirse and Zizinete Marave
Screenplay: Esteban Erosa
Directors of Photography: Dreyken Hinojosa and Linda Alcocer
Underwater Photography: Esther White
Wardrobe: Gabriela Heredia
Production Assistant: Kinbe Hinojosa
The concept behind Temic started in 2017, when keyboardist Diego Tejeida and guitarist Eric Gillette were both touring members of Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress. After proving to be a quick fit on stage, the two decided to start their own band together. “We wanted to make music that prided itself on emotion, not just because it’s technically difficult to play”, Tejeida says. As for what the band would sound like, combining their love for heavy riffs, heavenly pop hooks, and high-energy electronic music into a hard-hitting prog-metal hybrid wasn’t so simple. But after recruiting former soccer prodigy-turned-Zildjian-endorsed drummer Simen Sandnes to go along with Norwegian Idol contestant and powerhouse vocalist Fredrik Klemp, Temic put all the pieces together on their very first try.
Now, after a co-headline tour of Europe with Rendezvous Point and a splashy appearance aboard Cruise to the Edge, Temic returns with a thunderous ode of prog with Ceiba.
The post TEMIC Announces Mighty & Magical Second Album “Ceiba” & Shares Music Video For First Single “Ceased To Be” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
The sequel commences in November.
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