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General Information

Personnel:

Anna Hristenko – vocals
Josh Mak – guitar
Cody Lamb – bass
Mark Shi – keys
Andres Felipe Martinez Osorio – drums

Release Date: May 29, 2026
Producer: Chris Themelco
Label: Eclipse Records

Setting the Scene

Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Ana is a symphonic metal band making their official introduction with their debut album, Motivated By Death. The record drops on May 29, 2026, via Eclipse Records.

First Impression

Motivated By Death thrives on sharp contrasts. The record is built on a restless energy, constantly switching up the tempo, the weight of the riffs, and the instrumentation within the tracks themselves. By moving seamlessly from fast, heavy assaults straight into slower, atmospheric stretches, these constant shifts keep the album entirely unpredictable from start to finish.

Similar Sounds

If you’re into any of these artists, this album should be on your radar.

Within TemptationBeyond the BlackLacuna Coil

Visual Vibes

The cover shows the band dressed in black leather and goth outfits against a plain white background. It is a simple, high-contrast image that serves well to introduce the band on their debut.

Track on Repeat

“Shadow of Life”

“Shadow of Life” is a fast and heavy track driven by a highly melodic, beautiful hook.

In-depth Notes

Musical Shape 🎸

Motivated By Death builds its musical depth on heavy foundations and sharp guitar work. Tracks like “Hate Me” and “Following the Wind” mix aggressive playing with strong melodies. The guitars drive the heavy feel on songs like “Eyes of A Child,” while a wide variety of extra instrumental sounds are layered into the tracks.

Vocal Performance 🎤

Anna Khristenko’s outstanding vocal performance anchors the record. Her atmospheric delivery cuts straight through heavy tracks like “Hate Me,” while slower moments like “Sick Love” highlight her raw vocal quality.

Production Quality 🎧

The production is sharp, catching every shift without muddying the sound. It balances the heavy instruments and layered sounds, making sure the riffs hit hard while keeping the quiet moments perfectly clear.

Themes and Concepts 💭

The core concepts confront grim realities like mortality, unresolved grief, and toxic relationships. These struggles serve as a foundation for a broader message of fierce independence and aggressive defiance. Ultimately, the overarching theme focuses on pushing through deep trauma to find self-reliance and small slivers of hope in bleak situations.

Final Verdict

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Motivated By Death is a heavy, unpredictable record that relies on aggressive instrumentation to turn grim realities into an act of pure defiance.

Mood Meter

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Intensity

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Melancholy

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Darkness

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Emotional

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Serenity

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Energy

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Romance

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Joyfulness

Perfect For…

Working out – sitting in nature, with your thoughts
Driving – but keep your eyes on the road
Working – When a co-worker comes to your desk to show you photos of his kids, turn the VOLUME UP.
Working on Arts – inspirational melodies

Get the Album

Eclipse Records

The post Album Review | Ana – “Motivated By Death” first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Fragmentation, Iron Front & Soledad will also play select shows.

The post Corpse Pile Announce Summer U.S. Tour With Vomit Forth, Agonize, Etc. appeared first on Theprp.com.

Just in time for the World Cup, 4AD has teamed up with New York football-inspired apparel brand Fullkitwnkrs for a new merchandise capsule that reimagines some of the label’s best-known artists and albums through the language of football shirts, supporter scarves, and terrace culture.

Full Kit is an independent, self-funded NYC brand founded in 2020, producing football apparel and campaigns for artists. The company has since worked as kitmen for Future Islands, Mount Kimbie, The National, Oneohtrix Point Never, King Krule, and others.

The Complicated Opposition collection is available now through the 4AD web store and Bandcamp, with sales running from May 28 through June 8. The capsule features three main pieces: the Cocteau Twins Heaven or Las Vegas Scotland Jersey, the Scott Walker Bish Bosch USA Jersey, and the Colourbox x Air Miami Scarf, which ties into 4AD’s new Complicated Opposition double A-side single, released May 22.

The Cocteau Twins jersey draws from the colour palette and visual language of the band’s 1990 album Heaven or Las Vegas, while also nodding to the group’s origins in Grangemouth and Scotland’s first World Cup trip in 28 years. The shirt recasts Scottish national team imagery with details pulled from the album’s artwork, including a custom tartan pattern based on the record’s colors and a woven badge featuring the Cocteau Twins’ Lily Dancer logo.

The Scott Walker jersey takes its cues from the Ohio-born artist’s final-era work on Bish Bosch, reworking American soccer design with stark graphics and unusual detailing that mirrors the album’s severe, operatic approach.

Rounding out the capsule is the Colourbox x Air Miami Scarf, a double-sided supporter-style scarf connecting two World Cup-themed tracks from the new Complicated Opposition single: Air Miami’s World Cup Fever and Colourbox’s The Official Colourbox World Cup Theme. The scarf also references the single artwork designed by Chris Bigg, featuring photography by The Douglas Brothers. The scarf will not be sold separately. Instead, it will be produced as a one-of-one item and awarded at random to one customer who purchases a shirt.

As part of the campaign, 4AD will also make a donation to War Child, supporting the organization’s work with children affected by war through education, protection, and advocacy.

The 4AD x Full Kit Complicated Opposition capsule is available now through June 8.

Shop the collection here.

Follow Full Kit:

• Instagram
• Website

The post 4AD and FULL KIT Announce World Cup Merch Collab Featuring Cocteau Twins, Scott Walker, Colourbox, and Air Miami! appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

They’re bringing more pain in August.

The post AXTY’s “Nothing But Pain” Music Video Now Streaming appeared first on Theprp.com.

They now how two tracks on the brink of diamond status.

The post Three Days Grace Awarded New Multi-Platinum & Gold Certifications In The U.S. appeared first on Theprp.com.

Mareux is taking his shadow-laced romance on a trek across the Atlantic. The Los Angeles darkwave artist — the project of musician and producer Aryan Ashtiani — has announced a short run of 2026 UK and European dates, beginning October 30 at Hootananny Brixton in London and continuing through Paris/Montreuil, Athens, Istanbul, and Tbilisi. Current listings place the Paris-area date at Bal Chavaux in Montreuil, the Athens date at Floyd Live Music Venue, the Istanbul date at IF Performance Hall Beşiktaş, and the Tbilisi date at Academy.

The dates follow the release of last year’s Nonstop Romance, Mareux’s 2025 full-length for Revolution/Warner Records, a record that widened his smoldering synth-pop into something grander, sleeker, and more fatalistically romantic. The album includes “Blackmail,” “Radio Club,” “Wild At Heart,” “Ébène Fumé” featuring Riki, “Blue,” “Laugh Now Cry Later,” and “Snake Eyes.” Its most recent visual, the August 2025 video for “Wild At Heart,” still serves as a fitting doorway into the record’s world of bruised glamour, late-night longing, and doomed devotion.

Mareux first emerged from the Los Angeles underground in the early 2010s, releasing the Decade EP in 2013 and Predestiny in 2020. Ashtiani has described early musical sparks that ranged from Eurodance heard during summers in Iran to the post-punk revival pull of Interpol and Editors; later, the cold electronic intensity of TR/ST helped steer the project toward its current darkwave direction.

His best-known release remains “The Perfect Girl,” a brooding cover of The Cure’s 1987 song that became a viral streaming phenomenon in 2021. The track’s second life helped introduce Mareux’s cold, romantic synth sound to a much wider audience; its 2022 video starred Violet Chachki, and Warner’s 2023 press materials noted hundreds of millions of streams and billions of TikTok sound views around the track.

That momentum carried Mareux into larger rooms and major festivals. In 2023, he played both weekends of Coachella, released his debut album Lovers From The Past, and launched a headlining global tour with stops in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, London, and more. He has also appeared at dark-alternative gatherings, including Darker Waves 2023 and Cruel World 2025.

Before heading overseas, Mareux will appear as a special guest for AFI at an outdoor Santa Ana show on September 19 at Observatory Festival Grounds, with Kumo 99 and L.A. Witch also on the bill.

See the full announced run below.

Mareux 2026 Tour Dates

• 09/19 — Santa Ana, CA — Observatory Festival Grounds with AFI, Kumo 99, and L.A. Witch
• 10/30 — London, UK — Hootananny Brixton
• 10/31 — Paris/Montreuil, France — Bal Chavaux
• 11/03 — Athens, Greece — Floyd Live Music Venue
• 11/05 — Istanbul, Turkey — IF Performance Hall Beşiktaş
• 11/07 — Tbilisi, Georgia — Academy

Tickets and additional information are available through Mareux’s official site and local ticketing outlets.

Follow Mareux:

• Website
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Facebook
• TikTok
• Bandcamp

The post Los Angeles Darkwave Artist Mareux Announces Fall 2026 UK and European Tour Dates appeared first on Post-Punk.com.