Impure Wilhelmina Announce Le sanglot
Alt rock vets return with first album in French
Watch the crackling video for “Électricité noire”
Since being born into Switzerland’s underground in 1996, Impure Wilhelmina have followed their own singular path. The Geneva quartet have combined hardcore riffs, atmospheric sludge and gloomy melodies into alternative rock that’s as sharp and versatile as a Swiss Army Knife. Now, after three decades of evolution, the band are releasing their most radical yet organic album to date.
Today, Impure Wilhelmina are announcing their sixth full-length album, Le sanglot, which is also the band’s first that’s entirely in French. Its lead single introduces the album’s emotional and conceptual core. “Électricité noire” is both a crackling ode to rock music and an enduring meditation on its cathartic force.
Watch the music video for “Électricité noire” on the Season of Mist YouTube channel
Le sanglot comes out May 22nd, via Season of Mist.
Pre-order & pre-save https://orcd.co/iwlesanglot
Available Formats
Digital Download
CD Digipak
12” Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
12” Vinyl Gatefold (Transparent violent)
Within the broader narrative of Le sanglot, “Électricité noire” occupies a crucial position. Conceived as the sonic equivalent of a sob, the album observes the world through a stark lens, confronting ugliness, mediocrity and quiet violence. Yet the opening movement carried by its lead single also hints at the possibility of grace, establishing the fragile tension between darkness and light.
Opening with a massive and haunting arpeggio, “Électricité noire” gradually unfolds into a surge of raw energy. A solitary voice emerges within the song as a reminder that rock itself is a form of dark electricity. Through performance and expression, sorrow is allowed to speak. In a world that appears fractured and unstable, the song frames music as a necessary outlet for anger, grief and disillusionment.
Accompanying “Électricité noire” is a music video directed by Steven Blatter (Prog-Pics). Filmed with Impure Wilhelmina playing in a stripped and direct setting, the music video reflects the song’s focus on the raw force of music.
Tracklist
1. Électricité noire (5:01) [WATCH]
2. Cent mille plaies (3:43)
3. Abîme (6:26)
4. Larmes de joie (5:02)
5. Dévoreur d’étoiles (6:00)
6. Train mort (4:03)
7. Frelon ivre (4:40)
8. Blanche réalité (5:35)
9. Demain J’abandonne (4:04)
10. À Jamais radieuse (5:52)
Full runtime: 50:28
Country: France (FR)
Genre: Post Metal/Alternative Rock
FFO: The God Machine, Swervedriver, Opeth, Paradise Lost, The Cure
Born from Geneva, Switzerland’s thriving alternative music scene, IMPURE WILHELMINA has been developing a truly unique blend of sound over the years, somewhere in between metal and progressive-tinged dark rock. The band’s distinctive style is dense, melodic and deeply melancholic, brought to life by introspective lyrics both profoundly humane and chilling, infused with raw emotion.
Impure Wilhelmina was founded in 1996 and made a name for itself in the early 2000s, with a series of iconic albums – I Can’t Believe I was Born in July (2003) and L’amour, la mort, l’enfance perdue (2005) along with several European tours. Little by little, the quartet led by guitarist and vocalist Michael Schindl won over the hearts of a now loyal fan base, who appreciate how the band turns dark themes into a universe of healing sound.
Impure Wilhelmina’s story is also one of perpetual renewal. The band’s sound has evolved from its gritty beginnings to more mature, melodic productions driven by clear magnetic vocals. Black Honey (2014), Radiation (2017) and Antidote (2021), widely appraised by critics, pushed horizons further yet for the band, signed to the label Season of Mist since 2015.
Throughout the years, Impure Wilhelmina has played hundreds of shows across Europe, performing at underground venues and large festivals alike, including opening for icons such as Gojira, Baroness, Amenra, Sólstafir and Crippled Black Phoenix.
Since 2023, the band has been working on its next album to follow Antidote. The process is enriched by the arrival of new guitarist Edouard Nicod, joining Sébastien Dutruel (bass), Mario Togni (drums) and Michael Schindl (guitar and vocals). Their new album entitled Le sanglot, set to be released by Season of Mist in 2026, will showcase the band’s next radical yet organically logical transformation: lyrics entirely in French, unleashing dimensions of sound you wouldn’t expect, with renewed creative energy.
« Rescapé de l’ancien monde, touché par la grâce »
Line-up:
Michael Schindl — Vocals, Guitar
Mario Togni — Drums
Sébastien Dutruel — Bass
Edouard Nicod — Guitar
Production Credits:
Recorded at Kitchen Studio, Geneva, Switzerland.
Produced, engineered & mixed by Yvan Bing at Kitchen Studio, except for track 9, recorded by Serge Morattel at Rec Studio.
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studio, Stockholm, Sweden.
Recording Line-up:
Michael Schindl
Mario Togni
Sébastien Dutruel
Edouard Nicod
Guest Musician:
Marion Leclercq (Mütterlein) on the track 6, ‘Train Mort’.
Cover Art:
Giganto (http://giganto.ch/)
Photography:
Mehdi Benkler
Follow Impure Wilhelmina:
Bandcamp: https://impurewilhelmina.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impurewilhelmina/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impurewilhelmina/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/impure-wilhelmina/299336044
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29luUtCyre5DdAujrV8Pob
Tidal: https://tidal.com/artist/4178564
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/1309118
