Epic blackened Metallers SMOULDER Release B-Movie Style Video for “Shadow of the Vulture”

Epic Blackened Metallers Smoulder have released a B-movie style video for “Shadow of the Vulture!”

“We wanted to pay homage to our favourite sword and sorcery movies, and make a B-movie, DIY music video that was big and fun and trashy! We love films like Sorceress (1982), Deathstalker, The Devil’s Sword (1983), and Conquest (1983), so we wanted to merge that lineage with the classic goofy heavy metal videos that we always watch: think ‘Highlander’ by Cloven Hoof and Hell’s ‘Death Squad.’ We worked with Helsinki multi-disciplinary artist Tekla Tekla Vàly (who has done music videos, photography, and cover art for artists like Warning, Oranssi Pazuzu, Hail Conjurer, and 40 Watt Sun) and she did a great job capturing that energy… plus, her severed head made us howl!” – Sarah Ann, Smoulder

“Shadow of the Vulture” is the second track from Smoulder’s third studio album, Witch Wife in an Alien World. Releasing October 10 via Cruz del Sur Music, the record sees the band sonically exploring ugly new territories, integrating black metal into their bewitching brew. Power metal, speed metal, doom metal, epic metal, and black metal unite, as the band favours raw ferocity over polish. On “Shadow of the Vulture,” expect the expected: classic heavy metal with a big singalong chorus! 

Upcoming Smoulder Tour Dates:

September 12 – Berlin, Germany – Swamp Fest 2026  
Event: facebook.com/events/1171997711497233
Tickets: tixforgigs.com/de-DE/Event/74543/berlin-swamp-fest-2026-swamp-conspiracy-presents-neue-zukunft

October 10 – Bucharest, Romania – Old Grave Fest 13
Event: facebook.com/events/3300387220116658
Tickets: rtmc.ro/old-grave-fest-13-2026-tickets

November 26 – Tilburg, Netherlands – Little Devil
Event: facebook.com/events/1056303283958667
Tickets: shop.ikbenaanwezig.nl/tickets/event/smoulder-can

November 27 – Oldenburg, Germany – MTS Records
Event: facebook.com/events/1783442542663435
Tickets: ticket2go.de/tickets-kaufen/smoulder-oldenburg-27-11-2026-5888

November 28 – Weissenhäuser Strand, Germany – Metal Hammer Paradise
Event: facebook.com/events/26218721014495110
Tickets: metal-hammer-paradise.de/tickets

Canadian/American metallers Smoulder return with their long-awaited third studio album, Witch Wife in an Alien World, a bold, daring collection of eight songs that continue to push boundaries and shatter conventions. 

The affixion of epic and Greek black metal to Smoulder’s already-wide set of influences should not surprise anyone. The Canadian/American quintet covered Bathory’s “The Woodwoman” during their 2025 appearance at Burgbrand Open Air in Lauchröden, Germany. For a band that, from the jump, prided itself on expanding epic power doom metal into worlds beyond, the heart of the matter is that Smoulder remains committed to exploration and adventure—for remaining in one spot would be antithetical to the band’s existence. That principle guides Smoulder’s third full-length studio album, Witch Wife in an Alien World. 

Recorded between Soundwell Studio in Espoo, Finland with Valtteri Kallio and Swift Road Studios in Chicago, Illinois with Vincent Ippolito, with mixing and mastering duties courtesy of Roland Rodas, Smoulder—featuring vocalist Sarah Ann, guitarists Collin Wolf and Shon Vincent, bassist Adam Blake and drummer Kevin Hester—have summoned eight songs of depth and intrigue, venturing from the triumphant opener “Water Wars,” rollicking, custom-made-for-headbanging “Shadow of the Vulture” and sweeping “Cathedral of the Trees” and “Smouldering Remains.” 

Of immediate note is the band’s first half-English, half-Finnish-sung number, “Noitien Loitsu,” a cut that found Sarah Ann digging into her Finnish roots (a dual Canadian/Finnish citizen, she has several generations of family calling the Land of Thousand Lakes home). The song, which celebrates the forest Sarah Ann and Vincent live adjacent to in Helsinki, deftly alternates between English and Finnish sung verses and even blends both languages in the chorus. The song also features a guest solo from the band’s live guitarist, Bootleg Henkka (also of Finnish epic black metallers Havukruunu). 

While on the subject, the Witch Wife in an Alien World title was inspired by Sarah Ann’s current Finnish residence. Citing the country’s “monumentally positive impact” on her life, including a high-functioning, affordable healthcare system to go along with a reliable 24/7 transit and robust outdoor space, complete with safe air and clean water, Sarah Ann wants the rest of the world to have what she has. However, cruel, incompetent governments who are dedicated to stripping people of their rights while declaring empathy as a disease have induced a mental and emotional schism. It ties into the album’s broader context of tackling more real-life themes that are purposely adversarial and coupled with a growing sense of disconnection in a world that, conversely, is more connected than ever through technology. 

The album’s cover was created by British fantasy/horror illustrator Ian Miller, whose previous credits include works for Stormkeep and Ulthar, as well as some H.P Lovecraft book covers, the animated film Wizards with Ralph Bakshi (one of Sarah’s all-time favorites) and his work on Warhammer and Magic: The Gathering. While Smoulder’s previous two studio albums, 2018’s Times of Obscene Evil and Wild Daring and 2023’s Violent Creed of Vengeance, featured the artwork of the legendary Michael Whelan (Cirith Ungol, Obituary, Sepultura, the Witch Wife In an Alien World cover reflects the ugliness and hard truths of the album’s themes.

Upon the release of Witch Wife In an Alien World, Smoulder’s focus will shift to the live arena. The band’s lineup now includes multiple death and black metal musicians (including guitarist Nigge of black thrash outfit Terror Cross) who have shaped their sound into something even heavier and more crushing. “Having a crushing live show has become priority number one for us,” closes Sarah Ann. “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 available on vinyl LP with foiled cover, 12-page booklet, poster and download code, as well as on CD, and digital formats via Cruz Del Sur Music on October 9 in Europe and November 6 in North America.

Pre-order Witch Wife in an Alien World:

CD: https://tinyurl.com/4f9crkae
Black Vinyl LP: https://tinyurl.com/ys429asw
LMT Vinyl LP: https://tinyurl.com/2ty3v2rv
smoulder.bandcamp.com
linktr.ee/SmoulderDoom
cruzdelsurmusic.com/store

Track Listing:

1. Water Wars [Video]
2. Shadow of the Vulture
3. Noitien Loitsu
4. Crush the Neophytes
5. Empathy’s Wrath
6. Their Name Lives On
7. Cathedral of the Trees
8. Smouldering Remains