Impure Wilhelmina Premiere New Album Le Sanglot
Veteran post-hardcore band stun with most radical transformation yet
IMPURE WILHELMINA are premiering the full album stream for their new album Le Sanglot. The veteran post-hardcore band’s ninth album arrives as their most radical transformation yet. While they continue to lean heavier on alt. rock melodies, for the first time in their 30-year history, all song are sung in French.
“When Impure Wilhelmina fire on all cylinders, the results are usually not only impressive, but they tug on the heartstrings like few others do”, Angry Metal Guy writes in an early review of Le Sanglot.
“Fans of Alcest will be satiated here”, The Razors Edge writes, “whilst the somewhat chaotic and unstructured nature of the music is rather like Opeth minus the walls and walls of distortion”.
Le Sanglot comes out tomorrow, Friday, May 22 on Season of Mist, but you can hear all 10 vibrant songs today by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
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Conceived as the sonic equivalent of weeping, Le sanglot surveys a fractured world with surgical coldness, yet never forecloses on the possibility of grace. Impure Wilhelmina moves between crushing weight and melodic restraint, from the cathartic surge of opening track “Électricité noire” to the fragile radiance of closer “À jamais radieuse,” with the French language sharpening both the imagery and the emotional register throughout. The album introduces the band’s new guitarist Edouard Nicod, whose arrangements broaden the band’s textural scope. It features a collaboration with French artist Mütterlein on “Train mort” the album’s most abrasive song.
Tracklist:
1. Électricité noire (5:01)
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: Switzerland (CH)
Genre: Post Rock/Alternative Rock
FFO: The God Machine, Swervedriver, Opeth, Paradise Lost, The Cure
IMPURE WILHELMINA was founded in 1996 and made a name for itself in the early2000s, 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
Marion Leclercq (Mütterlein) — Guest Vocals on “Train mort”
Follow Impure Wilhelmina:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impurewilhelmina/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impurewilhelmina/
Bandcamp: https://impurewilhelmina.bandcamp.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29luUtCyre5DdAujrV8Pob
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/impure-wilhelmina/299336044
