Whispered have released Honorbound, their fourth album, today. The Finnish band spent nearly a decade on it, and it runs eight tracks that mix melodic death metal with Japanese folklore and stories of honour and revenge.
The record closes on its title track, which lasts almost 24 minutes. Singer and guitarist Jouni Valjakka told Chaoszine that the song took shape over many years and that its story was finally inspired by the Japanese tale of the Soga brothers, who avenge their father's murder, told "with some artistic liberties". The focus track is "A Warrior's Dream", which he calls one of the oldest songs on the album and the most heroic, and which is out with a lyric video.
The artwork is by TokMR, the Japanese artist the band has worked with for years.
The tracks are "Ikikaere", "Heavensbane", "Shadowblade", "Battlecry", "A Warrior's Dream", "Gods of Rain", "Where the Spirits Thrive" and "Honorbound".
Whispered are on tour in the United Kingdom this week and hold an album release show at Kuudes Linja in Helsinki on 18 September, with Finnish dates in Tampere and Seinäjoki in January 2027. The line-up is Jouni Valjakka on vocals and guitar, Mikko Mattila on guitar, Olli Paajanen on bass and Filip Gäddnäs on drums.
Source: Chaoszine