SVALBARD have announced their split after 13 years together.
The UK post-metal band will bring their 15-year run to a close with a farewell tour, as well as one final release.
3
The five-piece, who formed in 2011 and are based between Bristol and London, will bow out in 2026 but not before a busy send-off.
This November, they’ll hit the road for a final UK tour alongside Cage Fight and Knife Bride, with further dates expected in Japan and across Europe.
A last single will also arrive before they disband.
Singer and guitarist Serena Cherry spoke exclusively to Metal Hammer about the decision to end things on a high note.
She said: “We’ve always been an all-or-nothing band. And even though it’s utterly heartbreaking, we have accepted that our musical journey together is reaching its end. We have one song left within us as a band. We want to finish on a decisive high, having released four albums that we are 100 percent proud of.
“There is no animosity between band members and we wanted to give the band a proper send-off, with a final UK tour and final shows all over the world coming in 2026. It means a lot to us that we can give Svalbard one last year before we musically go our separate ways.”
Serena started the band with guitarist and vocalist Liam Phelan in 2011.
Their debut, One Day All This Will End, arrived in 2015, and they quickly gained a reputation for combining post-hardcore, post-metal and black metal with emotionally raw, socially conscious lyrics.
Over the years, Serena’s writing has taken on subjects like rape culture, mental illness and late-stage capitalism, earning the band a loyal fanbase.
In a 2023 interview with The Guardian, she explained her direct approach, saying: “It was a very deliberate choice to be as lyrically direct as possible.
SVALBARD – To Wilt Beneath The Weight, OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO
“You could listen to a song by most metal bands and it might be about depression or something political but, dressed up in prose and poetry, that message becomes obscured.
“If you say something as concisely as possible, you can reach as many people as possible.”
Their third album When I Die, Will I Get Better? was hailed by Metal Hammer as “the most important British metal record of 2020”.
Their fourth and final LP, 2023’s The Weight Of The Mask received similar acclaim.
Svalbard have supported heavyweights like Enslaved, Alcest and Cult Of Luna, and appeared at festivals including Hellfest, Summer Breeze, Arctangent and 2000 Trees.
They’re also due to make their debut at Download Festival this summer, with a slot booked for Friday, June 13.
3
3
