APOCÆLYPSE, the project led by guitarist Ira Black (VIO-LENCE, LIZZY BORDEN, METAL CHURCH), has announced its debut album, "Fænix," due August 28, alongside the release of a new single and video, "Black Box."
The announcement follows the breakout success of APOCÆLYPSE's debut single, "Intell-I-Gents," whose cinematic music video has drawn more than 1.4 million views and which debuted on Billboard's radio chart — a strong opening statement for a project blending crushing modern metal with cinematic storytelling. Where "Intell-I-Gents" looked outward at humanity's uneasy relationship with artificial intelligence, "Black Box" turns inward, framed by Black as the band's most vulnerable and personal statement yet.
Black described the new single's meaning in detail: "'Black Box' is the most personal song I've ever written. It's a journey into my own mind — the Black Box. Like the device recovered from a plane crash, it holds the evidence of everything that went wrong, but also the key to understanding how I survived. Inside are the scars of a broken upbringing, addiction, loss, and decades spent chasing a dream that often felt impossible. For most of my life, I kept that box sealed shut. This song is about opening it." He added: "'Black Box' is my story of survival — a testament to the fact that no matter how many times life knocks you down, you can still rise, heal, and find your way home."
The "Black Box" video was directed by Black and co-directed by Vincente Cordero of Industrialism Films. The track itself was produced by Black, executive produced by Andy Fetyko, mixed by Kane Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, PAPA ROACH) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (SEPULTURA, FAITH NO MORE, LIMP BIZKIT).
APOCÆLYPSE's lineup rounds out with guitarist Ira Black IV, bassist Matt Snell (formerly of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) and drummer Lonny Pasillas (formerly of DEADSETT and KILL DEVIL HILL). With "Fænix" due August 28, the band is set to follow its viral debut single with a full-length statement built around Black's most personal songwriting to date.