BLIND CHANNEL have broken an eighteen-month silence to announce Painstream, their sixth studio album, due October 30 via Century Media Records.
The Oulu-based Finns describe the record as an attempt to turn something isolating into something shared. "In a world filled with uncertainty, conflict and division, pain is one thing all humans share," the band said. "Rather than separating us, 'Painstream' explores the idea that pain can unite us, reminding us of our common humanity."
Across twelve tracks the album works through pain on personal, societal and existential levels, with the band insisting there is hope buried in it. The first material — the paired "Diana" and "No Encores In A Swan Song" — arrived alongside a short film, and further singles are scheduled for September 3 and October 1. "Into The Void" features Aaron Pauley of OF MICE & MEN.
Painstream is the first new music BLIND CHANNEL have made since the departure of longtime vocalist Joel Hokka in April 2025, which cut the band from six members to five and left Niko Vilhelm Moilanen as sole frontman. Hokka has since formed his own project, HOKKA. The album follows Exit Emotions, released in March 2024, and the year and a half of silence between them was, by the band's account, deliberate.
The album cycle brings the band's biggest home-town date yet: a headline show at Helsinki Ice Hall on November 14, 2026, with tickets on sale August 11. Two Japanese shows follow, and an extensive European headline tour is set for early 2027, with tickets going up September 3.
Formed in Oulu in 2013, BLIND CHANNEL are among the very few metal-adjacent acts to have used the Eurovision Song Contest as a launch pad rather than a punchline: their 2021 entry "Dark Side" finished sixth in the grand final and the same week brought an international deal with Century Media. Six wins at the 2022 Emma Gaala, Finland's Grammy equivalent — including Band Of The Year and Song Of The Year — followed.
BLIND CHANNEL's current line-up is Niko Vilhelm Moilanen (vocals), Joonas Porko (guitar), Olli Matela (bass), Tommi Lalli (drums) and Aleksi Kaunisvesi (synths).
"Painstream" track listing:
- Messiah
- Youthanasia
- Stars We See
- Into The Void (feat. Aaron Pauley)
- Types Of Killing
- Revolution: Now
- Me Versus Me
- Scapegoat
- Villain In Your Story
- Diana
- No Encores In A Swan Song
- Ache