Progressive death metal supergroup Alkaloid, featuring current and former members of Obscura, Triptykon, and Dark Fortress, have announced their first-ever live album. Titled Bach Out of Bounds, the album is set for release on January 23, 2026, via Season of Mist.
The album was recorded during three special performances in the Netherlands and presents a unique blend of classical music and extreme metal. The band was joined by an award-winning ensemble of vocalists, accordion, and string players to perform wildly re-imagined arrangements of three Johann Sebastian Bach compositions alongside their own material.
Alongside the announcement, the band has shared a live video for the brand new, 10-minute song “Haunter of the Void”. The track was specially commissioned for the shows by the Dutch Performing Arts Fund (FPK).
Vocalist and guitarist Morean comments on the new song: “‘Haunter of the Void’ was especially commissioned for this show. The song translates Bach and 18th century polyphony into Alkaloid’s sonic universe by applying Baroque counterpoint composition techniques to our own scales and harmonies. This 10-minute epic links Bach and Alkaloid without diluting our identity one iota.”
He also spoke about the project as a whole: “We’re always open for an artistic challenge. When Bach Out of Bounds came our way, we fully embraced the adventure to show yet another side of Alkaloid. We were lucky to be supported by guest artists who share our vision and passion for defying boundaries.”
The video for “Haunter of the Void” was filmed at the 2024 Bachfestival in Dordrecht, Netherlands.
Bach Out of Bounds features fresh takes on fan favourites from the band’s previous albums, Numen and The Malkuth Grimoire, as well as two new songs, “Haunter of the Void” and “Beneath the Sea”.
Morean recalls the audience’s reaction to the performances: “The audience who came and saw these performances went crazy for it. I’m so happy that we can now share them with people everywhere. People aren’t going to know what hit them. Bach Out of Bounds is very different from what other metal bands – or even Alkaloid – normally do.”
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You can watch the video for “Haunter of the Void” below.
Pre-orders for the album are available now.
Bach Out of Bounds tracklist:
- Allegro (BWV 1052-I) (8:28)
- Adagio – All Is Vanity (BWV 1052-II) (6:56)
- Beneath the Sea (7:25)
- Cthulhu (5:59)
- Haunter of the Void (10:11)
- A Fool’s Desire (8:54)
- Agnus Dei (BWV 232) (6:24)
- The Fungi from Yuggoth (7:47)
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Header photo by © Seth Abrikoos (@sethpicturesmusic)
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