French symphonic metal band Hartlight have announced their new album, “Iosis”, which will be funded through a Kickstarter pre-order campaign opening on 1 November. The band introduced the project in a video presentation on their official YouTube channel.
“Iosis” is conceived as a metal opera directly connected to an original dark-fantasy novel. Each of the eleven tracks on the album corresponds to a chapter in the book, providing the emotional and symbolic core for that part of the story. William Aubert created the illustrations for both the album and the book. The novel will be published in English and French, with the prologue and first chapter made available to read on the group’s website.
A world under two moons
The story unfolds in “Iosis”, a closed world watched over by two opposing moons, Albedo the White and Darga the Red. At the center of this realm sit the Crystal City and its Tower, from which the Cult enforces its authority. Outside that stronghold, populations struggle against corruption rising from the Pit, the underworld below. The plot centers on Lune, an enslaved woman in Vallaris who is drawn into the deeper conflicts of the world.
Musically, the release incorporates symphonic, power and progressive metal elements into a continuous narrative. Guest vocalists contribute to the characters across the tracklist. Noa Gruman of Scardust and Olivier “Black Dragon” Albalat of Ashen Heart voice key roles, while operatic soprano and actress Lucie André narrates the prologue, epilogue and pivotal events.
Eleven tracks, one hour
The tracklist runs across eleven pieces: “Prologue”, “Death From the Pit” featuring Olivier “Black Dragon” Albalat, “The Mournful Loss”, “Under Darga, the Bloodmoon”, “The Alchemists”, “To the Walled Garden”, “The Golden Egg” featuring Noa Gruman, “Towards the Skies of Iosis”, “The Crystal City”, “From the Tainted Grail” and “Epilogue”. The recording has a total running time of one hour and 24 seconds.
The project marks the band’s latest release following “From Midland and Beyond” (2022), “As Above, So Below” (2024) and “The Triumph of Metal” (2025). Like those works, it explores alchemical themes, expanding them into a unified musical and literary format.
Noémie Marie, voice and co-creator
Noémie Marie provides lead vocals and writes lyrics for Hartlight. She developed the lore and storyline of “Iosis” together with composer and guitarist Adrien Djouadou, who authored the companion novel from their shared concept. Outside her work in Hartlight, she has recorded and performed with Knights of Heliopolis and Phoebus the Knight.
The group, formed in Avignon in 2019, also includes Adrien Djouadou on vocals, guitars, bass and production, Adrien Guingal on guitars and backing vocals, and Guillaume Remih on drums. Pre-orders for the album and book open on Kickstarter on 1 November.
