Italian symphonic metal band Asphodelia will release their second album, “Unfairy Tales”, on 13 November 2026 through Kraempus Records. The first taste of it, the single “River, River”, is out now on digital platforms.
The album arrives eight years after the band’s debut, “Welcome Apocalypse”, which came out in 2018 on Mighty Music. “Unfairy Tales” holds nine songs built around mythological stories, tragic female figures and questions of fate, loss and rebirth.
Daphne Speaks, Apollo Does Not
“River, River” takes the Greek myth of Apollo and Daphne and tells it from the nymph’s side. Daphne flees the god’s pursuit, and when escape becomes impossible she begs her father, the river god Peneo, for help. He turns her into a laurel tree. The band uses the story to write about resistance against oppression and transformation as a way of surviving it.
The tracklist runs: “Asherah of the Sea”, “Medusa”, “River, River”, “Queen of Nothing”, “The Bride”, “Another Day”, “Penelope’s Lament VIII”, “Atropos Awakes” and “The Last Breath”.
The record was recorded at Walls of Sleep Studio, mixed and mastered at 16th Cellar Studio, and its cover art was made by Dark Light Digital Arts.
Samah, the Voice Since 2016
Samuela Fuiani, who performs as Samah, sings and plays keyboards in Asphodelia and has been in the band since its formation in 2016. She is the voice behind the nymph’s perspective on “River, River” and the rest of the nine tracks. The band’s current line-up also includes guitarist Lordian (Ruggero Doronzo), bassist Davide Ricciardi and drummer Armando Massariello.
Asphodelia formed in Foggia, in the Apulia region of Italy, and play a dark symphonic metal that sets cinematic orchestrations and choirs against aggressive vocals and echoes of Mediterranean tradition. Their lyrics move between darkness, the sea and the underworld.
