As the arrival of their landmark 30th studio album draws closer — set for 21 May via The Circle Music — Ataraxia reveal the next chapter of their ongoing sonic pilgrimage. The new single and accompanying video, "Alabaster", shifts the focus from the Mediterranean rites explored in the previous track towards the frost‑bitten realms of the North.
Taken from the forthcoming album Sylfaera The Fair — the concluding part of a trilogy that began with Pomegranate and Centaurea — "Alabaster" introduces a warrior‑shaman into the band's expanding mythic tapestry.
Within the world of Sylfaera The Fair, Alabaster is a free spirit, a shaman bound to the wolf species. He traverses the snow‑laden Northern mountains, a formidable figure who unites the disciplined elegance of martial arts with the untamed ferocity of the wilderness.
As a member of the Fellowship of the 9, Alabaster embodies the sacred masculine. A body‑shifter moving between human and lupine form, he is defined by the pale sheen of his skin and fur. He is the first to reach the ritual grounds of Loona beneath the full moon, serving as the vanguard who opens portals through arcane formulas.
The band elaborate on the track's significance: "Alabaster acts as a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. On the night in Loona, he longs to reunite with his group soul, moving not as an individual, but as a single spiritual entity guided by powerful instinct. He knows the shadows, the tracks, and the smells of the wild. He represents that primal, intuitive force that exists within the sacred masculine".
The piece features the evocative vocals of Francesca Nicoli, supported by Vittorio Vandelli on bouzouki, electric guitar, and ritualistic programming, with Giovanni Pagliari on keyboards. Guest musician Gregorio Bellodi contributes haunting uilleann pipes, further enriching the arrangement. The video is directed by Wampyrion.
Learn more about Sylfaera The Fair HERE. Link
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"We were outsiders, and nobody knew what the fuck was going on. We just listened to this extreme music that nobody else liked, and that made us very strong..." - Mikael Stanne
"There were already bands doing small illustrations of symphonic metal, and I was thinking, why doesn't someone do this all the time?" - Christofer Johnsson
"They wrote that we wanted to influence people's minds with our bagpipes so that they would be willing to attack the police." - Irdorath
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