The USA-based ethereal darkwave duo The Palace Of Tears has set 8 April (solar eclipse) as the release date of its sophomore full-length, Veiled Screen, Woven Dream.

The duo has also presented a bewitching single, "The Embers Of Your Being Glow Still", and a spectacular video for a 'woven remix' of the title track.

Hauntingly beautiful, ghostly and sensual, this fan-funded seven-track album represents "the transformational fires of the Phoenix archetype and the cyclic nature of death and rebirth".

The Palace Of Tears is Leah Kahn, aka LV Darkling (vocalist, lyricist), and Erick r Scheid (guitars, electronics, engineering), who met in Germany in 2018 when Erick was performing with his band Mercurys Antennae at the world-renowned WGT Festival. After a collaborative exercise in co-writing long distance, the duo released its debut album, Of Ruination, in 2020, with Erick also moving from the Bay Area to join LV in New Orleans.

Delving into hidden truths and secrets, pain and grief from personal loss, and the soul's journey, Veiled Screen, Woven Dream is informed by personal experiences and tragedy, including an unforeseen and agonizing turning point in its creation. Yet this process became a crucial component in the process of moving through grief and pain towards healing.

This record is an exploration of your shadow-self and entering the realm of darkness and the unconscious and subconscious, which lay just beyond our conscious awareness. The lyrics incite contemplation of the soul's journey as it departs from this mortal coil, beholding that mystery of the veil between the seen and unseen worlds.

"This album is dedicated to my brother, best friend and soulmate Kirk, who left this Earthly realm last October. I would be remiss to not mention my own recent personal loss, as I would be denying and omitting the special place that it holds in the journey of the making of this album. I truly have never known grief until now. There are songs on this album that remain difficult for me to listen to, let alone actually perform and sing, as I usually end up in tears", says LV Darkling.

"My brother's death has probably been the most unthinkable and unimaginably painful experience I've ever had in my life. His passing was sudden, violent, and traumatic. I am a suicide survivor. As vulnerable as it is to share some of this here, I am propelled by the deep spiritual connection that he and I held throughout our lives. He is inherently a part of this work, perhaps collaborating with us from beyond. It does seem worth stating that this type of loss and grief falls into a different category, and it also seems important to reach out to others through a medium as cathartic as music. I hope that by channelling this and honoring those we love, it can provide a healing catalyst and human connection can be unearthed."

With sombre beauty and otherworldly seduction, The Palace Of Tears fuses hypnotic electronics, heavily layered processed guitars and operatic contralto vocals that captivate, creating an ethereal sonic amalgam that transcends temporal boundaries. Its unique alchemy blends elements of ethereal wave, gothic rock, shoegaze, dark ambient and electronica, encapsulated within a lush cinematic soundscape. Link