With “Blanche réalité,” post-hardcore vets IMPURE WILHELMINA offer the second glimpse into Le sanglot, their upcoming new album and first entirely in French.
“Blanche réalité” (White Reality) maps a state of persistent, low-grade alienation: a person going through the motions of daily existence, disoriented at the center of a world from which all warmth has been subtracted. The song finds its biographical root in a winter hike Impure Wilhelmina vocalist and guitarist Michael Schindl took, during which he nearly lost himself in the fog. That real, physical experience of erasure sits at the core of the song’s emotional logic, grounding an otherwise interior state in something concrete and felt.
Watch the official music video for “Blanche réalité”:
The video for “Blanche réalité” extends the song’s territory rather than illustrating it. Shot entirely on location in fog-bound natural landscapes with no band performance, the video follows a solitary figure moving through mist-consumed fields and bare woodland without ever arriving anywhere. The palette is almost entirely de-saturated, with animals functioning as the visual counterpart to the lyrics: present, unreachable, moving through the fog with a purposefulness the human figure lacks. Only in the final seconds does color return, a handful of amber leaves around water, an image that offers no clear resolution.
Le Sanglot comes out May 22, 2026 on Season of Mist. Pre-order & pre-save: https://orcd.co/iwlesanglot
Tracklist:
- Électricité noire (5:01)
- Cent mille plaies (3:43)
- Abîme (6:26)
- Larmes de joie (5:02)
- Dévoreur d’étoiles (6:00)
- Train mort (4:03)
- Frelon ivre (4:40)
- Blanche réalité (5:35)
- Demain J’abandonne (4:04)
- À Jamais radieuse (5:52)
Full runtime: 50:287. Frelon ivre (4:40)
Born from Geneva, Switzerland’s thriving alternative music scene, IMPURE WILHELMINA has been developing a truly unique blend of sound over the years, somewhere in between metal and progressive-tinged dark rock. The band’s distinctive style is dense, melodic and deeply melancholic, brought to life by introspective lyrics both profoundly humane and chilling, infused with raw emotion.
Impure Wilhelmina was founded in 1996 and made a name for itself in the early 2000s, with a series of iconic albums – I Can’t Believe I was Born in July (2003) and L’amour, la mort, l’enfance perdue (2005) along with several European tours. Little by little, the quartet led by guitarist and vocalist Michael Schindl won over the hearts of a now loyal fan base, who appreciate how the band turns dark themes into a universe of healing sound.
Impure Wilhelmina’s story is also one of perpetual renewal. The band’s sound has evolved from its gritty beginnings to more mature, melodic productions driven by clear magnetic vocals. Black Honey (2014), Radiation (2017) and Antidote (2021), widely appraised by critics, pushed horizons further yet for the band, signed to the label Season of Mist since 2015.
Throughout the years, Impure Wilhelmina has played hundreds of shows across Europe, performing at underground venues and large festivals alike, including opening for icons such as Gojira, Baroness, Amenra, Sólstafir and Crippled Black Phoenix.
Since 2023, the band has been working on its next album to follow Antidote. The process is enriched by the arrival of new guitarist Edouard Nicod, joining Sébastien Dutruel (bass), Mario Togni (drums) and Michael Schindl (guitar and vocals). Their new album entitled Le sanglot, set to be released by Season of Mist in 2026, will showcase the band’s next radical yet organically logical transformation: lyrics entirely in French, unleashing dimensions of sound you wouldn’t expect, with renewed creative energy.
« Rescapé de l’ancien monde, touché par la grâce »
Line-up:
Michael Schindl — Vocals, Guitar
Mario Togni — Drums
Sébastien Dutruel — Bass
Edouard Nicod — Guitar
Production Credits:
Recorded at Kitchen Studio, Geneva, Switzerland.
Produced, engineered & mixed by Yvan Bing at Kitchen Studio, except for track 9, recorded by Serge Morattel at Rec Studio.
Mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studio, Stockholm, Sweden.
Recording Line-up:
Michael Schindl
Mario Togni
Sébastien Dutruel
Edouard Nicod
Guest Musician:
Marion Leclercq (Mütterlein) on the track 6, ‘Train Mort’.
Cover Art:
Giganto (http://giganto.ch/)
Photography:
Mehdi Benkler
Follow Impure Wilhelmina:
Bandcamp: https://impurewilhelmina.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/impurewilhelmina/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impurewilhelmina/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/impure-wilhelmina/299336044
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29luUtCyre5DdAujrV8Pob
Tidal: https://tidal.com/artist/4178564
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/1309118
Click image to watch the video
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