Since emerging from Lithuania in 2016, Erdve have experimented with heavy music’s imposing framework. The expiermental metallic hardcore band’s debut established a heavy foundation, while their follow-up chiseled away with dramatic intensity. Now, they are pushing their vision to more crushing extremes on their new album Epigrama.
“The band have judged each element perfectly to create a monument of extreme metal that reaches for the beyond”, Distorted Sound writes in an early 8/10 review of Epigrama.
Epigrama was released yesterday, May 29, 2026 on Season of Mist and you can hear all eight devastating tracks by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Erdve have earned a reputation for unconventional experiments. The band have performed in Vilnius’ St. John’s Church and the historic Lukiškės Prison. Metal Injection hailed their debut Vaitojimas as an ”uncompromising patchwork of hardcore punk and sludge metal”. In reviewing follow-up Savigaila, Nine Circles marveled at how “all that harshness that is at once apparent settles out and mellows into something that is quite beautiful and begs repeated listens”.
Now, with Epigrama, Erdve have redefined their hardened sludgy metallic experiment into their most conceptually focused and structurally deliberate album. The band confront grief, guilt and stagnation as structural forces rather than passing emotions. Every decision, or absence of decision, is treated as moral debt. From the suffocating grief of lead single “Nyra”, the all-consuming descent of “Ydos” to the madness of the title track and the irreversible acceptance of closer “Svertas,” the record unfolds as a journey from doubt to clarity through collapse. A moment isn’t captured. A process is endured.
Tracklist:
- Epigrama (04:32)
- Nyra (05:32)
- Skepsis (05:07)
- Ydos (05:34)
- Trukmė (06:40)
- Svertas (05:39)
- Raukšlės (04:22)
- Skleistis (05:16)
Full runtime: 42:48
ERDVE is a metal band from Vilnius, Lithuania, experimenting with extreme music since 2016.
In 2017, the band signed a record contract with SEASON OF MIST records, who later released their debut album VAITOJIMAS (translated as: Moaning). The album has set a strong foundation for the band to keep pushing the limits of creativity within the framework of heavy, yet atmospheric metal iterations.
Their second album SAVIGAILA (translated as: Self-loathing) was released by Season of Mist in 2021, and has presented a different and more abrasive approach towards composing and storytelling, focusing on the intensity, unpredictability and drama.
The band is known to dive into unexpected ventures by choosing to perform in places that intuitively seem incoherent to the type of music being played or are not considered to be regular venues. First such show took place in the church of St. John’s 2019 and another one in Lukiškės Ex-Prison, both in Vilnius, Lithuania.
After the second album, the band took some time to rediscover their relationship with music and identified the elements that would convey their future vision in the most truthful way. This idea is followed by their 2026 release – EPIGRAMA, that delivers a familiar, yet a fundamentally different approach towards experimenting within the confines of heavy music and reflective storytelling. The goal was to craft a meticulous consistency between the music, lyrics and sound production, where every aspect of the song works together to create meaningful impact. This album marks a new beginning for ERDVE, in the process of rediscovery, experimentation and raw expression.
Line-up:
Vaidotas Darulis — Vocals, Guitars
Adomas Varnelis — Guitar
Valdas Voveraitis — Drums
Karolis Urbanavičius — Bass
Production Credits:
Self-produced by Vaidotas Darulis & Adomas Varnelis.
Mixed Vaidotas Darulis & Adomas Varnelis.
Mastered by Vaidotas Darulis.
Cover Art:
Photography by Vaidotas Darulis.
Designed by Vaidotas Darulis,
Vainius Česnauskas (https://www.instagram.com/vainius.art/),
Marija Česnauskienė-Dvarionaitė (https://www.instagram.com/maryces.art/).
Follow Erdve:
Bandcamp: https://erdvesom.bandcamp.com/album/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erdve/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erdvelt/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@erdve
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7uctedT9WR5dzqjAOx3jKN
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/erdve/1299788970
Tidal: https://tidal.com/artist/9229661
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/13602259
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