From the moment they joined forces, TEMIC appeared as a dream come true for prog fans everywhere. The international supergroup features current and former members of Devin Townsend, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress, Neal Morse Band, Haken, Shining, Maraton and Big City. The group’s chart-topping debut lived up to the hype, but on their upcoming new album, Ceiba, they’ve grown by leaps and bounds.
Today, TEMIC are officially announcing the mighty and magical Ceiba with a soul-stirring video for the album’s lead single. While rattled by the encroaching shadow of death, “Ceased To Be” positively ascends by crossing the threshold between progressive metal, pop and hard rock.
“Ceiba is a concept album about loss in all its various forms”, TEMIC says. “While more progressive than our first album, the songs are driven by honesty and emotions. ‘Ceased To Be’ is told from the perspective of someone who’s dying, while surrounded by their loved ones. Death is not feared nor resisted. Rather, it is observed as a sacred rite of passage”.
Watch the music video for “Ceased To Be” on the Season of Mist YouTube channel:
Ceiba comes out October 2, 2026 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order: https://orcd.co/temicceiba
Pre-save on Spotify: Ceiba – Upcoming Album by TEMIC | Spotify
Hear TEMIC perform “Ceased To Be” and other new songs from Ceiba on their fall headline tour with very special guests and Season of Mist labelmates Kingcrow.
TEMIC Autumnal Offerings 2026 European Tour
with very special guests Kingcrow
October 17 – Toulouse, FR @ Ready For Prog Festival [TICKETS]
October 18 – Pratteln, CH @ Z7 [TICKETS]
October 19 – Munich, DE @ Backstage [TICKETS]
October 20 – Maastricht, NL @ Muziekgieterij [TICKETS]
October 21 – Paris, FR @ Backstage By The Mill [TICKETS]
October 22 – Rüsselsheim, DE @ Das Rind [TICKETS]
October 24 – Toruń, PL @ Art Rock Festival [TICKETS]
More dates to be announced soon.
Much like TEMIC’s first full-length statement, Ceiba can be traced back to theories around mortality. In Mayan culture, the titular tree is considered an axis mundi and held sacred for how it connects the earth with heaven and the underworld. As with the album’s striking cover art, “Ceased To Be” is cracked open by guitarist Eric Gillette’s booming riffs and an electronic soundscape that rumbles like ominous clouds on the horizon.
“I have experienced lots of personal losses, along with everyone else”, keyboardist Diego Tejeida says. “Though we don’t often talk about them with each other, loss is so universal that it will always be a natural part of our lives, like a tree”.
Indeed, Ceiba treats loss not as an end but as one more step along life’s path. “The blood will testify: Your soul will never die”, vocalist Fredrik Klemp sings with conviction amidst the endlessly rewarding chorus of “Ceased To Be”. No matter how deep the album digs into philosophical terrain, TEMIC continue to branch out in all directions – both literally and figuratively. Newest member and fleet-fingered bassist Miguel Pereira locks in with drummer Simen Sandnes despite a multitude of tricky tempo shifts, leading into the song’s dramatic finale, which is graced by triumphant keys and a transcendent guitar solo.
“We wrote this album together with contributions from all five members”, TEMIC says. “We allowed ourselves to explore the songs and really extend ourselves while always keeping the emotions at the front of our minds”.
The video for “Ceased To Be” was directed by Cesar Mendiburu. It was filmed in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, beneath a Ceiba tree and inside a cenote, where Ah Puch, the Mayan god of death, welcomes a woman to the afterlife.
“Since the moment I received the invitation to be a part of ‘Cease To Be’, I felt an immediate calling to say yes”, actress Anna Kirse says. “Representing all the joy and pain of life, its transformation after death, and the relief of letting go in absolute surrender resonated with me immediately. It was a beautiful artistic challenge”.
“Filming the underwater scenes was a profound experience for me as well. It required me to face my own fear of disappearing beneath the water. Surrendering to the unknown and trusting that I was safe became a significant moment of growth for me. Every day of filming was filled with magic, creativity, genuine collaboration and incredible team spirit. I am deeply grateful, truly happy and very proud to be part of this video”.
Additional video credits
Producer – Mountain Head Media
Actresses – Anna Kirse & Zizinete Marave
Screenplay – Esteban Erosa
Directors of Photography – Dreyken Hinojosa & Linda Alcocer
Underwater Photography – Esther White
Wardrobe – Gabriela Heredia
Production Assistant – Kinbe Hinojosa
Tracklist
- Asunder (1:35)
- Ashes (4:55)
- Beyond the Voice (3:58)
- Ceased To Be (6:26)
- Broken (4:45)
- Casting Stone (9:16)
- See Myself (6:38)
- Parting the Waves Inside (7:24)
- Night of Veils (3:38)
- Alone (7:02)
- As Long As We Last (10:21)
Long before they appeared like a dream come true to prog fans around the world in 2023, already, the members of TEMIC had made a real name for themselves. The international supergroup features current and former members of Devin Townsend, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress, Neal Morse Band, Haken, Shining and Maraton. Having topped charts in the Netherlands and reaching #15 on the iTunes Worldwide Metal chart, their full-length debut certainly lived up to the hype. But they’ve grown by leaps and bounds on Ceiba, their mighty and magical second album.
“Ceiba is a concept album about loss in all its various forms”, TEMIC says. “While more progressive than our first album, the songs are driven by honesty and emotions. They deal with pain, anger, fear, blame and silence, which are all difficult in their own way but a part of the process to renewing our inner strength”.
The concept behind TEMIC started in 2017, when keyboardist Diego Tejeida and guitarist Eric Gillette were both touring members of Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress. After proving to be a quick fit on stage, the two decided to start their own band together. “We wanted to make music that prided itself on emotion, not just because it’s technically difficult to play”, Tejeida says. As for what the band would sound like, combining their love for heavy riffs, heavenly pop hooks and high-energy electronic music into a hard-hitting prog-metal hybrid wasn’t so simple. But after recruiting former soccer prodigy-turned-Zildjian-endorsed drummer Simen Sandnes to go along with Norwegian Idol contestant and powerhouse vocalist Fredrik Klemp, TEMIC put all the pieces together on their very first try.
“[…] a fresh and powerful take on contemporary progressive metal”, Sonic Perspectives wrote in a 8.5/10 review of Terror Management Theory.
ProgRadio agreed. “[…] a band that has the potential to innovate and redefine the boundaries of progressive rock and metal”.
“TEMIC manages to craft a distinct narrative, with the echoes of their musical roots subtly woven into each track”, wrote The Prog Report, who named Terror Management Theory one of the best albums of 2023.
Now, after a co-headline tour of Europe with Rendezvous Point and a splashy appearance aboard Cruise to the Edge, TEMIC are back in full bloom with Ceiba.
Much like Terror Management Theory, the supergroup’s widely-anticipated follow-up centers on mortality. In Mayan culture, the titular tree is considered sacred for its connection to the earth, heaven and the underworld. “We love how the image of the Ceiba connects to the overarching theme of loss”, Tejeida explains. As depicted by the album’s lush cover art, it opens like a crack of lightning. Heavy with loss and without any foreseeable hope on the horizon, “Ashes” rains down one thunderous riff after another, only for the dark clouds to lift like a veil amidst its rousing chorus.
“Though I’m broken, my will still remains”. While digging deep, Klemp never fails to hit the high notes. “Finding strength that resides within the pain”.
Like a root, loss possesses a deep hold over Ceiba. “I have experienced lots of personal losses, along with everyone else”, Tejeida says. “Though we don’t often talk about them with each other, loss is so universal that it will always be a natural part of our lives, like a tree”. Whether it’s the loss of a friendship, a romantic relationship, a loved one or your sense of self, so too does the album take many different forms. “Casting Stone” turns a hopeful relationship contentious with a fiery volley between djent, hard rock and electronics. Meanwhile, fragile ballad “Broken” mourns the end of a codependent relationship while accompanied by little more than ghostly synths.
“Prog can be too concerned with being clever, but ‘Broken’ is just an honest song”, Tejeida says. “The song pretty much has stayed the same since we wrote it: raw and to the point”.
No matter how deep Ceiba digs into philosophical terrain, TEMIC continue to branch out in all directions both literally and figuratively. The album treats loss not as an end but as one more step along life’s path. “Your soul will never die”, assures lead single “Ceased To Be”, which crosses between prog’s technical sorcery and pop’s divine melodies with relative ease thanks to shrewd guidance from the group’s newest member and bassist Miguel Pereira (Withem, Big City). Supported by swaying leads, towering cleans and firm groove, 10-minute closer “As Long As We Last” promises to stay with us long after its final epic solo.
“We wrote this album together with contributions from all five members”, the band says. “We allowed ourselves to explore the songs and really extend ourselves while always keeping the emotions at the front of our minds”.
With Ceiba, TEMIC return with a thunderous ode of prog.
Lineup
Fredrik Klemp (Maraton, 22) – Vocals
Eric Gillette (The Neal Morse Band, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress) – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Diego Tejeida (Devin Townsend, Mike Portnoy’s Shattered Fortress, ex-Haken) – Keyboards, Sound Design
Simen Sandnes (Shining, Arkentype) – Drums
Miguel Pereira (Withem, Big City) – Bass
Production credits
Drums and lead vocals recorded at Lionheart Studio in Oslo, Norway
Lead vocals engineered and produced by Diego Tejeida
Mixed by Chris Edrich
Mastered by Pierrick Noël at Atelier Mastering
Cover artwork
Hicham Hamzi / H-Hich Design
Follow TEMIC
Official Website: https://temicband.com
Bandcamp: https://temic.bandcamp.com/album/terror-management-theory
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/temic/1695936703
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/21VXRBFEQrR6Xrot1y5t7I
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TEMICBAND
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/temicband
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaslvfVCVrV4cdARmdiQKGg
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