Italian esoteric metal visionaries Urna premiere »The Great Jihad« LP via Invisible Oranges; out this Friday through ATMF!

Cagliari, Italy based black/funeral doom metal band Urna is streaming their new studio album »The Great Jihad« in its entirety exclusively on Invisible Oranges!

»The Great Jihad« is scheduled for release this Friday, October 16, 2026 through ATMF.

Tracklist:

Creator
01. First of Three
02. Second of Three
03. Third of Three

Created
04. The Great Jihad
05. Dream Death, Towards Rebirth
06. Four Levels of Infinite Splendour

Courtesy of Anubi Press:

Italian esoteric extreme metal act Urna now present their new album »The Great Jihad« in full through an exclusive premiere hosted by Invisible Oranges, ahead of its October 16, 2026 release via ATMF.

Thirteen years after »Mors Principium Est«, the band return with a darker and more volatile blend of funeral doom and black metal, enriched by vast, otherworldly melodies and occult atmospheres. The six-track album marks a new chapter for Urna, while continuing the spiritual and esoteric exploration that has defined their music since the early 2000s.

Stream »The Great Jihad« at THIS LOCATION.

More poisonous and tense than its predecessors, »The Great Jihad« retains the crushing atmosphere and funeral doom connection that have long defined Urna, while pushing their faster passages towards a harsher, more abrasive form of black metal. Amid the weight and aggression, vast, sideral melodies emerge from the darkness, adding a solemn dimension to an album steeped in occult and esoteric atmospheres. The result is a work that feels both familiar and renewed, balancing oppressive density with moments of stark, otherworldly beauty.

For the first time, Urna present an album with lyrics entirely in English. With the exception of their 2003 debut »Justa Funebria«, originally performed in Italian, the band’s releases have traditionally employed Latin. The conceptual framework once again expands RM’s personal spiritual journey through Hermetism, approaching the notion of duality from an esoteric perspective and exploring its many manifestations.

»The Great Jihad« also introduces new collaborators to the lineup, with Sibilans (Anamnesi, Simulacro) on drums and T (Sangue Nero) on bass. The album was recorded through multiple sessions between 2014 and 2025, across Italy and the United Kingdom, before being mixed and mastered at MZ’s 322 Studio in early 2026. The artwork was created by Francesco Gemelli.

Active in the extreme metal underground for more than two decades, Urna emerged in 2003 with »Justa Funebria« before attracting the attention of ATMF, which released »Sepulcrum« as its first label release. Their sound soon expanded from abrasive black metal into funeral doom, electronics and increasingly esoteric atmospheres. »Iter ad Lucem« (2009) and »Mors Principium Est« (2013) further developed this uncompromising vision, with the latter closing a cycle that had begun with their debut.

Early demos for »The Great Jihad« were already taking shape after »Mors Principium Est«, but the project subsequently entered a prolonged hiatus. Recording resumed years later before the pandemic forced another interruption. In 2025, Urna finally completed the album, bringing a journey that began more than a decade ago to its intended conclusion.

Much has changed since 2003. Urna have not.

Pre-order »The Great Jihad« here:
https://tornfromthegrave.com/collections/metal-odyssey-pre-order-now/products/urna-the-great-jihad-cd-pre-order | https://atmfsssdtp.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-jihad

Line-up:
MZ – Guitars, Synths
RM – Vocals
Sibilans – Drums
T – Bass

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well