German blackened doom/sludge metal band Lightless to release their debut album »A Foreseen Loss« on April 30th; first single streaming now!

Dresden, Germany based blackened doom/sludge metal band Lightless will release their debut full-length album »A Foreseen Loss« on April 30th, 2025.

Listen to the first single »Malicious Hopes Turned To Dust« feat. Val Atra Niteris!

Tracklist:
01. Social Pestilence
02. Alternating Preeminence
03. Malicious Hopes Turned To Dust (feat. Val Atra Niteris)
04. Humanity’s Closing Chapter

Lightless comments: “After two and a half years, we return with our debut full-length album »A Foreseen Loss«: a journey of crushing doom combined with piercing black metal, relentlessly pushing through your ears. This record aims at raising awareness about the ongoing destruction of both humanity and nature.”

Pre-order »A Foreseen Loss« here:
lightlessdoom.bandcamp.com/album/a-foreseen-loss

In its initial state, Lightless had been a solo doom project of Dr. Christian Engelmann (guitars, vocals) for approximately half a year in early 2021. During that period, he deeply dived into the underground scene of the sludge/doom genre with acts primarily from the UK and US (e.g. Fórn, Usnea, Mizmor). Wondering how their unique, raw and nasty bass and guitar sound can be recreated, he started digging around with different amps and pedals, and unintentionally started writing first song blueprints. In late 2021, after (the former) drummer and bass player joined, Lightless became a band that is based in Dresden, Germany, since then. Their music offers a unique blend between doom and black metal, with noticeable influences by the adjacent genres of sludge and post-metal.

Often originating from Christian’s raw song sketches and riffs, the music of Lightless is usually elaborated during regular jam sessions with the full band. Hereby, the timbre discontinuously meanders between harsh/rude and heavy/slow sections, with the addition of atmosphere through clean and drone parts. The lyrics thereby reflect impressions of both every-day life and longer-term thoughts. Being an environmental scientist, Christian naturally scrutinizes a lot of things he experiences or observes in his private and business life. We live in a world about to die sooner than later: Conflicts, wars, extremist political perspectives, corruption, bullshit lifestyle, climate change, contamination, destruction of habitats – this list is a shear endless one. A lot of countries are at the edge of destabilization from within (also Germany), as if current generations did not learn the lessons that should have been told by their predecessors. Facts are widely ignored, and freedom of speech is utilized in a way of manipulation. One would think scientists and stakeholders are an elite part of societies, and some smart persons are for sure. But the vast majority is interested in their personal career only, not giving a damn about the well-being of others or the goals they are affiliated with. Drawing the line back to Lightless, the band primarily addresses the aforementioned societal conflicts and the risk of a desolated earth linked to it.

Shortly after consolidating the first songs, a couple of first shows followed in 2022. Being routinely asked by concert attendants, the debut EP »Descent To Insignificance« was released in August 2022. The latter record was intentionally produced as on-the-fly live recording with the full band setup, and subsequently mixed/mastered by Christian. With this release, Lightless were able to gain recognition within the local scene in Saxony, Germany, and could raise ongoing opportunities for live shows. A two-digit number of shows followed in 2023 and 2024, sharing the stage with well-known acts such as SUMA, Ophis, Lares, Frowning, Terzij De Horde, Autumn Nostalgie, Utter Silence, Ascian, Smoke Weaver, Raging Sloth, Coltaine, Mindcrawler, and others. This provided the band additional recognition beyond the borders of Saxony. At the moment, recordings for the upcoming full length album entitled »A Foreseen Loss« are undergoing. In line with a release set for spring 2025, a couple of confirmed and upcoming live shows will extent Lightless’ influence radius toward western Germany and the Czech Republic.

All songs written and performed by Lightless.
Lyrics by Dr. Christian Engelmann.
Recorded and edited by Dr. Christian Engelmann at Fading Light Studio.
Mixing and mastering by Fabian Schulz at Sunsetter Recording Studio.
Artwork by Theopisti Tiftikoglou at Ikosidio.
Layout by Dipayan Das at Dipayandas Arts.
Band photo by Philipp Schräger.

Lightless is:
Dr. Christian Engelmann – Guitars, Vocals
Marc Odin Kade – Bass, Backing Vocals
Martin Heidler – Drums

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