Ukrainian metal quartet IGNEA released their second full-length album, Monumental, on October 23, 2026, via Napalm Records! Following 2023's Dreams of Lands Unseen, the band return with a nine-track collection exploring nostalgia, forgotten places, lost futures and the emotional weight of personal and collective memory.
Written and recorded during the ongoing war in Ukraine, Monumental carries an additional layer of significance. Recording took place primarily during the winter of 2025–2026, amid freezing temperatures and extended power outages in Kyiv.
Musically, Monumental brings together technical metal riffs, industrial textures, atmospheric interludes, grandiose choruses and melodic passages. Drawing conceptual inspiration from retrofuturism, monumental architecture, modernist structures and industrial design, IGNEA construct a musical world where memory, darkness and reflection collide.
The album's nine tracks explore different dimensions of nostalgia, from the ambitious space dreams of the Cold War era to urban decay, forgotten architecture and memories of futures that never arrived.
Opening track "Darkness" establishes the album's emotional atmosphere, moving between eerie, melancholic verses and uplifting, grandiose choruses before reaching a cathartic climax featuring a live choir and blast beats.
"Dreams of Lands Unseen" turns towards Cold War space exploration, capturing the era's optimism through march-inspired choruses, shimmering keyboards and theremin solos that evoke a distinctive 1980s atmosphere. Meanwhile, "Presence of the Past" explores the bittersweet experience of living in cities constantly changing, decaying, rebuilding and remembering.
The album also features two notable guest appearances. "Prefab" brings industrial icon Andy LaPlegua of Combichrist into the mix, delivering a stomping industrial anthem described as a rave soundtrack for metalheads.
On "Harmony Manufactured", vocalist Helle Bohdanova shares vocal duties with Britta Görtz of HIRAES. Fast, technical riffs and robotic growls create a mechanical pulse, while the track explores the relationship between technical perfection, emotion and enduring beauty.
Elsewhere, "What Buildings Dream of" slows the pace with an emotional metal ballad and uplifting chorus, while the unexpected interlude "I am in Hell" takes the form of a retro-futuristic television advertisement inspired by the 1960s.
"Between No Longer and Not Yet" ventures into doom metal infused with dark jazz elements, evoking the experience of listening to a vinyl record and revisiting memories with every rotation. Closing track "Nadir" brings the journey to an orchestral conclusion, leaving behind a lingering atmosphere of nostalgia, hope and quiet melancholy.
All lyrics on Monumental were written by vocalist Helle Bohdanova, while the music was composed by keyboardist Yevhenii Zhytniuk, with additional contributions from Bohdanova. Mixing and mastering were handled by Grammy Award-nominated producer Jacob Hansen, whose previous work includes DELAIN, Amaranthe, Volbeat, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy and Epica.
We’re completely hooked on what IGNEA have created with Monumental! The album's combination of crushing technical riffs, industrial textures, atmospheric keyboards and soaring choruses makes for a wonderfully varied listening experience, while its nostalgic, retro-futuristic themes give the music a distinctive identity. We particularly love how IGNEA balance aggression with melody and emotion, moving effortlessly between powerful, hard-hitting moments and more reflective, atmospheric passages. The guest appearances from Andy LaPlegua and Britta Görtz add another exciting dimension, too.
Catch IGNEA Live in Europe!
IGNEA will also be hitting the road in November and December 2026, joining EVERGREY on their Architects Of A New Weave European Tour, alongside Stellar Circuits.
The extensive run includes UK dates in Southampton, Birmingham, London, Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester, Bristol and Nottingham, alongside performances across Scandinavia and mainland Europe.
Monumental Tracklisting
Darkness
Dreams of Lands Unseen
Presence of the Past
Prefab (feat. Combichrist)
What Buildings Dream of
I am in Hell
Between No Longer and Not Yet
Harmony Manufactured (feat. HIRAES)
Nadir
Monumental is available through Napalm Records in multiple physical and digital formats, including limited-edition splatter vinyl, solid silver vinyl, CD and digital album editions.
IGNEA are:
Helle Bohdanova – Vocals
Yevhenii Zhytniuk – Keys
Dmytro Vinnichenko – Guitars
Oleksandr Kamyshyn – Bass
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