Dutch gothic storytellers Blackbriar have embraced the spirit of the season with a chilling re-imagining of The Fossilised Widow, recast as an intimate piano parlour piece in honour of Samhain and All Hallows’ Eve. The new version strips the song to its bones, spotlighting vocalist Zora Cock’s ethereal timbre over mournful piano, a stark contrast to the symphonic metal power of the original album recording.
The reworked track arrives as a companion to the band’s latest album A Thousand Little Deaths, released earlier this year and already shaping up as a milestone moment in Blackbriar’s journey. Recorded and mixed by long-time collaborator Joost van den Broek, the piano-and-voice arrangement deepens the track’s tragic romantic narrative, inviting listeners to sit closer, breathe slower, and step further into Blackbriar’s dark fairytale world.
Blackbriar shared, “We’ve re-recorded an intimate piano-and-vocal version of our song The Fossilised Widow from our latest album. Our music really comes alive during spooky season, and this haunting rendition was especially created for these wonderfully eerie autumn nights.”
A Thousand Little Deaths marks the third full-length studio release from the Assen-born act, cementing their evolution from Netherlands underground cult fascination to globally recognised gothic metal architects. The record follows 2021 debut The Cause Of Shipwreck and 2023’s Born Again, continuing their lyrical fascination with tragic heroines, cursed lovers, and supernatural folklore – themes that have become synonymous with the band’s identity.
Tracks such as Bluebeard’s Chamber, Floriography, I Buried Us, Harpy and A Last Sigh Of Bliss find Blackbriar deepening their cinematic gothic palette. For fans of storytelling steeped in dread, romance, and doomed destiny, this is a band who take fantasy seriously, weaving narrative threads as carefully as their melodies.
Formed in 2012, Blackbriar quickly built traction with EP releases and striking videos before landing a coveted touring opportunity with Epica in 2019, joining their Design Your Universe anniversary tour. That same year, the band were hand-picked for the Halestorm and In This Moment aftershow in Amsterdam. The momentum only intensified, culminating in a signing with Nuclear Blast in November 2022 – a significant endorsement from the world’s leading heavy music label.
Their dedication to narrative has also drawn them into wider creative collaborations, including filming the music video for Dianne van Giersbergen’s debut solo single After
For those discovering the band now, Cock’s vocal presence remains a defining element, often compared to classical and art-pop sirens. But it’s the band’s unified vision, with René Boxem (drums), Bart Winters (lead guitar), Robin Koezen (rhythm guitar), Siebe Sol Sijpkens (bass) and Ruben Wijga (keys), that makes Blackbriar’s universe feel lived-in, haunted, and lush.
With A Thousand Little Deaths now circulating globally and this piano parlour release reinforcing the band’s dramatic range, expect more activity as 2025 unfolds. Blackbriar’s world keeps expanding, and they continue to invite listeners into the shadows with them.
A Thousand Little Deaths Tracklisting
Bluebeard’s Chamber
The Hermit And The Lover
The Fossilised Widow
My Lonely Crusade
Floriography
The Catastrophe That Is Us
A Last Sigh Of Bliss
Green Light Across The Bay
I Buried Us
Harpy
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