Today, Svalbard announce their new studio album, The Weight Of The Mask, due out on October 6 via Nuclear Blast Records. New single, "Faking It", has also been revealed, accompanied by a video (see below). The track lays bare a poignant, candid account of dealing with depression and coming to the realization that you are "faking it" to just get by.

Svalbard's intention with their music is to make people feel less alone, and to be there for people in their darkest times. The Weight Of The Mask bravely lays out experiences of mental illness and depression, hoping to help destigmatize these topics.

Svalbard's Serena Cherry stated, "If the previous record was about facing your demons, then The Weight Of The Mask is about fighting them with everything you've got. You can literally hear the depression transform into aggression in these songs. The Weight Of The Mask was admittedly a challenging album to make because we cut so deep this time around, it was a painful but ultimately cathartic process. This album is the sound of two years worth of internal darkness boiling away inside and then finally being unleashed.

"'Faking It' is a song about feeling deprived of meaningful human connection due to depression acting like a wall that shuts you off from others. It addresses the ways in which those who suffer with depression can feel guilted into putting on a happy mask. The lyrics are a reflection on happiness as a social obligation and how scarily good you can become at deceiving everyone around you into thinking that you're fine when you're not. With 'Faking It', we are both acknowledging the pressure for forced positivity, the fear that people won't like you if you're sad, and also questioning where the root of this intolerance towards depression lies."

Serena added about the "Faking It" video, "This video leans on deliberately obvious binary oppositions to hammer home the message of the song. We have the glossy smiling shots, filmed in the fakest place we could find: The Selfie Factory; mixed with dark, expressive performance footage that represents the internal struggle within."

The Weight Of The Mask was recorded at The Ranch Production House, UK. The record was produced and mixed by Lewis Johns, with mastering by Grant Berry. Engineering was handled by Lewis Johns, assisted by Matt Janke, with additional editing by Kel Pinchin and Sebastien Sendon.

The beautiful album artwork was created by artist and illustrator Hestor Aspland, with layout by Lee O'Connor.

Serena Cherry stated about the album artwork, "We have been huge fans of Hester Aspland's Illustration since we saw her stunning artwork carved into a wooden table at our favorite metal bar, The Gryphon. The intricate, floral aspect of her artwork for The Weight of The Mask reflects the sonic beauty within our melodies. Then the bleaker animal skull mask symbolizes the lyrical content. Working with Hester was an absolute dream and we love the art she has created for us."

The Weight Of The Mask will be available in the following formats

- CD Jewel Case
- LP
* 1LP Crystal Clear w/Black Marble
* 1LP Purple w/Black Splatter (band exclusive)
- Digital Album

Pre-order the album here.

The Weight Of The Mask tracklisting:

"Faking It"
"Eternal Spirits"
"Defiance"
"November"
"Lights Out"
"How To Swim Down"
"Be My Tomb"
"Pillar In The Sand"
"To Wilt Beneath The Weight"

"Faking It" video:

"Eternal Spirits" video:

Svalbard finished an extensive tour across the continent supporting post-metal monoliths Cult Of Luna and Russian Circles earlier this year, and the band are now halfway through a string of European summer festival performances. They've recently played the likes of Inferno (Norway), Hellfest (France) and With Full Force (Germany), plus 2000Trees and Portals in the UK.

Svalbard will be returning to the EU mainland for six headline show dates in October, which will be concluded by a headline date at The Key Club in Leeds, UK.

Svalbard are:

Vocals/Guitar - Serena Cherry
Vocals/Guitar - Liam Phelan
Drums - Mark Lilley
Bass - Matt Francis