Volubilis |

NEWS RELEASE

Montreal, QC – May 27, 2026

Montreal Tech-Death VOLUBILIS Announce Debut Album “Theasterion” Out July 2026

Streaming Single “Ashes & Embers”

L-R – Shawn Hillman (Fretless bass) | Miguel Marcheterre-Pina (Guitar) | André Dubien (Vocals)

Photo Credit – Jade Weeles & Miguel Marcheterre-Pina

Montréal technical death metal force Volubilis officially announce their highly anticipated debut album “Theasterion,” set for release on July 10, 2026. The announcement arrives alongside the band’s first single, “Ashes & Embers,” now streaming on all major platforms.

Founded in 2020 by Afro‑Canadian multi‑instrumentalist and world‑builder Miguel Marcheterre‑Pina, Volubilis first emerged as a pandemic‑era solo project before expanding into a full lineup featuring some of Canada’s most promising extreme‑metal musicians: André Dubien (vocals), Jacob Collins (drums), Alexis Rioux (guitar), and Shawn Hillman (fretless bass). What began in a bedroom has since evolved into a multidisciplinary, lore‑driven creative universe, one that fuses technical death metal, visual storytelling, and ambitious conceptual worldbuilding.

Volubilis shape their identity through an intricate, hyper‑speed, melodic, modern, and fully immersive approach to extreme metal. Drawing from progressive and technical death metal, neoclassical and black metal, metalcore, and even classical and hip‑hop influences, the band pushes the genre into bold new conceptual territory. Powered by colossal blast beats, monstrous vocals, and soaring harmonies, “Theasterion” positions Volubilis as one of the most compelling new forces in the progressive and technical metal landscape. Their meticulous songwriting and expansive self‑built sci‑fi universe reveal a level of ambition rarely seen in a debut release.

“This album represents a significant milestone, not just for us, but for the visibility of Afro‑Canadian and BIPOC artists in extreme metal. Theasterion is a legacy project. It’s meant to inspire others to pursue their creative visions, even with limited resources,” says Miguel.

“Theasterion” is a fully conceptual record that follows a sweeping science‑fiction narrative. Humanity, no longer able to survive on Earth, colonizes a satellite orbiting the planet Theasterion. When a mysterious monument, the Prism, appears, its glyphs reveal a prophecy foretelling the supernova of the nearest star, Unukhalai. The revelation fractures the colony, igniting political upheaval, a coup d’état, and a desperate expedition to the hostile planet below. There, the explorers encounter the Homo Cumulus, a non‑linear anthropoid species evolved beyond human comprehension. As tensions rise and resources collapse, humanity faces extinction long before the cataclysm arrives.

The album’s first single, “Ashes & Embers,” showcases the band’s signature blend of technical precision and cinematic intensity. Opening with a triplet‑driven riff inspired by Beyond Creation and Ne Obliviscaris, the track erupts into high‑velocity phrygian runs, a Necrophagist‑esque solo, and a dramatic tapping section that highlights the band’s world‑class musicianship.

Streaming now, “Ashes & Embers” offers listeners their first step into the vast universe of “Theasterion.”

Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/track/2jL5Lvva0VYWoKfyvdcIec

Visualizer – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f130h2824Q

Bandcamp – https://volubilisband.bandcamp.com/track/ashes-embers

Recommended for fans of Beyond Creation, Vale of Pnath, Obscura, First Fragment and Ne Obliviscaris.

Album pre-order / pre-save available at the following links

Digital pre-save – https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/volubilis1/theasterion

Bandcamp – https://volubilisband.bandcamp.com/album/theasterion

Track Listing:
1. Le Flamboiement Stellaire (5:16)
2. Theasterion (6:30)
3. Homo Cumulus (5:48)
4. Ashes & Embers (4:50)
5. The Prism (4:01)
6. Unukhalai Supernova (6:24)
Total Album Length: 33min

Album Band Line Up:
Miguel Marcheterre-Pina – Rhythm, lead and acoustic guitars, composition, concept art, lyrics.
Shawn Hilman – Fretless Bass, Contrabass
André Dubien – Vocals, lyrics on songs 03 & 06.
Jacob Collins – Drums
Alexis Rioux – Guest solos on songs 01, 02 and 03.
Michelle Gao: Violin, viola on song 06

Live Band Line Up:
Miguel Marcheterre-Pina – Guitar, backing vocals
Shawn Hilman – Fretless Bass
André Dubien – Vocals
Jacob Collins – Drums
Alexis Rioux – Guitar

More info:

https://bio.site/volubilis

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093419962099

https://www.instagram.com/volubilisband/

About: Volubilis is a Montréal‑based technical death metal band founded in 2020 by multi‑instrumentalist Miguel Marcheterre‑Pina, originally conceived as a pandemic‑era solo project. It soon expanded into a full lineup featuring André Dubien, Jacob Collins, Alexis Rioux, and Shawn Hillman, quickly establishing itself as one of Canada’s most promising new extreme‑metal acts. After releasing their first single, “Ashes & Embers” in 2025, the band now returns with their ambitious conceptual debut album, “Theasterion.” Defined by colossal blast beats, monstrous vocals, and sweeping harmonies, their sound delivers a fresh and immersive take on progressive and technical metal. Rooted in a self‑created sci‑fi universe and driven by world‑class musicianship, Volubilis push extreme metal into bold new artistic territory.

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ASHER MEDIA RELATIONS
Jon Asher – Music Publicist
#.514.581.5780
exsr[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
Facebook – Asher Media Relations
Instagram – Asher Media

EPK – Volubilis – Theasterion (2026)

Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com

“Theasterion is a work that’s been a long time coming. With riffs dating back to 2016-2017, it is the fruit of countless hours of work culminating in an impactful metal album filled with memorable moments. Rather than simply putting it out and moving on to the next thing, we like to think of Theasterion as the first chapter in a series of works in the multidisciplinary project that is Volubilis. By developing the storytelling behind the lyrics as well as creating catchy yet complex songs, we chose to create a legacy, not only for our own work but also for the metal community. It is the hardest thing that I have worked on so far, but I wouldn’t have it otherwise, because I was blessed enough to have the chance to do what I love and to be able to share it with the world. It is hard work, but if you put the effort in, the fulfillment is unmatchable.” – Miguel Marcheterre-Pina – Volubils

For fans of Obscura, Beyond Creation, Vale of Pnath

Band: Volubilis
Album Title: Theasterion
Release Date: July 10, 2026
Label: Self-Release
Distribution: Distrokid
Genre: Technical Death Metal
Location of Band: Montréal, QC, Canada

Bio.site/volubilis | Facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093419962099

X.com/Volubilisband | Youtube.com/@VolubilisBand | Instagram.com/volubilisband

Volubilisband.bandcamp.com | Apple Music | Spotify

Track Listing:
1. Le Flamboiement Stellaire (5:16)
2. Theasterion (6:30)
3. Homo Cumulus (5:48)
4. Ashes & Embers (4:50)
5. The Prism (4:01)
6. Unukhalai Supernova (6:24)
Total Album Length: 33min

Album Recording Credits:
• All songs performed by: Volubilis
• All songs written by: Volubilis
• Produced by: Miguel Marcheterre-Pina & Mitchi Dimitriadis
• Mixed by: Mitchi Dimitriadis
• Mastered by: Mitchi Dimitriadis
• Album Artwork by: Miguel Marcheterre-Pina

Album Band Line Up:
Miguel Marcheterre-Pina – Rhythm, lead and acoustic guitars, composition, concept art, lyrics. Shawn Hillman – Fretless Bass, Contrabass
André Dubien – Vocals, lyrics on song 03 & 06.
Jacob Collins – Drums
Alexis Rioux – Guest solos on songs 01, 02 and 03.
Michelle Gao: Violin, viola on song 06

Live Band Line Up:
Miguel Marcheterre-Pina – Guitar, backing vocals
Shawn Hillman – Fretless Bass
André Dubien – Vocals
Jacob Collins – Drums
Alexis Rioux – Guitar

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Describe The Album Artwork:

The album artwork represents the strange apparition of the Prism, a recurring symbol of otherworldly power and influence over humanity in the band’s original lore, which brings forth the Prophecy upon humanity. It is a mixed-medium artwork that blends pen and charcoal drawing, acrylic painting, and digital illustration. Its intentionally minimal art style, layout, and color choices depict the Prism, appearing over the plains of obsidian shards of Theasterion, in a mix of rococo, woodcut, and modern design influences. Visually minimalistic but heavy in symbolism, the depiction of the Prism in the artwork suggests a whole narrative with its imagery, and prompts the viewer to question what’s in front of them.

The album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

Theasterion is a conceptual album in which the lyrics follow themes of science fiction and drama. The narrative revolves around a human colony living on a satellite that discovers a prophecy that tells about Unukhalai (the nearest star) going supernova. This discovery divides the colony and creates chaos on the Satellite, as not everybody believes in it. It becomes political. A group of mercenaries organize a coup d’état on the government and escapes the Satellite to go on an expeditionary mission on the planet they revolve around, Theasterion. There, they find out about the Homo Cumulus and are brought to their extinction after deciphering the content of the Prism’s glyphs. All of this narrative is conveyed with some of the most well-crafted metal music of 2026, blending high-intensity performances and musically complex sections.

Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY):

1. Le Flamboiement Stellaire: The opening track sets the stage for the sci-fi epic that is Theasterion. Fast-paced and intricate, it features innovative use of each note in its melodies. It is the only track with French lyrics, and it describes the initial point on the Satellite, the prophecy, the coup d’état and the mercenaries fleeing to embark on their reconnaissance mission on Theasterion.

2. Theasterion: This track describes the arrival of the human colony on Theasterion. The lyrics help to build a better understanding of the planet’s landscape and features. Musically, it is one of the catchiest on the record, with emotional melodies and galloping triplet riffing.

3. Homo Cumulus: the fastest song on this record. It features both technical riffing at high velocity and a heavy, dissonant section. The lyrics describe the Homo Cumulus, the anthropoid species that occupies the planet. The song ends with an acoustic guitar outro that acts as a breathing space in the album

4. Ashes & Embers: This song starts off with a triplets feel riff inspired by bands such as Beyond Creation and Ne Obliviscaris. It then switches to a much higher pace with a Phrygian section, which transitions to a Necrophagist-esque solo. The following instrumental section is a dramatic yet catchy tapping riff

5. The Prism: The only instrumental track on the record. Based on intricate tech death riffing, it’s a song that showcases the virtuosity of the band. With pummeling blast beats, exquisite fretless bass lines and melodious neoclassical segments, it is one of the more emotional songs on the record without possessing any lyrics.

6. Unukhalai Supernova: I like to think of this one as if Archspire meets Hans Zimmerman. Unukhalai Supernova is one of those tracks that just keeps growing in intensity until it brutally puts the album to a stop. It features a string section by Shawn Hillman and Michelle Gao, which adds a symphonic element to the high-intensity climactic moment of the album. The riffs are some of the most complex we ever wrote and truly showcase the band’s world-class musicianship. The lyrics describe the cataclysmic event of a star going supernova, and how a mere human experiences it. The symbolism of the supernova acts as a metaphor for a rapture.

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BAND STORY ANGLES / FUN FACTS:

1. Although most of the album was produced in Canada by Canadians, Miguel actually started tracking rhythm guitars in 2023 while he was on a student exchange in Melbourne, Australia. There, he also worked with other musicians on other projects and met a lot of individuals in the local metal community. Once the album is released, the response over there risks being very positive.

2. Le Flamboiement Stellaire and Ashes & Embers were initially intended to be released under Harmoniaq, Miguel, André, and Jacob’s previous metal band.

3. Miguel never learned music theory, but he still insisted on using fine arts training at Concordia University to develop the concepts, visual identity, and lore for Volubilis.

4. Miguel met Shawn when their two bands (Maeskyyrn and Svneatr, respectively) played a series of shows in 2022. Miguel was looking for a bass player for Volubilis, and Shawn was looking for a tech death band to integrate, so the two kept in touch and started working on the album.

5. Theasterion’s lore will expand in mediums other than music: Miguel is currently working on the production of a comic book project that will complement the storytelling behind the music.

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L-R – Shawn Hillman (Fretless bass) | Miguel Marcheterre-Pina (Guitar) | André Dubien (Vocals)

Photo Credit – Jade Weeles & Miguel Marcheterre-Pina

Volubilis is a Montréal-based technical death metal band founded in 2020 by multi-instrumentalist Miguel Marcheterre-Pina. What started as a “bedroom project” eventually evolved into a complete lineup comprising some of Canada’s best up-and-coming musicians: André Dubien, Jacob Collins, Alexis Rioux, and Shawn Hillman. After the release of their first single, Ashes & Embers, in 2025, Volubilis again reached out to the public with an ambitious conceptual album: Theasterion. With colossal blast beats, monstrous vocals and glorious harmonies, their first full-length consists of a refreshing arrival in the progressive metal scene. VOLUBILIS’ self-created lore consists of a sci-fi epic narrated through the rasp of distorted instruments, and this release marks the first of many milestones in an artistic journey showcasing Miguel’s creative worldbuilding work. The virtuosity observed in VOLUBILIS’ songwriting is a testimony of strong musicianship, intensity and emotion, elements that reflect the Canadian metal community brilliantly. Borrowing elements from various musical genres, the band raises extreme metal standards by emphasizing their world-class technical prowess.

Miguel Marcheterre-Pina

Based in Montréal, Miguel Marcheterre-Pina is an Afro-Canadian multi-instrumentalist who is also interested in illustration, writing and world-building. Since co-founding his first metal band Harmoniaq in 2017, Miguel has been involved in the music industry, notably in metal bands Maeskyyrn, Harvested and Messora. In 2020, he founded his current musical endeavour: VOLUBILIS, an ambitious multidisciplinary project that blends technical death metal and visual storytelling. He also expanded his artistic practice in Melbourne, Australia, in 2023 and 2024, where his work has been well-received by the local metal community. Currently, Miguel focuses on the launch and expansion of the universe in VOLUBILIS while still studying at university. He has been able to secure funding from various sources, notably from FACTOR and Concordia University’s FASA, and his art has been showcased at North America’s largest student-run festival: Art Matters Festival. Miguel is also an upcoming artist in residence at Casa na Ilha in Brazil, where he will be producing a comic book related to his work in Volubilis.

Discography:
2026 – Theasterion – Album
2025 – Ashes & Embers – Single
2023 – Self-Titled – Demo EP

Category: Volubilis

0 Montreal Tech-Death VOLUBILIS Announce Debut Album “Theasterion” Out July 2026; Streaming Single “Ashes & Embers”

0 EPK – Volubilis – Theasterion (2026)