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Something wicked this way comes … Rising from Orlando, Florida, Dark Divine have established themselves as one of the hottest names in modern metalcore, their none-more-black horror stylings serving as a lightning rod for a movement rapidly sweeping the alternative music world.

Formed in 2021, Dark Divine – comprising irrepressible frontman Anthony Martinez, razor-sharp guitarist Robby Lynch and the tourniquet-tight rhythm section of Corey Scissorhands (bass) and Triston Blaize (drums) – have been hailed as “electrifying” by Rock Sound magazine, while being championed by SiriusXM Octane and Idobi Radio, and landing major playlist spots across Spotify and Apple Music. 

Following on from their break-out 2022 EP ‘Halloweentown’ and the success of their debut full-length ‘Deadly Fun’ (2023), Dark Divine return with sophomore album ‘Undead Melody’, released on May 29th through the band’s home of Thriller Records.

‘Undead Melody’ is described by vocalist Martinez as “a new frontier” for his collective, who have emerged from a period of change and growth within their ranks to present the most complete realisation of the world of Dark Divine yet. “We wanted to expand everything that we and the fans love about Dark Divine,” Martinez says. “The overarching theme of the record is rebirth. It’s about rising from life’s low points, which I think reflects the journey we’ve been on in recent times. We wanted to challenge ourselves, to grow, and to take Dark Divine to places we’ve never been able to before.”

Fans will find plenty to love, then, in the bludgeoning breakdowns of “Better Start Digging” and “Midnight Masquerade”; the circus spook of “Freakshow”; the sinister atmosphere of “Halloweentown II: Welcome Home”; and the synthwaves tones of “Make Me Disappear” and “The Void”. Like all good sequels, though, ‘Undead Melody’ is faithful to its original but treads new ground, too – something exemplified by Martinez’s expansive vocal performance, described by the frontman as his most challenging and far-reaching yet, which harnesses masterful, switchblade-fast changes from guttural lows to searing screams and devilish cleans.

“This is the most collaborative Dark Divine record yet,” Martinez says. “It’s the first time we were writing together while physically in the studio, which was a learning curve for us all but I think allowed us to expand on the individual abilities and influences that we all bring to the band, and make something that sounds familiar but new to us.”

‘Undead Melody’ extends far beyond its 13 songs, however, with its carefully crafted world fleshed out through everything from the album’s artwork to the band’s visual aesthetic. “We wanted the story of the record not just to be told through the music, but through our art,” explains Martinez. “Each member had a character created for them, which has been on the cover of each of the album’s singles – I was “Halloweentown II”, Corey was “Better Start Digging”, Tristan was “Make Me Disappear” and Robbie was “Permanent”. Each of the characters is emerging from a grave, and the full album artwork shows the four open graves, where they’ve crawled back to life from.”

Even the band’s trademark stage makeup is a reflection, he notes, of the Dark Divine story. “It’s reflective of who I am as a person and how I am feeling,” he nods. “WIth a bit of chaos about it, too, that allows me to change it at any given moment.” 

Central to the Dark Divine modus operandi, however, is ensuring there is substance to match its style. Says Martinez: “It’s important that for everything Dark Divine is visually, the audience is able to connect with the songs. I’m telling stories about situations and things I’ve witnessed, heard or felt in life, and hopefully it gives a place for people who can relate to those experiences somewhere to feel at home. Our world of Halloweentown is a space for people to be expressive, and be free from whatever the real world is doing to you. I want it to be a place where people can be whoever they want to be.”

Such an attitude has seen a devoted fanbase rapidly grow around the band, known as the Reapercult, taking their name from one of the band’s 2023 singles.  

“We’re all spooky kids at heart. We love horror movies, we love Halloween, we love haunted houses and horror nights and conventions,” says Martinez. “There’s a huge community of likeminded people around the horror scene who all just love the same things and find a connection with each other through that. The Reapercult community is built on that. They inspire and motivate us constantly, and I think the connection we have is formed on the basis that we and they are the same. We are one of them.”

Martinez’s own journey in the dark side came from an early love of larger-than-life “characters” such as KISS, and a love of the visual world of Tim Burton. Halloween was a season he always innately felt “drawn to”. Music, too, has a permanent fixture, something he long knew would be the dominant focus in his life. Dark Divine afforded him a place for it all to make sense. “This band for me has always been a place to harness all the stress, frustration and anxieties I feel and release it through a side of me,” he says. “There’s a lot of shit going on in the world and in people’s lives. We want to provide a space for those feelings to be heard and validated in the same way.”

Having previously raised hell across stages shared with Ice Nine Kills, Black Veil Brides, Blessthefall, Crown The Empire and more, as well as at events such as Summer Of Loud, Apocalypse Fest and Inkarceration, the beginning of 2026 has seen Dark Divine lift the veil on the Undead Melody era through their own epic US headline Shallow Graves tour. For Dark Divine, though, that is only the beginning of something bigger, better and more wicked than ever before…