Holy Wars unveil haunting new single ‘Ceremony’

Los Angeles-based rock outfit Holy Wars have returned with the hauntingly cinematic new single “Ceremony”. The latest track touches on dark meditations of sacrifice, where devotion and self-erasure blur into ritual, before quietly questioning the cost of surrender. Sonically “Ceremony” is a whirlwind experience, weaving pummeling guitar riffs, driving rhythms pulsating synths and dynamic crescendos behind vocalist Kat Leon’s soaring and impassioned vocals that reach for the stars. 

Prior to the official release of the track, Holy Wars’ debuted the song live this past summer at major European festivals including Download Festival, Rock am Ring, Rock im Park, and Rock for People, drawing immediate crowd reaction city after city.

Speaking on the new single, vocalist Kat Leon shares:

“‘Ceremony’ at its core is about the fantasy and fear of non-existence and the times I myself have not wanted to exist anymore. However, I want to provide a message of hope and more than anything, this song is about survivalism and a hope for a better life. We also touch on ceremonial references, including my own practice of candle magic. In the song I say “Wax in my veins, I’m candlelight” and ultimately I want to drive the point home of owning your power and your weakness.”

“Ceremony” arrives alongside the official announcement of the band’s highly anticipated sophomore album “Shadow Work/Light Work”, due for release on April 24th, 2026 via Pale Chord/Rise Records/BMG. This new chapter follows the band’s incendiary late 2023 EP Cult Classic, and finds the band at their most grandiose form yet.

“Shadow Work/Light Work” is a concept record on grief and overcoming trauma, while returning to the band’s darker and more vulnerable roots and ushering in a new era of hope, light, and ultimately triumph over tragedy. The album title represents a powerful duality of light and dark within the record, both lyrically and thematically. This also extends to the sonic nature of the record, with tracks spanning the heaviest material of their career to date, paired equally with some of their most tender, uplifting, and melodically rich compositions yet, all while remaining entirely cohesive.

Speaking on the backstory and lyrical themes behind “Shadow Work/Light Work”, Leon shares:

“The concept behind “Shadow Work/Light Work” is taking the grief and trauma of losing my parents ten years ago, and looking at how hard that has actually been for me. I have almost held onto that grief as armor for a long time and at times have felt like I am owed some payoff for all of this pain. Then, after my sister passed away in 2024, it instantly brought me right back to that shadow mindset and darkness. However,  instead of being trapped in it,  I used it as a way of healing through writing. Ultimately you have to confront the darkest parts of yourself, even the parts that you are unwilling to look at. Only then can you eventually find the light.”

Produced by guitarist Nicholas Perez in the creatively fabled town of Joshua Tree, California, the result is undoubtedly their most ambitious and genre-defining work  to date. Speaking on the mission statement, production and sound of their adventurous new album, guitarist/producer Nicholas Perez shares:

“We really wanted to not limit ourselves to something we have done in the past and instead allow ourselves to do whatever we want to do. This time around we aimed  to make things sound bigger and more impactful while also bringing that chills-inducing factor back to our band again.”

In a world where it is often easy to become numb, Holy Wars want you to feel everything on “Shadow Work/Light Work” and upon the first listen, it will be clear that Holy Wars have finally arrived, and it is only a matter of time before they reach the stratosphere.

“You never truly learn  who you are as an artist until you hit the road hard and this past year gave us a ton of confidence and clarity going into the future of this band,” Leon states.

Pre save ‘Shadow Work/Light Work’ HERE

This past year has been a crucial level up for Holy Wars who embarked on an epic trip across the pond to perform a series of high profile sets at massive festivals in both the UK and EU, including Rock im Park and  Rock am Ring in Germany, Rock For People in the Czech Republic — as well as Download Festival in the UK on Saturday. Additionally, the band supported nu metal pioneers Kittie for  a string of club shows in the EU/UK in tandem with their festival appearances. This past September, Holy Wars joined forces with Evanescence for a on-off show at the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, alongside alternative-metal royalty Poppy.

 In January 2026, Holy Wars  set sail on ShipRocked, alongside Halestorm, Motionless In White, Knocked Loose, and recent tourmates Kittie, amongst many others. On February 1, 2026 Holy Wars revealed that they will perform at the 2026 iteration of Warped Tour in Long Beach, Washington D.C., and Orlando. The band shared the exciting news during their appearance at the official Warped announcement party in Long Beach, CA, performing alongside Girlfriends and Big Ass Truck.

Stay tuned for more exciting announcements from Holy Wars as the band will be revealing more tour dates and festival appearances in the coming weeks.