Ukrainian modern metal outfit IGNEA have unveiled “Darkness,” the second single from their upcoming album Monumental, set for release on October 23, 2026 via Napalm Records.

Moving between haunting, melancholic passages and soaring choruses before erupting into blast beats and a live choir, “Darkness” introduces one of Monumental’s central themes: nostalgia as both comfort and pain. For a band whose members all come from Kyiv, however, looking back has taken on an increasingly complicated meaning.

The accompanying music video was filmed across the Ukrainian capital, placing its modernist architecture, metro stations, and familiar streets at the heart of the story. Buildings once associated with childhood and everyday life now carry another weight as the ongoing war threatens and destroys the places tied to those memories.

Vocalist Helle Bohdanova explains:

“‘Darkness’ is about the rides we take into nostalgia when the present gets too heavy — and how bittersweet it is to realize you can never actually go back.”

The circumstances surrounding the shoot made that idea painfully literal. One day of filming followed one of Kyiv’s largest missile and drone attacks, while another took place amid air-raid sirens and drones overhead.

Photo Credit: Lame Perfect