🎶 The Fifth Alliance
🌎Breda, Netherlands
📀 Stenahoria
® Breathe Plastic Records
📅 29/05/2026

THE FIFTH ALLIANCE celebrate two decades of existence this year and return with their fourth full-length album, “Stenahoria” — a title with a distinctly Greek character that fully reflects the album’s essence.

Operating on the fringes of post doom metal, the Dutch band crafts a soundscape that is dark, heavy, and nearly suffocating. “Stenahoria” is not an album meant for casual listening; instead, it functions as an introspective journey into the deepest and darkest corners of the human psyche, bringing buried emotions and existential anxieties to the surface.

A crucial role in shaping this sonic identity is played by the lineup changes. The addition of Peter Scheffer on drums strengthens the rhythmic intensity, while Natalya Thelen stands out with a captivating vocal performance. Her ability to shift seamlessly between clean vocals and growls adds dramatic weight, conveying anger, despair, and a profound emotional depth that permeates the entire album while maintaining a constant sense of tension.

The album consists of five tracks with a total runtime of approximately 38 minutes. It opens with the eight-minute “Phoenix”, which bursts in with black metal influences and relentless drumming, acting as a fierce yet meaningful rebirth for the band. Of course, the concept of rebirth usually carries a positive connotation, but that is not the case here. “Benandanti” follows in a similar vein, emphasizing vocal contrasts—this time reversing the dynamic, moving from clean passages to abyssal screams.

“The Fool on the Hill” maintains the heavy, emotionally charged atmosphere, while in “Battle of Barnet”, Natalya Thelen reaches one of her most expressive performances, particularly in the song’s more melodic first half. The album closes with “Jacob”, a dark and almost ritualistic composition, where the low vocal lines at the beginning and the harrowing screams midway through create a strong sense of claustrophobia and unease.

Overall, “Stenahoria” stands as a deeply personal and emotionally charged statement. It is an album that does not promise catharsis, but rather leaves it as a possibility—depending on whether the listener is willing to traverse the path from despair to the search for hope. Natalya delivers a remarkable vocal performance, Peter Scheffer’s drumming defines the rhythmic backbone, Puck Wildschut’s bass provides the necessary depth, and the guitars of Niels and Matthjis guide the emotional direction of both the musicians and the audience.

★ 8/10
✍🏻 Kostas Boudoukos