Metal, Hardcore, Indie, Rock
A new force in modern rock has arrived.
HOKKA today release their highly anticipated debut album, “Via Miseria IV” via Nuclear Blast Records.
To celebrate the release, the band have also unveiled the official video for the album’s haunting title track, ‘Via Miseria.’
Forged from the meeting of two towering creative forces in Finnish rock, HOKKA unites Joel Hokka, former frontman of the internationally acclaimed nu metal phenomenon Blind Channel, with Pauli Rantasalmi, the iconic guitarist and songwriter behind The Rasmus, whose influence has helped shape Nordic rock for almost three decades.
Completing the line-up is the formidable young drummer Jimi Aslak, bringing a fresh intensity and dynamic edge to the band’s cinematic, emotionally charged sound.
With “Via Miseria IV”, HOKKA step boldly into dark and deeply human territory — an album that explores vengeance, love, grief, and the fragile beauty born from pain. Rich in atmosphere and driven by soaring melodies, crushing riffs, and raw emotion, the record journeys into the heart’s most shadowed corners.
Each track unfolds like a bloody rose in bloom: beautiful, aching, and edged with the thorns of loss.
At the emotional core of the album lies the defining line:
“I found a beauty in the pain.”
That lyric serves as the spiritual centrepiece of “Via Miseria IV” — a powerful statement of resilience and emotional truth. Here, suffering is transformed into something transcendent, and vengeance becomes less about destruction and more about revelation.
Alongside today’s album release, HOKKA have shared the breathtaking official video for “Via Miseria,” a visually striking and cinematic piece that perfectly captures the album’s themes of darkness, longing, and redemption.
Watch the video for ‘Via Miseria‘:
Listen to the album “Via Miseria IV”: https://hokka.bfan.link/via-miseria-iv
Frontman Joel Hokka comments: “From the depths of hell to a new beginning: Via Miseria IV, our debut album, is finally here. It may sound like a cliché, but it’s true when I say we poured our hearts into this piece of art. From trauma to heartbreak, from the highest highs to the lowest lows. Welcome to Via Miseria, where you never walk alone.”
“Via Miseria IV” comes in following formats:
CD jewel case with 20-page poster booklet
1 LP red vinyl
1 LP red/black splatter
In addition, HOKKA has just announced their first live shows for 2026 giving fans the opportunity to experience the power and storytelling of the warrior and sensai saga on stage for the first time.
The first club show:
Confirmed festival shows:
line up:
Joel Hokka – voc
Pauli Rantasalmi – guitar
Sampo Sundström – guitar
Jimi Aslak – drums
