Swiss black metal act Vígljós drops new single “Claviceps” ahead of September album release

Swiss black metal outfit Vígljós has unveiled a blistering new single titled “Claviceps,” giving fans their first taste of the group’s upcoming second full-length, “Tome II – ignis sacer”, set to launch on September 19th, 2025 through the French independent label Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions.

Emerging from Basel in 2022, Vígljós (their name, from Old Norse, means “the light which is just bright enough to be able to kill a man”) has grown into a four-piece featuring members from both Germany and Switzerland. The lineup—including drums, vocals, guitar, and guest mellotron—recently recorded the new album at Marc Obrist’s Hutch Sounds studio, with Obrist also handling mixing and mastering. The album’s visual presentation is crafted by artist Adrian Smith, with layout by Luca Piazzalonga.

Musically, the band draws on the ferocious energy of the early ’90s Norwegian second wave black metal, citing inspirations like Darkthrone and Immortal, yet they avoid mere imitation. Instead, Vígljós blends raw, icy riffs with synth textures, intricate tremolo picking, subtle rock’n’roll phrasing, and atmospheric mellotron layers.

The thematic undercurrent of “Tome II – ignis sacer” centers on ergotism—the poisoning effect of ingesting the claviceps fungus on wheat—which historically sparked periods of social upheaval and witch hunts. With “Claviceps,” the band explores how substances—from medieval ergot to modern LSD—have influenced creativity, medicine, society, and art, while also acknowledging the horror and moral decay these substances brought.

The album will be available on CD, LP, and digital formats, and is currently available for pre-order.

1. Sowing
2. A Seed of Aberration
3. The Rot
4. Claviceps
5. Dellusions of Grandeur
6. Decadency and Degeneration
7. Harvest
8. Fallow – A New Cycle Begins