Today, the Progressive Symphonic Metal band Scardust are thrilled to unveil a powerful rendition of Clean Bandit’s “Symphony,” featuring Mia Asano and Noa Gruman’s Hellscore Choir, out now via Frontiers Music Srl.
The track features acclaimed Los Angeles-based electric violinist Mia Asano, whose genre-defying style fuses classical virtuosity with Rock, Metal, Celtic, and Electronic influences. A graduate of Berklee College of Music, Asano has built a global following of more than six million across social media, with her viral performances generating over 500 million views.
Her career has included collaborations with artists including Ministry, DragonForce, Lindsey Stirling, Tina Guo, and Taylor Davis, as well as a European arena tour with Two Steps From Hell, which began with a performance in front of 75,000 people at Wacken Open Air. A recipient of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Best Violin Performance Award in 2020, Asano brings her unmistakable energy and virtuosity to the new single.
The band commented:
“‘Symphony’ by Clean Bandit has always felt like such a beautiful and emotional song, and we immediately felt it had the potential to become something very SCARDUST – combining prog metal, the Hellscore Choir, and Mia’s incredible violin playing. Sharing the adventure of Sabaton’s Legendary tour this last winter with Mia made us want to create something together again, and this song felt like the perfect opportunity.”
“While the original song is a love song, we connected with it from a more bittersweet perspective: that deep longing to belong, to be together with someone, or to be part of something, while feeling that there is a barrier keeping you apart. We wanted that feeling to run through the entire interpretation – from the arrangement and performances to Mia’s breathtaking violin solo, and into the cinematic world of the video and artwork,” they added.
“Working with the legendary Joost van den Broek on the production and orchestration was a huge part of bringing this vision to life. It feels like a very natural meeting point between everything we love about SCARDUST and everything Mia brings as a musician – dramatic, emotional, cinematic, and deeply human.”
Scardust will donate any proceeds from this release to the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research.
Watch the official video for “Symphony” via the YouTube player below:
Purchase and Stream “Symphony” here: https://ffm.to/scardust-symphony
With the release of the band’s first EP, “Shadow” (2015), and the release of their first full-length LP, “Sands of Time” (2017), Scardust positioned them as a promising newcomer in the new Progressive Metal scene. They rapidly rose to the top of the local Metal scene, selling out shows and opening for the likes of Symphony X, Therion, and Epica, and started touring overseas playing festivals and headline shows in Germany, China and the UK, as well as continuing to headline shows and festivals at home.
From the beginning, the band strove for exceptional artistic and instrumental achievement at the highest level, and Noa Gruman’s voice captivates her listeners whether with its gentle purity, operatic power, or guttural growls.
Despite the challenges of Covid-19, 2020 saw the release of their sophomore album “Strangers” accompanied by seven self-produced music videos. Described by Dead Rhetoric as “captivating from start to finish.” “Strangers” introduced a unique concept album built on complementary song pairs, earning strong critical and fan acclaim.
2022 started on a high note with the visit of Folk star Patty Gurdy, who joined Scardust for a live show in Israel and filmed the band’s most-viewed video to date, “Concrete Cages.” That summer, the band headlined multiple shows across Europe, performing to packed arenas at Wacken Open Air & Dong Open Air, where they earned the praise of Testament’s Steve Di Giorgio, who, on hearing the band from backstage, ran out front and watched the entire set, “mesmerised.”
The year concluded with the release of the dramatic one-shot video “Evolution Of The Disney – But She’s METAL” in which Noa weaves her way through a magical metal arrangement of all the best-known Disney Princess songs.
2023 saw Scardust release “Game Of Now,” a Cinematic piece set in a futuristic dystopian live show, play festivals and concerts across Europe, and join Power Metal legends Blind Guardian on tour. The year culminated in the signing of a major multi-album deal with Frontiers Records – heralding the release of the highly anticipated album “Souls.”
December 2024 saw the release of “My Haven” from “Souls,” followed by “RIP,” “Unreachable,” and “Dazzling Darkness.” With 2024 being taken up with writing and recording “Souls,” it wasn’t until early 2025 that they were able to announce that Ross Jennings (Haken) was guesting on the album and was to join the band for a headline show, resulting in the epic “Touch of Life” video.
Alongside Scardust’s rise, Noa Gruman’s metal choir, Hellscore, has been gaining significant recognition. Known for their unique a cappella renditions of metal classics, they have collaborated with renowned artists and bands such as Epica, Therion, Amorphis, and Alestorm. Hellscore is also an integral part of Scardust’s sound, performing on all their albums and live shows.
Noa Gruman is also in high demand as a vocalist, and the already-impressive list of her recent guest vocal appearances includes albums by Amorphis, Ayreon, Therion, Gloryhammer, Nino Helfrich, and Orphaned Land.
With the release of their latest album, “Souls,” Scardust have taken another major step forward in their evolution. The album brings together the band’s trademark progressive complexity, Symphonic scale, powerful melodies and technical musicianship, while expanding their sound through orchestral, Mediterranean and Celtic influences.
Featuring the Hellscore choir and a string quartet throughout, alongside guest appearances from Ross Jennings (Haken), Ally Storch (Subway to Sally), a Turkish orchestra and the TLV Orchestra, “Souls” explores themes of memory, belonging, loss and the desire for connection. Bold, emotional and ambitious, the album represents both a culmination of everything Scardust have built so far and the foundation for the next chapter of the band’s sound.
Lineup:
Noa Gruman / Vocals
Gal Gabriel Israel / Guitar
Aaron Friedland / Keyboards
Orr Didi / Bass
Yoav Weinberg / Drums