French Heavy Rock duo Vain Valkyries drop their brand new album “Wonders” today, March 20, 2026, and the full stream is already live on YouTube. The record marks the band’s fourth release and their most ambitious statement to date.
Stream “Wonders” in full via the YouTube player below:
Formed in Rouen, France, Vain Valkyries is the project of Ian Debeerst (vocals, guitar, music & lyrics) and Simon Debeerst (drums). “Wonders” was recorded by Jean-Benoît Têtu & Ian Debeerst, mixed by Jean-Benoît Têtu, mastered by Collin Jordan, with artwork by Ian Debeerst.
The album spans 10 tracks of dense, riff-driven Heavy Rock with Post-Hardcore and Stoner undertones — angular guitar work, blunt lyrics navigating obsession, gaslighting, cults, existential drift and social rot. From the short punchy opener “Bokeh” to the slow-burning closer “Fever Dream,” “Wonders” moves with purpose and controlled aggression across its 35-minute runtime.
Brothers Ian and Simon Debeerst are back to deliver a sonic assault! 3 years after “The Great Suffering,” their debut album that introduced a unique vision of dissonant and chaotic music, Vain Valkyries follow up with “Wonders.” It’s a celebration of a love as passionate as it is fraught between lumbering grunge and intricate mathcore. And as a bonus, they possess a knack for catchy tunes that flirt with pop without ever quite crossing the line. The duo continues to forge their own path, guided as much by their touch of madness as by their natural elegance. And isn’t that exactly what we expect from metal in the year of 2026?
Still proud representatives of the “guitar, drums, and that’s it” formula, Vain Valkyries evolve with an even more radical approach. They take on the challenge of blending complex atmospheres and rhythmic patterns with a stronger desire to get to the heart of the matter, and delve deeper into their melodies. Ian’s riffs become increasingly sinuous, sometimes harsh and sharp, but always tuned roughly to the Earth’s core. Riffs that are rediscovered in an improbable fusion with his dandyish timbre, vehicle for impactful vocal lines. Meanwhile, Simon still pounds his drums with the finesse of a bull in a china shop, while managing to weave in subtleties here and there that are enough to make your head spin.
After the absurd and macabre tales of “The Great Suffering,” Vain Valkyries explores more down-to-earth themes on “Wonders.” And completely rooted in current events, moreover, as these songs evoke the environment, capitalism, harassment mechanisms, and masculinist movements. Represented on the artwork by these inverted mountains, they are “monuments of negativity” that raise many questions and haunt us (in this regard, you’ll be able to detect the wordplay behind the album title). Here this toxicity of our time is vilified with irony, and a spirit of revolt meant to give rise to a glimmer of hope.
“Wonders” encapsulates the ecstatic energy that has been bubbling within Vain Valkyries since their inception. A sophomore album with a palpable urgency. “A sour candy” as Ian likes to describe it. Get ready for 10 edgy and unpredictable tracks, capable of confirming all the hopes placed here.
“Wonders” is available on 12″ ecological marble vinyl, Digisleeve CD, and digital via Bandcamp. The band is also hitting the road this week for a short French run (Amiens, Rouen, Briouze — March 26–28).
Purchase “Wonders” on Bandcamp: https://vainvalkyries.bandcamp.com/album/wonders