ILLUSIONS PLAY AND CURSED IN ETERNITY UNITE FOR BLEAK TWO-TRACK SPLIT EP DOOMED
Архив новостей | Русская версия
Istanbul and Ankara's dark metal forces trade musical and vocal roles across a haunting collaboration of doom, death, black metal and DSBM. Streaming here.
Two of Türkiye's underground metal acts, Istanbul-based Illusions Play and Ankara-based Cursed in Eternity , have joined forces for Doomed , a two-track split EP that brings together atmospheric doom/death, black metal, melodic death metal and depressive suicidal black metal in a deliberately unconventional collaboration.
Released September 4, 2026, Doomed features two tracks, “Ashen Sky” and “Ash Beneath the Sun,” with each band contributing equally to the project. Rather than simply appearing alongside one another on a traditional split, Illusions Play and Cursed in Eternity created an intentional exchange of roles, with one band providing the music while the other takes on the lyrical and vocal performance. The roles are then reversed for the second track.
The result is a release where two distinct identities become intertwined, creating a bleak and immersive journey through despair, isolation, melancholy and inner decay.
Formed in Istanbul in 2011, Illusions Play has developed a sound rooted in atmospheric doom/death metal while incorporating elements of black metal, haunting melodies and crushing heaviness. The band's music shifts between deep growls, piercing screams and ethereal vocal passages, creating an atmosphere steeped in darkness and emotional weight.
Following their second full-length album, Empire of Desolation , released in 2024, Illusions Play continued to push toward an increasingly dark and atmospheric direction.
The band has shared stages with acts including Shape of Despair, October Tide and Psychonaut 4, while also appearing at Portals Metal Fest and Doom Over Tbilisi.
For Doomed, Illusions Play enters into a creative exchange with Cursed in Eternity, contributing one half of a collaboration built around musical and vocal role reversal.
Formed in Ankara in 2019 , Cursed in Eternity is a doom-based DSBM project blending bleak atmospheres and melancholic songwriting with lyrics performed in both Turkish and English.
After a period of silence, the band returned with their latest studio album, Rise of Silence, released in February 2026. The album marked a new chapter for Cursed in Eternity, leading directly into the band's collaboration with Illusions Play on Doomed.
The band is also scheduled to return to the stage on October 3, 2026, alongside October Tide and Illusions Play.
