1914 Returns With Historically Accurate New Single “1916 (The Südtirol Offensive)”

Ukrainian blackened death/doom metal force 1914 return with unrelenting power on their fourth studio album, Viribus Unitis — Latin for With United Forces. More than just the personal motto of Franz Joseph I, the former emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the title stands as a declaration of resilience through war, loss, and upheaval.

Out November 14, 2025 via Napalm Records, the album builds on the band’s acclaimed conceptual approach, reaching new depths of emotion and intensity. While earlier works like The Blind Leading the Blind in 2018 and Where Fear and Weapons Meet in 2021 centered on the futility and devastation of war, Viribus Unitis turns toward camaraderie, endurance, and the bonds forged under fire. It is the story of soldiers who returned home broken, scarred, and changed — but still alive.

“Viribus Unitis is about shared strength and the idea that true power lies in unity. Alone, one may fall – together, we can prevail and achieve our goals: Defeat the enemy, escape captivity, survive, and return to your family,” said 1914 of the new album.

“We return with a new story. A story of life and military valor of a soldier who encountered the Great War in his native city of Lviv and went through it all. Side by side, with joint efforts of Ukrainians, Poles, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs, Slovaks, Jews, Croats, Bosniaks, Germans – all the peoples who made up the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire. Empires did not count people – they threw them into meat grinders where survival was only possible through unity. By helping one another. By sacrificing yourself for the sake of your loved ones and comrades.

“This is a story of being blinded by war and the grandeur of the empire, of the heat of battle, realization and acceptance of reality, awakening, changing values, captivity, and liberation. It is a story of unbreakable will to live and hope amidst a terrifying and bloody war. It is a story of a new little life that changes all the rules and forces one to see the familiar from a different perspective. It is a story of love. It is a story of loss and death. Viribus Unitis is when pain, death, loss, loneliness, and fear encircle you. But you’re still unbroken!”

Alongside the album announcement comes the first single, “1916 (The Südtirol Offensive),” a blackened doom anthem of defiance recounting the brutal Battle of Asiago. With thunderous riffs and crushing atmospheres, 1914 breathe grim life into the Austro-Hungarian campaign against Italy, capturing the staggering toll of nearly 230,000 casualties through a sound both despairing and uncompromising.

Throughout the record, 1914 stay true to their identity, blending death, doom, and black metal with ambient war soundscapes, now enriched by soaring melodic leads, orchestral textures, and haunting clean vocals.

Guest appearances heighten the emotional weight, including Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride on “1918 Pt. 3: ADE (A Duty to Escape)” and Jerome Reuter of Rome on the closing “1919 (The Home Where I Died).” Produced with historical authenticity and visceral conviction, Viribus Unitis traces the timeline of World War I from its outbreak to its hollow aftermath, painting a devastating yet deeply human portrait of survival, unity, and transformation.