Italian symphonic power metallers TEMPERANCE have released “Death: Right Before We Die,” the second single from their upcoming eighth studio album, Arcani, due October 16, 2026, via Napalm Records. The song arrives alongside an official music video.
Following “The Fool,” the new single dives further into the Tarot-inspired themes behind Arcani, with each of the album’s 13 tracks drawing inspiration from a different card of the Major Arcana.
“Death: Right Before We Die” carries particular significance for the band, as its origins can be traced to a frightening experience TEMPERANCE shared while touring. During Sabaton Cruise 2024, the musicians were having dinner at a restaurant in Tallinn, Estonia, when the building caught fire. On that same day, guitarist Marco Pastorino wrote what would become the song’s central melody.
The experience eventually developed into an emotive mid-tempo track that uses the Death card to examine mortality, survival and the importance of appreciating the present.
Vocalist Kristin Starkey explains:
“This song is about facing the inevitable ‘end’ not with despair, but by anchoring ourselves in the profound beauty of human connection and the love we share in the present moment.”
Starkey describes the track as a personal anthem about survival and presence, encouraging listeners to embrace life’s journey rather than allowing the inevitability of death to overshadow it.
TEMPERANCE Explore the Major Arcana on Arcani
While Arcani isn’t presented as a traditional concept album, Tarot provides the thematic framework connecting its 13 songs. Each track interprets a different Major Arcana card through TEMPERANCE’s combination of symphonic arrangements, melodic metal and their distinctive multi-vocal approach.
The album also features some of the band’s most personal lyrics to date, with group vocal recording sessions further emphasizing the collaborative nature of the record.
“We are finally here to announce our new album Arcani!” says Pastorino. “13 incredible new songs that we have worked tirelessly on over the past year, and we are confident they will become an essential part of our live show.”
Pastorino promises epic symphonic arrangements, harmonies built around the band’s three distinctive voices, prominent guitar solos and an expansive production.
Musically, Arcani uses the symbolism of each Tarot card to explore different sides of TEMPERANCE.
Opening track “The Fool” establishes the album’s uplifting symphonic character, while “The Magician: Into the Fire” shifts the focus toward male vocals and a more forceful approach. “The Tower: Lean Into Fear” ventures into hard rock territory, giving Starkey an opportunity to display a heavier side of her vocal range.
“The Devil: Sin, Sin, Sin” continues the record’s darker direction with a dramatic arrangement and large melodic chorus, while the quasi-title track “Temperance: Forgiveness” transforms its corresponding virtue card into an encouraging anthem.
“The Chariot: Alla Ricerca dell’America” incorporates Italian lyrics, a Swedish line honoring Starkey’s adopted home and additional operatic vocals. “Justice: Balance” continues the album’s triumphant atmosphere before “The Star: Surrender Control” again highlights the contrast between TEMPERANCE’s vocalists.
Elsewhere, “Wheel of Fortune: Come and Call Me” introduces electronic elements before accelerating into one of the record’s faster tracks. “The Moon: The Man of Moonlight” takes a calmer but ominous approach, while “The Hanged Man: Petrichor” moves between acoustic passages, heavy metal and opera.
The album concludes with “The World,” an acoustic guitar-driven piece led primarily by female vocals, reflecting the final Major Arcana card and its association with completion.
Arcani Tracklist
- The Fool
- The Magician: Into the Fire
- Death: Right Before We Die
- The Tower: Lean Into Fear
- The Devil: Sin, Sin, Sin
- Temperance: Forgiveness
- The Chariot: Alla Ricerca dell’America
- Justice: Balance
- The Star: Surrender Control
- Wheel of Fortune: Come and Call Me
- The Moon: The Man of Moonlight
- The Hanged Man: Petrichor
- The World
Arcani will be available digitally and across several physical configurations, including CD, an instrumental edition and multiple vinyl variants. A black/red inkspot gatefold LP will be limited to 100 copies exclusively through the Napalm Records shop.
TEMPERANCE will spend part of the fall supporting KAMELOT on the European leg of their Dark Asylum World Tour alongside EXIT EDEN. Before the tour begins, the band will also make appearances at Rock Revolution Fest and Black Unicorn Festival.
The run includes stops in London, Manchester, Oberhausen, Pratteln, Lyon, Stuttgart, Krakow, Warsaw, Zagreb, Budapest, Belgrade, Trezzo sull’Adda, Padova, Toulouse, Barcelona and Madrid.
TEMPERANCE will also appear at KAMFEST in Tilburg on October 31 alongside KAMELOT, Blackbriar and EXIT EDEN.
TEMPERANCE currently consists of Kristin Starkey on vocals, Michele Guaitoli on vocals and piano, Marco Pastorino on guitars and vocals, Luca Negro on bass and vocals, and Marco Sacchetto on drums.
Arcani arrives October 16, 2026, via Napalm Records