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RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 20, 2026
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Severed Angel has returned to the world of metal with their fourth album (and their second release on NoLifeTilMetal Records) entitled The Cost of Creation.
Five years ago, drummer Wayne Noon (Phoenix Reign, Project Resurrect) had a simple idea: bring together musicians from different backgrounds and see what they could create together. Joining him were bassist George Dimitri (Taz, Timeless Haunt), keyboardist Marc Muchnik (The Nightmare Stage), vocalist/guitarist Alex Repetti (Infinite Spectrum, Tension Rising), and guitarist Lou Mavs (The Rebel Medium, Doc Reinhart).
What began with a demo track written by Lou entitled “Dogs of War” quickly evolved into something much larger, and Severed Angel was born.
With members from Long Island, Brooklyn, and Maryland, the band independently released their self-titled debut in 2023, followed by Skyward in 2024. The latter achieved Top 10 radio placement on Metal Contraband and Top 25 placement on NACC radio charts. Following the success of Skyward, Severed Angel signed with NoLifeTilMetal Records in late 2024 and released their label debut When Eternity Ends in March 2025, featuring the singles and videos “Through The Eyes of Time,” “Cry Out To The World,” and “A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing.”
“When I first started the band in 2022, I didn’t have a set idea for how it should sound,” says Wayne Noon. “Too many bands focus on sounding like what’s popular today. We just wanted to write melodic, heavy music that showcased everyone’s songwriting abilities. Every album has pushed us further creatively.”
Keyboardist Marc Muchnik adds: “I’ve never been part of a project this creatively fulfilling before. Some bands take years between albums, and we’ve completed three records in three years. Because we focus on what inspires us instead of trends, Severed Angel never feels forced.”
Following the completion of When Eternity Ends, the band asked themselves one question: How do they evolve without repeating past success?
The answer became their most creative undertaking yet: a full concept album.
“The conversation around artificial intelligence is everywhere right now,” says bassist George Dimitri. “AI affects all of us. Businesses are becoming automated, people use AI tools every day, and technology is reshaping how people work and communicate. That naturally inspired discussion within the band.”
“What interested us wasn’t preaching about AI,” says vocalist/guitarist Alex Repetti. “We wanted to tell a human story — someone using technology to preserve memories of loved ones, only to experience emotional and psychological consequences from trying to recreate what was lost.”
The result is The Cost of Creation, a nine-song, hour-long progressive metal journey exploring grief, memory, artificial intelligence, and identity.
Inspiration for the album’s songwriting began unexpectedly during a visit to a children’s museum that guitarist Lou Mavs had with his daughter. “There was an exhibit about old communication systems and Morse code. I started thinking rhythmically about words like ‘digital,’ ‘AI,’ and ‘SOS,’ and riffs immediately started forming in my head. I know Rush did it first with ‘YYZ,’ but I thought it could be expanded upon. From there, the songwriting process became incredibly natural.”
The album opens with the orchestral instrumental “Overture: Symphony of Circuits,” introducing themes and melodies woven throughout the record. It transitions into “A Smart Device,” where the story’s protagonist develops technology capable of preserving memories of deceased loved ones through AI-integrated robotics.
“When I Grow Up” flashes back to the protagonist’s childhood fascination with technology and innovation, while “Just One Kiss” (featuring Plant Based Metal’s Gail Bourque on vocals and Absolon’s Ken Pike on acoustic guitar) explores his personal relationships and emotional foundation before tragedy strikes.
The story resumes with “A Binary Code” (the album’s first single), where the protagonist faces devastating loss and attempts to reverse it through his inventions. “Chasing Echoes” and “Mirage of Love” follow his emotional unraveling as the line between reality and artificial reconstruction begins to collapse.
The second instrumental, “Digital Deception,” captures the character’s psychological and emotional descent. When asked to describe the song, Lou responded with one word: “Chaos.” To conclude the album, the band wrote and recorded the epic 18-minute finale entitled “Immanence or Transcendence.”
“We never set out to create another Operation: Mindcrime (Queensrÿche) or Metropolis, Part 2: Scenes From A Memory (Dream Theater),” says Lou. “Those are landmark albums in progressive metal, along with classics from Rush like 2112 and Hemispheres. Those albums and Obsolete from Fear Factory were instrumental in terms of their influence on us, but we wanted to create something that felt unique to us.”
In addition to the album, The Cost of Creation will be accompanied by an animated film directed by Peter Karnik, to be released on a future date. “This is easily the most ambitious project we’ve ever attempted,” says Alex. “Peter has worked on projects connected to Ryan Reynolds, Nintendo, and Harry Potter-related productions. Combining animation with the album’s narrative gives fans an entirely new experience beyond simply listening to the music.”
Today we world premiere the debut single 'BINARY CODE'