Album Premiere: Grace Death – Tender Skin
A while back on the Toilet Ov Hell podcast, I discussed my enjoyment of gothic metal and goth rock. There’s just something about the combination of dark atmosphere, poetic lyrics, alternative instrumentation, and the overall aesthetic that reaches deep inside my heart, mind, and soul. It really is art in so many different ways that a lot of other metal subgenres rarely ever reach. Call it whatever you want, but bands that have the “dark rock” sound live on the outskirts of the scene, doing what they want, and, in a case like Grace Death, make evocative and exciting music.
Consisting of members She and He, Belgian duo Grace Death wear their influences on their sleeves and their chainmail for their debut album Tender Skin. While listeners can pick out bits of Sisters of Mercy, Fields of the Nephilim, and Clan of Xymox throughout the album, Grace Death makes each song their own. Tender Skin is an adventurous and creative listen, with enough variety to capture even the most jaded music fan. You can go from gothic rockers to goth club bangers. Seriously, I dare you to listen to Words Fell Down and not want to dance. Beneath the melodies and grooves, lies a deeper, more personal meaning.
About the album, He says:
For more than two decades, we’ve played in the depths of the Belgian underground, often in the most extreme corners of the scene. After spending a long time lost in a cryptic, strange piece, I wanted to shift gears and try something more accessible. The songs that became Tender Skin flew out of me like a spirit needing to escape a dying body. In a month I had the framework done for all of them.
At its surface, this album is immediate, with melodies that linger. But beneath the skin are rituals and symbols. This album was born as much from the body as the spirit. She is an erotic dancer. Her experiences with all sides of desire, from the transactional to the dangerously intimate, have helped shape the voice and themes of the album. At its core it’s about lust, love and power.
The album can be heard as us translating a long devotion into sound. From tenderness to ritual fire. Only, we open this up to the world, for all to enter and explore. We hope you enjoy the trip.
Escape your dying body and listen to Tender Skin here:
Grace Death’s debut album Tender Skin is out on March 3rd, 2026. You can pre-order it on Bandcamp and find more information on the band’s website.
