Metal band SHVRIKENdropped their latest single “Black Sand“, a collaboration with Stephen Tan of The Rising Tide and produced by Adam Bentley of Arch Echo.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Metal band SHVRIKENhas just dropped their latest single “Black Sand” on April 25, 2025 on all major streaming and digital music platforms worldwide. The new track features vocals from The Rising Tide vocalist Stephen Tan.
Referencing the 2009 film Ninja Assassin, the song’s title alludes to the “black sand” used by the protagonist as a signal for impending death. Symbolically, “Black Sand” likewise heralds a new phase for SHVRIKEN leading up to the release of their much-anticipated debut album.
Stephen Tan of The Rising Tide features on melodic vocals for “Black Sand”.
The band claims “Black Sand” to be one of the most unique tracks they’ve released thus far. “The groove is still there alongside our traditional aggressive metal riffs and gritty vocals,” the band describes. “But for this song, we asked Stephen to feature and sing the clean vocal parts.”
“Just based on his work with The Rising Tide and The Vast, Stephen was the obvious choice. He has the vocal prowess for a song like this and he exceeded expectations. He is the highlight on this track.”
To elevate the production of the song, SHVRIKEN also enlisted the help of global producer Adam Bentley to produce, mix, and master the track. Bentley is known to have worked with big names in the industry including Arch Echo, Plini, and Andy Cizek of the band Monuments.
“Adam Bentley was a joy to work with,” the band shared. “He knew exactly what to do and what kind of mix we were looking for. As expected, he blew us away with his next-level production.”
He has the vocal prowess for a song like this and he exceeded expectations. He is the highlight on this track.
On Stephen Tan’s contribution to “Black Sand”
This infusion of new influences and collaborators into the process has resulted in one of the band’s most ambitious releases yet.
“Black Sand” is the band’s first release of 2025 and comes off the heels of a landmark year for the band in 2024, which saw them reach new heights in their live performance repertoire by performing at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany, representing the Philippines in the renowned Wacken Metal Battle. They also closed out the year by unleashing a single called “Oni”.
A music video for the track directed by Alden Panes is set to premiere at an unannounced date following the streaming release.
Stream ‘Black Sand’ on your favorite streaming platform. Follow @shvriken_ph on social media to keep up to date with the latest news and updates.
