"Rising from the home of symphonic metal are AMBERIAN DAWN: the Finnish five-piece is set to open Temptation’s Gates, their new album, out on June 26, 2026 via Napalm Records. Their band’s first release with new singer Nicole Willerton takes them onto a more modern, occasionally even surprisingly rough path. With it, AMBERIAN DAWN slowly emancipate themselves from being “just” the band who—gloriously!—covered Swedish pop legends ABBA with their previous album Take a Chance – A Metal Tribute to ABBA (2022). AMBERIAN DAWN introduce their new voice with the album’s title track. “Temptation’s Gates” sweeps in fast, filled to the brim with epic orchestrals and charming storytelling. The band’s increased determination equally seeps through “The Vision Of Dreaming”, whose poignant riff spirals right into long-term memory and which first hints at Willerton being more than an angelic fairy gently guiding listeners through languorous realms.
The following invocation to the “Moon” turns up the speed to blast beat intensity, remaining magical up until its unexpected end. The final screams fittingly reverberate in “Unchained” which has the new leading lady unleash her full potential in powerful growls contrasting her seraphic vocals—a first for AMBERIAN DAWN! It is here at the very latest that Temptation’s Gates demonstrates that this is no longer ABBA, but that the Finnish quintet has boldly created something different but equally as fitting. “Eternal Flame” and “Life is Art” are epic hymns with beautiful guitar work, further having AMBERIAN DAWN re-write their destiny. Another testimony of the band’s changed direction, “The Night is Waiting for Me” makes heads nod and feet tap from the first note with its captivatingly modern sound infused with a dark metal atmosphere. More in line with previous work, the ballad “Undying Colours” transports listeners to a multilayered dreamscape that is, just as “The Garden” frames it, self-directed. “Phantasmagoria” wraps up the album as an irresistibly danceable track, leading the way for symphonic metal to become more modern while losing none of its whimsical grandeur. Infusing their epic orchestral sounds with melodic metal, AMBERIAN DAWN reach into a world unknown and prove their versatility while their catchy anthems remain strong and charming as ever. Temptation’s Gates has the band determined for a future sparkling temptingly bright—and they’re ready to step through that gate."