Church Road Records have announced that rising UK Alt-Metal outfit Mallavora will release their debut album, What If Better Never Comes?, on 27 March 2026. The band’s latest single, Hopeless, is out today.
“We wrote this song at a time when everything just felt too hard,” the band said, “and the challenges we face felt insurmountable. We learned that it’s ok to let your guard down, take off your brave face and accept that there really is no such thing as certainty.
“Staring down the possibility that things might not get better can be terrifying, and feels so hard to do. But it’s not about abandoning hope altogether. Rather, it’s about letting go of things that we don’t have any control over, and trying to find the balance between acceptance and hope.
“We know hopelessness can be incredibly lonely, so we hope this song provides some solace and connection for anyone who relates to its meaning.”
Since forming in 2020, Mallavora have built serious momentum in Heavy Music, landing support from BBC Radio 1 and Kerrang! Radio, and drawing attention across the rock and Metal Press. The band made their Download Festival debut in 2024, completed their first UK headline tour, and have shared stages with Skindred. In 2025, they have continued that run with appearances at 2000 Trees (main stage) and Alyx Holcombe’s MANTRA showcase.
Mallavora have also been turning up in unexpected places, from Boomtown and Burn It Down Festivals to London Fashion Week, where they provided the soundtrack to Unhidden’s latest range.
Most recently, vocalist Jessica Douek contributed striking “banshee-like” wails to an episode of BBC One’s The Celebrity Traitors, showcasing a range that moves from soaring clean vocals to the extremes of fry screaming.
All of that leads to What If Better Never Comes?, a record the band describe as a conceptual exploration of sickness, both personal and societal, and a space to express lived experiences of difference.
“We are so proud to announce the release of our debut album, What If Better Never Comes?,” says Jessica Douek. “We hope its vulnerability, and the message it carries, brings comfort and catharsis to anyone who’s ever lived inside emotions too complex to name.”
For Mallavora, the music comes first, but the band’s songs are grounded in fierce honesty. Guitarist Larry Sobieraj channels his own experiences of chronic illness into the instrumentals.
“It’s almost like a therapy tool to process these complicated and difficult things that a lot of people don’t understand, things that are hard to put into words,” he says. “I want to be able to sit there and listen to the music and feel how I felt while writing it.”
Sobieraj’s instrumentals are then passed to Douek, who turns that emotional response into lyrics. “It makes it quite powerful in the sense that I can feel what he has written, and then I put that into words, associated with grief of becoming ill or losing a healthier version of yourself,” she explains. “There’s a lot of rage about societal barriers and being treated differently.”
Completed by bassist Ellis James and drummer Sam Brownlow, Mallavora have become strong advocates for accessibility, committing to only headline venues accessible enough for them and their audience.
Mallavora have their album release show and biggest headliner to date on Friday, 8 May 2026Â at Exchange in Bristol. Tickets are available here.
Mallavora – What If Better Never Comes?
1. Prologue (1:47)
2. Smile (2:35)
3. Waste (3:16)
4. Lilith & Esther (feat. Banshee) (3:12)
5. Hopeless (4:26)
6. Break (1:06)
7. Birth of a Sun (3:44)
8. Sick (2:32)
9. Walking the Edge of the Knife (3:00)
10. Empty (5:46)
11. Make the World Wait (4:20)
12. Host (3:36)
13. What If Better Never Comes? (9:09)
What If Better Never Comes? is released 27 March 2026 via Church Road Records.
