Beloved Metal Band Announces New Album 20 Years After Forming

Twenty years after forming, Oh, Sleeper is finally ready to usher in a new era.

The Texas metalcore band has announced that it has officially completed work on its first new studio album since 2019’s Bloodied/Unbowed. While a title and release date have yet to be revealed, the group confirmed that the record is finished, with more details expected soon.

“The new Oh Sleeper record is mastered and turned in,” singer Shane Blay shared on his Instagram story.

The announcement marks the end of a lengthy creative process that fans have been following for months.

Back in January, the band revealed it had entered the studio with longtime producer Andreas Magnusson, who has worked on every one of Oh, Sleeper’s full-length albums. At the time, few details were shared beyond a studio photo and the promise that new music was on the way. Now, the band has confirmed the sessions are complete.

Formed in 2006 in Fort Worth, Texas, Oh, Sleeper quickly became one of the defining acts of the late-2000s metalcore scene. Fronted by Micah Kinard alongside guitarist and clean vocalist Shane Blay, the band built a loyal following with albums including When I Am God, Son of the Morning, and Children of Fire, earning praise for its combination of crushing breakdowns, soaring melodies, and thought-provoking lyrics.

“We write music for people who want to dive deeper and actually read-into and discover their own connection to the songs,” Kinard said in a 2009 interview. “Everything that is written lyrically for this band is showered in prayer and I believe that God has the power to reach people through it… if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be in this band.”

After releasing Children of Fire in 2011, the band slowed its activity before entering a hiatus as members pursued other projects, including Blay’s work with Wovenwar. Oh, Sleeper reunited several years later and returned triumphantly with Bloodied/Unbowed in 2019, ending an eight-year gap between studio albums and reminding fans why the band had remained such a respected name in modern metalcore.

The forthcoming record will be the band’s fifth full-length album and its first collection of new material in seven years. Although the group has yet to reveal song titles or artwork, anticipation has continued to build throughout 2026 as updates from the studio hinted that another chapter was nearing completion.

For longtime fans, the announcement is welcome news. Over the past two decades, Oh, Sleeper has developed a reputation for taking its time between releases while refusing to compromise its sound. With the album now complete, listeners won’t have to wait much longer to hear what the band has created.

Twenty years after its formation, Oh, Sleeper is once again proving that patience can pay off and that one of metalcore’s most beloved bands still has plenty left to say.

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