Rock Monsters Romania

Photo by Andrei Ionuț

The Bucharest-based band Taking Back August released their debut album Chrysalis online on all streaming platforms on Saturday, September 7th.

Chrysalis is the fruitful materialization of eight full tracks, along with a surprising intro and interlude. The album represents a musical metamorphosis of the emotions and experiences that a band on the rise undergoes. The main theme of the album is innovation, as each track blends authentic, hard, and chaotic metalcore rhythms with slow tones and chords influenced by the personal passions and preferences of the five artists.

It’s a real surprise for metalcore fans to discover fragments of pop, techno, and even oriental rhythms, intertwined with sensitive and meaningful lyrics that touch on life’s chaos, disappointment, and the moments we chase after hope, happiness, and light.

The album is an open statement to listeners, conveying the idea that not only joy and ecstasy should be embraced but also negative emotions. Through the lyrical content of the songs, the idea of vulnerability and courage is normalized, with anger, frustration, sadness, and melancholy seen as a natural part of the human experience and a potential source of creative material.

“In Chrysalis, we wanted to address a truth that’s often avoided: pain doesn’t necessarily make you stronger. With this album, we want to convey that, even though pain can wear us down, it’s in those moments of complete breakdown that we have the chance to rediscover ourselves. It’s a journey through suffering, but also a path toward accepting that no matter how many times we try to change, we remain the same at our core, with the same values and principles that define us.” – Alex Iliescu (Chuck), guitarist of Taking Back August.

George Moței, also a guitarist of Taking Back August, shared some words about the production:

“Beyond the powerful songs and the messages conveyed, for me personally, this album fulfilled one of my teenage dreams. The only Romanian-language track on the album, a song I used to play with my high school band, was restructured, and, even more, Cătălin Chelemen from Coma, the band that influenced my musical path, joined us on it.”

The album is available on all streaming platforms, and on September 21st, the band invites you to their launch party at Encore Club.