Following the release of their lauded debut album Deuterium last month, Blindead 23 are back today with a new video for standout single ‘You Are The Universe’.
Blindead 23, formerly known as Blindead, is the new Polish avant-metal juggernaut led by ex-Behemoth guitarist Mateusz “Havoc” Smierzchalski, with a stellar lineup also including Roger Öjersson (ex-Katatonia) and Pawel “Pavulon” Jaroszewicz (Vltimas, ex-Vader, ex-Decapitated).
WATCH THE NEW VIDEO FOR ‘YOU ARE THE UNIVERSE’, CREATED BY ĆMY & PAPROCIE
‘You Are the Universe’ closes the album with a powerful meditation on surrender, transformation, and inner conflict. Driven by crushing dynamics, haunting atmospheres, and emotionally charged performances, the track follows a protagonist trapped within cycles of fear, isolation, and self-destruction before arriving at a hard-won moment of acceptance. Through imagery of machinery, drowning, sleep, and rebirth, the song explores the struggle of confronting one’s own fractured psyche and embracing change rather than resisting it. “The album’s final chapter is about letting go of control and finding clarity within chaos. It is a descent into the self that ultimately reveals a profound truth: the struggle, the war, and the universe itself have always existed within us.
This new incarnation of the band blends an atmosphere of early Blindead recordings – sludge and post-metal, with heavy riffs and mesmerizing electronics – into an evolved and elevated new form, while continuing to honour past material during their visceral live performances. Early compositions following the Blindead 23 “rebirth” resulted in the ‘Vanishing’ EP, followed by the 7″ vinyl single, ‘Disposed’, which was the band’s first ever recording for Peaceville Records, unveiled in 2025.
BLINDEAD 23 – DEUTERIUM
Immersion I [07:42]
Immersion II [10:52]
Wither [03:39]
Worst Laid Plans [10:45]
Deuterium [07:46]
Towards the Dark [06:53]
You Are the Universe [06:04]
‘Deuterium’ was recorded and produced by David Castillo (Opeth, Carcass, Katatonia, Leprous) at Studio Gröndahl in Stockholm in the spring of 2023, with mixing and mastering duties carried out by longtime friend of the band, Kuba Mańkowski.
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
2.10.2026 – Szczecin, Kosmos PL
3.10.2026 – Zielona Góra, Kawon PL
9.10.2026 – Lublin, Zgrzyt PL
10.10.2026 – Białystok, Sześcian PL
17.10.2026 – Gdynia, Ucho PL
23.10.2026 – Wrocław, Łącznik PL
24.10.2026 – Rybnik, Odyseja PL
25.10.2026 – Poznań, TBA
Blindead 23’s debut album Deuterium is out everywhere now, worldwide on Peaceville excluding Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic (Mystic Production).
Blindead 23’s core lineup is:
Patryk Zwoliński – vocals
Mateusz Śmierzchalski – guitars, synths, piano & soundcapes
Roger Öjersson – guitars, keys & vocals
Paweł Jaroszewicz – drums
‘Deuterium’ was arranged and recorded collectively with:
Maciej Janas – guitars, piano & backing vocals
Vinicius Nunes – bass
Stephane Azam – synths
FOLLOW BLINDEAD 23
