Published: August 7, 2026 · 3:21 AM EDT
The Italian symphonic power metal band turn a real-life fire experienced during Sabaton Cruise 2024 into the second single from their Tarot-inspired album, due October 16 via Napalm Records.
Temperance have released the official video for “Death: Right Before We Die,” the second single from their upcoming studio album Arcani, set for release on October 16, 2026, through Napalm Records.
The emotive mid-tempo track is connected to an experience shared by the Italian symphonic power metal band while touring in 2024. During a stop in Tallinn, Estonia, connected with Sabaton Cruise, the restaurant where the musicians were having dinner caught fire.
Guitarist and vocalist Marco Pastorino wrote the song’s main melody that same day, with the experience eventually becoming part of a composition centered on mortality, survival and the importance of human connection.
Vocalist Kristin Starkey explained that the song approaches those ideas through the Death card of the Tarot.
“This song explores the existential threat to our mortality through the tarot card, Death,” Starkey said.
Rather than treating death purely through despair, she described the song as being about accepting the inevitable while remaining connected to the people and experiences that give life meaning.
“Ultimately, it’s a personal anthem about survival and presence,” she added. “It’s a reminder to surrender to the journey, seize every single day, and remember that we have the power to define our own fate.”
Musically, “Death: Right Before We Die” begins with restrained keyboard melodies before developing through heavier arrangements and the multiple vocal approaches that have become central to Temperance’s sound.
Arcani and the Major Arcana
Arcani is Temperance’s eighth studio album and contains 13 songs structured around individual cards from the Major Arcana of the Tarot.
Although the band does not describe the record as a traditional concept album, each track uses the symbolism of a different card as a starting point for its story or theme.
Pastorino said the album was developed over the course of the previous year and combines symphonic arrangements, the band’s three-vocalist format, guitar solos and more personal lyrical material.
“We are finally here to announce our new album Arcani,” Pastorino said. “13 incredible new songs that we have worked tirelessly on over the past year.”
The record follows the musical world established around Hermitage, while expanding Temperance’s songwriting through different styles and arrangements.
Rockum previously documented another period in the band’s recent history when Temperance released a live version of “The Last Hope in a World of Hopes” in February 2025.
Thirteen Songs Built Around Tarot
Arcani opens with “The Fool,” whose title reflects the unusual position of the card within the Tarot, where it may be unnumbered or assigned the number zero.
“The Magician: Into the Fire” places greater emphasis on male vocals, while “Death: Right Before We Die” brings the record into more personal territory through the experience that inspired the song.
“The Tower: Lean Into Fear” introduces a hard rock direction that Temperance describe as a new element within their musical vocabulary, with Starkey taking a more forceful vocal role.
“The Devil: Sin, Sin, Sin” continues the darker atmosphere before “Temperance: Forgiveness” turns the virtue represented by the card into a more encouraging composition.
“The Chariot: Alla Ricerca dell’America” incorporates Italian lyrics, a Swedish line reflecting Starkey’s adopted home, and additional operatic elements.
“Justice: Balance” maintains a more triumphant direction, while “The Star: Surrender Control” again contrasts the band’s different vocalists.
“Wheel of Fortune: Come and Call Me” moves through electronic elements into a faster and heavier arrangement. “The Moon: The Man of Moonlight” shifts toward a calmer atmosphere, while “The Hanged Man: Petrichor” develops from acoustic guitar into heavier metal and operatic passages.
The album concludes with “The World,” an acoustic-based song dominated by female vocals and connected to the final card of the Major Arcana.
Arcani Track Listing
“The Fool”
“The Magician: Into the Fire”
“Death: Right Before We Die”
“The Tower: Lean Into Fear”
“The Devil: Sin, Sin, Sin”
“Temperance: Forgiveness”
“The Chariot: Alla Ricerca dell’America”
“Justice: Balance”
“The Star: Surrender Control”
“Wheel of Fortune: Come and Call Me”
“The Moon: The Man of Moonlight”
“The Hanged Man: Petrichor”
“The World”
Arcani Formats
Arcani will be released in the following formats:
1-LP Gatefold Inkspot Black/Red edition with LP booklet, limited to 100 copies through the Napalm Shop
1-LP Gatefold Black edition with lyric sheet
1-CD Digipak + Jewelcase Instrumental Album
1-CD Digipak
Digital Album
Temperance Live 2026
Temperance will continue touring through the second half of 2026, including festival appearances and a European run supporting Kamelot’s Dark Asylum World Tour alongside Exit Eden.
August 23 - Bobalna, Romania - Rock Revolution Fest
October 10 - Oberwart, Austria - Black Unicorn Festival
Kamfest
October 31 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13
Kamelot, Blackbriar, Exit Eden, Temperance
Supporting Kamelot - Dark Asylum World Tour, Europe Pt. 1 with Exit Eden
November 1 - London, UK - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
November 3 - Manchester, UK - O2 Ritz Manchester
November 5 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
November 6 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 Konzertfabrik
November 7 - Lyon, France - La Rayonne
November 8 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA
November 10 - Krakow, Poland - Klub Studio
November 11 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
November 13 - Zagreb, Croatia - Boogaloo
November 14 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Red Stage
November 15 - Belgrade, Serbia - Hangar
November 17 - Trezzo sull’Adda, Italy - Live Club
November 18 - Padova, Italy - Hall
November 20 - Toulouse, France - Metronum
November 21 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
November 22 - Madrid, Spain - Sala La Riviera
Temperance Lineup
Kristin Starkey - Vocals
Michele Guaitoli - Vocals, Piano
Marco Pastorino - Guitars, Vocals
Luca Negro - Bass, Vocals
Marco Sacchetto - Drums
On “Death: Right Before We Die,” Temperance connect the Tarot framework of Arcani with an event from their own touring history, turning the symbolism of the Death card into a song about mortality, survival and the value of the present moment.
Written by Gino Alache – Music Journalist
PHOTO CREDIT: Alex Verona
Watch Temperance’s official video for “Death: Right Before We Die” below:
