Canadian symphonic power metal opera band Liva has released the lyric video for “Samson & Dalila, Pt. 1,” following the track’s official music video. The new visual places the song’s Latin lyrics centre stage, offering listeners a closer engagement with the text at the heart of the composition. The track is taken from the band’s forthcoming album Ecce Mundus, due for release on May 29, 2026, via Wormholedeath.
“Samson & Dalila, Pt. 1” draws on a medieval Latin planctus, a song of lament, dedicated to one of the most powerful and tragic figures in biblical history. Written entirely in Latin, the piece moves between moments of strength and collapse, tracing the arc of Samson’s story: his extraordinary feats and the devastating cost of betrayal, loss, and imprisonment. The contrast that emerges is stark, a once-unstoppable figure reduced to his lowest point. The result is a dark, immersive composition that meditates on power, downfall, and the fragile boundary between them. The lyric video brings that text into full focus, allowing the Latin words to resonate alongside the music as a standalone element.
Known for its symphonic power metal opera approach, Liva is among the first Canadian acts to merge classical music and metal in this format.
The lineup on the new album features Nadine Guertin (soprano), Pier Carlo Liva (death and tenor vocals, guitars, electronics), Martin Tremblay (bass), and Claude Lacroix (drums). Following the recording, Philippe Leblanc joined the band as the new drummer.
Liva’s back catalog includes Requiem (2002), a heavy metal interpretation of the Latin requiem mass; De Insulis (2007), based on the Latin texts of 12th-century theologian Alain de Lille; and Human Abstract (2013). In March 2002, the band performed live with a 13-piece chamber orchestra for a Radio-Canada broadcast. The following year, they received the MIMI award for “artiste le plus avant-gardiste” (most avant-garde artist), recognizing their fusion of classical and metal. Over the years, Liva has shared the stage with acts such as Voivod, Gorguts, Nightwish, Kataklysm, and Therion.
